The hit survival game Palworld recently released a substantial new update aimed at fixing bugs and improving quality of life for players. Patch v0.1.5.0 resolves numerous issues but also unintentionally sets all player-controlled Pals to relax mode, slowing productivity.
The patch includes over 35 fixes and changes. It improves Pal pathfinding to prevent them getting stuck in bases. Server performance and anti-cheat measures were also upgraded. Importantly, players can now continuously craft and build without holding buttons.
However, the update adds a “relax” mode for Pal monitoring stands that defaults all stations to relaxed low output. Players will have to manually reconfigure stations to previous settings.
Unintended Consequences
While intended as a beneficial feature, the relax mode accidentally slows all production since it is enabled by default. Many players have logged in after updating to find their Pals languishing rather than working efficiently.
This highlights the unpredictability of early access game development. Well-meaning new features can have unintended side effects. The developers acknowledge the issue and plan to quickly roll back the default settings.
Ongoing Support
The update shows Palworld developer Pocketpair’s commitment to improving the game despite its runaway success. While player counts have dropped since launch, Palworld remains hugely popular. Constructive updates like this will help it compete as one of the year’s top Xbox titles.
This mix of progress and pitfalls shows the double-edged sword of early access game updates. But continued polish and enhancements build confidence that Palworld will realize its full potential.