Where to Place a Crude Oil Extractor in Palworld: 177 Oil Fields Mapped
Quick answer
Directly on an oil field marker, inside your base radius, with a powered generator and a chest close by. PalSphere maps 177 oil fields, 59 of them on Feybreak.
A Crude Oil Extractor only works on an oil field, and it needs power to run. PalSphere maps 177 oil fields, and a third of them are on Feybreak. Here is where to build, and how to wire and staff the base.
The Crude Oil Extractor's own description is short: it pulls Crude Oil from oil fields, and it requires a power supply to operate. Both halves matter. Build it off a field and it never starts. Build it on a field with no power and it sits idle. This page is about getting the spot right the first time.
The Crude Oil Extractor unlocks at Technology 50 for 2 points. The High-pressure Crude Oil Extractor follows at Ancient Technology 51 for 4 Ancient points, and it changes the placement rules completely. Both got cheaper and faster in v1.0.3, so a second pump is a reasonable ask now.
Crude Oil
177 pins · Open map
Material that can be processed into various products. Obtained by installing a Crude Oil Extractor on an oil field.
Crude Oil
3 rigs · Open map
Material that can be processed into various products. Obtained by installing a Crude Oil Extractor on an oil field.
Crude Oil Extractor
Tech 50 · 2 points
Equipment required to extract Crude Oil from oil fields. Requires a power supply to operate.
High-pressure Crude Oil Extractor
Ancient Tech 51 · 4 points
A device that pumps and extracts Crude Oil from deep underground. It can produce Crude Oil even in areas without oil fields, but it can only be placed on open ground with no structures beneath it. It requires a far greater supply of electricity than the Crude Oil Extractor.
Where the oil fields are
We grouped all 177 oil field pins by their nearest fast travel point. Feybreak holds the most, but every main region has some, so you rarely need to move your whole base.
Feybreak (59)
- The largest share, spread across the island rather than one pool.
- Scarlet Outlook and Scorched Hill: 5 each.
- Crystallized Great Tree and Crimson Labyrinth: 4 each.
- Oilfield Overlook, Curved Redrock, Crimson Cliffs, Deserted Ash Plateau: 3 each.
- Best pick if you already farm Hexolite there, since Scorched Hill is also the top Chromite spot.
Desert (43)
- Deep Sand Dunes: 8.
- Windwatch Outlook and Seaward Passage: 6 each.
- Desert Backbone, Thirst's End, and Thawtide Cape: 4 each.
- Duneshelter, Sand Dunes Entrance, and Frozen Dune Cape: 3 each.
Mount Obsidian (34)
- Dry Dunes: 9, the single densest spot outside Feybreak.
- Mount Obsidian Trail: 8.
- Ruined Fortress City: 6.
- Mount Obsidian - Midpoint: 4.
Sakurajima (23)
- Cherry Blossom Crossroads: 8.
- Sakurajima - Northern Rock Field: 5.
- Sakurajima - Mushroom Wetlands and Secluded Cemetery: 4 each.
Islands and snow (18)
- Oasis Isle: 6. Sunlit Isle: 4. Isle of Murmurs: 2.
- Astral Mountains: 6 in total, around Garden Beneath the Astral Mountains and Land of Absolute Zero.
- Small, cold, or remote. Only worth it if your base is already there.
Placement checklist
- 1. Open the oil field map and pick a spot with two or more fields close together.
- 2. Drop your Palbox so every field sits inside the base radius.
- 3. Place each Crude Oil Extractor directly on a field marker. A few steps off and it produces nothing.
- 4. Build the generator next, then confirm the Extractor shows as powered.
- 5. Put a storage chest within a few steps of each pump.
- 6. Assign Generating and Transport Pals before you leave the base.
- 7. Later, add a High-pressure Crude Oil Extractor on open ground nearby for extra output.
High-pressure rules are different
- Its description says it can produce Crude Oil even in areas without oil fields.
- It can only be placed on open ground with no structures beneath it. Do not build it on foundations or floors.
- It needs a far greater supply of electricity than the standard Extractor.
- So: standard pumps go on field markers, High-pressure pumps go on bare dirt next to your generators.
Power and transport layout
The Power Generator unlocks at Technology 26 and is the starting point for any oil base. The Large Power Generator at Ancient Technology 50 costs 4 Ancient points and pairs with the High-pressure pump. The Ancient Power Generator at Technology 75 produces massive amounts of power but needs a Pal with high Generating plus any Watering level. Keep the generators, pumps, and chests in one tight block.
OrserkPaldeck #187Ferocious Thunder Dragon
Generating 8Transport 4
8
3
4Generating 8, the highest level in the game. The first Pal to put on your oil base generator.
