Guardian Rathalos Weakness Location Strategy in Monster Hunter Wilds

A crimson shadow circles above the Ruins of Wyveria-Guardian Rathalos has arrived in Monster Hunter Wilds, and even veteran hunters will find this legendary construct full of surprises. With devastating fire attacks, explosive new tricks, and a fierce resistance to most elements, only those who master its Dragon weakness and exploit its exposed mouth and legs stand a chance against this formidable foe. Ready your gear, study its patterns, and prepare for a battle where every move could ignite disaster.

Regardless of your familiarity with Rathalos’ moveset, there are quite a few changes to be aware of. This guide covers the Guardian Rathalos weaknesses and resistances to prepare accordingly, where to find it, and the best strategy to defeat one of the new guardian variants in Monster Hunter Wilds.

Guardian Rathaloslocation

Guardian Rathalos can only be found in the Wyveria biome, specifically within the Ruins of Wyveria area. You will first encounter this formidable monster during the main story mission “The Faithful Keepers” in Chapter 3, after which it becomes available for free hunts as you progress further in the game. Guardian Rathalos tends to roam around areas 1 and 2 of Wyveria and, as a flying monster, it moves frequently throughout its territory. To locate it, use the Environment Overview screen to check if it’s present on the map, or simply explore Wyveria until you receive a notification of its appearance. If you’re having trouble, you can also consult Alma to initiate a hunt for Guardian Rathalos.

You’ll first encounter Guardian Rathalos in Chapter 3, during The Faithful Keepers main mission. As such, all you need to do to unlock the monster is progress through the main questline.

Guardian Rathalos only roams around the Wyveria biome. It can usually be found around 1 and 2. Since Rathalos is flying monster, it’s likely to move, so keep an eye out on the map.

Keep in mind that in Monster Hunter Wilds, tracking monsters isn’t really a prominent feature. Except for a few first-time exceptions, you can use the Environment Overview screen to see if your target is roaming around the map. If not, exploring its corresponding biome(s) for a few minutes usually does the trick – you’ll see a notification on screen announcing its appearance. Worst case scenario, you can speak to Alma and post a hunt for it. For better or worse, the process of finding a monster is much more streamlined now. If you find tracks or other monster residuals on the ground, you can loot them for materials.

How to prepare for Guardian Rathalos

To prepare for Guardian Rathalos in Monster Hunter Wilds, stock up on healing items such as regular and mega potions, and bring Nulberries to counter Fireblight, which is common from its fire attacks. Eating a meal before the hunt-especially one that boosts health, stamina, and elemental resistance-will help you survive its high-damage moves; ingredients like Wild Herb are especially useful for fire resistance. Equip weapons with Thunder or Dragon elements, as these are Guardian Rathalos’s main weaknesses, and consider bringing ranged weapons or ammo with these attributes for extra effectiveness. Flash Pods are highly recommended to bring it down from the air, as it spends significant time flying and can be hard to hit otherwise. Lastly, prepare antidotes or other status cures, since its claw attacks can inflict poison, and coordinate with your team to bring traps or status effects like paralysis or sleep to create openings during the fight.

Guardian Rathalos is part of the main story of Monster Hunter Wilds. As such, its encounter is likely to fit your Hunter Rank at that corresponding moment. Since the encounter occurs during a main mission, you’ll be thrust into the fray after the introductory cutscene. As per usual, whenever you’re asked if you’re ready to depart, make sure that you’re carrying regular and mega potions with you. If you’re short on the latter, take a lap around the biome and loot any honey you come across.

In addition, don’t forget to eat – you can use the portable BBQ to grill a meal. Increasing your health and stamina is essential, as Guardian Rathalos packs a punch. You can use ingredients like Wild Herb as finishing touches to boost your elemental resistance, which is helpful for dealing with Rathalos’ fire.

For later encounters, carrying a few Thunder or Dragon Pods will be beneficial – if either you or one of your teammates have a ranged weapon with Thunder or Dragon Ammo, even better. In terms of armor, prioritize fire resistance, which can be found in sets like the Ajakaran’s.

Guardian Rathalosweakness

Guardian Rathalos’s primary elemental weakness is Dragon, which is effective against nearly all parts of its body except the tail, where the resistance is higher. Thunder is also a notable weakness, but its effectiveness is mostly limited to the legs. When it comes to status ailments, Guardian Rathalos is particularly susceptible to sleep, paralysis, blastblight, and stun, all rated as 2-star weaknesses, while poison is less effective and exhaust has little to no effect. Additionally, Guardian Rathalos is highly resistant to fire damage across all body parts, and its tail is immune to water and ice attacks. For best results, focus Dragon or Thunder attacks on its head and legs, and consider using status effects like sleep or paralysis to create openings during the fight.

