How to Get Crude Oil in Palworld – All Methods, Locations & Uses

Last updated: September 8, 2026 — updated for Palworld patch v1.0.3 (August 12, 2026). Building costs for the Crude Oil Extractor, High-Pressure Crude Oil Extractor, and Large Power Generator were reduced. Oil production speed was increased for both extractors. The Crude Oil Extractor base mission can now also be completed by building a High-Pressure Crude Oil Extractor. v1.0.4 made no further changes to Crude Oil. Changes are noted throughout.

Crude Oil in Palworld is one of the most important late-game resources you will need. It feeds into Plasteel, Flamethrower Fuel, Frag Grenades Mk2, and Missile Ammo — all of which become essential as you push into the endgame. Getting a steady supply takes some setup, but once your oil base is running, it practically fills your storage on its own. This guide covers every method to get Crude Oil, the best base locations to farm it, and everything it is used for.

TL;DR

• Crude Oil is a late-game resource used to craft Plasteel, Flamethrower Fuel, Frag Grenades Mk2, and Missile Ammo.
• The best method is a Crude Oil Extractor placed on an Oil Field node — unlocked at Technology Level 50.
• [v1.0.3] Building costs for the Crude Oil Extractor, High-Pressure Crude Oil Extractor, and Large Power Generator were all reduced. Oil production speed was increased for both extractors.
• You need a Large Generator and Electric Pals (Orserk is the best) to keep extractors running.
• The best oil base locations are on Sakurajima Island at (-513, 186), (-371, 133), and (-646, 270).
• You can also get Crude Oil from Oil Rig Strongholds, Supply Drops, and Pal drops (Kikit, Maraith, Sootseer – 50% chance).
• Oil Rigs are the fastest way to get a bulk amount quickly — around 200 Crude Oil per run.
• [v1.0.3] The base mission requiring a Crude Oil Extractor can now also be completed by building a High-Pressure Crude Oil Extractor instead.

What Is Crude Oil Used For in Palworld?

Before farming Crude Oil, it helps to know exactly why you need it. Crude Oil is used in these crafting recipes:

• Plasteel – 5x Crude Oil + 5x Paldium Fragment + 10x Ore (crafted at the Electric Furnace). This is the main reason most players chase Crude Oil. Plasteel is used for top-tier armor, weapons, saddles, and production stations.
• Flamethrower Fuel – 2x Crude Oil + 1x Refined Ingot
• Frag Grenades Mk2 – Requires Crude Oil as a component
• Missile Ammo – 3x Pal Metal Ingot + 1x Crude Oil + 1x Computer
• Menasting Terra Ring – 20x Refined Ingot + 15x Crude Oil + 10x Flame Organ + 5x Ancient Civilization Parts

Plasteel is by far the biggest drain on your Crude Oil supply. High-level armor sets and endgame weapons both consume large amounts of it. Set up a stable passive farm before you start crafting in bulk or you will hit a wall fast.

For other late-game materials you will need alongside Crude Oil, check out how to get Corrosive Solvent, Cryogenic Coolant, and Ancient Civilization Cores.

Method 1 – Crude Oil Extractor (Best Long-Term Method)

The Crude Oil Extractor is the most reliable and efficient way to farm Crude Oil over time. It runs passively while you do other things, and a well-powered setup fills your storage steadily without you having to do anything manually.

How to Unlock the Crude Oil Extractor

How to Unlock the Crude Oil Extractor

• Reach Technology Level 50
• Purchase the recipe from the Technology menu for 2 Technology Points
• Craft it using Pal Metal Ingots and Circuit Boards. [v1.0.3] The build cost was reduced in the August 12, 2026 patch — check the in-game crafting menu for current material amounts as they are lower than at launch.

If you need help getting enough Ancient Technology Points for unlocking other late-game tech alongside this, see the guide on how to get Ancient Technology Points in Palworld.

How to Use the Crude Oil Extractor

1. Find an Oil Field — These are dark, oily patches on the ground. They are mainly found on Sakurajima Island and a few other locations (see the base location section below).
2. Build a base on the Oil Field — Place your Palbox nearby and build within range of the oil nodes.
3. Place the Crude Oil Extractor directly on the oil node — It must be positioned on the black ground patch to work. If it is placed on regular terrain, it will not produce anything.
4. Power it up — The extractor uses a large amount of electricity. Build a Large Generator and connect it via an Electric Pylon. Assign Electric Pals to power it. [v1.0.3] The Large Generator build cost was also reduced in the same patch.
5. With sufficient power, it produces Crude Oil passively. [v1.0.3] Production speed was increased in the August 12 patch — output per extractor is faster than it was at launch.

