These Monster Hunter Monsters Are Even Stronger Than Elder Dragons

Summary

• Shen Gaoren, Magnamalo, and Espinas are powerful monsters outside the Elder Dragon class.
• Jin Dahaad rivals classic Elder Dragon fights in Monster Hunter Wilds.
• Arkveld is an invasive species at Elder Dragon level, capable of devastating entire ecosystems.

The world of Monster Hunter is filled with some of the most fearsome monsters in gaming. The majority of the most dangerous monsters you’ll face throughout the series are part of the powerful and mysterious Elder Dragon class. But these monsters are naturally unnatural in their power.

But outside of that, there are still monsters that can match them in power and notoriety. There are monsters out there that are natural classifications that can cause destruction and havoc on the environment. They are either the apexes of their environments or invasive monsters that can even fight Elder Dragons to a standstill.

10

Shen Gaoren

The Walking Fortress

Shen Gaoren is the largest species of Carapacean, the same group that already has large crab-like monsters like Hermitaurs and Ceanataurs. It is also one of the tallest monsters in the entire series, exceeding the height of the Lao Shan Lung, whose skull it uses as a shell. Shen Gaoren’s overall design is based on Spider Crabs, with long lanky legs that are your main target and main mode of attack.

This massive crab monster is hunted in a siege battle, similar to other large elder dragons like Lao Shan Lung and Zorah Magdoros. It is arguably a very powerful and dangerous monster that is at the elder dragon level just by the virtue of its sheer size. Most monsters would be a snack for this giant enemy crab and several elder dragons would have to fight hard to repel it.

9

Magnamalo

The Harbinger of Malice

A fearsome Fanged Wyvern that appears during the Rampage that occurs near Kamura Village every 50 years. Magnamalo are dangerous due to their ability to weaponize the gases that they create from their meals, known as ‘Hellfire’. Hellfire can be expelled as an aura that envelops Magnamalo, adding to the range and power of their spear-like tail and blade-like arm spikes. They can also scatter in the environment and ignite like Teostra’s powder, and extend the range of their movements.

Magnamalo can utilize this HellFire to put it head-to-head against other elder dragons, either countering their abilities to a standstill or fighting them into the air and driving them back to the ground. Elder Dragons that can be toppled by Magnamalo include Teostra, Kushala Daora, and even Velkhana. Malzeno is one of the few similar-sized elder dragons that could match Magnamalo’s ferocity, and that’s only because their powerful moves tended to cancel eachother out.

8

Espinas

Passionate Poisoner Wyvern

This large, surprisingly peaceful Flying Wyvern is from Monster Hunter Frontier and was brought into Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak. This beast is a known menace to Elder Dragons. At first glance, they just seemed to be a somewhat stronger relative of Rathalos and Rathian, Espinas is very easy to underestimate, and the price for that is a steep cart fest.

Espinas’s usual demeanor clashes with the sheer power it can unleash during an enraged fit. Lore-wise, they’re known to drive away elder dragons like Kushala Daora due to their potent poison and paralysis fire attacks. Its Flaming subspecies from Monster Hunter Rise: Subreak was also matched against Teostra’s inferno attacks and nuked the emperor of flame from the sky in its ecology video.

7

Jin Dahaad

Apex Of The Frozen Ruin

Jin Dahaad is the apex monster of the Iceshard Cliffs and is the largest non-elder dragon by length and mass, even though Shen Gaoren may exceed it in height. It’s a massive leviathan that uses its special ability to freeze its body and the ground/wall around it to navigate its environment and generate powerful blasts of ice.

Fighting Jin Dahaad is an interesting experience since many of its mechanics are similar to Safi’Jiiva and Behemoth. Attacking its head enough time draws its ire, and it can unleash a powerful attack that requires you to take cover to survive. Of all the monsters present in Monster Hunter Wilds, Jin Dahaad is the closest to a classic Elder Dragon fight in the base game except for Zo Shia.

6

Ahtal-Ka

Empress Of Ruins

This large, mantis-like Neopteron starts out as seemingly unassuming. You’d think a giant mantis wouldn’t be that out of the ordinary in a series with giant dragons, fierce wyverns, and giant spiders. But then the fight takes a rather sleek turn when she strings up a giant mech dragon controls and weaves together with her webs.