Guardian Rathalos’ recommended elemental attacks are Thunder and Dragon. The first encompasses Thunder Ammo, Thunder Pod, Thunder Attack, Critical Element, and Charge Master. The second encompasses Dragon Ammo, Dragon Pod, Dragon Attack, Critical Element, and Charge Master. Both are in addition to your own weapon’s properties.

You can find a breakdown of Guardian Rathalos’ elemental weaknesses and resistances below:

Effective status effects

• Poison: 1 star
• Sleep: 2 stars
• Paralysis: 2 stars
• Blastblight: 2 stars
• Stun: 2 stars
• Exhaust: No effect

Effective items

• Flash Pod: Effective
• Sonic Bomb: No effect
• Shock Trap: Effective
• Pitfall Trap: Effective

As for the dragon’s weak points and breakable parts, Guardian Rathalos’ weak points are its Mouth and Legs. Its Wings (x2) can be broken, and its Tail can be severed.

Before diving deep into combat strategy, here’s the breakdown of Guardian Rathalos’ weak points:

Guardian Rathalos is a formidable construct monster found exclusively in the Ruins of Wyveria biome in Monster Hunter Wilds, first encountered during Chapter 3’s “The Faithful Keepers” mission. It is especially vulnerable to Thunder and Dragon elemental attacks, with its head and legs serving as primary weak points-targeting these areas with bladed or blunt weapons yields the most damage. Guardian Rathalos is highly aggressive, employing explosive fire attacks and claw swipes that inflict Fireblight and Poison, so bringing Nulberries and antidotes is recommended. To maximize your advantage, use status effects like Paralysis, Stun, and Sleep, and deploy traps such as Shock and Pitfall Traps, which are effective against this monster. Breaking its wings and tail will limit its mobility and offensive capabilities, making the fight more manageable as you adapt to its grounded and aerial attack patterns.

For details about what to expect in terms of attacks and general behavior, the following section has you covered.

Guardian Rathalosattacks and strategy

Guardian Rathalos in Monster Hunter Wilds is a formidable foe with a diverse and aggressive moveset, making the fight both challenging and dynamic. It alternates between grounded assaults-such as powerful tail swipes, quick bites, and stomps-and highly aggressive aerial attacks, including rapid-fireballs and swooping talon strikes. Its claw attacks can inflict poison, while its fire-based moves cause Fireblight, so hunters should bring antidotes and Nulberries to counter these status effects. The monster often leaves explosive crystals on the ground; if ignited by its fire attacks or triggered by slinger ammo, these crystals can deal significant area damage, so be mindful of your positioning. To mitigate its mobility, focus on breaking its wings, which limits its aerial maneuvers. Flash Bombs can be used to bring it down when airborne, and traps like Shock and Pitfall Traps are effective for creating openings. Always watch for its empowered white aura phase-interrupt it with Sonic Pods or heavy stagger attacks to prevent the fight from becoming significantly harder. Target its head and legs for maximum damage, and exploit its brief recovery windows after attacks to land your own strikes.

Rathalos is the quintessential Monster Hunter encounter, and Guardian Rathalos adds a few more tricks to the pile. There are three main states to keep in consideration, which are usually combined with one another. The first is whenever the creature is on the ground, mostly using its body to attack.

There are quite a few ways in which Rathalos try to hurt you without using fire. If it looks to a side, it’s about to do two tail swipes in a half circle. If you’re directly in front of its mouth, it might try to bite you in a swift movement. Whenever you’re spending too much time near the monster’s wings and legs, it’ll fly upwards slightly and then do a ground slam with its feet. Also, if its mouth is actively on fire, it can also do two swipes in quick succession using its head trying to bite you.

When flying, Guardian Rathalos has multiple attacks used to close the gap between it and your teammates. If it looks in your direction while retracting its body slightly and opening its legs, it means it’s about to fly toward you, hawk-style. It can also swipe its tail at you. It has different variations for flapping its wings rapidly and then following up with a ground slam. One is directly underneath it, and the other is a swipe of sorts that’s almost a slide in roller skates, using its guardian capabilities.

There are also quick flight bursts that Rathalos uses to reposition itself, which can deal damage if you’re on the way. In general, whenever Guardian Rathalos is in the air, using pods or ammo with its corresponding weaknesses (Thunder and Dragon) is a must, especially on any visible wounds. If the flight is close enough to the ground and you’re using, say, a Great Sword or another melee weapon with enough range, try to attack its wings to stun the monster to the ground.

Last but not least, let’s talk about fire. Early on in the fight, the dragon will indicate that it’s about to start using fire by letting a huge growl, which results in a gout of flame coming from its mouth. From this moment on, even if you stop seeing the flame, Rathalos can continue using fire at any moment.

