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Shumas' Guide to Monoblos
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Ver: 0.6
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Version History:
0.1 - Base FAQ built
0.2 - Various Weapon strategies added
0.3 - Added FAQs'
0.4 - Added reasons to hunt, rumours.
0.5 - Fixed Spelling and Grammar, Hero sword info.
0.6 - Added to lance/SnS strategy, added flash bomb info


Contents:
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Introduction (I)
Why Hunt Monoblos? (Y)
Great Sword Strategy  (GSS)
Lance Strategy (LS)
Short Sword Strategy (SSS)
Dual Sword Strategy (DSS)
Hammer Strategy (HS)
Bowgun Strategy (BS)
Extra Equipment (EA)
Rumours (R)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
---------------------------------------
Credit (CR)
Contact Me (CM)
Legal (L)
---------------------------------------

================================================================================
Introduction (I)
================================================================================

After seeing various posts on GameFAQS about how to defeat Monoblos, i decided
this would be appropriate.

Also being the "end boss" of offline mode makes it quite an important battle,
which could benefit you by allowing you to make new armor and even upgrade
existing weapons.

Also upon defeating him for the first time you receive a hunters citation
that is essential for upgrading the Hero Blade.
I would recommend having a set of armor with at least 70 total defense before
you do this quest. 
Okay, In my opinion you don't need to take any extra provisions on this quest
apart from a bunch of potions/herbs and maybe a meat or two. 
Monoblos can be quite an easy kill if you are patient!

*Please note this is also a guide to Diablos as they are almost identical.*


================================================================================
Why Hunt Monoblos? (Y)
================================================================================

*Monoblos has 4 body carves and 2 tail carves*

Carves/Rewards:
 -Crimson Horn (If you break the horn off during the battle)
 -Monoblos Spine
 -Monoblos Shell
 -Blos Fang
 -Large Monster Bone
 -Blos Heart (Very small chance of obtaining one of these)


Monoblos carves are needed for the following equipment.

Weapons:
-Dark Scythe
-Finishing Hammer (Shortcut)
-Crimson Lance
-Crimson War Pike
-Crimson Club
-Monoblos Club
-Master Blade
-Thunder Tip (Shortcut)
-Dual Diablo
-Dual Diablo+


Armor:
-Monoblos Helm/Cap
-Monoblos Mail/Coat
-Monoblos Vambraces/Guards


Also defeating Monoblos will allow you to access the bonus missions
in offline mode, presuming you have met the requirements.




================================================================================
Great Sword (GSS)
================================================================================

This is also the 'Main' strategy.

When the quest starts eat your rations as usual then head to zone 4 and clear
all the Genprey, or they will be a big nuisance later on.
Afterwards head straight to zone 10 to meet Monoblos! 
The first time you fight him you will get a cool cinematic introducing him.


After the cinematic head straight for the ledge and climb up. 
You should have 1 Large Bomb and 2 Small Bombs from the supply chest, now to
use them! Wait for him to ram the ledge and get his head stuck, place your
large bomb, then detonate with small bomb as per usual. He should roar then
charge again.

(While he is stuck try to paint him). 

This time downswing his head, pretty much every weapon should ricochet off his
tough head, but keep tapping attack and bouncing off his head till he pulls
himself free from the wall. Simply keep letting him get stuck and smacking him 
till his horn breaks off (The valuable part of him).

*Be careful when he charges as he can sometimes still damage you, stand back*


Once his horn has broken, he will either keep charging or move to zone 4. If he
keeps charging, repeat what you have been doing, but don't fall off the ledge,
and be more careful as he can no longer get stuck!


Once he runs to zone 4, heal up, and be sure to sharpen your blade as his tough
head will probably have blunted it quite quickly. Now be careful, if you have 
painted him, make sure you stay out of the way, as he will try to ambush you.
If you haven't marked him, run randomly and pray he doesn't get you! 
Alternatively, stand with your back to a wall and hold block, this way you 
know he cant get you.


