Dragon Lady

Dragon Lady

Hunting Quest: Hunt a Rathian

Reward: 2800z
Contract: 250z

Time: 50 min.
Area: Deserted Island

Subquest A: Sever Rathian's tail
Reward: 600z

Subquest B: Deliver 1 Wyvern Tear
Reward: 1000z

Rathian is one of the returning wyverns from the original game in the series (joined by Rathalos and Diablos), so if you've played a Monster Hunter game prior to this one, you may have faced her before.  If you remember Rathian from a previous game, you'll recognize her green colour and familiar appearance, but she does boast a couple of new moves that make her considerably more formidable this time around.

Compared to some of the other monsters you've faced thus far, Rathian hits quite a bit harder, so it would be wise to invest in some quality armour before taking her on. The Barroth armour set is a good choice, as the materials are easy enough to gather. You could also further upgrade the set using Armour Spheres. If you go with the Barroth set, be sure to insert an Expert Jewel in one of the slots on the armour to remove the Critical Eye -1 skill.

Rathian is back and meaner than ever.

As for a weapon, go with a Hammer or Great Sword for this quest, although a Lance is also acceptable. The Plume Flint is a good choice for a Hammer. For a Great Sword, go with the Cataclysm Sword (follow the Ludroth Bone Sword path). If you're lancing, get the Spiral Lance or Rampart (follow the Iron Lance path).

Bring the usual 10 Mega Potions, some Raw Meat/Well-done Steaks and Whetstones. You'll also want a couple of Dung Bombs and some Antidotes this time around. To create a Dung Bomb, first combine a Sap Plant with a Stone or Iron Ore to create Bomb Casing, then combine that Bomb Casing with Dung. Antidotes can be purchased from the Market in Moga Village or created by combining Antidote Herbs with Blue Mushrooms.

Traps are especially effective against Rathian because she spends a lot of time on the ground, unlike her male counterpart. You can make a basic Pitfall Trap by combining a Spider Web with Ivy to make a Net and then combining the Net with a Trap Tool (buyable at the market) to make the trap. You can make a Shock Trap by combining a Thunderbug with a Trap Tool. Though you can only hold a single trap in your inventory, you can also carry with you the materials for two more traps and combine those materials in the field.

As per usual, you'll get the most use out of Cha-Cha's Fluffy Mask here, although Rathian keeps  to Areas 2, 5, 3, 7 and 8.

Remove the Map, First-aid Meds, Rations, Antidotes, Paintballs (if Cha-Cha isn't wearing his Fluffy Mask) and EZ Flash Bomb from the Supply Box at the beginning of the quest. If this is your first time attempting this quest, head to Area 3 to watch the short cutscene introducing Rathian. Otherwise, Rathian spawns in Area 8. She always flies to Area 5 at the start of the quest, so make your way to Area 5 if you've already seen the video.

Aim your attacks at Rathian's head.

Rathian's weak spot is her head, which is low to the ground and thus quite easy to get at. Trouble is, positioning yourself in front of Rathian is not the wisest idea, as doing so leaves you vulnerable to her fireball, trample and bite. Despite this, there are plenty of opportunities to get some quality hits in on her head. Seizing these opportunities is the key to ending this hunt quickly.

There are two of Rathian's attacks in particular to watch out for: her backflip and her cluster fireball. Both of these attacks deal massive damage and inflict a nasty status ailment, which is reason enough to limit the amount of time you spend in front of Rathian.

Rathian uses her backflip attack much more liberally than she did in the original Monster Hunter. When Rathian performs her backflip attack she whips her tail forward, up into the air and then back down below her, rendering the area in front of or behind her into a danger zone. The barbs on her tail will inflict deadly poison on any hunter hit by her tail during this attack. If the tail whip doesn't kill you, the poison probably will.

Make avoiding Rathian's backflip a priority while facing her. This attack is usually easy to see coming if she's on the ground. When Rathian takes one step back, get out of the way! Roll, step to the side or block with your weapon to avoid getting hit. Fortunately, since Rathian's tail is narrow and she whips it directly in front of her, dodging this attack is quite easy if you see it coming.

Rathian can perform her backflip attack from the ground and while hovering. Anticipating Rathian's midair backflip is considerably more difficult than her backflip from the ground. As such, it is best to simply make sure you are not standing directly in front of or behind Rathian while she is hovering. Do whatever you must to stay out of the danger zone in front of and behind her. Sheath your weapon if it slows you down and sprint around her or roll to the side as she turns. You can still swing or poke at her while she is hovering; just make sure you're hitting her legs or tail from the side.

If you are hit by Rathian's backflip, down an Antidote as soon as possible to cure the Poison. Though you might usually tough it out when poisoned by minor monsters in the field, Rathian's poison is potent, so it's definitely in your best interest to cure it with an Antidote. Rathian might perform two backflips in a row, so make sure you aren't standing in front of or behind her before using one.

Beware Rathian's backflip.

Rathian's other massively damaging attack, her cluster fireball, is similarly easy to read, but can be hard to avoid. This attack differs from her single and triple fireball attacks in both form and execution. Before Rathian performs one of her normal fireball attacks, she simply stands on the spot, lifts her head and spits either a single fireball in front of her or three fireballs one after the other in different directions. These fireballs are easy to avoid with a roll or step to the side, or even a block with a weapon or shield.

