Monster Hunter: World is filled with magnificent creatures, each posing a level of difficulty and danger to the player. Though, not all of these creatures are equal in terms of strength and challenge offered. Depending on where you are in the game, as well as how prepared or ill-prepared you are, certain monsters can give you a real tough time.
Fighting these monsters isn’t always the most leisurely, expedient process, and sometimes will require a good bit of trial and error, along with some strategizing to get right. But once you do manage to figure things out, it proves to be a fairly rewarding experience. Here are the 10 most powerful enemies in Monster Hunter World, ranked.
Updated April 10th, 2021 by Adriano Valente: The Iceborne expansion added tons of new content to Monster Hunter: World. New locales, the Seliana home base and quests were added into the game through the expansion, but even more enticing is the amount of new and powerful monsters that made their way into the game. Aside from giving players plenty to occupy themselves with, these new additions provide hunters with a variety of obstacles to overcome – as some of the new monsters have proven to be quite the challenge for even the most experienced hunters. These new additions are among the most powerful enemies you can find in all of Monster Hunter: World.
15 Odogaron
The Odogaron may not look like much, and it’s not the strongest monster in the game sure – but it puts up a really tough fight. There are two things that make this such a tough monster to fight; its size and speed.
You may have to give up on using melee weapons to kill an Odogaron, as its speed and small stature make it a real challenge to hit. It has weaknesses to Ice and Thunder, which you may want to keep in mind.
14 Furious Rajang
As its name implies, the Furious Rajang is one of the more aggressive monsters hunters can come across. Found in Hoarfrost Reach, the Furious Rajang will immediately become hostile towards any hunter who approaches it.
As it does not have a tail, the Furious Rajang only has two weak-spots; it’s arms and its head. Given how aggressively the monster fights, hunters will find themselves struggling to hit either area during battle. Focusing on its hind legs is a viable way to open it up to attacks, but this is no easy task. Striking its head while it’s in Rampage mode will end things faster, but can prove to be quite the challenge.
13 Pink Rathian
You can find Pink Rathians in the Wildspire Waste and Coral Highlands – though it’s probably best to not actively seek them out. Pink Rathians might not be as strong as their counterparts, but they’re still not to be taken lightly, especially if you aren't adequately skilled up.
They’re weak to both Drago and Thunder elements, but be careful as they can afflict you with Poison. If you really want to hit it where it hurts, then aim for its head, followed by either its wings or tail.
12 Behemoth
Introduced as part of the summer 2018 Final Fantasy XIV collaboration DLC, Behemoth is one of the toughest monsters you can face in the game. With a whopping 35000 health, this monster won’t go down without a considerable fight.
Behemoth is only weak to Dragon Element, and is resistant to both Thunder and Fire Element. You can find it in the Elder’s Recess but be careful, as it can cause Bleeding, Fireblight and Thunderblight.
11 Rathian
Pink Rathians already made the list, but their variant is much stronger when you get right down to it. They appear pretty early on in the game, so new players should beware. Despite that, they prove to be some of the most challenging monsters you’ll face.
Rathians can be easy to underestimate, but they’ll make you pay if you do. They can hit you with both Fireblight and Poison status effects. That can be a nightmare to deal with. Getting surprised by this could mean a quick, and disappointing fight is in store.
10 Xeno'jiiva
You might think that this is too low a spot for a final boss, but although it’s not an easy enemy by any stretch of the imagination - Xeno'jiiva isn’t the most trying enemy in the game either. It’ll still give you problems, just not anything you can’t handle.
When Xeno'jiiva gets into rage mode it’ll become lethal from up-close. Wait it out and attack once its back to normal – its stomps are a great time for you to damage its feet.
9 Vaal Hazak
Like most other Elder Dragons in the game, Vaal Hazak puts up a pretty good fight and can really give you headaches if you don’t fight wisely. It’s weak to both Fire and Dragon Elemental but resistant to Water.
