Summary
- Some Monster Hunter final bosses are more organic to gameplay, while others are gimmicky and cinematic.
- Ceadeus from MH3 is a unique Elder Ocean Dragon final boss fought in distinct phases - a challenging and epic encounter.
- Akantor in Freedom 2 and Gogmazios in 4 Ultimate offer tough traditional hunts, providing memorable end-game battles.
Now that Monster Hunter Wilds has been out for a little while, many players have conquered the story and its final boss, Zoh Shia. The boss at the end of a Monster Hunter game's story isn't always the strongest with so much focus on post-game progression. Even so, these monsters tend to be some of the most spectacular fights as the climax of the story campaign.
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Some games have gone with more gimmick-heavy final bosses to create cinematic fights, while others have made their final boss more organic to the rest of the gameplay. The structure of Monster Hunter games can vary a little, so it's not always clear which monster is the true final boss. As such, this topic focuses on the monsters that are fought at the end of the games' story campaigns, as opposed to post-game or secret bosses.
10 Ceadeus
Elder Ocean Dragon
- Monster Type: Elder Dragon
- Elements: Water / Dragon
- Weaknesses: Thunder / Dragon
- Final Boss Appearance: Monster Hunter 3
As the Elder Dragon of the oceans, Monster Hunter 3's final boss has a unique appearance. It has an elongated, fish-like body, streamlined for moving in the water, and a shaggy, horned head. The scale of Ceadeus is enormous, towering over the player, destroying walls and creating earthquakes when it attacks.
The fight against Ceadeus has two distinct phases. The player has to pursue the dragon through undersea caverns before a final confrontation. In the final fight, Ceadeus can blast the player with a powerful water jet, and cause earthquakes and rockfalls in the arena. It can be a tough fight, but a couple of underwater balistae placed around the arena can help deal a few hits.
9 Lao Shan Lung
Elder Mountain Dragon
Monster Hunter Generations
- Released
- July 15, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- Monster Type: Elder Dragon
- Elements: Dragon
- Weaknesses: Dragon
- Final Boss Appearance: Monster Hunter Generations
Lao Shan Lung doesn't have a lot of fancy elemental tricks like the other Elder Dragons, relying on pure size and physical strength to destroy hunters and their structures alike. This might be a controversial pick for some hunters though, as Lao Shan Lung's wasn't really a hunt, it was a siege defense where players had to stop the monster destroying the hunter's fortress.
With that said, while some might prefer the traditional fight to the death-type hunts, Lao Shan Lung was the first real attempt at this kind of large-scale, cinematic siege mission - a concept that was later revisited in Worlds with Zorah Magdaros.
8 Ukanlos
Grounded Wyvern
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
- Released
- March 27, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- Monster Type: Flying Wyvern
- Elements: Ice
- Weaknesses: Thunder / Fire
- Final Boss Appearance: Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
The hulking, plated wyvern Ukanlos is a flying wyvern in name only. That's its official classification in-game, but the species long ago lost its wings and flight capabilities in-lore. It's an intimidating final boss in Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. The wyvern has strong physical abilities, but it's also able to scoop and throw icy rocks with its headplates, and even fire a beam of ice at ranged players.
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Disregarding these unique attacks, players that have also fought Akantor in Monster Hunter Freedom 2 will recognize a lot of the moves of Ukanlos, especially when players are close up in melee.
7 Gaismagorm
Abyss Dragon
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 86 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
WHERE TO PLAY
- Monster Type: Elder Dragon
- Elements: Blast / Bleed
- Weaknesses: Thunder / Dragon
- Final Boss Appearance: Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
Gaismagorm is one of the creepiest Elder Dragon designs in Monster Hunter. Its four-segment split-mouth is distinctive, as are the powerful forearms that sprout from its back like wings. While the large elder dragon has back legs, it doesn't use them, dragging itself forward with its front legs and maneuvering and climbing with its large forearms.
As the final boss of Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, Gaismagorm is also a tough fight . The monster uses symbiotic small creatures called the Qurio to enhance its abilities. These leeches will form crystal armor for the boss and allow it to propel itself forward, as well as augment its attacks. With the combination of the boss and its symbiotic creatures, Gaismagorm is an impressive final boss fight.
6 Akantor
Magma Wyvern
Monster Hunter Freedom 2
- Released
- February 22, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
- Monster Type: Flying Wyvern
- Elements: Earth / Fire / Dragon
- Weaknesses: Thunder / Dragon / Ice
- Final Boss Appearance: Monster Hunter Freedom 2
Monster Hunter Freedom 2' s final boss, Akantor, is another confusingly classified flying wyvern . Having only vestigial nubs left of its wings, this so-called flying wyvern is earthbound, similar to the Ukanlos. Unlike the Ukanlos, though, the Akantor is based in Magma, able to submerge and tunnel through magma pools, and use earth and fire elements in its attacks.
