Some monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds are significantly harder to beat than "normal" monsters in the game. In Monster Hunter Wilds Rathalos returns with an all-new moveset that gives players more opportunities to attack it from the ground – but that doesn't mean the fight is easy.
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To beat Rathalos, Monster Hunter Wilds players must keep out of the way of its high-damage fire and poison attacks and target parts of its body that are particularly weak. This guide to the Rathalos boss offers tips to beat Rathalos, Monster Hunter Wilds locations for this monster, and details on the Rathalos rewards in terms of monster materials and special titles.
MH Wilds Rathalos Locations
The Rathalos can appear in three of the five major regions in Monster Hunter Wilds, though it does have some preferences when it comes to specific conditions. The Rathalos locations cover a wide territory across the Scarlet Forest, Oilwell Basin, and Ruins of Wyveria. However, to get one to spawn, you may need to change the time of day.
Though this has not been 100% confirmed, many players have found that setting the time of day to Night increases the chance for a Rathalos to spawn.
Be wary, though, as Rathalos are not completely solitary. Sometimes you will see a companion Rathian mate in the region, which may show up and join the fight as your target moves from location to location, but especially when it gets back to its nest.
On the world map, scroll over the icons for the Forest, Basin, and Wyveria regions, then look at the list of current active monsters. If you see a normal Rathalos listed, fast-travel to the base camp, get stocked up, then set a Waypoint on its icon and mount your Seikret.
How To Beat Rathalos
Fearsome male wyverns known as the "King of the Skies."
Alongside the Rathian, they stake out a wide territory around their nests, and it is the male's role to watch from above.
Armed with powerful poisonous claws and fiery breath, Rathalos use their aerial prowess to descend to invaders.
Rathalos Weaknesses & Weak Spots
The Rathalos might be known as the "king of the skies," but that doesn't mean it has no weaknesses. Quite the contrary, in fact – the Rathalos weaknesses in Monster Hunter Wilds primarily include Dragon, Thunder, and all status effects attacks.
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The only element that it is completely resistant to is Fire damage. Its left and right legs are unaffected by water and ice damage, too. However, the rest of the Rathalos' body is fair game, and because it can be affected by all status effects, it's a good idea to come into the fight with a source of Paralysis, Exhaustion, Sleep, or Stun.
|
Part |
Weaknesses |
Resistances |
|---|---|---|
|
Head |
All weapon types, Thunder, Dragon |
Fire |
|
Neck |
Blunt, Dragon |
Fire |
|
Torso |
Dragon |
Fire |
|
Left Wing |
All weapon types, Dragon |
Fire |
|
Right Wing |
All weapon types, Dragon |
Fire |
|
Left Leg |
Slashing, Blunt |
Fire, Water, Ice |
|
Right Leg |
Slashing, Blunt |
Fire, Water, Ice |
|
Tail |
Slashing, Blunt, Dragon |
Fire |
The Rathalos weak spots are its head, tail, and wings. Its body is incredibly durable and you will have a hard time dealing anything but white damage to central torso parts. However, its legs and head are actually pretty easy to hit – just keep an eye out for fire inside of its gullet, as it indicates the monster is rearing up to blast you down at close range.
Rathalos Attacks To Watch Out For
In Monster Hunter Wilds, the Rathalos boss fight is a bit different than it was in previous iterations of Monster Hunter. Though it takes flight during the battle, it stays on the ground (or within reach of the ground) for the majority of the fight now. This makes its hard-hitting attacks harder to anticipate and avoid, as it takes up a lot of the screen, but generally, the fight feels easier than in previous games.
To avoid the vast majority of its attacks, stay underneath the Rathalos. If it goes to launch fireballs, swipe, or chomp, dodge into the monster and get under its torso. This works to avoid its fireball attacks when grounded, too, and because it will often fire off two or three fireballs, dodging underneath can create a huge window of opportunity.