In contrast, before Rathian performs her cluster fireball attack, she takes two big steps back. She then lifts her head and spits one large fireball that creates several smaller explosions in a wide area a few feet in front of her. As you might imagine, this can mean trouble if you're standing a few feet in front of Rathian. If you happen to find yourself in this unfortunate position when Rathian takes her two big steps back, you have a couple of options. Rolling to the side is a bad idea because the explosions cover a wide area. Depending on how close you are to Rathian when she is about to spit the fireball, rolling closer to her can often get you out of range. If you're facing her while she's about to fire, just make sure you're rolling diagonally toward her and away from the path of the fireball. This attack can also be blocked, but don't count on it, as you can still take damage from the smaller explosions. Getting out of the way is always best, but if you're using a Lance and happen to be standing directly in front of her when she takes her two steps back, raising your shield is your only option.

Get hit by Rathian's cluster fireball attack and your hunter will not only take considerable damage but also sustain either the Light or Severe Fireblight status ailment, depending on whether you took a direct hit or were caught by splash damage. The Fireblight status ailment gradually reduces your health, but can be cured by either rolling three to four times or by rolling once in water. The explosion also leaves behind a burning patch where the fireball hit, which will damage and afflict your hunter with Fireblight if you run into it.

Aside from those two big ones, most of the other attacks in Rathian's move set are standard fare. Among them are the tail whip, bite and trample attacks. As with some of the other monsters you have faced, the end of Rathian's tail can be severed with a cutting weapon, significantly reducing the effectiveness of her tail whip attack, giving you an additional carve and, in this case, completing one of the subquests. Rathian's tail is of considerable length and wraps around her side when she whips it, so it's best to roll into her rather than to the side to avoid being clipped by her tail when it comes around. Rathian always swings her tail twice during a single tail whip but may chain two or more tail whips in a row, especially while enraged.

You can chop off Rathian's tail too.

Rathian's trample is another reason to avoid standing directly in front of her while attacking. If you must stand in front of her, such as to get at her head, always roll to the side after getting a few hits in, as Rathian is a constant charger. If hit by one of her legs your hunter will take damage and be knocked back. As such, avoid standing in front of either one of her legs.

Wondering what those Dung Bombs are for? Monster pinning is a new mechanic introduced in Monster Hunter Tri in which a monster pins your hunter to the ground and continuously deals damage until you manage to wrestle free. This can be a problem if you're hunting solo. Normally while pinned you would have to rotate the Left and Right Sticks to drain the bar that appears at the bottom of the screen to break free. If you have a Dung Bomb in your inventory, however, you can select it while pinned and throw it at the monster to force them off. One of Rathian's aerial attacks goes into a pin if it hits. As such, it is important to keep an eye on Rathian while she is in the air, manually adjusting the camera as necessary. Roll or step to the side when Rathian swoops down with her claws out. Get hit by a swooping Rathian and you'll likely be pinned.

As noted previously, Rathian's weakest spot is her head. If you're close enough to Rathian just as she is readying to spit one or more normal fireballs or her cluster fireball, this is a good opportunity to move in and deliver a couple of blows to her head. Don't get greedy, however, as she is likely to follow up with a trample. Get a couple of hits in (one or two more if she staggers) and then roll to the side to avoid getting hit. Similarly, if you manage to dodge Rathian's cluster fireball by rolling closer to her, you may as well use the opportunity to hit her weak spot a couple more times.

It is possible to knock Rathian out of the air if you attack her legs or tail while she's hovering. When knocked out of the air, Rathian will fall to the ground and flail around for a few seconds, giving you an opportunity to strike her head. Be sure you're attacking her from the side while she's hovering to avoid being caught by a backflip. Similarly, attack Rathian's legs enough while she is grounded and she'll fall on her side and flail around for a few seconds. Take the opportunity to attack her head should this occur.

Rathian will fly to Area 8 to rest when she is close to death.

Another opportunity to hit Rathian's head is while she's feeding on an Aptonoth to recover stamina. When low on stamina, Rathian will fly to an area with Aptonoth, swoop down on one and feed on it recover some stamina. If you follow Rathian into this area and are right there while she's feeding, stand right in front of her and swing at her head. It's easiest to hit her head  with a Great Sword or Lance while she's feeding.

Completing Subquest B requires depositing one Wyvern Tear into the Delivery Box at Base Camp before completing the main quest. Rathian may drop a Wyvern Tear while she's feeding on an Aptonoth to recover stamina. Gather at the glittering spot Rathian leaves behind after feeding for a chance to find a Wyvern Tear.

When Rathian's health is low, she will limp away and then fly to another area. She'll fly to Area 8 to rest but may stop at one or more areas on her way there. If Cha-Cha is wearing the Fluffy Mask and you notice Rathian fly to Area 8, give Cha-Cha the signal (by first pressing the Select button to bring up the Hunter menu and then pressing the Start button) and wait until Rathian's icon turns light blue, indicating that she has gone to sleep. Enter Area 8 while she is sleeping and wake her with a charged Great Sword slash or, if using a Hammer, a fully-charged Windup Smash to the head.

Continue attacking Rathian until she falls to complete the quest.

Hunting a Rathian