Gaming How-To

Palworld: How to One-Shot Hard Mode Auri and Shaolong with the Soaked Bug

A 10-second Soaked window at the start of the fight lets a single high-attack Electric Pal burst the boss down instantly.

A 10-second Soaked window at the start of the fight lets a single high-attack Electric Pal burst the boss down instantly.

Auri and Shaolong, the High Keeper of the Azure Covenant tower boss, open every fight already carrying the “Soaked” status effect for the first 10 seconds. That is a bug, and it hands you a large damage window that the encounter was never meant to give. Because Shaolong is a Water-type Pal, the game treats it as immune to Soak, so once those 10 seconds run out, the status can never be reapplied for the rest of the fight.

Quick answer: Enter the Hard Mode fight, then hit Auri and Shaolong with a maxed high-attack Electric Pal (such as a Lv.80 Azurmane using Thunder Rail) during the opening 10-second Soaked window. Soaked doubles Electric damage, so a strong enough hit removes the entire Hard Mode health bar in one shot.

Image credit: Pocketpair / The Pal Professor

Why the Soaked window one-shots the boss

Soaked is a wet status that doubles the Electric damage a target takes. Normally you would have to apply it yourself, and against a Water-type Pal you cannot, since Water Pals ignore Soak entirely. The bug sidesteps that rule by starting Auri and Shaolong already Soaked. You can see it at the top of the fight as small water droplet icons on the boss.

During those 10 seconds, the boss takes double Electric damage. Stack a couple of damage-boosting partner skills on top of that multiplier, and a single big Electric hit can cover the entire Hard Mode health pool. After the window closes, the same attack does a fraction of the damage, which is why the exploit only works right at the start.

DetailValue
BossAuri & Shaolong (Water/Dragon)
WeaknessElectric and Ice
Bugged status at startSoaked for 10 seconds
Soaked effectDoubles Electric damage taken
Normal Mode HP327,600
Hard Mode HP~501,000
Reapply Soak after windowImpossible (Water Pals are Soak-immune)
Image credit: Pocketpair

The Electric party build that carries the burst

The one-shot comes from one ace attacker doing the damage while support Pals in your party stack multipliers through their partner skills. You want a Pal with very high Attack and the strong Electric skill Thunder Rail (Power 600), backed by partner skills that boost damage to Soaked and weak-point targets.

PalRole and partner skill effect
Azurmane (Lv.80)Main attacker with 14,000+ Attack; delivers the Thunder Rail hit
JormuntideIncreases player and Pal damage to Soaked enemies by 65%
UnivoltIncreases Electric damage to weak points by 40%
Orserk BStacks Attack and Defense on the fighting Pal with each bullet hit (up to 30 stacks)
Celesdir Noct BGrants an 80% Attack increase in exchange for gradual health loss

Snock is a useful alternate attacker because its partner skill applies Electrify while in the party, and its own Thunder Rail hits extremely hard inside the Soaked window before dropping off sharply afterward. Either way, the attacker should be fully invested: Level 80, 4-star condensed, awakened, and boosted at a Statue of Power.

Image credit: Pocketpair

Accessories that push Electric damage higher

AccessoryBonuses
Dogen EmblemAttack Up Lv.4, Pal Attack Up Lv.4
Orserk’s TalismanPal Defense Up Lv.4, Pal Electric Damage Enhancement Lv.4
Lord of Lightning’s BatonPal Attack Up Lv.4, Pal Electric Damage Enhancement Lv.4
Fenglope Lux RingWater Damage Reduction Lv.4, Pal Electric Damage Enhancement Lv.4

How to trigger the one-shot

Set up your party before entering, with the high-attack Electric attacker in the lead and the support Pals (Jormuntide, Univolt, Orserk B, Celesdir Noct B) filling the remaining slots so their partner skills are active.
Start the Hard Mode Auri and Shaolong fight and confirm the Soaked droplet icons appear on the boss the instant the battle begins. This is your 10-second timer.
Send out your attacker and land Thunder Rail on the boss immediately, while the Soaked status is still active. Do not wait, aim carefully, or reposition, since the doubled Electric damage disappears the moment the window ends.
Image credit: Pocketpair / The Pal Professor

How to know it worked

A successful hit inside the window deletes the full Hard Mode health bar in one blow and ends the fight before the flooding phase ever starts. On first clear you receive the Auri Hat plus a Training Crystal, along with the standard tower rewards. If the attack lands but the health bar only drops partway, your damage was too low, and you are now stuck fighting the boss normally because Soaked cannot be reapplied.

The exploit fails for a few clear reasons. Attacking after the 10 seconds means the damage is no longer doubled. Using a weaker Pal, skipping the Statue of Power investment, or leaving out the Jormuntide and Univolt partner-skill multipliers all cut your burst below the roughly 501,000 Hard Mode health total. Missing the boss during the window wastes it entirely. If your single hit does not finish the job, you will need to defeat Auri and Shaolong through a normal Electric or Ice team instead.