Palworld: Pals Left On The Cutting Room Floor
"Palworld" is a true collector's dream. There are over a hundred different Pals for players to encounter and capture, and chances are good that Pocketpair is going to add even more as time goes on. We know that the developer is just getting started with "Palworld," and while there are still some features we desperately need in the game, fans can't help but hope that new Pals get prioritized.
Since the game was first announced, players have seen "Palworld" trailers featuring Pals that aren't currently in the game, like the ones nickamed "Feathered Dragon" and "Colossal Whale" fans. Thanks to dataminers, we now know that at least some of these cut Pals were far enough along in development to be fully playable, while mods have been able to restore three Pals that are entirely complete, but went unreleased. Maybe Pocketpair was planning to release these sometime in the future, or maybe they were purposefully cut. Either way, we're thrilled at the chance to dig into what these Pals have to offer while waiting for some new official releases.
Boltmane
Boltmane is a wolf-inspired Pal that has some interesting elemental abilities, depending on how you create it. Its Paldeck entry explains, "The more it moves, the more it heats up and the hair tips increasingly glow brighter. At its peak, it becomes so dazzling that you risk blindness if you stare at it directly." Boltmane typically has a mane of glowing electricity and a sparking tail, but certain variations of the Pal were meant to be accented by fire instead. The creature has a simple but really engaging design, so it definitely seems like a strange thing for Pocketpair to have cut from the game. Maybe the developer was worried that someone at Nintendo would point out Boltmane's resemblance to Luxray as quickly as "Palworld" players have.
Originally, Boltmane would have been created by breeding a Jolthog and Univolt, but this mod spices up the Pal by adding the fire variant. You can create the flaming Boltmane by breeding a Bushi and a Kelpsea Ignis. Boltmane's abilities will switch to match whichever element you choose. Either way, it has a strong mix of ranged blast-style attacks and ferocious elemental melee moves.
Dark Mutant
When you look at a Pal like Boltmane, you're left wondering why Pocketpair would have decided to cut it from the game. On the other hand, when you look at Dark Mutant, you wonder why anyone at Pocketpair decided to create it in the first place. By now we've all released that "Palworld" is more than "Pokémon" with guns, but the Dark Mutant Pal really just seems like a copy of Mega Mewtwo Y.
Dark Mutant's Paldeck entry says, "Some say a beam from a Dark Mutant that has perfected its technique can tear holes into other dimensions. It's even believed that certain species of Pals were born from such phenomena." Alright, that's not exactly Mewtwo's backstory, but when you see Dark Mutant floating and using its powers, it's impossible not to notice the resemblance.
This Dark type Pal that has the ability to fight enemies with poison and gravity attacks, making it one of the most exciting Pals to have on your side. Dark Mutant and its attacks look really great on the battlefield, and they feel powerful in the game. Unfortunately, this one is also a walking lawsuit, so we'll probably only ever get to access it through mods.
Dragostrophe
This (ahem) catastrophically named Pal has one of the most flavorful entries in the Paldeck: "A silent beast born of the abyss. Thou shall not stand before the beast. Thou shall not heed the beast." An imposing text box like that is the perfect introduction for a Dark type dragon Pal whose tagline is "The Lord of Darkness." Unfortunately, it's a fair guess that Dragosphere looks too much like the Pokémon Zekrom to ever make it into the game.
This Pal, like most of them, looks a little too cute to strike fear into our hearts, but its abilities make up for that. At levels 40 and 50, Dragostrophe unlocks Dark Laser and Dragon Meteor, and those are definitely things you want to be firing at your enemies. Dragostrophe is a force to be reckoned with, and it's probably the best reason to go hunting for the mod for unreleased Pals. In one small piece of good news for non-modders, Dragostrophe was featured in early "Palworld" marketing, so it might not remain as a piece of cut content forever. The devs just need to shake up its design a bit and think of a better name for the poor thing.