Gaming Guide

Palworld: How to Beat Hard Mode Auri and Shaolong

Team compositions, gear, and the exact way to survive the Celestial Vortex against the level 80 rematch.

Team compositions, gear, and the exact way to survive the Celestial Vortex against the level 80 rematch.

The Hard Mode version of Auri and Shaolong is a level 80 Tower Boss at the Azure Covenant Tower in Sunreach, with a 501,600 HP pool and no allied enemies to distract you. Shaolong keeps its Water and Dragon typing, so Electric and Ice damage still both hit for extra, but the fight now punishes weak damage output inside the five-minute timer. Beating it once guarantees the Auri Hat and gives a 10% chance at the Legendary Beam Launcher schematic.

Quick answer: Field a fully maxed Electric or Ice attacker (Orserk or Moldron Cryst), pair it with a flying mount for the flood, hit Auri’s head for weakpoint damage, and fly to a corner or hide behind a pillar when the Celestial Vortex triggers at the end of the flooding phase.


Hard Mode Auri and Shaolong stats and rewards

To unlock this rematch, you first need to defeat Auri and Shaolong on Normal Mode. The Hard version sits at level 80 with a much larger health bar than the Normal fight, and it fights alone with no extra Pals or human allies backing it up.

DetailValue
BossAuri and Shaolong Auri and Shaolong
Level80
HP501,600
ElementWater / Dragon
WeaknessElectric, Ice
LocationAzure Covenant Tower, Sunreach
Other enemiesNone

A first clear guarantees the Auri Hat and rolls a 10% chance for the Legendary Beam Launcher schematic. You also receive a mix of large Lotus materials and a Training Crystal for leveling Pals.

RewardDetails
Palworld - Auri Hat Auri HatGuaranteed on 1st clear
Palworld - Legendary Beam Launcher Weapon Legendary Beam LauncherSchematic (10%)
Palworld - Training Crystal Material Training CrystalPlus Carrying, Life, Power, Speed, and Stamina Lotus (L)

Prepare your carry Pal before entering

Because the boss has half a million HP and the timer is only five minutes, an underprepared attacker will simply run out of time. Before you queue at the tower door, bring at least one ace attacker up to the following minimum standard.

RequirementTarget
Level80
Pal Soul upgradesHP +20, Atk +20, Def +20
Trust Level7 or higher
Condense4-Star
AwakenedYes

The three strongest ace attackers all consistently reach the flying boss with ranged skills. Moldron Cryst and Orserk each free up a party slot for a support Pal because their damage is high enough on their own, while Frostallion trades a little damage for a flight option that helps during the flood.

PalRatingWhy it works
Moldron Cryst Moldron Cryst★★★★★Two exclusive ranged Ice attacks land reliably on the flying boss and free a party slot.
Orserk Orserk★★★★★Strong ranged Electric attacks, frees a party slot, and buffs the player.
Frostallion Frostallion★★★★☆Partner Skill grants Ice, Freeze, and Attack buffs, and flight covers the flood phase.

Team compositions for Electric and Ice

You can build around either weakness. Electric answers Shaolong’s Water half, and Ice answers its Dragon half. Both team layouts run the same way: one ace attacker, one flying reserve mount for the flood, and support Pals stacking offensive and defensive buffs.

Electric team (Orserk core)

Orserk is the main attacker thanks to its Partner Skill, with Beakon as an Electric mount to reposition during the flood. Univolt adds an extra Electric damage boost, Celesdir Noct grants a flat 80% Attack increase, and Silvegis buffs your shield for a safety margin.

RolePal
Ace attackerOrserk
Flying reserveBeakon Beakon
SupportUnivolt Univolt, Celesdir Noct, Silvegis

Note: Shaolong has two Ground skills that hit Electric Pals super effectively. This team should survive and heal through them, but if the Ground attacks keep deleting your carry, switch to the Ice setup to play safe.

Ice team (Moldron Cryst core)

This layout swaps Electric for Ice and works the same way. Moldron Cryst is the main attacker for its exclusive Ice skills, backed by Orserk, Celesdir Noct, and Silvegis for buffs. Frostallion is the preferred secondary mount because its Partner Skill gives a significantly larger bonus than similar mounts like Beakon Cryst or Azurobe Cryst.

Player-focused team

Since Shaolong flies and moves quickly, Pal attacks can miss. If that becomes a problem, shift most of your damage onto your own weapons instead. Frostallion leads as the active Pal for its elemental infusion Partner Skill, while Solenne, Cryolinx Terra, Vanwyrm Cryst, and Moldron Cryst provide Ice and weak point damage buffs.

