Palworld's tech tree is a long and winding road, and the Single-shot Rifle sits near the bend where survival stops being a slapdash affair and starts feeling like a proper hunt. This long gun is built for players who prefer to pick their targets from a distance, drop them with one clean shot, and vanish before the dust settles. In the 2026 version of the game, the rifle remains a milestone weapon: it is not the flashiest firearm on the block, but when a player needs to snipe a hostile human or put down a troublesome Pal from safety, it is worth its weight in gold.

🔓 Unlock and Crafting Requirements

The crafting spec for the Single-shot Rifle and its required ammunition becomes available after reaching Lv. 36. To actually produce one, players need a Production Assembly Line II. A single rifle costs 20 Refined Ingots and 5 Polymer. Those numbers may look modest at first glance, yet they can drain a base's stockpile faster than a Lovander drains a player's patience.

Requirement	Detail
Unlock level	Lv. 36
Crafting station	Production Assembly Line II
Materials per rifle	20 Refined Ingots, 5 Polymer
Ammunition	Rifle Ammo, crafted separately
Base attack	1100

A curious quirk trips up plenty of survivors: the Single-shot Rifle's icon in the tech tree does not match its actual icon. When players head over to the Production Assembly Line II, the icon they should look for is that of an old, western-style, lever-action rifle. It is a small thing, but it can send a player on a wild goose chase if they are not paying attention.

🧱 Refined Ingots and Ammo

Refined Ingots are the real bottleneck. To craft them, players must smelt Ore and Coal in an Improved Furnace. Coal is not Charcoal, and mixing up the two is a classic penny-wise and pound-foolish mistake. Regular copper ore can be found almost everywhere on the map, while Coal only appears in arid regions like deserts. Because Rifle Ammo also demands Refined Ingots, players should craft plenty of them. Running out of ammo mid-fight is a quick way to bring a knife to a gunfight.

⛏️ Mining Camp Tips

If resources are running low, temporary mining camps near ore clusters are the smart play. These clusters are scattered all over the map, though the closest one to the starting zone sits near the Small Settlement. The shopping list is short: a Rushoar, a Grappling Gun, and enough resources to build a Palbox. Players can mine ores with the Rushoar, use the Grappling Gun to move while encumbered, and then fast travel back to their main base using the Palbox. It takes some elbow grease, but it keeps the ingot pipeline cooking with gas.

💥 Combat Performance

In combat, the Single-shot Rifle has an Attack rating of 1100. It is devastating against humans and low-level bosses, and it can make short work of most early-game threats. Against bosses or anything with high health, however, the rifle is not the bee's knees. Its slow rate of fire means its damage-per-second output lags behind other firearms. It is a direct upgrade to the early-game Musket, and its reload speed is significantly faster than the latter's, but it is still a precision tool rather than a run-and-gun monster.

Players who need raw DPS are better off crafting other firearms like a Handgun or Assault Rifle, or they could simply use a Lifmunk with a gun. That little Pal may look silly, but it can bring home the bacon when a fight turns into a chaotic scramble. The Single-shot Rifle, by contrast, is an ace in the hole for players who enjoy sniping, ambushing, and controlling the battlefield from a distance.

🎯 Final Verdict

Ultimately, the Single-shot Rifle is a weapon that rewards preparation. It asks for Lv. 36, a Production Assembly Line II, 20 Refined Ingots, 5 Polymer, and a steady supply of Rifle Ammo. For players who love the fantasy of a lone hunter picking off targets from a ridge, that price is more than fair. For everyone else, it is a specialized sidearm for specific jobs. Either way, it remains one of Palworld's most satisfying long guns to unlock in 2026.