URGENT: Accident Investigation

URGENT: Accident Investigation

Hunting Quest: Hunt a Gobul
Unlock: Complete “Leading the Charge”

Reward: 3000z
Contract: 300z

Time: 50 min.
Area: Flooded Forest
Unstable Environment

Subquest A: Destroy Gobul’s lantern
Reward: 600z

Subquest B: Fish out Gobul once
Reward: 800z

Gobul is a large, angler fish-like monster with razor-sharp teeth and a back covered in retractable spikes. It can create bright flashes of light with the lantern hanging in front of its head, mimicking the effect of a Flash Bomb. Gobul is a leviathan, so expect to do some fighting underwater.

This monster has a penchant for Frogs, which you can use to your advantage. Frogs can be gathered in Area 10 of the Deserted Islands map (i.e., Moga Woods). Gather by the large log near the coast at the southeast end of the area to find Frogs. Worms are common here, but keep gathering and you will eventually obtain a Frog. This gather spot cannot be depleted.

As always, make sure you have some healing items in your inventory before setting out. To produce a Mega Potion, first combine a Herb and a Blue Mushroom to make a Potion and then combine the Potion with Honey to make the Mega Potion. If you don’t have Honey to make the Mega Potions, regular old Potions will do.

Gobul is about as tough as he is ugly.

Consider bringing a trap with you as well. 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.

Equip Cha-Cha with the Fluffy Mask if you haven’t already. This mask allows Cha-Cha to track monsters for you when you give him the signal. To give Cha-Cha the signal, press the Select button to bring up the Hunter menu and then press the Start button. The monster’s location will then appear on the map for a couple of seconds. If you don’t have Cha-Cha’s Fluffy Mask yet, speak to Junior in Moga Village and see the Villager Requests section of the Stockpile menu. The Fluffy Mask will be listed for 400 Resource Points, two Qurupeco Feathers, two Warm Pelts and two Velvety Hides. If you don’t have those materials and aren’t up to collecting them, hitting Gobul with a Paintball will do.

Bringing a Lance or a Hammer to this fight is your best bet. If you’ve been playing solely offline, either the Spiral Lance or Rampart is a good choice for a Lance. If you’re going with a Hammer, take the Plume Flint. This weapon deals fire damage, which is one of the elements Gobul is weakest to (thunder being the other).

As for armour, the Ludroth set is a good choice. The materials needed to craft this set are easily obtainable, likely requiring slaying or capturing the Royal Ludroth only a few times to gather the materials for the whole thing. You can also use Armor Spheres to upgrade each piece of the set. Speak to the Wyvern Artisan and select “Upgrade Armor” under the Armorcraft section. Upgrading a piece of armour to level two requires one Armor Sphere and a bit of zenni. You can boost each piece in the Ludroth Blademaster armour set from 13 to 15 defence points this way.

If this is your first time attempting this quest, Gobul will start in Area 6. You want Gobul in Area 4, where he spawns in subsequent quests once you’ve watched his introductory video. It’s worth abandoning the quest after seeing the video for a couple of reasons. For one, Gobul is a tough fight underwater, especially if you have yet to adjust to the underwater controls. As well, Area 4 allows you to use a Frog to fish Gobul out of the water, completing Subquest B and giving you some free hits on him. So, if only for the sake of following this walkthrough, abandon the quest after entering Area 6 and watching Gobul’s introductory video.

Use a Frog to fish Gobul out of the water in Area 4.

Once back in the Flooded Forest, make your way to Area 4 by moving through Area 7. The fishing spot is by the log and lily pads in the middle of the area, straight ahead from the north entrance. If you have other bait in your inventory, select the Frogs before throwing bait in. In about 10 seconds or so, Gobul will grab hold of the Frog and your hunter will wrestle him onto land. With that, immediately turn around and get as many hits in as you can while Gobul is flailing around. Continue attacking him when he flips over, but back off after he raises his spikes and growls to avoid the attack that follows.

If you’re using a Lance or another cutting weapon such as the Great Sword, aim your attacks at Gobul’s underside and face. While fighting Gobul on land, keep to his side and poke at his stomach, but be ready to block when he brings up his spikes and begins to roll over or lifts his tail to whip it from side to side.

If you’re using a Hammer, focus on hitting Gobul’s tail, back and face. The best place to stand to attack Gobul if you’re using a weapon that can’t block (specifically the Hammer, Switch Axe, or Long Sword) is between one of his hind legs and the base of his tail. Here, you can get at his torso while avoiding his roll and tail whip attacks. Gobul lifts up his tail while rolling and will thus completely miss you if you’re standing in the right spot. If you hug right up against one of Gobul’s hind legs as he is readying his tail whip, this attack will miss you too. As well, you can hit Gobul’s face a couple of times when he turns around to attack and then roll or step to evade his next move.

As with Royal Ludroth and Barroth, you can cut the end of Gobul’s tail if you’re using a weapon type other than the Hammer. Cutting the end of Gobul’s tail doesn’t offer much more than an extra carve and an easier time avoiding his tail whip (and less of a punishment if you don’t). Gobul’s tail whip is easy enough to avoid while his tail is intact, so your time would be better spent aiming your attacks at his underside and face.

