Farm raid bosses at a Summoning Altar for a guaranteed Ancient Civilization Core drop every time, then fill the gaps with Oil Rig chests and Pal Expeditions while you work toward the World Tree. That combination covers every stage of Palworld’s endgame, from your first Core to a full shield-and-weapon loadout.
What Ancient Civilization Cores Are Used For
Cores sit at the top of Palworld’s crafting tree and gate almost every piece of late-game gear.
They feed into the Ultra Shield (30 Cores), Advanced Shield (30 Cores), Large-Scale Electric Egg Incubator (20 Cores), Homing Module (10 Cores), Sniper Module II (5 Cores), Electric Egg Incubator (5 Cores), and Ability Glasses (5 Cores). Nearly every other Ancient Technology weapon and structure recipe pulls from the same material, so a full endgame build can easily eat well over 100 Cores.
Cores are not the same item as Ancient Civilization Parts. Parts are the earlier, more common material you get from Alpha Pals and dungeon bosses. Cores only drop from raid bosses, Oil Rig chests, Pal Expeditions, and the World Tree Recycler, and they can’t be bought, crafted, or mined.
How to Get Ancient Civilization Cores
Four sources produce Cores, and each one becomes available at a different point in your progression.
- Raid bosses summoned at a Summoning Altar
- Level 55+ Oil Rig Greater Chests
- Pal Expeditions from the Expedition Station
- The Ancient Relic Recycler, unlocked at the World Tree
Raids and Oil Rigs require you to fight for the reward, while Expeditions and the Recycler run passively in the background.
Farm Raid Bosses for a Guaranteed Drop
Raid bosses are the most reliable source because every one of them drops a Core at a 100% rate.
You summon them at a Summoning Altar using the matching Slab, and each Slab only triggers one attempt, so stock up on fragments before you start a farming session. Regular dungeons across the map hand out the fragments for a standard Bellanoir slab, but Bellanoir Libero has a separate slab tied specifically to the Sacred Mountain Caverns dungeons.
| Raid Boss | Cores Dropped | Drop Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Bellanoir | 1 | 100% |
| Bellanoir Libero | 1–2 | 100% |
| Bellanoir Libero (Ultra) | 2–3 | 100% |
| Blazamut Ryu | 2 | 100% |
| Blazamut Ryu (Ultra) | 3 | 100% |
| Xenolord | 3 | 100% |
| Xenolord (Ultra) | 3 | 100% |
Bellanoir is the most accessible entry point for a first raid, since it asks for the least gear investment. Each raid can be re-summoned as soon as you assemble another Slab, so raids you can clear consistently beat holding out for a harder fight that wastes attempts. These fights run against the clock and the bosses have deep health pools, so go in with a full party and a healthy supply run rather than an underprepared team. If you’re playing in a group, every participating player receives their own Core reward, which multiplies your total haul per Slab.
Loot Level 55+ Oil Rig Greater Chests
Oil Rigs give you an active alternative when your raid Slabs are still building up.
The main Greater Chest at a Level 55 or higher Oil Rig has a high chance of holding Cores, though unlike raid bosses, the drop isn’t guaranteed.
| Location | Cores | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Lv 55 Oil Rig Greater Chest | 1–5 | 93% |
| Lv 60 Oil Rig Greater Chest | 1–5 | 90% |
Clearing every enemy on the rig isn’t necessary. Find the platform holding the Greater Chest, thin out whichever guards stand between you and it, grab the loot, and head out. Getting there is easier with a flying Pal for the approach and a swimming mount as backup, since enemy fire can knock you out of the sky before you land. Go in with your armor already repaired and ammo stocked up, since a fight gone wrong on the rig can quickly turn a quick chest grab into a survival situation.
Run Pal Expeditions for Passive Cores
Expeditions let you stack Cores while you’re busy with other content.
Unlock the Expedition Station around level 22 through the technology menu, then assign idle Pals and Expedition Fuel to a run. Cores only start appearing in the reward pool once you unlock higher-tier expeditions, with the early Snow Mountain expedition acting as your first trickle and Feybreak-tier expeditions returning larger amounts once you have the Pals to handle them. A low reward percentage still beats leaving the station empty, since a sent-out team has a shot at the drop and an idle station has none.
How fast a run finishes and how many times it rolls for rewards both come down to Expedition Firepower. Running spare Pals through the Condenser is one of the quickest ways to push that stat up, and the boost applies even to lower-tier species that wouldn’t otherwise pull their weight in combat.
Build the Ancient Relic Recycler After Reaching the World Tree
The Ancient Relic Recycler becomes your strongest long-term Core source once you reach the World Tree at level 74 or higher.
It converts Ancient Relics and World Tree Holy Water into Cores and other endgame materials. Building it takes 50 Paloxite Ingots, 50 Mythical Wood, 30 Ancient Civilization Parts, and 20 Ancient Civilization Cores, which creates an awkward catch: the structure meant to fix your Core shortage needs a sizable Core stockpile just to unlock. Set aside 20 Cores as soon as World Tree progression comes into view instead of spending them on an equipment upgrade that only helps in the short term, and knock out the ingots and wood ahead of time so the build isn’t held up waiting on materials that have nothing to do with Cores.
The World Tree region rewards exploring beyond the main path. Chests and junk piles scattered around the area aren’t marked as objectives, but checking them anyway can turn up Cores directly. Two Pals unique to the region, Silvance and Dandilord, occasionally drop Cores too when you defeat, capture, or butcher them, though the drop shows up too rarely to count on as anything more than a bonus alongside the Recycler.
Best Farming Route for Cores
Combine all four sources instead of leaning on one, since each covers a gap the others leave open.
Keep an Expedition running at all times, since it costs no active playtime. Between Expedition timers, clear a raid boss if you have a Slab ready, or run a Level 55+ Oil Rig if your gear can handle the defenders. Once you reach the World Tree, shift toward the Recycler as your main source and treat raids and Oil Rigs as supplemental runs whenever you need a quick top-up for a specific recipe. Play Now!
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the fastest way to farm Ancient Civilization Cores?
Repeatable raid bosses are the fastest reliable method, since every one drops a Core at a 100% rate and you can re-summon them as soon as you have another Slab.
Are Ancient Civilization Cores the same as Ancient Civilization Parts?
No. Parts are the earlier, more common material from Alpha Pals and dungeon bosses. Cores are the scarcer endgame material from raid bosses, Oil Rigs, Expeditions, and the Recycler, and the two feed different crafting tiers.
Do Oil Rig chests always contain Cores?
No. The Greater Chest at a Level 55 or 60 Oil Rig has a high chance of containing Cores, but the drop isn’t guaranteed the way raid boss drops are.
When do Pal Expeditions start rewarding Cores?
Cores appear in the reward pool once you unlock higher-tier expeditions after building the Expedition Station around level 22. Lower-tier expeditions won’t include Cores in their rewards.
What do I need to build the Ancient Relic Recycler?
The Recycler costs 50 Paloxite Ingots, 50 Mythical Wood, 30 Ancient Civilization Parts, and 20 Ancient Civilization Cores, and it unlocks after you reach the World Tree at level 74 or higher.
