Palworld Catching and Spheres
Soften first, match sphere tier to the Pal, and spend Lifmunk Effigies on capture power.
Soften, then throw
A full-HP alpha eats Mega Spheres. Chip with Pal skills or a weapon into the red, apply a status if you have one, then throw. This is the whole catching skill. Everything else is inventory management.
Sphere tiers
Craft or buy the next tier before you change biomes. Megas for hills, Giga/Ultra as HP and rarity jump, Legendary for the things you flew to a sanctuary for. Optimism is not a sphere tier.
Effigies
Lifmunk Effigies on the overworld raise capture power. Pick them up while you statue-hunt. They are a permanent upgrade, not a collectible to screenshot and skip.
What to catch
Early: work suits you do not have. Mid: a mount, a cooler, a fighter with the right type. Late: sanctuary and breed targets. Twenty combat Pals and zero watering is how the farm dies.
Alphas and bosses
Alphas are catchable. Dungeon bosses are catchable. Tower partners are fights first. If you want the Pal, bring spheres and a party that can hold the DPS without killing it in one panic volley — or accept the kill and come back.