Palworld’s Panthalus boss fight goes viral after a player’s desperate escape on Dynamoff turns into a community meme. The clip has gained millions of views and even caught Pocketpair’s attention.
Palworld’s Dynamoff Struggles Through One of Version 1.0’s Biggest Battles
"FLY! FLY, FAT BIRD!"
Palworld 1.0 players have been sharing a clip of one of the game’s newest legendary Pals, Panthalus, though the whale itself is not the reason the video went viral. It's the "fat bird" trying its hardest to outrun one.
A gameplay clip posted by Twitter (X) user LagWasReal on July 22 has exploded across social media after capturing their encounter with Panthalus. During the fight, Panthalus summons a towering tidal wave that quickly approaches the player. With little time to react, the player takes flight on Dynamoff and attempts to clear the attack.
However, Dynamoff’s chunky build and frantic flying make it look like the Pal is fighting just as hard to stay airborne as the player is fighting to survive. "FLY! FLY YOU FAT F---K! BOTH OF OUR LIVES DEPEND ON IT! FLY!" the tweet reads, set to Hiroyuki Sawano’s Attack on Titan track swelling in the background.
The clip spread quickly across various social media websites, where creators began adding their own edits and voice-over performances. It even got the attention of Pocketpair, who leaned into the meme almost immediately.
On July 23, which is also World Whale and Dolphin Day, the studio posted a short video on the official Palworld English account alluding to the famous clip. The video shows Dynamoff flying past several Water-type Pals before encountering Panthalus, where it begins frantically flapping its wings. "FLY! FLY, FAT BIRD!" the post reads, a more family-friendly version of the original meme.
Image from Palworld's TGS 2022 Trailer
The meme has brought more attention to Panthalus, one of the biggest additions in Palworld’s Version 1.0 update. The colossal Water-type Pal appeared in promotional material during Early Access but didn't make its in-game debut until Version 1.0. Its boss fight earned a reputation for its sheer scale, especially the tidal wave attack that has become inseparable from the viral clip. Panthalus is also the largest Pal currently in the game, to the point that players can only deploy one at a base because of its size.
The viral clip comes as Palworld continues its upward momentum following its transition out of Early Access. According to estimates from Market Analyst Rhys Elliot of Alinea Analytics, the game has sold more than 30 million copies and generated around $700 million in revenue, with Steam making up the majority of sales.
That success has carried over to Steam’s player numbers, with Palworld continuing to attract hundreds of thousands of players since its Version 1.0 launch. On Steam alone, the game reached a new post-launch peak of more than 960,000 concurrent players, and that was just a few days ago. Although the figure remains below Palworld’s Early Access peak of over 2.1 million concurrent players, it is still a significant jump from its pre-1.0 average of around 30,000 to 50,000 concurrent players.
The Panthalus fight has become one of the more memorable moments from Palworld’s Version 1.0 launch, but the update itself introduced far more than a new legendary encounter. The full release added new Pals, expanded areas, and improvements across several mechanics as Pocketpair continued to build on the survival game.
For a closer look at everything added in the update and how it changes the overall experience, check out our review of Palworld Version 1.0 below.
Source:
Twitter User LagWasReal's Viral Palworld Clip
Pocketpair Leaning Into the Meme on Twitter
Pocketpair's Bucky Thanking Players for Almost a Million Concurrent Players
Alinea Analytics' Rhys Elliot on Palworld's Market Estimates