Best Electric Pals for Powering the Extractor

The Crude Oil Extractor is power-hungry. You need strong Electric Pals to keep it running consistently. Here are the best options:

• Orserk – The fastest electricity generator in the game. Best choice for oil bases. Aim for one with work speed Passive Skills if possible.
• Helzephyr Lux – A good alternative, and importantly it has the Nocturnal trait, which means it works at night too. This keeps your oil production running around the clock.
• Azurmane with Nocturnal trait – Another solid option for 24-hour power coverage.

Power is the number one bottleneck for oil production. Give your Electric Pals a dedicated job and avoid overloading them with other base tasks. Place beds and food stations close by so they do not wander far during breaks. An extractor with unstable electricity will produce slowly and inconsistently.

Also consider using multiple extractors if your base has more than one oil node within range. Two extractors running simultaneously cuts your wait time in half.

High-Pressure Crude Oil Extractor (Tech Level 51)

Palworld 1.0 also added the High-Pressure Crude Oil Extractor, which unlocks at Technology Level 51. Unlike the standard extractor, it can produce Crude Oil even at base locations without a natural oil field — at the cost of significantly higher electricity consumption. [v1.0.3] Its build cost was reduced in the August 12 patch, and its production speed was also increased. Additionally, the base mission that previously required building a standard Crude Oil Extractor can now be completed by building the High-Pressure version instead, giving you more flexibility in how you progress.

Best Crude Oil Base Locations in Palworld

Your Crude Oil Extractor must be placed on an oil field. That means your base needs to be built near one. Here are the best spots, with coordinates.

Sakurajima Island – Best Overall Oil Base Area

Sakurajima Island is the main hub for Crude Oil in Palworld. The island has oil fields in its central, northern, and eastern regions. Three of the best base coordinates here are:

• (-513, 186) – Fits two Crude Oil Extractors. The two extraction points are spread apart, leaving space to add a Mining Station for coal and stone as well. The cliff on one side means raids can only approach from the front — easy to defend. This is one of the top community picks.
• (-371, 133) – Also supports two extractors. Set in high ground among Sakura blossoms, making it one of the more attractive bases in the game. Has coal, sulfur, and stone nearby. Elevated terrain helps with raid defense naturally.
• (-646, 270) – The northwest Sakurajima location. Has oil nodes alongside sulfur and coal in a relatively open area. Enemies in this zone are around Level 50+, so make sure you are geared before setting up here.

Outside Sakurajima – (289, 243)

If you want an oil outpost outside of Sakurajima, there is an oil field at (289, 243) with 2 oil spots and 7 coal nodes surrounding it. The enemies here are around Level 40, which is easier than Sakurajima. This is a great spot to set up your first extractor base while you gear up for the main island.

Sunlit Isle – Early Oil Access

The Sunlit Isle, located east of the starting area, has 6 crude oil nodes scattered across it. Enemies here are around Level 8, making this by far the safest place to set up an oil base early on. It is not as productive as Sakurajima in terms of other resources, but it is perfect for getting your first extractor running before you are strong enough to reach the main island.

Oasis Island – Mid-Game Option

The Oasis Island, east of Dessicated Desert, also has 6 oil nodes in a solid layout. Enemies here are mid-level, making it accessible before you hit Sakurajima. It pairs well with a mid-game production base if you need oil earlier in your progression.

For a full breakdown of the best overall base spots by stage of game, see our guide to the best base locations in Palworld 1.0.

Method 2 – Oil Rig Strongholds (Best for Bulk Fast)

If you need a large amount of Crude Oil quickly, raiding an Oil Rig Stronghold is the fastest option. A successful run rewards around 200 Crude Oil from the treasure chest alone, plus additional drops from Rayne Syndicate Thugs you kill along the way.

Oil Rig Locations

• Barge Oil Rig – Located in the lake north of the Sealed Realm of the Frozen Wings waypoint at coordinates (160, -280). This is the earliest Oil Rig encounter and can be safely approached by flying Pal. Protected by gun turrets you can disable by interacting with their console.
• Main Oil Rig (Level 55) – Located southeast of the Marsh Island waypoint at (580, -430). Surrounded by anti-air laser turrets that deal heavy damage to flying mounts. Approach by sea on a swimming Pal. You need to be at least Level 50.
• Platform Oil Rig (Level 60+) – Located west of the Feybreak Shipwreck waypoint at (-1730, -1450). The hardest of the three. Expect dense Syndicate packs and powerful defenses. Best left until you have Hexolite-tier weapons and armor.

