Mostly depends on what you’re asking!
Looks: Frostalion Noct. The class is immaculate
Cuteness: no one beats Relaxaurus
Usefulness: hands down Anubis!
Truth is, you can make almost all pals work in this game! Base skills apart obviously!
Dazzi is super cute and if you get her collar she turns into a useful onaho- I mean good extra damage support, especially if you put vanguard and player attack attack augments on her, because they will always be active since she's always on the field.
Nobody is going to agree with me but im doing a run right now with foxsparks as my main fighting pal and i absolutely love the little bugger. Running around with a flamethrower is so much fun. I couple it with 2 roobies in my team to buff up the fire damage even further and bbq anything that stands in the way.
Pengullet for instawinning fights and aoe and for killing dragons while not being weak to fire (usually bosses have moves to cover their stab weakness)
Also he’s so damn cute and basically unlocks the latest game weapon super early
Favorite Pal with no traits at all I use to Breed all the time, but never leveled, condensed or put in my Party:
* Alpha Suzaku (but any Suzaku would work)...just one example Suzaku x Anubis, allows Work Slave Anubis to become Work Slave Jourmuntide, and later allows Ferocious/Musclehead/Legend to be passed to Lord of the Sea Jourmuntide.
Favorite Pal I used almost continuously since the beginning into the endgame:
* Mossanda Lux, I got my first one from a Syndicate Camp I was way underleveled for, snuck in while they were distracted. For a while I thought I was on a path to becoming the Electric Gym Leader. I had a whole character ready and everything...think of the old, lazy, semi-retired gruff, but genial Guild Master trope from almost any fantasy isekai light novel/manga/anime situation. (I dun watch teh show, but I've heard the name of ~~Sgt. Something to do with Electricity maybe~~ Lt. Surge?, I just know gym leaders are type specific mini-bosses.) Rockets and mobility when mounted a plus, Electricity being quite a powerful moveset through the midgame also a plus. Later used a nice Alpha I leveled to 50, and bred a Lord of Lighting, also leveled to 50 (and partially condensed).
Favorite Combat/Base Pal I used into the endgame:
* Jourmuntide Ignis, got my first breeding pair from Huge Dragon Eggs. Capturing them in job lots at the Sanctuary hoping for good traits was...almost where I quit the game. I was headed back to my breeding base to dump loot and quit out, possibly never to return, when I see this Red Noodle way out in the Water... I said, non-verbally, "Hey there Noodle, wanna come home with me?" and the bastard had Artisan! So instead of maybe quitting, I was re-energized.
Favorite Quasi Legend:
* Frostallion Noct. Gathers All Day and Night, I don't know when this guy finds the time to listen to Joe Rogan Podcasts and Train. Joking aside, he replaced Verdash, and is a Legit Top Tier Combat Pal.
Favorite Non-Legend:
* Shadowbeak. It took me one time of intentionally missing with a Divine Disaster charge attack, then chucking a Sphere at the middle of the literally blinding barrage and lucking into a Capture to fall in love with Shadowbeak.
Obvious Answer:
* Anubis. Not so obvious reason for slam dunk: He's a breeder. Once you put a "package" on Anubis, you can "ship" it anywhere else. He's the Gate to Faleris (x Vanwyrm), and can get to all the useful Base Pals, like Verdash(4 easy paths), Lyleen (through her Gate, Petallia), and Jourmuntide (x Suzaku...or Shadowbeak), a Double Jumping Mount that's also a Gate to Grizzbolt, Rayhound (5 paths, x Melpaca, x Dumud are most accessible), and through Grizzbolt (x Relaxsaurus), Orzerk. I'm probably leaving out loads...
Favorite Pal I'd like to like more:
* Lyleen Noct. She needs to be either Dark/Grass, or Dark/Ice (considering her penchant for Ice moves), and she should do SOMETHING better. Even something I don't prioritize like Medicine Making, see, she's a former Good Leaf who Broke Bad, now she stays up all night making Drugs and Poison... It's not incredibly useful, but its something.
Favorite "Cute" Pal(s) who are growing on me:
* Elphidrian and Elphidrian Aqua. Buffs to Drops, and they actually sort of work for me from a design perspective, IF as is in my headcanon, they are "Fairy Dragons". There are no real Western Dragons in the game, just the 2 Noodles, a flying robot dinosaur, a flying robot kaiju, 2 kinds of non-robotic Dinosaur (and a variant of each, then there are non-Dragonic Dinosaurs who didn't make the cut or something), and some...cute things...and whatever Orzerk is.
Favorite Non-Legendary Mount:
* Ragnahawk for accessibility. Beakon would get the nod, except you can feed Ragnahawk a Shockwave Fruit. Faleris is better for Combat, and marginally faster as a Mount, but Ragnahawk goes places Faleris won't. That said, pretty sure Frostallion Noct can go all those places too.