Do not dodge under the boss if it is rearing back to do a close-range melee hit. If you get hit by its claws during any attack, you may get Poisoned (in addition to the massive damage dealt by the attack itself).
The most powerful Rathalos attacks are its fire attacks and poison abilities, and it has a lot of them. Bring some consumables that can clear Fireblight and Poison to counter these lingering status effects, but there's not much you can do to avoid the attacks themselves except to get out of the way (or Offset Attack the claw attacks).
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The boss moves incredibly fast, so you will spend a lot of time dodging out of the way of its aerial combos before finding a moment to strike back. Don't be too courageous, take your time and watch for the monster to stop moving to hit back.
When the Rathalos is airborne, it gains a variety of moves that can be hard to anticipate because of how much of the screen it takes up. In general, while the monster is on the ground, try to stay underneath it near the head. While it's airborne, try to stay underneath for most attacks, but dodge out of the way if it looks to come crashing down or is winding its tail backward to lash at you.
Rathalos Strategies
- The Rathalos is susceptible to both trap types as well as the Flash Pod. Because this boss is so agile, it's a good idea to bring Flash Pods to interrupt its most powerful attacks and Shock Traps and Pitfall Traps to provide attack windows
- Though you will typically encounter a Rathalos on its own at first, it is usually accompanied by a Rathian somewhere in the region. If the fight goes on long enough, the Rathian may come to the aid of the Rathalos. Bring some Large Dung Pods to fire at the Rathian should it decide to join the fight.
- Rathalos has a habit of roaring before some of its major attacks, and will roar relatively often throughout the fight. Bring gear with the Earplugs skill to counter its roar and keep attacking through.
- Though it's possible to Offset Attack some of the Rathalos' moves, the majority of its strongest moves are ranged fire projectiles. To trigger an Offset Attack, wait for it to lash out at you with a physical melee attack (like a backflip tail strike or a claw attack). Stand in front of the monster's head to lure a lunging bite, which is the easiest of the Rathalos moves to counter with an Offset Attack.
- The Rathalos has several charging moves that it can use in mid-air or on the ground. Evade to the side twice to avoid the trampling attack and the aerial dash, or use an Offset Attack to stop it in its tracks.
- Ranged players will have few issues dealing with a Rathalos as long as they can maneuver away from its long-range fireballs and aim for its weak spots while in flight to bring it down to the ground. Just look out for it to start charging a long-range fireball (or AoE breath attack) and quickly sprint away (or mount your Seikret) to create space and keep firing at the monster.
MH Wilds Rathalos Drops & Other Rewards
By hunting a Rathalos, Monster Hunter Wilds players have a chance to get specific Rathalos monster materials. These can be used to craft a variety of weapons, armors, and other equipment pieces, but depending on which material you need to craft a specific piece of gear, you may need to hunt several Rathalos.
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Like all monster materials, all Rathalos materials are not guaranteed to drop from skinning or Target Rewards at the end of a quest (which includes captured monster materials). Instead, you have a chance to get these materials, some of which become more likely to drop depending on which parts you break:
|
Rathalos Materials |
Drop Frequency |
|---|---|
|
Very High |
|
|
High |
|
|
High |
|
|
Medium |
|
|
Medium |
|
|
Low |
|
|
Very Low |
|
|
Very Low |
Rathalos Wing
Rathalos Carapace
Rathalos Tail
Inferno Sac
Rathalos Certificate S
Rath Medulla
Rathalos RubyAll Rathalos Titles In MH Wilds
All monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds will reward the Hunter with different Titles after you hunt a certain number of them. The Rathalos titles in MH Wilds include:
- Hunt 20x Rathalos: Rathalos
- Hunt 30x Rathalos: Sky
- Hunt 40x Rathalos: Prince
- Hunt 50x Rathalos: King
Monster Hunter Wilds
- Released
- February 28, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Violence, Blood, Crude Humor
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Engine
- RE Engine
- Franchise
- Monster Hunter
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
