The burning king of wyverns is one of the few monsters in the Monster Hunter franchise that has made an appearance in every main series game. It’s no surprise that it came back with a vengeance to wreak havoc in Kamura Village. Here’s everything you need to know to beat the Rathalos.

Rathalos

Anyone who’s ever played a Monster Hunter game will recognize the most famous monster to ever come out of it. Everyone has their fair share of stories of how they overcame the ferocious Rathalos. The first thing you should know about this monster is that it’s more aggressive and violent than its female counterpart, the Rathian. Rathalos is a winged wyvern which means that it’s capable of flying. I mean, it is called “King of the Skies” for a reason. For most of your fight, Rathalos will remain airborne and will use its flight to put you at a disadvantage. Like the Rathian, it can breathe fire and has a poisonous tail tip. They both have similar movesets and actions so if you’ve beaten a Rathian before, you should know what to expect against a Rathalos. 

Weaknesses

Rathalos has the same Physiology as the Rathian so it would make sense that it also has similar weak points. All types of weapon damage can do well against Rathalos but blunt weapons on the head deal the most damage. This monster’s weak points are its Head, Tail, and Wings. These should be your primary focus when going against this monster. Since Rathalos will likely remain airborne a lot, melee weapon users should make use of the maneuverability afforded by the use of Wirebugs to dish out some aerial combos. When it is standing on the ground, however, try to focus most of your attacks on its head. With blunt weapons, hitting the head will not only deal a lot of damage, but it can also briefly stun the monster leaving it vulnerable to your attack combos. It is also weakest against the Dragon element, followed by the Thunder element, and then Water and Ice. If you have weapons that can deal these types of elemental damage, you can use it against Rathalos to have an easier time.

As for ailments, Thunderblight is the most effective and its effects can last the longest. Since Rathalos can inflict Poison, it’s super resistant against it. Don’t even attempt to use poison weapons against this monster.

Best Weapons to Use

For weapons, you can actually use any weapon type you would prefer. However, melee weapons have a slight disadvantage since the Rathalos can be a little hard to hit when it is airborne. Nevertheless, melee weapons deal the most damage against it. If you’re unsure of what weapon to use, just use whichever neutral weapon you’re comfortable using that has the highest raw damage. Based on our experience, the most effective weapon against Rathalos is either the Long Sword or the Hunting Horn. Since it’s tail is severable and when cut off, can yield bonus rewards, we would give an edge to the Long Sword. This weapon has pretty decent range so it can be pretty strong against Rathalos especially in tight spaces like the Lava Cavern. 

Useful Tips

1. Since Rathalos will be mostly airborne, you can force it to get down on the ground and briefly stunned by using a Flash Bomb. This makes it vulnerable to your combos or your other plans of attack.
2. This monster deals a lot of Fire damage. So, it would be worth your while to wear Fire Resistant armor. 
3. This monster can also poison you if it hits you with its talons. Be sure to take a few Antidotes with you to help remedy this affliction.

So there you have it! That’s everything you need to know on how you can beat Rathalos in Monster Hunter Rise. Be sure to check back with us again for more awesome guides on your favorite video games. Have fun!