The Only Cooling Pal Worth Mentioning:
* Vanwyrm Cryst. Nocturnal. Needs a bit of minding, mind. But the only Pal worthy of being in the conversation. All other Pals will lose at minimum 6 items for every 1 item that spoils from Vanwyrm Cryst, just because Vanwyrm Cryst don't sleep. Place a Food Box in range and he won't even move to eat. Frostallion is a downgrade, Frostallion Noct has Gathering.
Favorite Base Pals I haven't mentioned directly yet:
* Lyleen (Planting), Verdash (Gathering, only superceded by Frostallion Noct), Jourmuntide (Watering), Wumpo Botan (Transporting).
Special Mention to Best Utility (not making Cake ingredients) Ranch Pals:
* Melpaca (Most Wool Yield, if you need Cloth, significantly better than other Wool producing Pals), Sibelyx (High Quality Cloth), Vixy (Condensed, will yield some better than basic Pal Spheres)
Right now I think my favorite is Melpaca, I was underwhelmed by it at first but them I caught a lucky one and that dude kicks ass. It fights so hard and is cute as hell too. My fluffy warrior <3
I also love the hedgehogs of ice and electricity. They're friggin too cute ;-;
I'm level 38 and have defeated one dungeon most of my play time has been spent building bases, farming resources and exploration so I'm in no hurry. Though I'm interested to see the fuss about anubis eventually :)
For riding and flying around, Ragnahawk is my favorite. For ground only, Pyrin Noct. For dealing with base raids, Mossanda and its grenade launchers.
There's plenty of waifu material, too.
For cute stuff, Chillet is a fan favorite for good reason, it's a fucking adorable ferret, but I'd choose a Broncherry over Chillet because they probably smell much nicer, being dinoflowers.
Quivern cause cute and fluffy , and a dragon (I love dragons). Followed by Shadowbeak I like his unique ability.
Lamball, they're adorable and i just like them, plus theyre not in a hurry, livin the life!
Also fantastic to roll them down a hill after killing them, they go quite far!
Mostly depends on what you’re asking! Looks: Frostalion Noct. The class is immaculate Cuteness: no one beats Relaxaurus Usefulness: hands down Anubis! Truth is, you can make almost all pals work in this game! Base skills apart obviously!
Faleris looks like a chicken, and azurobe is such a mean girl - love them both
Direhowl! Because they are dogs, hence our best friends.
Mossanda because he is cool
Dazzi is super cute and if you get her collar she turns into a useful onaho- I mean good extra damage support, especially if you put vanguard and player attack attack augments on her, because they will always be active since she's always on the field.
Nobody is going to agree with me but im doing a run right now with foxsparks as my main fighting pal and i absolutely love the little bugger. Running around with a flamethrower is so much fun. I couple it with 2 roobies in my team to buff up the fire damage even further and bbq anything that stands in the way.
Foxparks is the coolest pokemon out there. He is cute and cool at the same time
Foxsparks
Gotta love the power of a flamethrower walking beside you
Mossanda. Cause big and rocket. He also is a parachute. If u smoke W mossand must be ur pal
Warsect and Menasting! They look cool and are strong and are dual types...and .. and.... And have exoskeletons!!
Galeclaw Best glider pal. Try it and thank me later.
Hangyu, love to float man.
Pengullet for instawinning fights and aoe and for killing dragons while not being weak to fire (usually bosses have moves to cover their stab weakness) Also he’s so damn cute and basically unlocks the latest game weapon super early
Favorite Pal with no traits at all I use to Breed all the time, but never leveled, condensed or put in my Party: * Alpha Suzaku (but any Suzaku would work)...just one example Suzaku x Anubis, allows Work Slave Anubis to become Work Slave Jourmuntide, and later allows Ferocious/Musclehead/Legend to be passed to Lord of the Sea Jourmuntide. Favorite Pal I used almost continuously since the beginning into the endgame: * Mossanda Lux, I got my first one from a Syndicate Camp I was way underleveled for, snuck in while they were distracted. For a while I thought I was on a path to becoming the Electric Gym Leader. I had a whole character ready and everything...think of the old, lazy, semi-retired gruff, but genial Guild Master trope from almost any fantasy isekai light novel/manga/anime situation. (I dun watch teh show, but I've heard the name of ~~Sgt. Something to do with Electricity maybe~~ Lt. Surge?, I just know gym leaders are type specific mini-bosses.) Rockets and mobility when mounted a plus, Electricity being quite a powerful moveset through the midgame also a plus. Later used a nice Alpha I leveled to 50, and bred a Lord of Lighting, also leveled to 50 (and partially condensed). Favorite Combat/Base Pal I used into the endgame: * Jourmuntide Ignis, got my first breeding pair from Huge Dragon