Denizen of the Molten Deep

Denizen of the Molten Deep

Hunting Quest: Hunt an Agnaktor
Unlock: Complete “A Bard's Tale,” “The Wrath of Rathalos” and the “One Chance” Villager Request.

Reward: 6000z
Contract: 600z

Time: 50 min.
Area: Volcano

Subquest A: Wound Agnaktor's chest
Reward: 1000z

Subquest B: Sever Agnaktor's tail
Reward: 1000z

Agnaktor is the adult version of the Uroktor, which are the small leviathan monsters you've surely encountered on previous treks through the Volcano zone. Like Uroktor, Agnaktor can burrow into the ground and emerge at will. As the adult, Agnaktor is much larger and more powerful than the Uroktor and features a fleshed out move set. Though Agnaktor may be a tough fight, the skills you've gained hunting the monsters before it are more than you need to take down this beast.

Bring either a Lance or a Great Sword to this fight. A Great Sword might be the better choice because you can sheathe it more quickly, allowing you to better dodge Agnaktor's attacks or catch it with a Sonic Bomb when it burrows underground. If you're more comfortable wielding a Lance, go with a Lance. If you end up having a difficult time with Agnaktor the first time around, go with the other weapon type on your next attempt to determine which you're more competent with.

Agnaktor is tough, but the skills you've gained hunting the monsters before it are more than you need to take down this beast.

As Agnaktor's body is covered in molten lava, it's unsurprising that this monster is weakest to the Water element. As such, you'll want to equip your hunter with a weapon that deals Water damage. If you've been playing exclusively offline, the two best such weapons available to you at this point are the Spiral Lance (322 raw power and 240 water elemental damage) and the Cataclysm Sword (624 raw power and 320 water elemental damage).

Follow the Ludroth Bone Sword path to get to the Cataclysm Sword. You may need to hunt Royal Ludroth and Gobul again to gather the required materials. You'll also need three Lagiacrus Tails to upgrade from Spiral Lance to Spiral Lance , so you may have to hunt Lagiacrus a few times before you're ready to go. A Lagiacrus Tail can only be obtained by severing and then carving Lagiacrus's tail. You have a pretty good chance of obtaining this item when carving Lagiacrus's tail, so acquiring three shouldn't take too long.

Though not required, it is highly recommended that you also craft a full set of Rathalos armour before taking on Agnaktor. Most of Agnaktor's attacks also deal Fire damage, so the 15 Fire resistance a full set of Rathalos armour provides could spare you an involuntary trip back to camp and a diminished reward. You'll have to hunt Rathalos a few times and do some mining to gather the materials required to craft the armour, but this set will certainly serve you well for the remainder of the offline mode. Note that the Rathalos Plate needed to craft Rathalos Vambraces is a rare carve (about a 3% chance when carving Rathalos's tail and a 2% chance of receiving one on the reward screen), so you could potentially have to hunt Rathalos quite a few times before acquiring all the items you need.

One item that will help you greatly when facing Agnaktor is the Sonic Bomb. You can throw a Sonic Bomb at Agnaktor just after it burrows underground to trap it for a short period of time. In this effect, Sonic Bombs act just like Pitfall Traps, but don't seem to diminish in effectiveness the more they're used. As such, you'll want to forego traps this hunt and bring a full supply of Sonic Bombs with you. The Supply Box for this quest contains two Sonic Bombs and you can hold 10 total in your inventory, so bring eight. Do note that Sonic Bombs won't have an effect while Agnaktor is in rage mode.

You can create a Sonic Bomb by combining Gunpowder with a Screamer. Combine a Fire Herb with a Nitroshroom to get Gunpowder. Screamers are common on the reward screen after a Qurupeco or Great Jaggi hunt.

Your strikes will bounce when the lava covering Agnaktor's body is hardened.

As well as eight Sonic Bombs, bring the usual 10 Mega Potions, a decent supply of Whetstones and some extra Cool Drinks. Once in the quest, remove the Map, Rations, First-aid Meds, Cool Drinks, Paintballs (if you don't have Cha-Cha equipped with his Fluffy Mask) and Sonic Bombs from the Supply Box before setting out. Agnaktor is in Area 7 to start, so make your way there after leaving camp.

