In the world of Monster Hunter, dozens of different species of monsters populate the various locales you travel and hunt in. Along with the multitude of base monsters you come across, there are also distinct variations and alternative types of similar creatures that you’ll face. The most common are the subspecies.
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The best monster subspecies are more than just tougher color palette alternatives to the regular monster species. They offer a distinct challenge, bringing new attacks into the hunt, and keep hunters on their guard in the hunt.
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Desert Seltas Queen
Collosal Mate Launcher
In general, the Desert Seltas have several distinct characteristics that set them apart from the regular species, from the coloration of their shells to the different horn orientations. When you face the Seltas Queen, several more distinctions exist in how they use their “mates” to fight.
Desert Seltas spend daylight hours in burrows under the sand; they’re fairly common since the Desert Seltas Queen frequently pulls them out of the ground with her longer pincer tail. Along with having a greater range and several variations of attacks, she would launch the male Seltas at hunters at tremendous speeds, shattering them into pieces. She will then dig around for the next Seltas to use while you either recover or prepare for the next attack.
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Tidal Najarala
Scaly Trickshot
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Tidal Najarala is a water element subspecies. Like their base relatives, they use their scales for defense and attack. Interestingly, this is where the similarities end. Tidal Najaralas spit globs of water as their main form of ranged attack, unlike the regular Najaralas who expel short-range blasts of sound.
Tidal Najarala’s rattler scales are also used differently. While the regular species detonate their scales after resonating them with sounds, the Tidal subspecies uses them to ricochet globs of water spit in a very interesting trickshot style, forcing you to watch out for where any of the scales are dropped to foresee the bizarre range of the attack.
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Blood Orange Bishaten
Explosive Trickster
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A subspecies of Bishaten with a cool orange-red dominant coloration on its fur and feathers. These creatures are based on the coloration of the red-faced monk-like tengu of Japanese myth, while the base species is more based on the Karasu (crow) tengu. The subspecies is also a fire elemental
Blood Orange Bishaten also doesn’t throw persimmon fruits with status effects like poison and paralysis. Instead, they use large pinecones that they ignite with their fire breath and throw them as explosive grenades that can spin and arc in all kinds of fancy directions.
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Viper Tobi-Kadachi
Paralyzing Venomous Snake Beast
An interesting subspecies of the Tobi-Kadachi that inhabits the caves of the Hoarfrost Reach. Instead of building up static electricity for attacks, Viper Tobi-Kadachi utilizes two different types of venom: paralysis from its jaws and poison in its quills on its tail. It also uses its gliding membranes to maneuver in the air for other attacks.
Viper Tobi-Kadachi also has a very interesting ecological cycle in its movements, making tracking it easy and somewhat educational. The monster spends the majority of its time in cave systems. When it’s time to eat, it hunts the nearby popo herds, and after the kill, it takes a chunk of meat back to its lair to feed away from the cold. This also explains why this double-status menace sleeps in a mini version of the Rotten Vale.
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Coral Pukei-Pukei
Vibrant Colors And Water Effects
A vibrantly colored species of Pukei-Pukei that resides in the Coral Highlands. Instead of poison fumes and spit from its mouth and tail, the Coral Pukei-Pukei expels jets and globs of water as ranged attacks. This monster is also one of the strongest wielders of the water element in World/Iceborne that is not an elder dragon.
Coral Pukei-Pukei is surprisingly tough and can catch you off guard with various new attacks. It can spray concentrated jets from its tail in multiple directions to split the stream with its tongue, making attacks from both ends difficult. Severing the tail gives a better advantage and eliminates several more dangerous attacks.
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Stygian Zinogre
The Fanged Wyvern Of The Underworld
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
- Released
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April 20, 2010
- Engine
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mt framework
- ESRB
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T For Teen Due To Blood, Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence
Stygian Zinogre is a subspecies introduced in Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate that lives in extreme environments and frequently appears alongside its base relative. While the base Zinogre bonds with thunder bugs, which grants their electrical abilities, Stygian Zinogre bonds with dracophage bugs, giving them dragon element attacks.
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The dracophage bugs are much more aggressive in their attacks against you than thunder bugs, and throughout the other games that Stygian Zinogre is added to, they get stronger and fiercer. By the time they’re introduced to Iceborne in the Guiding Lands, they have all kinds of vicious attacks that can affect large areas around them. The aggressiveness of the dracophage bugs makes Stygian Zinogre a fearsome subspecies to face.
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Lucent Nargacuga
Moonlit Shadow Of Slicing Venom
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Lucent Nargacuga is the first example of a special type of subspecies, a rare species. These monsters are considered the toughest creatures that aren’t elder dragons, and they are often fought in secluded areas that are more like arenas than actual locales. Rare species also tend to have a specific gimmick to their abilities, making them tougher than their base relatives.
Lucent Nargacuga’s gimmick is the ability to temporarily cloak its body by using its reflective fur to maneuver around you and set up ambushes while you’re trying to track where it is. The monster can also launch poison spikes from its tail. Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak brings Lucent Nargacuga back with several attacks brought from Monster Hunter Frontier, making it even more dangerous and gracile than its former appearance in Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.
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Molten Tigrex
Explosive Temperament
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
- Released
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February 13, 2015
- Engine
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MT Framework Mobile
- ESRB
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T For Teen Due To Blood, Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence
- OpenCritic Rating
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Mighty
A rare species of Tigrex with molten red scales across its body. Molten Tigrex is the toughest of the species-based variations of Tigrex. Its main gimmick in battle is spreading explosive powder from its claws. This explosive dust is similar in effectiveness to the elder dragon Teostra’s powder.
The Molten Tigrex has very tough scales that cause most weapons to bounce off when they’re under white or purple sharpness. When it’s enraged, however, it becomes a whole different fight. The monster’s muscles bulge, and the veins in its forelimbs and head swell with adrenaline as it becomes explosively ticked off. Molten Tigrex is vulnerable to melee blows in this state, but only if you can hit it without getting blown away. Molten Tigrex is a great adrenaline fight as a result.
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Violet Mizutsune
Elusive Fox Fire
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
A new member of the rare species roster, Violet Mizutsune, is a fearsome adversary who appeared in the expansion of Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak. Similar to previous variations of Mizutsune, the Soulseer deviant, and the rampaging Apex, the rare Violet species can trigger a flaming aura and utilizes special fire bubbles that can hone in on your position.
Violet Mizutsune also has several brand-new attacks with this ability, where the fire bubbles can accumulate into a large single sphere of fire that can cause a large explosion and considerable damage. The background music in the Infernal Spring arena also changes to the Mizutsune theme shortly after the monster grows powerful, signifying its increased strength.
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Silver Rathalos
Fierce Metallic Wyvern
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Monster Hunter
- Released
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September 21, 2004
- Engine
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MT Framework
- ESRB
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t
- How Long To Beat
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45 Hours
- Metascore
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68
The Silver Rathalos is the most frequently seen rare species of Rathalos and is the strongest variation that players would have a hard time against. In the older generations of games, it had many of the regular Rathalos’ annoying attributes, plus it was stronger, with higher defenses and different resistances.
In Monster Hunter World: Iceborne and Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, Silver Rathalos develops a new ability called Hellfire, where his fire attacks are even stronger. In this state, his head is softer to attacks and damage, but his fire attacks are all blue and hyper-destructive. Only knocking him back with enough damage can disempower him temporarily before he reignites this state.
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