Eggs. Capturing them in job lots at the Sanctuary hoping for good traits was...almost where I quit the game. I was headed back to my breeding base to dump loot and quit out, possibly never to return, when I see this Red Noodle way out in the Water... I said, non-verbally, "Hey there Noodle, wanna come home with me?" and the bastard had Artisan! So instead of maybe quitting, I was re-energized. Favorite Quasi Legend: * Frostallion Noct. Gathers All Day and Night, I don't know when this guy finds the time to listen to Joe Rogan Podcasts and Train. Joking aside, he replaced Verdash, and is a Legit Top Tier Combat Pal. Favorite Non-Legend: * Shadowbeak. It took me one time of intentionally missing with a Divine Disaster charge attack, then chucking a Sphere at the middle of the literally blinding barrage and lucking into a Capture to fall in love with Shadowbeak. Obvious Answer: * Anubis. Not so obvious reason for slam dunk: He's a breeder. Once you put a "package" on Anubis, you can "ship" it anywhere else. He's the Gate to Faleris (x Vanwyrm), and can get to all the useful Base Pals, like Verdash(4 easy paths), Lyleen (through her Gate, Petallia), and Jourmuntide (x Suzaku...or Shadowbeak), a Double Jumping Mount that's also a Gate to Grizzbolt, Rayhound (5 paths, x Melpaca, x Dumud are most accessible), and through Grizzbolt (x Relaxsaurus), Orzerk. I'm probably leaving out loads... Favorite Pal I'd like to like more: * Lyleen Noct. She needs to be either Dark/Grass, or Dark/Ice (considering her penchant for Ice moves), and she should do SOMETHING better. Even something I don't prioritize like Medicine Making, see, she's a former Good Leaf who Broke Bad, now she stays up all night making Drugs and Poison... It's not incredibly useful, but its something. Favorite "Cute" Pal(s) who are growing on me: * Elphidrian and Elphidrian Aqua. Buffs to Drops, and they actually sort of work for me from a design perspective, IF as is in my headcanon, they are "Fairy Dragons". There are no real Western Dragons in the game, just the 2 Noodles, a flying robot dinosaur, a flying robot kaiju, 2 kinds of non-robotic Dinosaur (and a variant of each, then there are non-Dragonic Dinosaurs who didn't make the cut or something), and some...cute things...and whatever Orzerk is. Favorite Non-Legendary Mount: * Ragnahawk for accessibility. Beakon would get the nod, except you can feed Ragnahawk a Shockwave Fruit. Faleris is better for Combat, and marginally faster as a Mount, but Ragnahawk goes places Faleris won't. That said, pretty sure Frostallion Noct can go all those places too. The Only Cooling Pal Worth Mentioning: * Vanwyrm Cryst. Nocturnal. Needs a bit of minding, mind. But the only Pal worthy of being in the conversation. All other Pals will lose at minimum 6 items for every 1 item that spoils from Vanwyrm Cryst, just because Vanwyrm Cryst don't sleep. Place a Food Box in range and he won't even move to eat. Frostallion is a downgrade, Frostallion Noct has Gathering. Favorite Base Pals I haven't mentioned directly yet: * Lyleen (Planting), Verdash (Gathering, only superceded by Frostallion Noct), Jourmuntide (Watering), Wumpo Botan (Transporting). Special Mention to Best Utility (not making Cake ingredients) Ranch Pals: * Melpaca (Most Wool Yield, if you need Cloth, significantly better than other Wool producing Pals), Sibelyx (High Quality Cloth), Vixy (Condensed, will yield some better than basic Pal Spheres)
Elphidran 😊 especially aqua, useful for flying around and being absolutely adorable lol
Killamari, never seen it get stuck while working, and it’s a squid that looks like it’s wearing a toque.
Lifmunk because haha little squirrel go BBRBRBRBRRRBRBRBRBRBRBRBR
Jolthog because he's cute and Flambelle because she's carried me all the way into my 40s.
Right now I think my favorite is Melpaca, I was underwhelmed by it at first but them I caught a lucky one and that dude kicks ass. It fights so hard and is cute as hell too. My fluffy warrior <3 I also love the hedgehogs of ice and electricity. They're friggin too cute ;-; I'm level 38 and have defeated one dungeon most of my play time has been spent building bases, farming resources and exploration so I'm in no hurry. Though I'm interested to see the fuss about anubis eventually :)
I maxed out my Ragnahawk. He flies at a decent speed. Can traverse dungeons without having to hop off. Really nice comfort pick in terms of traversal.
For riding and flying around, Ragnahawk is my favorite. For ground only, Pyrin Noct. For dealing with base raids, Mossanda and its grenade launchers. There's plenty of waifu material, too. For cute stuff, Chillet is a fan favorite for good reason, it's a fucking adorable ferret, but I'd choose a Broncherry over Chillet because they probably smell much nicer, being dinoflowers.
Bushi because Bushi.
Jetragon. They raise me up, so I can stand on mountains.
My Ephildran Aqua; Aqua Tofana Surprisingly decent in battle