Areas 7, 6, 5, 8 and 10 are especially hot. An overheated hunter will gradually lose health; because you'll be fighting Agnaktor in the aforementioned areas, you'll need to use a Cool Drink to counteract this negative effect. Be sure to use another when the effect of your first drink wears off.

The Agnaktor's body is covered in molten lava. If it remains out of the lava or above ground for an extended period of time, the lava covering its body will harden. Any attacks on this hardened lava will bounce and deal a greatly diminished amount of damage. Fortunately, the Agnaktor likely won't keep this armour for long, as it will frequently dive into the lava and burrow into the ground. As well, the Agnaktor's magma beam attack will melt the hardened lava on its chest, which is its weakest point. Don't waste any time attacking Agnaktor when the lava covering its body has hardened; just sprint away from it until it burrows underground or moves into the lava.

Focus most of your attacks on Agnaktor's chest, as targeting this area will deal the most damage. Attack Agnaktor's chest enough and you'll wound it, which is required to complete Subquest A. You can also break all four of Agnaktor's claws, its beak, the fin on its back as well as sever its tail. Breaking all four of Agnaktor's claws will give you a chance of receiving Agnaktor Claws on the reward screen at the end of the quest and breaking its beak will give you a chance of receiving an Agnaktor Beak. Severing and then carving Agnaktor's tail is the only way to obtain the Agnaktor Tail item and is required to complete Subquest B. As well, breaking the armour on any part of Agnaktor's body will prevent your attacks from bouncing when targeting that area.

You may have noticed some similarities between Agnaktor and Lagiacrus. As well as being a leviathan like Lagiacrus, Agnaktor shares several of Lagiacrus's on-land attacks. One such attack is its tail whip: Agnaktor performs a wide bite to one side, wrapping its tail around its body and then whipping its tail back behind it soon after. If you're standing on the side opposite the side its tail is wrapped around, roll toward Agnaktor's head to avoid being whipped by its tail. Cutting Agnaktor's tail will reduce the effectiveness of this attack, making it much easier to dodge. If you're close enough and you manage to dodge the attack, you can get a few hits in before Agnaktor makes another move.

Sever Agnaktor's tail to complete Subquest B.

Another move Agnaktor shares with Lagiacrus is a slide forward on its stomach. When Agnaktor takes a step back and momentarily hunches over on its hind legs, it will then slide forward on its stomach. You most won't take any damage from this attack unless you're directly in front of Agnaktor or near its front legs. Dodge or dash to the side to get out of the way when you see this attack coming. Agnaktor's bite attack is similarly easy to avoid because it simply lunges forward.

Like most other boss monsters, Agnaktor also has a charge move that it uses to cover ground quickly, so be careful when choosing a spot to use healing item or sharpen your weapon. Agnaktor also has a body slam, where it rises onto its hind legs and then falls forward onto its stomach. Roll or dash to the side to avoid this attack. Agnaktor's head can also hit you when it falls forward, so evading to the side is your best bet.

When the lava covering Agnaktor's body isn't hardened, all its attacks will inflict the Light or Severe Fireblight status ailment when it hits your hunter. A hunter suffering from Fireblight will gradually lose health. You can cure Fireblight by rolling three times or rolling once in water. As Agnaktor never ventures into Area 4 -- the only area in the Volcano region with water -- you'll have to roll on the ground a few times to put out the flames.

Agnaktor's hip check move can be difficult to evade, so it's best to block it. When the Agnaktor takes a step back and then slowly positions itself so its side is facing toward your hunter, use your shield or weapon to defend against the incoming attack. Don't underestimate the range of this attack, as it is considerable.

It's important to avoid positioning your hunter directly in front of Agnaktor when attacking.  Aside from Agnaktor's bite attack, you also have to watch out for its peck attack. Here, Agnaktor hammers its beak on the ground in front of it several times. The resulting tremors will cause your hunter to stagger if he or she is too close, so try to get some distance when you see Agnaktor readying this attack.

Agnaktor's above ground magma beam is powerful but easy to avoid.

