Palworld Sakurajima Update: Overview and Release on June 27, 2024
Since launch, Palworld has become one of the year’s most popular survival games. Its blend of open-world survival gameplay, base building, farming, and the ever-popular Pals captivates millions of players worldwide. With the major Sakurajima Update on June 27, 2024, the next phase begins: a brand-new region, fresh Pals, an additional faction, new weapons, quality-of-life improvements, PvP content, and even a raid boss.
In this article, you’ll find all key additions in detail, why they meaningfully change the game, and how to use them to optimize your progression.
Palworld Island Sakurajima: New region, resources, and biomes
The heart of the update is the new island Sakurajima, located in the southeast of the game world. Cherry blossom trees, mystical temples, and a varied biome mix make it a visual highlight — and a gameplay hotspot.
The island is designed so players at every stage of progression benefit:
- New resources like rare woods, minerals, and crafting materials.
- Exclusive Pals that appear only on Sakurajima — including particularly powerful creatures.
- Faction content: The new faction has set up its base in the island’s interior.
Tip: Plan for enough carry capacity and tool durability so you can efficiently farm rare materials and bring them safely back to your base.
New Pals on Sakurajima: Abilities, locations, and team strategies
The update adds several brand-new Pals, inspired by Japanese folklore and mythology — fitting for the cherry blossom island. These newcomers expand your team synergies and open up new tactics in combat and base building.
A few highlights:
- Sakura Kitsune: An elegant fox with cherry blossom fur; excels at fast attacks and strong fire abilities.
- Torai: A burly Pal ideal for base building; especially efficient at woodcutting and carrying.
- Kaiju-inspired boss Pals: Challenge you in epic fights and, once captured, become powerful allies.
Hunting tips: Leverage elemental advantages, apply debuffs before the capture attempt, and bring specialized traps to significantly boost your catch rate.
New faction in Palworld: Sakurajima mercenaries, bases, and loot
Sakurajima introduces a new faction: the Sakurajima Mercenaries. These enemies are better organized, use tactics, coordinate group fights, and wield powerful gear.
Their bases present new challenges:
- Multi-level fortresses with traps, watchtowers, and chokepoints.
- Enemies that use Pals tactically and establish area control.
- Loot chests with exclusive blueprints and rare materials.
Attack tip: Scout the fortress from the outside first, disable alarm systems, use ranged weapons for watchtowers, then secure the courtyard with area-of-effect damage.
Raid boss in Palworld: Ancient Guardian — phases, tactics, rewards
A standout highlight is the new raid boss on Sakurajima: the Ancient Guardian. This giant demands team coordination, solid preparation, and precise positioning.
What to watch for:
- Multiple phases with rising difficulty and shifting mechanics.
- Special attacks that require dodging, interrupts, or shields.
- Unique rewards via an expanded loot system.
Team tip: Combine tanks (damage soaking), support/healing (survivability), and burst DPS (to push phases quickly). Keep movement speed buffs ready to avoid ground effects.
New weapons and gear in the Sakurajima Update
To help you tackle the new content, the update adds fresh weapon types and equipment:
- Flamethrower: Massive area damage against groups and add-heavy encounters.
- Energy katanas: Powerful melee weapons with high mobility and precision.
- Specialized traps: Increase the capture chance of large Pals.
Practical tip: Test weapons at your base’s training area and use element combinations to exploit resistance gaps.
Quality of life and balancing: Patch changes at a glance
Pocketpair has added numerous quality-of-life improvements — much of it drawn directly from community feedback:
- Revamped UI: Better clarity and faster inventory management.
- Improved Pal AI: More reliable in combat and base work.
- Adjusted spawn rates: Rare Pals are easier to find.
Use the new options to shorten routine tasks and spend more time on exploration and team building.
PvP, arenas, and dedicated servers: Settings, stability, crossplay
The update expands PvP content: Alongside classic duels, there are arenas on Sakurajima with clear rules and better spectator clarity.
Important for communities: Dedicated servers get new options — ideal for clans and events.
- Improved stability for large player counts.
- More admin options for rulesets, rates, and whitelists.
- Crossplay support for joint events.
Tip: If you want maximum control and performance, you’ll benefit from your own 4Netplayers server — that way, you can tailor the world exactly to your group’s playstyle.
Conclusion on the Sakurajima Update: Endgame, returning players, and outlook
The Sakurajima Update is more than a routine patch — it’s a game-changer for Palworld. The new region, additional Pals, an exciting faction, a raid boss, and numerous quality-of-life improvements elevate the game to a new level.
Whether you’ve been playing since release or you’re jumping in fresh, Sakurajima offers compelling reasons to return, rethink your teams, and take on the endgame. And one thing’s clear: The world of Pals is far from exhausted.
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