Every Elden Ring Reference in Palworld Explained

Summary

Palworld, a new game on Steam, has surpassed popular titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Hogwarts Legacy in concurrent player count, causing controversy due to similarities with Pokemon's creature design.
While Palworld draws inspiration from Pokemon and ARK: Survival Evolved, players have discovered Easter eggs referencing FromSoftware's Elden Ring, which contributes to its success in peak concurrent player count.
Palworld incorporates design elements from Elden Ring, such as a similar region to Caelid and ruined cathedrals resembling those found in the game, as well as areas called Sealed Realms that resemble Evergaols from Elden Ring.

The viral hit Palworld has been dominating the Steam charts, surpassing games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Hogwarts Legacy to have the highest concurrent player count of any paid game on the platform. While the success of Palworld has been controversial due to its similarities in creature design to those of the Pokemon series, the game draws ideas from multiple titles beyond Game Freak's classic franchise. Specifically, players have found that Palworld contains several references to FromSoftware's Elden Ring, which is another title it now beats in peak concurrent player count on Steam.

It's clear that Palworld incorporates design elements from popular titles like Pokemon and ARK: Survival Evolved, with its combination of survival crafting and creature collecting being the core of its gameplay. However, players are finding that Palworld's open world is also drawing inspiration from popular games of the genre, with Elden Ring being the clearest game referenced in Palworld's environmental design. Palworld wouldn't be considered a Soulslike by most players, but it pays homage to Elden Ring with several Easter eggs found throughout the game.

Palworld Pals of different types collage

How Palworld's Pal Elements Compare to Pokemon Types

As expected, Palworld's Pal elements are strikingly similar to the Pokemon franchise's Pokemon types, both in name and mechanics.

Posts

By Josh Cotts

Elden Ring Easter Eggs Found in Palworld

While there aren't many Elden Ring Easter eggs that have been discovered in Palworld, the ones that have been found are pretty obvious allusions to FromSoftware's game. With how new Palworld is, it's possible more Easter eggs will be uncovered as players continue to dig deep into everything Palworld has to offer. As an early-access title, Palworld has the potential to add even more Easter eggs and references in future updates, so players may want to keep an eye out for new details as they explore Palworld's open world.

Palworld Has a Similar Region to Elden Ring's Caelid

In Elden Ring, Caelid is a region to the east of the starting area of Limgrave that is recognizable by its corrupted, rotten environment and red-toned surroundings that feature some of the hardest enemies in the game. Palworld has a similarly designed area just to the northwest of the Rayne Syndicate Tower where the land is a similar red coloring to that of Caelid. Players who wander into Caelid too early are in for a rough time since enemies there are extremely dangerous at low levels, but it seems Palworld's Caelid counterpart doesn't feature that same level of danger.

Palworld's Churches Mirror Those Found in Elden Ring

Within Palworld's Caelid counterpart, players will find the Desolate Church, a ruined cathedral that bears a striking resemblance to the design Elden Ring uses for its churches. Other similar ruins can be found around Palworld's map that all share a similar design, suggesting that Palworld once had a thriving religion akin to Elden Ring's Church of Marika. While Elden Ring players might be familiar with locations like the Church of Pilgrimage, Church of Irith, and Church of the Plague as the sites where Sacred Tears can be found, it seems like Palworld's churches play a less important role and serve more as a simple reference to the FromSoftware title.

Palworld Features Areas Similar to Elden Ring's Evergaols

Across Elden Ring's Lands Between, players can find Evergaols that act as pocket dimensions containing a powerful foe players will have to beat. These Evergaols can be spotted by a large arena-like disk with a glowing light in the center, which appears similar to certain areas players have found in Palworld. These areas are called Sealed Realms, and much like Elden Ring's Evergaols, they transport players to a separate arena where they will have to face off against high-level Palworld Pals as bosses in fights that feel the most reminiscent of Elden Ring out of all the other references to the game contained in Palworld.

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