Summary
- Palworld has an unfortunate bug that has the exact opposite of the desired effect.
- The bug is not obvious and cannot be visually tested by the percentages displayed on the screen.
- While waiting for the bug to be addressed, players can increase their capture rates by using back bonuses, different Pal Spheres, stunning attacks, or resorting to the breeding mechanic.
Even though best Palworld glitches, like the Pal Sphere launcher glitch, are fun and hopefully stay in the game, while others worsen the gameplay experience.
One such bug only affects people who have played Palworld for a bit and, surprisingly, only gets worse as characters become stronger. Though this bug hasn't been officially confirmed or acknowledged by the game developers, many have conducted their own tests to see whether something strange is afoot. As it turns out — the numbers don't lie, and there's a decent probability that someone made a goof somewhere in the game code.
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Lifmunk Effigy Upgrades At The Statue Of Power Reduce Capture Rate
A Key Upgrade Has The Inverse Effect
One unfortunate bug many in Palworld claim to experience affects a mechanic in the game that increases the capture rate. In Palworld, Lifmunk Effigys are glowing green collectible trophies found randomly throughout the game world and can be used at the Statute of Power to boost the character's capture rate. However, a recently discovered bug indicates that the leveling-up mechanic might actually be reducing the capture rate, making more powerful characters weaker than their level-one counterparts.
Discovered by Chalenor on YouTube, the Palworld Tamer and amateur scientist attempted a small experiment to test out the different capture rates with maxed-out level Lifmunk Effigys on a Statute of Power compared to zero upgrades, and the results are surprising. Chalenor caught 100 different Pals, then reloaded his game to catch 100 Pals in the same area. The run with maxed-out Lifmunk Effigys resulted in an overall 37% capture rate, while the final capture rate for the non-leveled Lifmunk Effigys resulted in a 53% capture rate.
Though this sample size isn't exactly the largest in the world — and there are a few issues with the actual test (as capturing the exact same Pals would be better evidence), such a high disparity in what is expected vs. the final results is mathematically pretty improbable, though not as unlikely as one would expect when using Bayes' theorem of probability. That said, Chalenor isn't alone, with others online on Twitter and Reddit claiming that the same thing is happening to them.
Bayes' theorem calculates the probability of an event occurring based on prior knowledge of the event, or in this case, theoretically increased capture rates as a result of upgrades.
The Lifmunk Effigy Bug Is Not Obvious
Displayed Capture Rates Don't Mean Anything
One of the worst parts of the bug, if it actually is a bug, is the fact that it's not something that can be tested visually by percentages that Palworld displays on the screen. The reason for this is that in the case of the upgraded Effigys, the capture rate on screen is higher than without any upgrades, but the actual end results are much lower in reality.
Many likely have anecdotal evidence and can relate to this situation, as nearly impossible odds to capture high-level creatures result in a successful capture, while a 75%+ chance to capture another Pal results in failure. Though there's likely some level of perception distortion going on (it's more common to highly unlikely occurrences), the fact that so many people have reported similar issues gives credence to the fact that perhaps the Lifmunk Effigy upgrades in Palworld are indeed bugged.
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Steer Clear Of Statute of Power Upgrades For Now
There Are Other Ways To Increase Capture Rate
Though the potential bug will eventually be addressed or hopefully commented on in the near future, for now, it's probably better to steer clear of the mechanic altogether. After all — it's still more than possible to capture high-level Pals without upgrades, and there are a few tips and tricks one can use to increase their capture rates in Palworld outside of the Statute of Power and Lifmunk Effigys.
For one, throwing a Pal Sphere at the back of any unaware Pal will provide a back bonus that significantly increases the chances of capturing a Pal, even high-level ones. Secondly, though much more obvious, different Pal Spheres will provide better chances to capture better Pals. Currently, there are six different Pal Spheres in the game, with the highest-level sphere, the Legendary Sphere, requiring level 44 technology to unlock.
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Higher-level Spheres require pretty advanced production technology, so those that aren't a high enough level will need to grind to gain access to them. Lastly, stunning a Pal with an Ice or Electric attack that immobilizes them will make them easier to catch as well.
If You Can't Capture A Pal, Breed It
If All Else Fails, Rely On The Breeding Mechanic
While not all Pals can be spawned from breeding, some of the best can be bred instead of caught. For example, one of the most highly sought-after Pals in all of Palworld is Anubis, which can be bred by combining a Peking and Bushi together — two Alpha Pals that are relatively easy enough to obtain in the early to mid-game.
Both a male and female variant of each will be required, along with an Egg Incubator and Breeding Farm. Other combinations also work, like Inceneram and Surfent or an Eikthyrdeer and Beakon, making the breeding mechanic in Palworld an underrated OP mechanic that should be explored.
Ultimately, the potential capture rate bug in Palworld is pretty unfortunate, but it doesn't ruin the game's overall experience. It's still highly fun with a great sense of progression and steering clear of a single mechanic isn't the worst thing that could happen in an Early Access title. Besides, other mechanics make capturing or breeding Pals pretty easy and rewarding, leaving a lot of alternative options for those that have already raised their capture rate.
Source: Chalenor/YouTube
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