Best defensive passives in Palworld
Passives ranked by defence and max HP together — what keeps a tank standing. 19 qualify — a passive has to be one a Pal can carry (a lottery weight, or a species born with it) and its defence / max hp total has to be positive.
Game data, summedScore = Defence + Max HP as stated on the passive. Downsides are listed, not hidden.
| # | Passive | Total | Counts | Also | Rank | Born with it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sanctified Meat Shield | +50 | Defence +50% | Attack -30 | 5 | breeding / capture roll |
| 2 | Diamond Body | +30 | Defence +30% | Flinch immunity 0 · Knockback immunity 0 | 4 | breeding / capture roll |
| 3 | Defense Up Lv. 4 | +25 | Defence +25% | — | 4 | breeding / capture roll |
| 4 | Health Up Lv. 4 | +25 | Max HP +25% | — | 4 | breeding / capture roll |
| 5 | Legend | +20 | Defence +20% | Attack +20 · Movement speed +20 | 4 | Paladius, Necromus, Frostallion +3 |
| 6 | Lunker | +20 | Defence +20% | Water attack damage +20 · Ice attack damage +20 | 4 | Neptilius |
| 7 | Burly Body | +20 | Defence +20% | Flinch immunity 0 | 3 | breeding / capture roll |
| 8 | Defense Up Lv. 3 | +20 | Defence +20% | — | 3 | breeding / capture roll |
| 9 | Health Up Lv. 3 | +20 | Max HP +20% | — | 3 | breeding / capture roll |
| 10 | Heavyweight | +20 | Defence +20% | Knockback immunity 0 | 2 | Kingpaca, Kingpaca Cryst, Mammorest +16 |
| 11 | Lucky | +15 | Defence +15% | Attack +15 · Work speed +20 | 4 | breeding / capture roll |
| 12 | Defense Up Lv. 2 | +15 | Defence +15% | — | 2 | breeding / capture roll |
| 13 | Health Up Lv. 2 | +15 | Max HP +15% | — | 2 | breeding / capture roll |
| 14 | Masochist | +15 | Defence +15% | Attack -15 | 1 | breeding / capture roll |
| 15 | Defense Up Lv. 1 | +10 | Defence +10% | — | 1 | breeding / capture roll |
| 16 | Hard Skin | +10 | Defence +10% | — | 1 | Digtoise, Warsect, Warsect Terra +1 |
| 17 | Health Up Lv. 1 | +10 | Max HP +10% | — | 1 | breeding / capture roll |
| 18 | Demon God | +5 | Defence +5% | Attack +30 | 4 | breeding / capture roll |
| 19 | Whopper | +5 | Defence +5% | Water attack damage +5 · Ice attack damage +5 | 3 | breeding / capture roll |
The percentages are exactly what the passive states in the game files; PalDB only adds the ones in this category together. Whether a passive can be inherited, and with what odds, is not in the files — the inheritance guide covers what is. Other rankings: best combat passives, best attack passives, best work passives, best movement passives · every passive.
Extracted from Palworld’s game files on (build 4570874460).