Ahtal-Ka salvages and gathers metallic remains and parts from human technology and uses them to construct these giant mech dragons that operate as their nests. It’s easily possible that these mech nests were used by Ahtal-Ka to raid settlements for bigger parts to use. They even pilfered Dragonators as their signature weapon to throw at enemy hunters. By this point, the hunt truly becomes a fight for your life that you weren’t expecting.

5

Raging Brachydios

Immortal Devastation

Regular Brachydios are fearsome monsters that use explosive slime mold as a means to hunt and defend themselves from rivals. But there existed certain individuals who bonded with a uniquely volatile type of explosive slime that was ancient in relative to other types. This ancient slime tended to kill the Brachydios due to its high overload of power, but the ones that were able to survive developed an immortal reactor within their body.

As a result, these variants of Brachydios are biologically immortal, allowing them to grow far bigger and stronger than their base relatives. They are also much more aggressive against threats and their slime mold explosions spread further, faster, and pack a more fatal blast. Raging Brachydios can only be discovered in hostile environments. Only elder dragons can survive in these locales and when the ones in the Guiding Lands get cornered into their layers, they activate so much of their volatile slime it superpowers them and rigs the area for slime explosions.

4

Arkveld

The Chain-Bladed White Wraith

Arkveld is a flying wyvern that was once considered by the Guild to be an extinct species. The first emergence of this creature was when a guardian form of the monster started recking havoc across the Forbidden Lands. Somehow, this guardian was able to evolve past its intended nature after absorbing the wylk energy from the apex monsters in each locale. This evolution resulted in it laying eggs shortly before it was hunted during a rampage. This egg soon hatched into a natural Arkveld that soon became afflicted with the Frenzy Virus.

Even after the tragic outcomes of the Guardian Arkveld and its frenzied offspring, the species was able to restore itself, coming back from extinction throughout the events of the story. Now Arkvelds can be found in every region of the Forbidden Lands. As a result, no monsters in the world are adapted to Arkveld’s unique hunting skills and the chain-like appendages on their wings make them fearsome predators that can absorb elemental energy to add to their own energy. Arkveld is truly an invasive species that can potentially devastate whole ecosystems at an elder dragon level without the Guild’s vigilance.

3

Akantor

Supreme Tyrant Of Fire

This monstrous creature is one of the largest species of flying wyverns (yes, that’s the classification even though it doesn’t have wings). It inhabits the hostile lands of Inglis Island and is one of the most ferocious monsters of its type. It can withstand the heat blasts of its favorite prey, Gravios, and is said to be the rival of another equally formidable flying wyvern, the Ukanlos.

Akantors are formidable monsters. Their strongest attack is a soundwave blast that acts like the sonic roar of Godzilla Earth from the Netflix anime films. The soundwave can devastate anything in a long-range beam. Many ships and settlements were affected by the roars of Akantor, and it shares its territory with other formidable elder dragon-leveled monsters.

2

Rajang

Destruction Incarnate

Rajang is one of the few non-elder dragon monsters that not only rivals elder dragons, but also actively hunts one for their powers. They are the most powerful of the Fanged Beast monsters, even though there are other species that are bigger. Rajangs are known to hunt Kirins, a deceptively formidable elder dragon, for their thunder-empowered horns, and have been seen in Turf Wars winning unanimously.

Even their variant, the Furious Rajang, can tackle down other elders like Kushala Daora. In other clashes with elder dragons like Teostra and Nergigante, they will brush off elemental damage while wrestling their foes and suplexing them into submission. Rajangs can even go toe to toe against one of the most dangerous monsters in Monster Hunter, the Deviljho.

1

Deviljho

The Great Devourer

Very few monsters have the infamy of being known as world eaters. Even fewer tended to get the Guild nervous about their presence in an environment. Deviljho is an outright terrifying monster. Its size and power are matched with a voracious appetite. Almost constantly on the brink of starvation, it’ll hunt and eat anything in its path. When enraged, it’s already tough and robust body will swell with adrenaline that exposes the old scars of past meals.

An even more meal-starved variant, known as the Savage Deviljho, wouldn’t think twice about hunting and attacking elder dragons. From its potent dragon element breath, to acidic saliva that weakens armor, Deviljho is a force to be reckoned with. While most other monsters are only threats if hungry or provoked, Devilhjo is a walking, eating, roaring calamity that can trigger a local extinction of any environment it inhabits.