Oil Rig Tips

• Never fly in directly. The anti-air lasers on the Level 55 and Platform rigs will destroy your flying mount in seconds. Approach by sea using a swimming Pal.
• Disable turrets at the console rather than destroying them. Interacting with the base of a gun turret shuts it down without a fight.
• The main chest has 4 random spawn locations per rig — inside tents on the deck, inside warehouses, near the tower, or near the crane. Search all of them.
• Chests reset after around 30 minutes to an hour of real time. You can farm the same rig repeatedly.
• Loot from the rig also includes Ancient Civilization Cores, rare schematics, and ammo — making runs worthwhile even beyond the oil.

Method 3 – Pal Drops (Early Access, Small Amounts)

Certain Pals drop Crude Oil when caught or defeated. These are:

• Kikit – 50% chance to drop Crude Oil
• Maraith – 50% chance to drop Crude Oil
• Sootseer – 50% chance to drop Crude Oil

This method is best when you need a small, immediate amount of Crude Oil before your extractor is up and running. Kikit is the most commonly hunted of the three since it is found on Sakurajima Island in the northern and southern desert areas. A Rocket Launcher can one-shot groups of Kikits efficiently.

It is technically possible to breed Kikits and farm them at your base, but the volume you get is too small for serious Plasteel production. Treat Pal drops as a supplement, not a primary source.

Method 4 – Supply Drops (Passive Bonus)

Supply Drops land across the map a few times per real-world day. Most of them contain 30 to 50 Crude Oil each, along with other useful resources. After you receive a notification that a Supply Drop has landed, head to the site and deal with the enemies guarding it to claim the loot.

This is not a reliable primary source, but it is a nice bonus while you are out exploring or farming. You can also increase the Supply Drop spawn rate in your World Settings if you are playing on a private server and want more frequent drops.

How to Set Up an Efficient Oil Base

Getting the extractor placed is only half the job. Here are tips to make sure your oil base actually runs well:

• Place storage right next to the extractor. The shorter the distance between the machine and the chest, the faster Pals deposit the oil. A chest on the other side of the base kills efficiency.
• Keep food stations central. When Pals get hungry, they break to eat. Short travel to food means shorter breaks and more working time.
• Give power Pals one job only. Do not assign your Orserk to five tasks. Electric generation is its job. Spreading it too thin causes power interruptions that slow oil output.
• Add beds before adding more workers. More Pals without beds means tired Pals that stop working. Always match beds to your worker count.
• Use Nocturnal Pals for power where possible. Pals with the Nocturnal passive skill work at night. Without it, your electricity output drops overnight, which slows oil production in the dark hours.
• Check for terrain pathing issues. Pals stuck on uneven ground or obstacles is one of the most common reasons bases underperform. Keep the area between workstations clear.
• Run two extractors if you have two nodes in range. Double the output for the same base footprint.

For more on building efficient base layouts and assigning the right Pals to jobs, see the guide on how to assign Pals to work in Palworld. And to get the best mining and smelting workers alongside your oil operation, check out our guide to Moldron in Palworld 1.0 — it has Kindling and Mining both at Level 5, making it one of the best base Pals for any production setup.

Crude Oil Production Rate – What to Expect

The Crude Oil Extractor produces oil at a steady rate when fully powered. [v1.0.3] Production speed was increased in the August 12 patch, so current output is faster than it was at launch. As a rough baseline from pre-patch figures: one extractor at full power produced approximately 36 Crude Oil per hour, or around 864 per day. Post-patch output is higher — check current community benchmarks for the most up-to-date numbers, as they depend on power configuration.

The important context is Plasteel consumption: each batch of Plasteel uses 5 Crude Oil. A full armor set takes 90+ Plasteel, which means 450+ Crude Oil just for one set. Running two extractors at a well-powered base is the minimum you want for consistent Plasteel production. Do not expect instant results — set the base up and let it run passively while you do other things.

Where to Play Palworld

Palworld 1.0 is available now on Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation. Crude Oil was introduced during the Sakurajima update and remains one of the most important resources in the full 1.0 release. For more about the game, visit the official Pocketpair Palworld page.

FAQ – Crude Oil in Palworld