Once he is up and ready for combat, he'll most likely begin charging you, your
focus is now on his tail, removing it will stop him tail swinging you as often.
When he is about to charge, he will scrape the ground like a bull, run towards
and to one side of him diagonally, this way he will most likely miss. Once he 
is past you try to get a few hits on his tail, but make sure to get out of the
way again before he attacks.

Just repeat this pattern, dodging any attacks and work on his tail until it 
flies off.

When he is breathing smoke avoid his attacks at all costs, his speed is doubled
and his attack is doubled! Just focus on dodging until he is back to normal.

Once you have removed his tail, time to move in for the kill! Try to get in
between his legs, and swing away until he is about to attack or charge, then
simply roll out of the way. During the fight he will most likely move to area 1,
this isn't a problem. If he does simply heal, sharpen, then follow and continue
your attack.

*In area 1, I like to avoid using the ledge, as the camera cannot get behind
your hunter and the Vespoid keep stunning you*

After a few rounds of careful dodging and pounding, he should inevitably
meet his doom, and your free to enjoy a nice carving of his sorry behind.

Then give yourself a pat on the back!

================================================================================
Lance (LS)
================================================================================

Using a Lance against Monoblos can be a very effective way to defeat him,
and allows you to remove his valuable horn with ease.

The strategy is much the same to using the Great Sword, however when using a
lance you don't have the problem of it ricocheting off his head, so you can get
more strikes in.

As the battle gets started, focus on removing his horn first, simply upstab his
face once or twice then dodge, if he is scraping the ground with his hind leg
and roaring, that is an excellent moment to get in 4-6 upstabs.

Also when using a lance try to focus on his stomach/chest area, and focus on
staying in between his legs. This way you can avoid tail spins and continuously
attack.

ALternatively, if you find this difficult beacause of trample damage* try the 
following method:

Concentrate on his wings and outside leg to trip him, this way you can
constantly attack without being affected by trampling. Also to avoid tail
attacks try to attack his right side so you can see the tail coming and block.
Also a good moment to attack is just after he has charged, you can attack 2-3
times before he charges again, provided you block before he does.

When you are using a lance, try to block mainly instead of trying to dodge him
as the lance doesn't allow you to roll, instead it lets you hop backwards and 
side step...
...which isn't very good for quick last minute dodges.

When he goes underground, if you cant put your weapon away and escape quick
enough, simply block. Better safe than sorry.


================================================================================
Short Sword (SSS)
================================================================================

The strategy is again almost identical to that of the Great Sword but with a 
few exceptions:

i) Removing his horn will be difficult, as a short sword takes
longer to recover from a ricochet.
ii) You can move around faster, use it to your advantage by moving to behind
him as often as possible, this minimizes his chances of charging you.

Try to work on his legs mainly to trip him, which will allow you to get many
hits in before he recovers.

ALso when using a short sword, removing the tail can be difficult due to the 
short swords short reach, so the best moment to do so is before his horn has
been removed. Lure him into getting his horn trapped in a wall and his tail
will be close to the ground, giving you a good chance to remove it.


================================================================================
Dual Swords (DS)
================================================================================

When using dual swords, you are benefited in many ways, but the main advantage
you will have against Monoblos/Diablos, is that taking his horn off should be 
easy.

To remove his horn, simply wait on a ledge. He should burst out of the ground
then stand for a moment with his head in your reach before charging. Now
activate hyper mode (R1) and tap down to unleash a flurry of attacks on his
horn. You will land all of your attacks as hyper mode prevents your swords from
ricocheting off his tough hide.

Once you have his horn, again focus on his legs. Be careful though not to use
hyper mode too often as:

i) It uses your stamina preventing you from sprinting away or
 rolling away from danger.
ii) It leaves you wide open to attacks

Also when using dual swords be sure to stay between his legs as you cannot
block tail swings etc and be sure to mark him, otherwise you will have no way
to prevent an ambush.


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Hammers (HS)
================================================================================

A hammer can be a brutal weapon and can bring a Monoblos down with ease when
used right.

Now being similar in speed and power, the strategy for GS should be used,
HOWEVER...with a few exceptions of course ;)

When in the 'Breaking his horn' phase, you can use the hammers charged attacks 
to remove it quicker, and your hammer wont ricochet either.