Solmora LuxPaldeck #169Shocking Fish
Generating 6Watering 4
46Generating 6 plus Watering 4, so it can run the Ancient Power Generator on its own.
DynamoffPaldeck #172Electro-Massage Incubation
Generating 66
33Generating 6. A strong second generator worker.
GrizzboltPaldeck #185Yellow Tank
Generating 5Transport 554
35Generating 5 and Transport 5. Powers the pumps, then hauls the oil when the grid is full.
BeakonPaldeck #096Thunderous
Generating 4Transport 5425Generating 4 and Transport 5. A cheaper Grizzbolt-style hybrid.
KnocklemPaldeck #159Steel Guardian Mode
Transport 7Mining 74
77Transport 7, the best pure hauler, with Mining 7 for any ore nodes inside the base.
Generating and Transport levels from live species data.
What Crude Oil crafts into
Plasteel
2 Crude Oil · Tech 50
Material created by processing Crude Oil and metal. Can be produced in an Electric Furnace.
Wing Cell
20 Crude Oil · Tech 80
The fuel required to power the Wing Pack.
Flamethrower Fuel
2 per 10 · Tech 52
Ammo for the Flamethrower and similar weapons. Can be crafted at Weapon Assembly Line II.
Frag Grenade Mk 2
3 Crude Oil · Tech 53
An improved frag grenade. It explodes a few seconds after being thrown, dealing massive damage to enemies.
Missile Ammo
1 per 10 · Tech 56
Ammo for the Guided Missile Launcher and similar weapons. Can be crafted at Weapon Assembly Line II.
Menasting Terra Ring
15 Crude Oil · Schematic
An accessory that greatly reduces incoming Electric damage of the Pal fighting alongside you. It also significantly increases the Ground damage of the Pal fighting alongside you.
- Plasteel is the big one: 2 Crude Oil plus 5 Ore at an Electric Furnace, Gigantic Furnace, or Ancient Furnace.
- Plasteel then feeds 122 recipes across 35 items, including Hexolite armor and energy weapons.
- Wing Cell costs 20 Crude Oil plus 10 Mythical Wood at the Ancient Workbench. It is the heaviest single oil sink.
Oil Rigs and expeditions for burst income
- The map shows three Oil Rigs: one far off Feybreak's western coast, two out east near Marsh Island and Islandhopper Coast.
- Rayne Syndicate Test Drilling Rig: 50-150 Crude Oil guaranteed on a clear.
- Rayne Syndicate Platform Oil Rig: a guaranteed 150-300 Crude Oil roll on top of smaller chance drops.
- Pal Expedition Station: Feybreak and Sakurajima expeditions return 15-30 Crude Oil each.
Common mistakes
- Placing the standard Extractor next to a field instead of on it.
- Putting the High-pressure pump on a foundation. It needs bare ground.
- Sizing power for the pump alone. The High-pressure pump draws far more than the standard one.
- No Transport Pal, so oil piles up at the machine instead of reaching storage.
- Building on a lone field. Pick a cluster so one generator and one hauler cover several pumps.
Quick answers
- Standard pump: on an oil field marker, powered. Technology 50.
- High-pressure pump: anywhere on open ground, lots of power. Ancient Technology 51.
- Most oil fields: Feybreak with 59 of 177.
- Densest spot outside Feybreak: Dry Dunes near Mount Obsidian, 9 fields.
The full oil loop: fields, Extractors, Oil Rigs, and Plasteel.
Crude Oil grindWhat changed for Extractors in v1.0.3.
Extractor 1.0.3 notesClear order and loot for all three rigs.
Oil Rig encountersCommon questions
Short answers for searches that should land here, with links to the item, map pin, or related guide when you need more detail.
- Where should you place a Crude Oil Extractor?
- Directly on an oil field marker, inside your base radius, with a powered generator and a chest close by. PalSphere maps 177 oil fields, 59 of them on Feybreak. Oil field map
- Can the High-pressure Crude Oil Extractor go anywhere?
- It can produce Crude Oil without an oil field, but only on open ground with no structures beneath it, and it needs far more electricity than the standard Extractor. High-pressure Extractor
- What level is the Crude Oil Extractor in Palworld?
- Technology 50 for 2 points. The High-pressure Crude Oil Extractor is Ancient Technology 51 for 4 Ancient points. Technology tree
- Why is my Crude Oil Extractor not working?
- Check power first, since it needs a power supply to run. Then check it sits on the field marker itself. Last, make sure a Transport Pal is moving the oil to storage. Pals not transporting
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