It has a bunch of weak points you can exploit though. The head, chest, front legs, and tail are all good targets to focus on. It may be wise to stack up on some vitality gems and max potions for the fight.
8 Nergigante
Fighting Nergigante is easily one of the toughest experiences you’ll have in the game. It’s an incredibly strong opponent that has a couple of weaknesses and doesn’t afflict any ailments. But there’s one thing that makes Nergigante exceptionally dangerous. One move that can really take you out with ease.
Once it grows spikes all over, it’ll start using a dive bomb move – once the spikes turn black they’ll launch out once it hits the ground. It can be a dangerous mess to get caught up in, so be aware of it.
7 Black Diablos
Black Diablos are way more dangerous than normal Diablos, and battles against them can quickly get out of hand. These monsters are vicious and shouldn’t be underestimated, especially when trying to retreat.
They’re known to deal a lot of damage, so don’t be so aggressive when taking them on. Play it safe and feel things out. They’re weak to Ice and Water Elemental, so planning your attack around that would be wise.
6 Kushala Daora
Here’s yet another elder dragon; this one unsurprisingly very high up in the rankings. When dealing with Kushala Daora, keep in mind that they aren’t primarily hostile towards you, and as a result will let you get in close.
Use that to your advantage and hit it with both Thunder and Dragon Elemental damage. Its weak spot is its head, but breaking its tail and forelegs is a great way to sway the battle in your favor.
5 Teostra
This intimidating Elder Dragon is a tough fight for a few reasons. It’s found in the hottest place in the Elder’s Recess. That means that you’ll likely take heat damage if you’re not prepared in advance for that. It also has a pretty nasty charge move that blasts you with an insta-kill inferno.
Still, it’s not impossible to beat and does possess weaknesses to Water and Ice Elemental damage. But make sure you focus on its head, wings, and tail, as they’re all where the Teostra is weakest.
4 Arch-Tempered Namielle
An incredibly intimidating opponent, the Namielle is found in the Coiral Highlands region and will only engage in battle after it’s attacked. While the regular iteration of the fearsome Elder Dragon is tough enough, the Arch-Tempered Namielle is in a class of its own difficulty wise.
The Arch-Tempered Namielle’s strength is what makes it such a difficult enemy to takedown. Hunters should prioritize range when in battle, and take note of its attack patterns as they aren’t particularly difficult to read. Overcoming this encounter without Health Boost 3 will be incredibly difficult, so players should make acquiring the skill a priority beforehand.
3 Arch-Tempered Velkhana
Yet another Arch-Tempered variant rears its head, this time it’s the Velkhana. Players can encounter the Arch-Tempered Velkhana as part of the “Place Where Winter Sleeps” quest, though there are some conditions to the encounter that make it even more of a challenge than it already is.
With a 30 minute timer imposed on the battle, players will have a lot less time to experiment and might have to throw caution to the wind at times in order to progress. One thing hunters must be aware of is the AT Velkhana’s frost breath, which it can fire out 360 degrees. There’s no way of guarding against it, so players must instead evade it by sticking to Velkhana’s hind legs.
2 Alatreon
One of the most fearsome Elder Dragons in the entire game, Alatreon is an incredibly difficult foe to defeat, and one that will likely take some trial and error before finally doing so. Found in the Secluded Valley, Alatreon will always be hostile to hunters that approach it.
Defeating Alatreon is no simple task, though it can be done somewhat easier with the help of a few useful skills. Health Boost is always recommended for these types of encounters, and Alatreon’s elemental moveset makes it so that Blight Resistance will always come in handy.
1 Fatalis
Fatalis is probably one of the strongest enemies in Monster Hunter history, and should surprise no one with its inclusion as the most powerful foe in World. The legendary Elder Dragon proves difficult to defeat, and encourages players to utilize all their skill and knowledge in attempting to do so.
The initial phase of this battle is solo-only, meaning that no multiplayer is allowed for a decent while. Only when players have taken out about 22% of Fatalis’ health will multiplayer be permanently unlocked for the remainder of the quest.