How to butcher Pals in Palworld

That’s one way to deal with your Pal

Palworld butcher

In Palworld, while it’s fun to have Pals follow you around or help at your base, sometimes it’s necessary to butcher them to make your Palbox less cluttered or obtain crafting materials. Here’s how to butcher Pals to help with organizing your base.

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How to butcher Pals using the Meat Cleaver in Palworld

Butchering Pals in Palworld requires researching the meat cleaver starting from level 12 before crafting, equipping, and using it on a Pal through the in-game command menu. Once you equip your meat cleaver, summon your Pal and press 4 on your keyboard or right thumbstick on your controller to initiate the butchering.

Palworld meat cleaver technology
Screenshot by Destructoid

First, you’ll need to research and craft a meat cleaver. Once you reach level 12, you can unlock the meat cleaver node using two points.

After doing this, the recipe will appear in your weapon workbench. You’ll need the following materials to craft the meat cleaver:

  • Five ingots
  • 20 wood
  • Five stone
Palworld meat cleaver crafting recipe
Screenshot by Destructoid

You’ll find all these materials early on, with ingots requiring you to mine ores and build a primitive furnace. Once you have all three resources, head into your weapon workbench to find the meat cleaver. Craft it like a regular weapon before equipping it to your character and finding a Pal you wish to butcher.

Palworld butcher option in command menu
Screenshot by Destructoid

Once you have the Pal you wish to butcher, it’s time to start the process. Press 4 on your keyboard or the right thumbstick on your controller to bring up the command menu. In here, choose butcher to watch it happen, leaving you with drops you’d typically get from catching or defeating the Pal in combat. You will also lose the Pal forever, so make sure you know your choice before using your cleaver.

If watching the butchering bothers you, don’t worry: it’s censored. I was also worried about this before I tried it, saw the censor, and felt ever-so-slightly better about the situation. I don’t plan on doing it again, but at least I know what to expect if I do in the future. Otherwise, you can boot up your Palworld save, make the cleaver, and butcher as many Pals as you’d like. You can even try the meat cleaver on humans if curiosity strikes.

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Madison Benson
Staff Writer - Madison has been a long-time fan of all things gaming since her adventures playing Heroes of Might and Magic over 20 years ago. She began her journalism career in 2021 and often enjoys casual life sims, MMORPGs, and action-adventure RPGs in her spare time.
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