RolePal
Active PalFrostallion
SupportSolenne Solenne, Cryolinx Terra, Vanwyrm Cryst Vanwyrm Cryst, Moldron Cryst

Best weapons, accessories, and armor

The Drone Launcher is the most important weapon to carry because it keeps Orserk’s Partner Skill buff fully stacked as long as an enemy is nearby. The Plasma Rifle is the strongest all-around gun, and the Megaboost Gun adds a buff to your current active Pal. The Mechanical Bow is weaker without a dedicated bow-buffing team, but it is still useful for applying status effects like Poison.

WeaponLv.AttackDurability
Megaboost Gun Megaboost Gun63250400
Mechanical Bow Mechanical Bow67200002000
Drone Launcher Drone Launcher772006500
Plasma Rifle Plasma Rifle78186025000

For accessories, pick items that boost the element the boss is weak to. The Dogen Emblem is the usual choice since it raises both your Attack and your Pal’s Attack.

AccessoryEffect
Dogen Emblem Dogen EmblemGreatly raises your Attack and your Pal’s Attack.
Lord of Lightning's Baton Lord of Lightning’s BatonRaises Pal Attack, significantly increases Electric damage.
Ice Emperor's Baton Ice Emperor’s BatonRaises Pal Attack, significantly increases Ice damage.
Orserk's Talisman Orserk’s TalismanRaises Pal Defense and Electric damage.
Fenglope Lux Ring Fenglope Lux RingReduces incoming Water damage, increases Electric damage.
Frostallion's Talisman Frostallion’s TalismanRaises Pal Defense and Ice damage.
Cryolinx Ring Cryolinx RingReduces incoming Dragon damage, increases Ice damage.

Since this is an endgame fight, run the highest-Defense gear you own. The full Ancient Armor set is the minimum, and you can substitute a higher-tier version if you have one.

ArmorHPDefAdded effect
Ancient Shield Ancient ShieldN/A2200None
Ancient Helm1200500Neutral Damage Reduction Lv.1 / Dragon Damage Reduction Lv.1
Lightweight Ancient Armor2400840Cold Resistance Lv.2 / Heat Resistance Lv.2 / Max Carrying Capacity Lv.4

Food buffs and healing items to bring

With a timer running, prioritize food that raises your damage output over defense. It is possible to survive comfortably but still lose to the clock, so lean offensive. Broncherry Fried Noodles and Mammorest Curry are strong choices.

Always pack healing and revival items so a big hit or a downed Pal does not end the run. High Quality Recovery Meds, Advanced Recovery Meds, and a Revival Potion or two cover most emergencies.


Hard Mode attack list

The Hard rematch adds Ground-element attacks on top of Shaolong’s Water and Dragon moves. Learning the highest-power skills helps you decide when to hide and when to burst.

SkillElementPowerCT
Hydra ChargeWater50024
Azure DracoflareDragon60030
Geyser GushWater60030
Aqua SurgeWater50024
Hydro SlicerWater35016
Dragon MeteorDragon60030
MeteorainDragon70030
Rocky ImpactGround60030
Sand TwisterGround50024

Fight strategy and the Celestial Vortex

Survive the flood and its finisher. Partway through, Shaolong floods the arena, then ends the phase with Celestial Vortex, a massive whirlpool and its single most dangerous move. Either mount a flying Pal and fly to a corner, or tuck behind one of the arena pillars so you are not pulled in. Recall your Pal or resummon it behind a pillar so it does not get sucked in either.
Celestial Vortex.png
Celestial Vortex creates a whirlpool at the end of the flooding phase.
Freeze Shaolong when you can. If you have an Ice Pal or a Freeze-applying Partner Skill buff, freezing the boss stops it from flying around. That leaves it open for follow-up weakpoint hits, including easy headshots on Auri.
Aim for Auri’s head. Targeting Auri’s head triggers weakpoint damage multipliers. This matters most with the player-focused build, since your gun is where the majority of your damage comes from there.
Headshot Weakpoint
Headshots on Auri apply weakpoint damage multipliers.
Stack Orserk’s buff with the Drone Launcher. Orserk’s Partner Skill, Ferocious Thunder Dragon, raises your Pal’s Attack and Defense by up to 5% per bullet hit for 5 seconds, stacking up to 30 times. The Drone Launcher’s rapid fire reaches 30 stacks quickly. Stay in range of Auri and Shaolong at all times, or the drones stop firing and the buff drops.

You will know the fight is won when the boss health bar empties before the timer runs out and the elimination prompt appears. The most common failure is simply timing out, which usually means your carry Pal was not fully upgraded to the level 80 minimums or your gear was undertiered. Play defensively, keep hitting the weak points, and either Electric or Ice will carry you through.