When using a hammer you will have to be more cautious, as you are slow and have
no block function. Try to get away from him as soon as he begins to dive and
watch your radar to stay out of his way.


================================================================================
Bowgun Strategy (BS)
================================================================================

As a bowgun user you will have the advantage of taking next to no damage, and 
have no worries breaking his horn.

Wether Light or heavy bowgun the strategy remains the same.

Beforehand bring as many of all available ammo types as you can.

First off, killing the Genprey in zone 4 is vital, as they can become a terrible
nuisance when trying to gun Monoblos...so get them out of your way first.

After the cinematic in zone 10, get on the ledge as quick as possible. Ledges
are a gunners safe haven, allowing you to unload round after round of
ammunition into Monoblos without any fear of having to dodge his attacks.

Now all you have to do is quite simple, shoot his face! Gun away at him until
that precious horn breaks off. Clust shells and crags will get you there
faster, also using Pellet S when he is close to the ledge can take his horn
off quite quickly.

Now when gunning in area 4 you will most likely spend a majority of your time 
dodging. When he enters sand holster your gun and run. However if you feel 
confident enough simply side roll once or twice and you should avoid his
attack, leaving you time to fire another few rounds into him.

A personal favourite type of ammo is mine would be the Pierce shot, if fire 
correctly it can cause many hits and deal a fair amount of damage compared to
a normal shot. When using pierce try to aim for his head straight on if
possible, this will cause the bullet to go from his head, through his body to
his tail hitting numerous times along the way.

When using clusts try to hit his back just above his head, this will cause most
of the bomblettes to hit his back for max damage.

And as a final note i will state the obvious by saying, try to hit his head 
with every shot possible, as it will do more damage.


================================================================================
Extra Equipment (EA)
================================================================================

The following equipment can be used to speed up the fight:

Sonic Bombs: Use on him when he is tunneling underground.
This will cause him to burst up and be trapped half-in half-out 
of the ground, leaving him vulnerable to your attacks.
The best moment to use these is just after he has tunneled under ground, before
he has a chance to move.

Flash Bombs: These will confuse and blind him, leaving him open to attack.
To use these effectively, throw them (and this is the important part) in front
of his eyes so that he sees the flash, otherwise it will have no effect.

Lg Bomb: Best used when he is trapped due to sonic bomb, or when he has in horn
stuck in a wall.

Sm Bomb: Use to detonate Large bombs.

Screamer: Combine with Gunpowder to make Sonic Bomb.

Gunpowder: Combine with Screamer to make Sonic Bomb.

Fireherb: Combine with Nitroshroom to make Gunpowder.

Nitroshroom: Combine with Fireherb to make Gunpowder.

Large Barrel: Combine with Gunpowder to make Large Bomb.

Small Barrel: Combine with Gunpowder to make Small Bomb.

Bomb Material: Combine with flashbug to make flash bomb.

Flashbug: Combine with Bomb Material to make flash bomb.

Sap Plant: Combine with stone to make bomb material.

Stone: Combine with sap plant to make bomb material.

Note: *Pitfall traps do not work*


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Rumours (R)
================================================================================

"You can get a Monoblos heart 100% if you split his chest open
during the battle"

Needless to say, this is a lie. Attempting to split his chest open
will only leave you feeling rather silly afterwards.

*If you have heard anymore rumours please contact me.*

================================================================================
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
================================================================================

Q: How do i break his horn? My weapon just bounces off it!
A: This is normal, his horn is pretty tough. Just 'bounce' off it enough
   times and it will pop right off!

Q: After i beat my Monoblos Urgent, i cant do it again!
A: After you beat it as an urgent it will appear as a 5* quest, randomly
   like all quests.


================================================================================
Credit (C)
================================================================================
Shuma (Me)
Raya for his advice!
Akoga for correcting a possibly embarrassing mistake!
Veneficium for her various suggestions :D

Id also like to thank......
Capcom for producing an amazing game 


================================================================================
Contact Me (CM)
================================================================================
EMAIL: [email protected]
GAMEFAQS Name: Frogatron999111
Please only contact me if you have a valid question.

================================================================================
Legal Stuff (L)
================================================================================

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