In terms of projectiles, Rathalos can spit fire at you if you’re hanging around close to its body for too long. Alternatively, get too far away from it and it’ll attack from a distance, usually with two blasts. There’s another more deadly attack in which it flies upwards, moves its head to a side, and then proceeds to do a quick spin in place while letting out a fire breath in a circle underneath.

Throughout the fight, it’s key to focus on weak points as much as possible. The Mouth is tricky, as you’ll be exposing yourself to either bites or fire, so you should only focus on it when Rathalos is either stunned on the ground or busy doing another animation. The Legs are an easier target, as you’ll likely be moving toward them during dodges. Don’t underestimate the potential of damaging the Wings and its Tail either – especially the latter if you manage to sever it and reduce its range.

Alongside the usual wound control and dodging fire as much as possible, remember to use traps. The key is to try and get the monster to ground as often as possible to make it easier to attack. If it’s spending a long time in the air, set up a trap and bait it toward you. If you can time a dodge just right, they’ll hit the trap instead.

Guardian Rathalosdrops

Defeating Guardian Rathalos in Monster Hunter Wilds rewards hunters with a range of valuable materials essential for crafting advanced gear. Key drops from Guardian Rathalos include Guardian Rathalos parts such as scales, plates, and claws, as well as rare items like the Inferno Sac and Guardian Blood. Severing its tail during the fight can yield additional carves, making tail cuts a recommended strategy for maximizing loot. These materials are primarily used for forging Guardian Rathalos-themed weapons and armor sets, which often feature strong fire resistance and offensive bonuses. Low-rank hunts will yield standard parts, while higher difficulties increase the chance of obtaining rarer resources.

If you’re wondering what the Guardian Rathalos drops in Monster Hunter Wilds are, you can find a handy list below:

Low Rank materials

What hidden tactics can I use to exploit Guardian Rathalos’s leg weakness in Monster Hunter Wilds

Hidden Tactics to Exploit Guardian Rathalos’s Leg Weakness

Focus on Sever and Shot Damage

• The legs of Guardian Rathalos are especially vulnerable to Sever (bladed) and Shot (ranged) damage. Prioritize using weapons and ammo types that deal these kinds of damage for maximum effect.

Combine Elemental Attacks

• Amplify your attacks by infusing them with Dragon or Thunder elemental damage, as these elements are particularly effective against Guardian Rathalos. Mixing elemental attacks with Sever or Shot damage will help you break down its defenses faster.

Beware of Energy Explosions

• Guardian Rathalos’s leg attacks are enhanced with energy explosions. When you see it preparing to stomp or hover, create distance to avoid being caught in the blast. Attack the legs during windows when it is not charging up these explosive strikes.

Use Traps and Flash Pods

• If Guardian Rathalos takes to the air, use Flash Pods to bring it down, creating more opportunities to target its legs safely. Traps can also be used to immobilize it temporarily, exposing its legs for focused damage.

Exploit Wound Mechanics

• Actively target and wound the legs. Wounding increases the damage dealt to that part and can lead to part breaks, yielding additional rewards and making the fight easier.

Positioning and Dodging

• Stay near the legs but be ready to dodge backward when it ascends or prepares a stomp. After it lands, there’s often a brief window to attack before it recovers.

By combining these tactics-targeting with the right damage types, using elemental advantages, and timing your attacks to avoid explosive counters-you can maximize your effectiveness against Guardian Rathalos’s leg weakness and bring down this formidable monster more efficiently.

How can I time my attacks to hit Guardian Rathalos’s legs during its energy explosions

To safely time your attacks on Guardian Rathalos’s legs during its energy explosions, carefully watch its movement cues and attack patterns:

• When Guardian Rathalos’s feet begin to glow white and it gathers itself to leap, it is preparing a stomp attack that will trigger an energy explosion on impact. As soon as you see this wind-up, create distance by dodging backward or to the side-this lets you avoid the initial blast.

• After the stomp and explosion, there is a brief recovery window before Rathalos follows up with a fireball or resets its stance. This is your safest opportunity to close in and strike its legs before it resumes attacking.

• For aerial leg attacks, such as the talon drop or dragon thrashing, wait for the explosion to finish and the monster to land or pause, then move in for leg hits.

• Use Flash Pods to knock Guardian Rathalos out of the air, forcing it to the ground and creating a vulnerable state where its legs are exposed and not primed for an immediate explosion.

By reading these attack telegraphs and waiting until after the energy explosion resolves, you can maximize leg damage while minimizing risk. Always prioritize safety-if you see the glowing talons or hovering wind-up, hold your attack and prepare to dodge until the blast has passed.