Palia Royal Highlands Expansion: Everything You Need to Know

Welcome to the Royal Highlands. Golden horizons, thundering hooves, and a distinct whiff of timeless elegance— this looks to be Palia’s grandest adventure yet.

Ride with style into the next chapter of Palia‘s story in this sprawling new zone on your very own horse mount. Ride your new mount through a sun-kissed land brimming with new fish, insects, gatherables, and hidden treasures awaiting you. This new land not only comes with new stories and quests, but you’ll be able to live the horse ranch life of your dreams. Raise majestic horses on your ranch, breed the and take care of your dream steeds.

Adventure is calling, and your journey across the Royal Highlands begins now.

What is the Royal Highlands Expansion?

The Royal Highlands is a brand-new Adventure Zone and is the biggest update from devs Singularity 6 yet. Long before the world of Palia, as you know, the Royal Highlands were a place of royalty and prominence. The Enfields built their legacy here, shaping a region that would later be abandoned in the wake of the Unification Wars. For over four centuries, no one (except a few unique creatures) has called it home.

This area is full of sun-soaked rolling fields, sweeping cliffsides, and old-world elegance. You’ll access it via the De Mer Docks in the Elderwood, so if you’ve been dawdling there, now’s the time to finish up.

But this isn’t just a pretty postcard. The expansion adds:

A massive new map with hidden vaults, campsites, and Royal Amber treasures
Horse mounts (rideable, breedable, trainable)
A new Main Story chapter + Guide & Discovery quests
One new Villager with that signature Palia charm
Dozens of new fish, bugs, huntable creatures, and gatherables
New materials, arrow types and cooking recipes
A whole Ranching skill tied directly to horse progression
A third-story upgrade for your home + the Ancient Human Home Line

How Does Ranching Work In Palia?

With the return of humans to the Royal Highlands, the land begins to wake. Horses roam once more, and the land itself feels different. For the first time in thousands of years, you can meet, acquire, and ride your own horse across Palia. Mounts transform how you move through Palia, opening up faster and more fluid exploration across the zones, especially the Royal Highlands.

Horses in the Royal Highlands are responsive, grounded, and surprisingly mechanical—in a good way. They have stats: speed, endurance, and traits you can influence through breeding. Take up the skill of horse ranching, and participate in purchasing, breeding, and raising your own horses with both new cosmetic and functional traits. Horses you breed can be ridden once fully grown, while younger ponies will need time to mature before they are ready to be ridden.

Right now, three unique horse breeds are being introduced with the Royal Highlands patch:

Dawnspur: Every player will meet a Dawnspur, a breed inspired by the American Quarter Horse, once favoured by Ancient Human royalty and originally bred by the Mudan.
Akwindu Thoroughbred: This Arabian-inspired breed is unlocked by collecting a wide variety of horse traits through breeding. Riding access is granted via the Riding License that comes exclusively in the Highlands Supporter Packs.
Phoenixfire Dawnspur: For those seeking something even rarer, the Phoenixfire Dawnspur is a mythical variant said to be touched by the Phoenix itself. Long thought to exist only in legend, it can now be obtained by progressing through Binnie’s side quests in the Royal Highlands, with riding unlocked via the Riding License purchased in the Premium Store.

Main Story And Quest Updates

The Royal Highlands continues our Main Story with a brand new chapter, alongside a fresh set of side quests and a new face you will come to know along the way. This chapter picks up directly where the Elderwood leaves off, so you will need to complete the Elderwood quests before continuing forward in the story.

No major spoilers here, but you’ll uncover new Guide Quests and Discovery Quests alongside the main narrative. The main story pushes you towards the source of the Echo that is threatening Kilima, leading you deeper into the Highlands and the truths hidden within it. You will encounter new challenges, meet a new character named Eshelon, and eventually confront the Beast of the Elderwood, where the outcome is in your hands.

New Villager: Eshelon

There’s also a new Villager waiting somewhere in those golden fields. Meet Eshelon, a man who arrives in style with a reputation that precedes him. As the first and only son of Duchess Kenyara Bahari, he was raised to succeed and has done little else. Whether speaking multiple languages, playing the violin at a mastery level, or discussing state and politics, Eshelon commands excellence.

Now an expert at the Bahari Institute, he studies ancient human devices and strange energies. After being sent by the Duchess to investigate the strange explosion in the sky, he has begun uncovering something bigger and is looking to pair up with you to help continue the investigation.

Eshelon has taken a particular interest in the Royal Highlands history and the legacy of the Enfields. A history buff at heart, he is actively seeking out artefacts scattered across the region and will task you with helping to recover them.

New Items To Catch, Cook, and Collect

Amber Echo – Amber Echo is the primary currency of the Royal Highlands. Similar to Infected Essence from the Elderwood, Amber Echo can be gathered as you explore the region.
New huntable creatures – Jaakcats, Royal Sernuk, and masked variants with unique behaviours
Dozens of new Insects & Fish – shaped by “ancient experimentation”. Some may look familiar, but are the evolved descendants of what once was.
Forage for new flowers and wood – Dotting the Royal Highlands are a new type of tree called Lantern Ash, which provides Lantern Ashwood. As well as a number of new flowers.
New mining materials – Jadium is a mining material that can be found in the Royal Highlands.
10 new campfire recipes – teas and on-the-go cozy cooking
New potions & utility arrows

Decor, Storage and House Upgrades

Aristocrat’s Decor set – Rococo flair for your fancy parlour
Teatime Decor – exactly what it sounds like, and yes, there’s a teapot
10 new Fancypods – because pods remain inexplicably delightful
Jadium storage tier – +4,000 storage space. Four thousand.
Ancient Human Home Line – refined architectural pieces
Third story upgrade – build up, not just out

Community Events & Premium Store Updates

The Long Ride is a community event focused on… well, riding. Long distances. On horseback. With friends. It’s low-stakes, high-chill, and exactly the kind of low-pressure event Palia does best. The Long Ride is a limited-time event that puts the spotlight on mounts, exploration, and Amber Echo collection… all rolled into one massive, community-wide collaboration.

The Lunar Path: Path of the Pony is a new club-focused path for the horse-inclined. This new Lunar Path lets you trot at your own pace while embracing your inner equine enthusiast. Like always, progress carries forward with no expiration, and both free and Premium rewards are sprinkled along the trail. You can switch between Paths at any time and earn XP on whichever Path you choose, just make sure you’re saddled up to activate the one you want to gallop down next.

On the premium side: new Supporter Packs, Highland Champion outfit, Ashwood Ranger, Paddock Prim, and Courser Casual styles. Also, a Clothing Dye system—finally, you can stop being mad about that one jacket’s weird beige accents.