You get Ancient Civilization Cores in Palworld mainly by beating raid bosses you summon at a Summoning Altar, sending Pals on high-tier Pal Expeditions, looting the main chests on high-level oil rigs, and, in the endgame, defeating World Tree bosses and recycling World Tree relics. The in-game item is called Ancient Civilization Core, a rarer material than the Ancient Civilization Parts that Alpha Pals drop. Below we cover every source in the current version, the best route at each stage, and what the Cores are for.
This guide is verified against Pocketpair’s official patch notes for Palworld up to v1.0.5, with drop numbers from the community database, which tracks the current game files. Drop amounts are ranges, so expect some variance run to run.
Cores vs Parts vs Relics
Three similar names cause a lot of confusion:
- Ancient Civilization Parts are the common one. Alpha Pals drop them when you defeat or capture them, and they feed early and mid-game recipes. They cannot be bought.
- Ancient Civilization Core is the legendary-tier material this guide is about. The item description calls it “nearly impossible to find on the Palpagos Islands,” and no merchant sells it.
- Ancient Civilization Relics are new in 1.0. They only come from the World Tree and are broken down in a special device into other materials, Cores included.
Every Source of Ancient Civilization Cores
| Source | Cores per run (community database) | When it opens up |
|---|---|---|
| Bellanoir raid | 1 to 3 | First raid boss |
| Bellanoir Libero and Blazamut Ryu raids | 2 to 4 | Mid to late game |
| Xenolord raid | 3 to 6 | Late game |
| Hartalis raid | 4 to 7 | Late game |
| Moon Lord raid | 2 to 3 | Terraria collaboration content |
| Ultra and Master raid variants | 10 | After beating the normal version |
| Pal Expeditions | 1 (Snow) up to 6 to 9 (World Tree, hard) | As destinations unlock |
| Oil rig main chests | 1 to 5, not guaranteed | High-level oil rigs |
| Silvance and Dandilord (World Tree bosses) | 1 each | World Tree |
| Ancient Relic Recycler | Chance per relic | Technology level 74 |
Early and Mid Game: Raid Bosses
Raids are the first reliable source. Unlock the Summoning Altar in the Ancient Technology section of the Technology tree (level 33 and 3 Ancient Technology Points, per the community wiki), build it at a base with plenty of open space, and place a boss Slab in it to start the fight.
- Slabs are crafted from Slab Fragments found in treasure chests and on expeditions, per the community wiki. Bellanoir’s fragments turn up earliest.
- Ultra slabs for the harder variants mostly drop from beating the normal boss, and the Ultra fights pay 10 Cores each, per the database.
- One raid at a time. Since 1.0, a guild can only have one raid boss battle running at once.
Raid bosses drop their own egg on defeat, per the community wiki, so bring damage rather than spheres. If you are short on Ancient points for the altar, our Technology Points guide lists every source.
Passive Income: Expeditions and Oil Rigs
Pal Expeditions are the lowest-effort source. Send a team out from a Pal Expedition Station and the database shows every Core-paying destination returning them on every successful run: 1 from the Snow expedition, 1 to 2 from Sakurajima, 2 to 3 from Feybreak, 3 to 4 from Sunreach and 3 to 5 from the World Tree, rising to 6 to 9 on the hard World Tree run. Pocketpair’s 1.0 changelog added Sunreach and the World Tree as expedition destinations and rebalanced expedition rewards overall.
Oil rigs are the combat alternative. The main chests on the level 55 and level 60 rigs roll 1 to 5 Cores roughly half the time, per the database, and 1.0 improved oil rig chest rewards across the board. Oil rigs also drop plenty of the other late-game materials, so they are rarely a wasted trip.
Endgame: The World Tree and the Ancient Relic Recycler
Once you reach the World Tree (our guide on how to get to the World Tree covers the full mission chain, including the Panthalus fight), two more sources open up:
- World Tree bosses. Silvance and Dandilord each drop a Core, per the database, and World Tree chests and fishing spots can roll small stacks.
- The Ancient Relic Recycler. This level 74 structure turns Ancient Civilization Relics into Paloxite, Mythical Wood and a chance at Cores, with rarer relic types rolling better results, per the database. It needs electricity and a Pal with Handiwork, and the community wiki lists its build cost as 50 Paloxite Ingots, 50 Mythical Wood, 30 Ancient Civilization Parts and 20 Ancient Civilization Cores. You have to farm Cores before it pays you back, but once running it turns every relic you bring home into another shot at them.
What Cores Are For
Cores sit in most of 1.0’s top-tier recipes. Per the community database, the Wing Pack (Pocketpair’s new glider that flies without a Pal) needs 10, the Ancient Material Synthesizer needs 10, and late weapons such as the Drone Launcher, Plasma Rifle and Beam Launcher need 5 to 20 depending on the version. Decide what you want first, because the Recycler alone eats 20.
PC players who want chests, dungeons and ruins marked on the map will find helpers in our best Palworld mods roundup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it Ancient Civilization Core or Ancient Civilization Parts? Both exist. Parts are the common Alpha Pal drop; the Core is the rare, legendary-tier material used in endgame recipes.
What is the fastest way to farm Ancient Civilization Cores? Before the World Tree, Ultra raid bosses pay the most per fight at 10 each, per the community database. Keep an expedition team running at the same time for passive Cores.
Can you buy Ancient Civilization Cores? No. The community database lists no merchant that sells them.
Do Alpha Pals drop Ancient Civilization Cores? Generally no. Alpha Pals drop Parts, with rare exceptions such as an Alpha Bellanoir Libero, per the community wiki. Cores come from raid bosses, expeditions, oil rigs and World Tree content.
Where are Ancient Civilization Relics? Only in the World Tree, per Pocketpair’s 1.0 changelog. Break them down in the Ancient Relic Recycler.