Monster Hunter has no shortage of leviathan monsters, and while the majority might be known for their association with water, Balahara flips things up a bit. In Monster Hunter Wilds, the Windward Plains are filled with sandy dunes that Balahara calls home, and they are completely inseperable from them, too.
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Balahara swims through the sand as easily as any other leviathan would through water. And despite being one of the first monsters you encounter at the beginning of the game, it will be a while before you are given any hunts for them. They are a tricky monster that takes advantage of the environment, so let’s check out how to handle them.
Balahara – Strengths And Weaknesses
Balahara is just one long shape, with many of its features and stubby limbs blending into one big serpentine form. It can make it a bit harder then to aim for specific elements, and allows Balahara to move with incredible ease. That said, there are still some easy-to-see sections to deal some high damage, you’ll just have to get your timing right.
During certain attacks, Balahara will open their mouth, which glows a bioluminescent blue. This is their weak point, and where you should be aiming all your attacks for maximum damage. Of course, you can’t always be hitting the head and mouth, so let’s see where else it hurts.
- Weak Point – Mouth.
- Elemental/Ailment Weaknesses – Thunder, Paralysis, Sonic Bomb.
- Elemental/Ailment Strengths – Water.
- Best Weapon Damage – Blunt damage.
Despite sailing through the sands, Balahara is still a monster that uses the water element, and as a result is entirely immune to damage from that element, too. The consequence of this is that thunder deals incredible damage to them and makes them much easier to paralyse too.
For many of its moves, Balahara will dive under the sand, either to prepare a sneak attack or to run away. This can be an advantage for you though, as using a Sonic Bomb or the appropriate Slinger ammo will shoot Balahara out of the sand, stunning them briefly.
Best Equipment To Fight Balahara
Balahara is fast and can easily take advantage of the environment around them. They deal decently high damage, and the water damage on top gives them some extra firepower against hunters. Thankfully, there are a few sets at this point that can give you the upper hand against Balahara that you shouldn’t have to go far out of your way for.
The first, and one you are guaranteed to have, is the Lala Barina set. This has the highest water resistance of any armor set so far, and gives a nice defense boost over earlier sets, too. If you’ve unlocked it, the Piragill Greaves come with slightly higher water resistance, but also have the Water Resistance skill to boost that even higher.
Any weapon can work well, though having the thunder element would be a great help. Paralysis is great too, which can be found on some weapons at this point too.
Balahara – Fight Breakdown And Moves
Balahara is designed around the desert and so takes advantage of it quite keenly. They wouldn’t really work in any other locale, being like a fish out of water. Or in this case, a leviathan out of sand. Because of that though, Balahara is an incredibly fun fight for just how much they take advantage of the area they are in, and forces you to use it too.
Now let’s take a quick look at what they can do:
|
Move |
Description |
Counter |
|---|---|---|
|
Pillar Climb |
Balahara climbs any nearby pillars and fires blasts of water at you. |
Depending on the area, you have two options here. In exterior areas, firing a Rockburst at Balahara will cause them to drop. In caves, these pillars can sometimes be dragged down to collapse Balahara. |
|
Water Shot |
Balahara will open their mouth and fire a ball of water. This can be done multiple times in a row. |
The weak point of their mouth is exposed during this attack, and can be targeted in Focus mode for massive damage. |
|
Chomp |
Balahara rushes forward, biting ahead of them multiple times. |
Simply dodge to the side. Balahara will typically keep following in one direction, giving you time to land attacks while they finish the animation. |
|
Surprise Sand Attack |
Balahara will dive under the sand, diving out of it twice to attack you. When they arise the third time, they will keep themselves partially submerged and quickly fire a ball of water |
Follow the sand to learn where they are going to appear. You can also use a Sonic Bomb or the like to force them to surface. |
|
Water Blast |
Balahara will stand up slightly and unleash a large blast of water. This can knock you back and will inflict Waterblight. |
Keep a bit more distance from this one, or try position yourself to Balahara’s side to avoid the blast entirely. |
|
Water Stream |
Balahara will spray a torrent of water along one of their sides to catch nearby hunters. |
This is a great chance to attack Balahara head on while they are bust protecting their sides. |
|
Tail Stab |
Balahara will bring up their tail like a blade and stab in the direction it is pointing, bringing their whole body with them. |
This move repositions Balahara quite a distance away, so try to move in the direction of the attack before it lands so you can attack Balahara in their new position before they have a chance to recover. |
When fighting Balahara, the most important item to bring with you are Sonic Bombs, though the appropriate Slinger ammo can also be found from the Baunos flying around the desert too. This will let you cancel so many of Balahara’s moves and even trap it in place when it tries to run away.
Another great item to have with you, though should realistically be brought on most hunts, are Nulberries. Waterblight slows your Stamina recovery, and you’ll be dodging a lot with how fast Balahara is.
Outside of combat, Balahara can also make sand pits that will drag both you and other monsters into their nest if entered. Be careful of these, or lead pursuing monsters into them.
Balahara – Drops And Materials
Balahara comes with a nice variety of materials that will have you hunting them plenty of times to get exactly what you want, though they are also focused on both ends of the monster. Severing the tail will get you, well, the tail, while destroying the head has a chance of giving you the Black Pearl. These are the rarest materials, though both can be acquired through regular carving and Target Rewards as well.
-
Low Rank
Material
Where It Can Be Acquired
Balahara Scale
Wound Destroyed, Carving, Target Reward
Balahara Shell
Wound Destroyed, Carving, Target Reward
Balahara Skull
Broken Part (Head), Carving, Target Reward
Balahara Tail
Carving (Severed Tail), Carving, Target Reward
Aqua Sac
Target Reward
Balahara Certificate
Target Reward
Balahara Black Pearl
Broken Part (Head), Carving, Target Reward, Wound Destroyed
-
High Rank
Material
Where It Can Be Acquired
Balahara Scale+
Balahara Carapace
Balahara Skull+
Balahara Tail
Torrent Sac
Balahara Certificate S
Balahara Black Pearl
Wyvern Gem
Carving (Tail), Carving, Target Rewards
The materials are much the same in High Rank and have similar drop rates as well. The biggest addition is the Wyvern Gem, a rare drop item for most High Rank monster. This is used in lots of high rarity High Rank gear, and will take you a great many hunts to achieve. Just keep on trying, you’ll get it eventually.
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