Akantor is a tough monster, with strength almost comparable to an Elder Dragon. Solo players may have a tough time with this fight, but despite his strength, some of Akantor's moves can be easily negated with flash bombs. This is especially exploitable in a multiplayer party, making a tough boss fight ridiculously easy.
5 Dire Miralis
Elder Magma Dragon
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
- Released
- April 20, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Monster Type: Elder Dragon
- Elements: Fire
- Weaknesses: Ice / Dragon
- Final Boss Appearance: Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
The Elder Dragon with the magma-flowing body appears as the final boss of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, and makes for an impressive final boss. Miralis can fight on land and in the water during the fight, and has different strategies for dealing with it in each phase. While in the water, Dire Miralis is more vulnerable to attacks to its back and shoulders, which can help weaken its magma attacks as the fight goes on.
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The fight has several set-piece items the player can use to good effect, with ballistae, dragonators, and several explosives found around the area of the fight. Dire Miralis' armor mode is also tricky, forcing players to attack weak spots or completely bounce off with attacks. It's a fun and varied final boss fight.
4 Xeno'Jiiva
Alien Elder Dragon
Monster Hunter World
- Released
- January 26, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- Monster Type: Elder Dragon
- Elements: Fire / Dragon
- Weaknesses: Thunder / Dragon / Water / Fire / Ice
- Final Boss Appearance: Monster Hunter World
The pre-expansion final boss of Monster Hunter World, Xeno'Jiiva, is a mysterious Elder Dragon with an otherworldly, almost alien appearance. Xeno'Jiiva creates powerful blue flames from bioenergy and uses them wildly to create explosive, fiery attacks. In-game, Xeno'Jiiva is supposed to be a juvenile monster, and so it isn't entirely in control of its abilities.
This is shown in the fight, with some attacks being wild and causing the monster to stumble in its own destruction. Apart from its impressive looks, Xeno'Jiiva is a sinister and mysterious monster, somehow luring dying Elder Dragons to its cocoon to provide it with energy to grow and mature.
3 Ahtal-Ka
Mantis Empress
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
- Released
- March 18, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Monster Type: Neopteron
- Elements: Physical
- Weaknesses: Thunder / Water
- Final Boss Appearance: Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
Among Monster Hunter's many wyverns and Elder Dragons of various designs, Ahtal-Ka stands out as a unique monster design and final boss fight. The giant praying-mantis empress attacks in her golden-bug form and with the aid of tools. The intelligent monster can use objects to throw at the player, but also for more complex purposes.
As the fight with Ahtal-Ka develops, the mantis will use its silk to create a large mech-like construct called Ahtal-Keset, and attack the player using the construct while protecting its main body. It isn't connected to any kind of deep story to contextualize this monster further, unlike some of the Elder Dragons, but Ahtal-Ka is a memorable final boss fight nonetheless.
2 Gogmazios
Tar Dragon
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
- Released
- February 13, 2015
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- Monster Type: Elder Dragon
- Elements: Fire / Dragon
- Weaknesses: Fire / Dragon
- Final Boss Appearance: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
The Tar-covered Elder Dragon from Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Gogmazios, is one that many players will remember. Despite being a hulking Elder Dragon, Gogmazios is fought much like any other large monster, though it's a tough fight. This is less of a set-piece fight and more of a straight hunt, but that may well be preferable for many players.
Gogmazios is fully capable of flight and will use this to assault the player with its laser-beam breath from the air, and will transition between the air and the ground multiple times in a fight. One interesting feature of the monster's design in MH4U is the dragonator from some ancient fight trapped in the tar on its back. In the boss fight, players can mount and break the monster's back to dislodge the dragonator and use it.
1 Shara Ishvalda
Subterranean Elder Dragon
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
- Released
- September 6, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- Monster Type: Elder Dragon
- Elements: Physical / Stun
- Weaknesses: Ice
- Final Boss Appearance: Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
Shara Ishvalda is a new Elder Dragon introduced as the final boss of the Monster Hunter World Iceborne expansion. The subterranean Elder Dragon uses rocks and minerals to form a protective shell with skeletal finger-like protrusions in place of wings. As the fight goes on, the shell will break and expose the fleshier-looking form of the Dragon underneath.
Ishvalda can tunnel through the earth and displace rock to create quakes and quicksand. Having tremor resistance and mobility-aiding skills like mirewalker can help with avoiding this, but Ishvalda has some other pretty nasty tricks. From its deadly nova attack to its ranged sonic beam, or simply its ability to stun and incapacitate players, Ishvalda is a tough fight, but a memorable and fun final boss to overcome.
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