Revision 7

Goals are a gameplay feature in Paralives that function as long-term objectives Parafolk can complete to fulfill their wishes. Unlike Wants System (short-term objectives chosen by the player based on a Parafolk's current emotional state), Goals are suggested by the game itself. They represent things a Parafolk aspires to accomplish over an extended period of time, giving the player something meaningful to work toward across days, weeks, or even entire life stages.

Goals also differ from Needs, which relate to bodily functions like hunger, hygiene, and sleep (see Needs System). While Needs must be maintained to keep a Parafolk functioning, Goals are optional pursuits that enrich the gameplay experience and drive character progression. Completing Goals earns Personality Points, the in-game progression currency that tracks how much a Parafolk has accomplished during their life.

Goal Categories

Goals are organized into thematic categories. The table below summarizes the confirmed categories and the launch-build systems they connect to.

How Goals Are Generated

The game determines which Goals to suggest for a Parafolk based on several context-dependent factors. Players cannot directly choose their Parafolk's Goals. Instead, they must influence the underlying conditions that shape what the game recommends. The factors considered include:

Because Goals are context-dependent, players who want to steer their Parafolk toward specific objectives need to shape the conditions around them. Moving to a new neighborhood, developing certain skills, building relationships, or changing a Parafolk's lifestyle can all shift the pool of available Goals.

Thematic Groups and Perks

Goals are usually displayed in thematic groups. Rather than appearing as a flat list of unrelated tasks, related Goals are bundled together under a shared theme. This grouping gives players a clear sense of progress as they work through a set of connected objectives. When an entire group of Goals has been completed, a perk can be obtained. Perks are special bonuses that reward sustained effort across a full thematic set.

This system creates a layered progression loop. Individual Goals provide immediate Personality Points, while completing entire groups yields additional perk rewards on top of those points. A Parafolk who completes the Museum Patronage group, for example, might unlock a perk that makes future museum interactions more rewarding.

Personality Points

Personality Points are the in-game currency that Parafolk accumulate by either fulfilling a Want or by reaching a Goal. These points function as the game's character-experience system, tracking how much a Parafolk has accomplished during their life. As Personality Points accumulate, players can use them to upgrade elements of their Parafolk's personality.

When a Parafolk gains a personality level, the player can choose to upgrade an element of their personality. These upgrades can evolve a Parafolk's base personality over time, potentially making it easier to keep needs full, giving other Parafolk buffs, or increasing skill progression rates. The upgrade path is influenced by the Parafolk's existing Talents and traits, so each character's progression feels distinct.

Goals vs. Wants

Goals and Wants are complementary systems, but they differ in several important ways.

Both systems feed into the same Personality Points pool, meaning both Wants and Goals contribute to a Parafolk's overall character growth. Players who engage with both will see their Parafolk develop and unlock personality upgrades faster than those who focus on only one.

Goals and Careers

Career-anchored goals are some of the most reliable Goal sources at launch. A Parafolk in the Art career domain might receive goals tied to rank advancement, expertise unlocks, or specific named workplaces such as the Museum. The Expertise System article documents the underlying daily upgrade choice; goals layer thematic milestones on top of that day-to-day mechanic.

Multi-job Parafolk can receive goals from each of their jobs independently. A Parafolk who works as a Cook in the morning and a Waiter in the evening can pursue Food-domain and Service-domain career goals in parallel.

Goals and the Museum

Museum donation goals are another high-volume source. The Museum donation box tracks collectibles contributions per category. Each category that nears completion is a strong candidate for a goal hook: the game can suggest the goal of completing the category, which feeds back into the broader newspaper-driven content loop and pays out Personality Points on completion.

Goals and the New Paper

Goals can also be obtained through gameplay sources such as The New Paper, the daily newspaper delivered to Parafolk each morning. The newspaper occasionally presents optional quests and opportunities that can unlock new Goals. This ties the Goals system into the broader world-building and the daily rhythm of Live Mode. Players who skip the morning paper miss a meaningful amount of Goal generation.

Concrete Examples

Examples of confirmed launch-build Goal types include:

• Donate all confirmed types of mushrooms to the museum

• Reach Rank 20 in any Healthcare-domain job

• Find every kind of buried treasure during the weekly Thursday hunt

• Complete the New Paper's monthly civic-pride challenge

• Develop a deep romantic relationship label with another Parafolk

• Reach max level in two complementary skills

• Open a restaurant household (the canonical goal Sebastian's storyline references)

These are illustrative rather than exhaustive. The launch build will surface goal options based on each household's circumstances, so different playthroughs will encounter different goal mixes.

Development Notes

The Goals system was kept fairly secret during development. Many details about how Goals work were only revealed during the first gameplay stream on November 25, 2025. Because the game is in Early Access, additional details about the Goals system may emerge as the game continues to evolve during the approximately two-year Early Access window.

Out of Scope

The exact list of every goal that exists in the launch build, the precise Personality Point values per goal, and the specific perk rewards for each thematic group have not been publicly enumerated. Specific timing of how often the game suggests new goals also has not been documented in detail. Players should expect concrete goal lists to firm up during Early Access.