How to Beat Hard Mode Axel and Orserk

Axel and Orserk on Hard Mode is a level 80 tower fight with 514,800 HP, and it is the most straightforward of the late towers once you know what to bring. This guide covers the boss card, why Ground is the element that answers it, the minimum your Pals need to hit before attempting, and the Legendary Heat-Resistant Ancient Armor Schematic on the reward table.

Axel and Orserk (Hard) at a Glance

Same unlock as Saya and Selyne — Auri and Shaolong has to fall first. The two escorts are both Electric, which matters: they die to the same Ground damage you are already bringing for the boss.

	Hard Mode
Boss	Axel & Orserk
Element	Dragon / Electric
Level	80
HP	514,800
Unlock	Defeat Auri and Shaolong
Also in the arena	Mossanda Lux ×1, Relaxaurus Lux ×1

Ground Is the Answer

Orserk is Dragon and Electric, and Ground is strong into Electric — which is why every recommended attacker here is a Ground Pal rather than the Ice you might expect from the Dragon half. The escorts are Electric too, so one element clears the entire arena. Check any pairing yourself on the element chart.

Knocklem is the standout because its partner skill boosts its own attack and defense heavily, and its Ground attack lands accurately enough that you are not fishing for hits. Anubis takes a different route — it switches your weapon damage to Ground and adds an attack boost, so it only earns its place on a build where you are the primary damage rather than the Pal.

Pal	Element	Why it works here
Knocklem	Ground	Partner skill massively raises its own attack and defense; high-accuracy Ground damage
Anubis	Ground	Turns your own weapon Ground and adds ~50% attack — player-damage builds only
Moldron Cryst	Ice / Ground	Scales with Ice and Ground allies in the party — the alternative to Knocklem
Icelyn	Ice	Switches your weapon to Ice with an attack boost — the Ice answer to Anubis

Minimum Requirements Before You Try

This is the checklist that decides whether the attempt is worth starting. Turning up under-built is the most common reason this fight drags to a timeout rather than a wipe — the damage is survivable, but a Pal that has not been condensed and souled simply cannot chew through 514,800 HP in the window.

If any of those are short, the fix is not a different team — it is condensing and ranking up the Pal you already have. Training Crystals from this very reward table feed straight back into that.

Support Pals and Fight Order

Your attacker does the damage, but the Pal you leave in the party for its partner skill decides how fast that damage lands. Three are worth the slot here, and each one does something the Ground attackers cannot do for themselves.

Support Pal	Partner skill effect	Why it fits this fight
Turtacle Terra	Ground damage against a Pal weak to Ground rises 25% → 40% as it condenses	Stacks directly on the Knocklem / Anubis plan — every hit on Orserk and both escorts qualifies
Orserk	Each bullet you land builds a stacking buff for your active Pal	Pays off on player-damage builds, and the Drone Launcher keeps the stacks climbing while you dodge
Silvegis	Your shield cuts 65% → 80% of incoming damage and recharges sooner	The safety pick if the boss's big Electric casts are what end your runs

Clear the escorts first. Mossanda Lux and Relaxaurus Lux both carry Thunder Rail, and three sources of Electric fire at once is what turns a timeout into a wipe. They have a fraction of Orserk's HP and the same Ground weakness, so dropping them early costs very little of the clock. Aim for weak points. If you are shooting alongside your Pal, headshots add to the same multiplier Turtacle Terra and Anubis are already boosting. Eat before the door, not inside. Broncherry Fried Noodles and Mammorest Curry are the two meals worth having active as you walk in.

What It Drops

The Axel Hat is guaranteed on your first clear, so the opening run always pays. Repeat runs are about the Heat-Resistant Ancient Armor legendary schematic at roughly one in ten — the volcanic-region armour that makes Mount Obsidian survivable. The Ancient Armor guide covers every other source for that line.

Drop	Chance
Axel Hat	Guaranteed on first clear
Legendary Heat-Resistant Ancient Armor Schematic	~10%
Stamina Lotus (L)	Reward table
Training Crystal	Reward table

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