Palia is now in open beta, and I'm so excited to finally be able to share this world that I've been exploring for the past year! So, what can you do in this relaxing MMO? Let's take a look at some of the many activities you can do to fill your days! And remember: this just went into beta as of August 2023, so there will be plenty more things to be added as the game progresses. With a plethora of activities, it'll be hard to get bored here!
Check out the video if reading isn't your style!
Chopping and Mining
One of the first things you'll do upon given a housing plot is clearing the land. Like many farming sims, you'll be given a basic axe and pickaxe, and told to get to work. Gather wood and stones while you create space for your farm, tent, future house, and plenty of other things! As you level up these skills and upgrade your tools, you'll gather a wide range of materials like iron, gold, and palium, not to mention be able to cut down the big trees on your property. As you might expect, these materials are used in a lot of things, so hold onto them as much as possible! You'll spend a lot of time in Palia cutting down trees and splitting rocks, especially if you like crafting like me, and thankfully it's not a terrible chore -- being able to hold the mouse button down instead of clicking each swing individually makes this a relaxing chore rather than a boring grind.
Hunting and Foraging
Step outside your plot of land to enjoy the ancient pastime of hunting and gathering, just like our ancestors! Grab a bow and some arrows and go find some chapaas -- Palia's squirrel-like pests -- or, for a harder challenge, chase down a skittish sernuk. When you want a breather from the animals, stop to smell and forage the sundrop lilies, mushrooms, and seashells that are found throughout the world. There are many different things to find, so check out each area to see what unique flora and fauna it may hold!
Fishing and Bug Catching
While you're out hunting and foraging, you'll probably come across some bodies of water. Whip out your fishing rod and see what you can catch! A relaxing staple of sim games, the fishing mini game in Palia is one of the best I've ever seen, and I think a lot of people will like how it's implemented. And you'll want to fish a lot -- especially early on, it's one of the best and fastest ways to make money. As a tip, buying worms at the general store for bait is totally worth it! And if you want to stay close to home to easily dump your catches into your shipping bin, there's even a pond on your housing plot that you can fish in!
If you'd rather be scouring the land than the waters, try your hand at bug catching! Use smoke bombs to stun insects before you approach to scoop them up. It's a unique mechanic that I'm still not completely sold on -- I much prefer bug nets and sneaking up on bugs that way -- but hopefully it'll grow on me with time. Still, there's a lot a variety in what types of bugs you can catch, often influenced by the time of day as well as location, so you'll want to be ready to catch something new when you come across them. Do you like this new method of bug catching, or would you rather have a traditional net? Let me know in the comments!
Farming
While Palia isn't exclusively a farming sim, that does feature heavily in the gameplay. Okay, you might be able to ignore it completely after the tutorial -- let me know if any of you do, I'm curious! -- but it's kind of a main feature. The farming system brings things to a new level that I've never seen before -- not only do you visibly till the soil, but different plants have different benefits when planted. You can throw seeds down willy-nilly, but you'll save a lot of time and hassle, not to mention make more money, if you strategize placement. Optimize your garden plots so water is retained, weeds never grow, and harvests are bountiful! Watering all my crops is my least favorite part of any farming sim, so you know I'm planting a ton of plants that take care of that!
Crafting
Okay, you've gathered lots of wood, mushrooms, clay, and crops. What now? Time to make things, of course! In contrast to watering crops, crafting is one of my favorite things to do! And you can craft a lot in this game -- upgraded tools, delicious food, entire furniture sets. Some crafting recipes, you'll naturally earn as you level up skills, while others you purchase when you have the coin. There are a ton of recipes, so get learning!
In addition to the rather simple crafting of gathering materials and selecting a recipe, the game adds some more mechanics to cooking, and I find them to be a lot of fun. As you level up and unlock different cooking apparatuses, recipes will cue you to chop, stir, and more. These mechanics are simple enough -- at least in the beginner recipes I have unlocked -- but add a little extra to make cooking more enjoyable. I don't know why stirring a soup in game is more fun than in real life, but I know which one I'd rather do! But for those of you who like "set it and forget it" activities, there are basic recipes that don't involve multi-step processes, and cooking is, so far at least, the only type of crafting that uses this mechanic. So if it's not for you, that's okay!
Housing
So, you've got all those crafters and so many materials. Now what? Well, now it's time for my absolutely favorite part of any game: housing! While you're initially given a tent to rest your weary head (although there's no sleeping in the game), you'll soon be prompted to build a house. It begins as a little one room cabin, but you can expand it a lot -- as long as you have the gold, which... the expansions are expensive. I'll get there one day! Check back in 6 months to see what my Palia dream house looks like. But in the meantime, I'm happy with my little cabin.
And, of course, you can adorn both the inside and outside with furniture and decorations galore! Purchase writs with renown to expand your land and have more space to spruce up! The basic cabin furniture is easy to unlock -- every time you craft a new piece, you unlock a recipe -- and is pretty cute for a starter house. There are lots of other recipes and furniture pieces to find and buy throughout Palia, and even gold-star bugs, fish, and food can be used as decorations. Want a head start? Use my referral link to make your account, and you'll get a free fruit basket as a welcome gift! Additionally, as you progress, you'll unlock customizing furniture, letting you truly create your own unique space in the color palettes you choose!
Tired of your house but don't want to raze it to the ground to start fresh? Palia lets you have what is essentially different saves of your land -- load one to try out a whole new aesthetic! They truly knew my weakness is housing when they created this feature.
Well, I can go on about housing for a while, it's my favorite thing, but I should stop here. I hope this post helps get you started on daily life in Palia, and keep an eye out for part two, where I'll talk about all the social activities you can do in this world!
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