You can smash the lantern hanging in front of Gobul’s face as well. Accomplishing this is easiest with a Hammer, Great Sword or Switch Axe. The opportune moment to break the lantern is when Gobul has been stunned by certain impact attacks, such as those delivered by a Hammer. Another opportunity may come while facing Gobul underwater. While Gobul is using his vacuum attack -- where he emerges from the seafloor, opens his mouth and attempts to pull your hunter in -- you can swim behind him and get a few hits in on his lantern. Once Gobul’s lantern is broken, it will no longer be able to produce a bright flash to stun your hunter. As well, breaking Gobul’s lantern is the only way to obtain the Gobul Lantern item on the rewards screen.

The Hammer and Great Sword are best for smashing Gobul’s lantern.

Gobul is easiest fought on land. As when fighting any monster, avoid attacking Gobul head on. Doing so leaves you vulnerable to his bite or charge attacks. If you’re attacking Gobul from the side, which is only advisable if you’re using a weapon that can block, the move to watch out for is his roll. When Gobul brings up his spikes and begins to roll over, pull up your guard and remain blocking until he is topside up again. If you have your weapon sheathed or you’re using a weapon that cannot block, move toward his tail as soon as his spikes come out.

When Gobul enters rage mode he will keep his spikes out. This makes avoiding his roll a bit more difficult, so it’s best to exercise restraint until he returns to his normal state.

Another attack to watch out for when facing Gobul on land is his tail whip. This attack is easy to see coming: Gobul will slowly lift his tail and then swing it from side to side. Your hunter will become paralyzed if hit by Gobul’s tail whip, leaving him or her vulnerable to another attack. Gobul’s tail whip can be blocked or evaded, but if you’re standing close to Gobul and using a weapon that cannot block, hug right up against one of his hind legs as he is readying his tail whip. His tail will miss you if you’re standing in the right spot,.

Gobul can use his lantern to produce a bright flash that will temporarily stun any who gaze at it. When Gobul shakes his head and his lantern begins flickering, turn away and run. If your weapon can block, you can actually block the flash to avoid becoming stunned. Just make sure you aren’t standing directly below the lantern when attempting this, otherwise you’ll still be caught by the flash. If you do become stunned, rapidly rotate the Left Stick to snap out of it.

While on land, Gobul can also burrow in the ground. To track Gobul while he is underground, simply keep an eye on the conspicuous, moving mound of dirt. Gobul will frequently emerge from the ground with a lunge aimed squarely at you, so if the mound of dirt rotates to face you, be ready to block, dodge or step to the side. Gobul may also raise his lantern and produce a bright flash, so block if you can or turn around and run from the flickering lantern.

Continue fighting Gobul and he will eventually move Area 3. It is considerably more difficult to battle Gobul underwater than it is the Royal Ludroth. Gobul’s underwater attacks are quick and pack quite a punch. He can also burrow into the seafloor, where he then has several follow-up attacks to choose from.

You may be able to carve Gobul a couple of times while he’s burrowed in the seafloor.

To locate Gobul while he is burrowed in the seafloor, look for bubbles emerging near what appears to be a stalk-like underwater plant next to a conspicuous mound of dirt. This stalk-like plant is actually Gobul’s whiskers. You can carve Gobul’s whiskers while he is burrowed, however do not attempt this if he is aware of your presence (indicated by the eye icon next to your hunter’s name in the top-left corner of the screen). Getting a couple of extra carves this way is best done when Gobul retreats to Area 8 to rest when his health is low.

Be very cautious while Gobul is burrowed in the seafloor. Gobul’s most damaging move is his underwater vacuum attack in which he lifts his head out of the ground, opens his mouth wide and attempts to pull your hunter in to chomp them with his razor-sharp teeth. This attack can easily halve your health bar depending on the armour your hunter is wearing and will also afflict him or her with the Severe Waterblight status ailment, so be extra careful. To avoid this attack, either swim away or evade to the side to escape the visible suction trajectory. It’s easy to be caught off guard by this attack, which is why it’s important to remain cautious while Gobul is burrowed in the seafloor.

When burrowed, Gobul might also emerge from the seafloor with a lunge. He can also lift up his lure and produce a bright flash, potentially leaving your hunter stunned and vulnerable to a follow-up attack.

Surviving the fight against Gobul underwater requires patience and restraint. Just as when facing him on land, avoid attacking him head on, opting instead to hit him from the side or at an angle. He has an underwater charge attack similar to the Royal Ludroth, as well as an underwater roll during which he extends his spikes. Fortunately, Gobul won’t remain underwater in Area 3 for long. He will most likely move into Area 1, where you can fight him on land. Keep up the fight in Area 1 and he will most likely move back into Area 3.

Gobul is a tough fight underwater.

When Gobul is close to death, he will swim through a shortcut inaccessible to hunters in Area 3 to skip right to Area 8. Sometimes Gobul will move back to Area 4 one more time before using this shortcut, so it helps if you’ve hit Gobul with a Paintball or have Cha-Cha equipped with the Fluffy Mask so you can track his movements.

You must finish Gobul underwater in Area 8. When you enter the area, Gobul will most likely be burrowed underwater. If he is sleeping, attempt to carve his whiskers to get an extra few items.

Continue attacking Gobul until he falls to complete the quest. You can carve Gobul’s corpse three times.
Four-star Quests

You can craft a Long Swords now that you’ve completed the three-star urgent quest. Send the Argosy Captain to the Wyvern Hub and speak to him when he comes back to get the blueprints. This weapon type is similar to the Great Sword, but allows for much more mobility and has a special “spirit gauge” that, when full, unlocks the Spirit Blade move. On the downside, you can’t block while wielding one. See the Wyverian Artisan for the details.