Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Guide: How to Kill a Rathian

Can you stand before the Rathian? You can now!

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate has more than its fair share of aggressive creatures hellbent on eating you for breakfast. For most of them you’d be nothing more than a light snack or the equivilant of finding a piece of potato chip in your teeth four hours after you already ate a bag of them. The trick, then, is killing these gigantic beasts before they stomp on your face. So we at Twinfinite decided it was a good idea to put together some primer guides for taking down each of the more dangerous enemies in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.  This one’s about the Rathian: the first of the seriously evil wyverns you’ll face and probably the source of many poison-fueled nightmares to come.

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The Rathian takes the form of a huge, well, dragon. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate contains many creatures that can be seen as dragon-like, but this is the first that really instills that sort of primeval fear the flying reptiles can bring. She’s a strong and vicious lady (the male version being the devastatingly destructive Rathalos) with a sting in her tail and fire spewing forth from her heart.

A Rathian’s basic attack in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is a fairly simple bite. She will pull her neck back to her right hand side before lashing out with vicious jaws. This attack can be easily blocked with a shield like that found on the Charge Blade or simply avoided with a dodge to the side. Do be warned, however: this strike is paired with a powerful swing of her enormous, muscular tail. If your desire is to take her down as quickly as possible, roll forward towards her right hand side then slash at her legs.Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

When on the ground, a Rathian enjoys using her fiery breath to devastate enemies with three different attacks. The first is a triple whammy of flame-flavored death that spits three fireballs over a long range from her front. This triplet of tinder-lighting torpedoes launches from her center, and then one is fired to her right and her left. At close range, just roll beneath her neck. When at a distance, an easy sidestep away from the first is more than capable of avoid each of the three.

This flaming strike, like her other fire-based attacks and most of those in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, sets you ablaze. If left unchecked, you will die from damage over time. Removing it is fairly simple. Just run away from her and roll three or four times. Should there be water nearby, roll once through that and any burning effects will be removed.

Her second blazing barrage is a long-ranged singular fireball that travels quicker than you’d think, but if you’re prepared you’ll be running away when the Rathian fires this off. In typical Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate fashion, this attack’s a terrifying remover of health, coming with the added bonus of setting you alight. Follow the same tactic as mentioned above to remove the embers rolling around your skin.

A Rathian’s last hurrah in the fire department is a vicious explosion that deals incredibly vast amounts of pain to anything in front of her at about her own body length. It’s telegraphed by a large roar before the Rathian rears back in preparation. Use the fact she’ll be stuck in this animation to run straight between her tree-trunk legs and slash at them. She’s surprisingly vulnerable when using all three of her sizzling skills, making them a great avenue on the path to taking down a Rathian in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

She’s got some pretty big wings, remember? She’ll use them too. Way too often for your liking.

When a Rathian takes off that’s your personal signal to keep a close eye on where she’s pointing because she’ll use a small yet powerful collection of attacks from the skies. There’s a reason why that Supply Box contained a couple of Antidotes, but make sure you bring more of them for this. One of her strikes is a vertically-spinning roll where she whips her tail up from under her, poisoning you in that annoying way Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate creatures often do. It’ll also give you a fairly long free flight, so remember to track your air miles.

A hovering Rathian can also use two swooping abilities that are just as evil as her venomous tail. If she pulls back a little in the air then you’ve got one of two attacks to look out for. She’ll more often than not use a forward strike where she swings back and forth on a serpentine pathway, moving at high speed and causing more damage than you’d think. A fast slip to the left or right should keep you safe.


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Author
Chris Jecks
Chris Jecks has been covering the games industry for over eight years. He typically covers new releases, FIFA, Fortnite, any good shooters, and loves nothing more than a good Pro Clubs session with the lads. Chris has a History degree from the University of Central Lancashire. He spends his days eagerly awaiting the release of BioShock 4.