One attack Agnaktor frequently uses is its magma beam. Here, the Agnaktor lifts its head while clacking its beak and then fires a large beam of energy directly in front of it. This attack can be easily avoided by simply rolling or dashing to the side when you spot the Agnaktor lifting its head or hear it clacking its beak. This attack actually provides a good opportunity to get a few hits in on Agnaktor because the beam comes out directly in front of it, leaving its head and chest vulnerable. Your hunter will take a large amount of damage and suffer from Fireblight if you're hit by the beam, so remain vigilant.

Agnaktor can also burrow underground and re-emerge to attack. A large, orange spot will appear on the ground where Agnaktor is about to emerge -- usually behind your hunter. The lava on Agnaktor's body will soften whenever it goes underground.

You can trap Agnaktor with a Sonic Bomb if you throw it right after Agnaktor burrows into the ground. If successful, Agnaktor will partially re-emerge and be at your mercy for a short period of time. This is a good opportunity to attack its face and chest. It's good to keep your Sonic Bombs selected whenever you're not using a healing item or a Whetstone so you'll be ready to quickly throw one while Agnaktor is burrowing. If you're using a Lance it can be difficult to sheathe your weapon and then throw a Sonic Bomb in time. Great Swords are quick to sheathe, so making this tactic work is considerably easier with one.

The Agnaktor will drop a glittering spot once you've trapped it; gather at this spot for chance of finding a Wyvern Tear or other item.

Using a Sonic Bomb to trap Agnaktor

When Agnaktor leaps into the air and lands to get back above ground, the resulting tremor will cause your hunter to stagger if he or she is standing too close. This stagger will leave your hunter vulnerable to attack, so it's best to keep away from Agnaktor's emergence spot until you're sure which attack it's going to use.

There are several attacks Agnaktor can use once burrowed underground. One is a sequence of dives aimed squarely at your hunter. During this attack, the Agnaktor will leap into the air toward you and dive back into the ground several times. If you're using a Lance, it's best to block these dives with your shield. After blocking the initial dive, immediately turn around to block the next one. Repeat this until the attack is over. If you're able to sheathe your weapon before the sequence of dives starts, you can run from side to side to dodge the Agnaktor's dives. This tactic is more effective if you're able to manually control the camera while sprinting so you're able to know where Agnaktor will next emerge.

Much like its slide forward on land, Agnaktor can swim forward while partially underground and strike your hunter with its fin. Just dodge or dash to the side when you see Agnaktor partially underground to avoid taking damage.

Perhaps the most important attack to watch out for while Agnaktor is burrowed is its magma beam. When underground, the Agnaktor can prop itself above ground with its arms before firing a magma beam in a circle around it. As when firing its magma beam when above ground, Agnaktor will clack its beak several times before the beam comes out. Agnaktor will first shoot the beam in front of it and then twist its head in an arc from left to right.

To evade Agnaktor's burrowed magma beam attack, move in and attack if you're close to Agnaktor or get ready to dive over the beam if you're far out.

How you evade Agnaktor's burrowed magma beam depends on how far the Agnaktor is from you when it emerges and props itself up. If it's close to you, sprint right up to it and use this as an opportunity to attack its chest. As the Agnaktor tends to emerge far from your hunter when using this attack, you'll likely have to dive to avoid getting hit by the beam when Agnaktor twists its head around. A dive can only be performed while your hunter is panic running. To panic run, sprint away from the monster so your hunter's back is to it. To dive, just press the B button to evade while panic running. Your hunter is invulnerable while diving, so dive over the magma beam just as it crosses your path to avoid taking massive damage. If your hunter is not panic running, he or she will roll rather than dive, so be careful.

Agnaktor will keep to Areas 7, 6 and 5 for most of the fight but will limp into Area 8 when close to death and swim to Area 10 to rest shortly after. If you have pickaxes in your inventory, it may be worth taking the time to mine the spots in Area 8 when Agnaktor leaves as well as the mining spots in Area 9 on your way to Area 10. If Agnaktor is asleep in Area 10 when you enter, consider mining the spots in Area 10 before waking the beast and finishing the job.

Continue battling Agnaktor until it falls to complete the quest.