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Fatalis FAQ Version 1.03 (C) 2005 by Sanjuro333 and Mr_Hartgrave

With contributions from the GameFAQs Monster Hunter community

Please view in a fixed-width font such as Monaco or Courier.

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Contents 

1) Introduction 
2) Origins of this FAQ/Guide 
3) The FAQ
4) Myths about Fatalis
5) Acknowledgments 


============================

1) Introduction

An apocalyptic blood-red sky flecked with angry swirls of purple cloud; eerie
Wagnerian music building up in the background; and from beyond the ramparts of
a grim castle, a fearsome dragon emerges, flying into the courtyard with
vengeance in his terrible eyes. He screams, turns his head and unleashes a
deadly fireball straight in your face.

This is Fatalis, the Legendary Black Dragon, and the ultimate 'boss' in
Capcom's PS2 game Monster Hunter. He appears at the end of the online game, and
a series of battles take place in a new area called Castle Schrade.

This guide describes how to fight this dragon, and explores various strategies,
weapons and ammunition used to defeat it. This FAQ will be developed in the
style of a true FAQ, as a series of answers to questions.

Although the guide is designed for hunters beginning to fight Fatalis, or for
novices who have yet to encounter him, but would like to know what it is like,
we have collected information that might be useful even to expert Fatalis
veterans.


============================

2) Origins of this FAQ/Guide

Mr_Hartgrave is also the author of the Monster Hunter Online Beginner's Guide.
One day, he came into the online town where Sanjuro333 was resting after a
tiring quest and offered to bring him on his first Fatalis encounter.
Sanjuro333 was such a clueless beginner at that time that he didn't have a
proper gun (he sold his arbalest+ soon after his HR13 Lao), had to make gunner
armor and therefore kept pestering Mr_Hartgrave for more information on how to
take on Fatalis and the quests involved. Perhaps to keep him quiet Mr_Hartgrave
told him that he was going to add a Fatalis section to the Online Beginner's
Guide.

After that first Fatalis, Sanjuro333 finally managed to unlock the Fatalis
quests himself a few weeks later and started to look for the answers to those
questions that bothered him.He then discovered that Mr_Hartgrave still had not
written that Fatalis section of his guide, so he decided to contribute some of
his ideas to that guide.

After some discussion, we both decided it might be appropriate to expand that
section into a full-blown guide on Fatalis. This is it.


============================

3) The F.A.Q.


Who and what is Fatalis? 
------------------------

Fatalis is a huge black dragon that appears as the ultimate 'boss' of Monster
Hunter. He is a large dragon, a likely hundred feet in length. Like all true
dragons he has four legs, but also, a pair of wings and a long tail. Unlike the
other dragon in Monster Hunter, the red dragon Lao Shan Lung, Fatalis has a
pair of wings and he flies and has a variety of attacks.


What is the origin of the name 'Fatalis'?
-----------------------------------------

Fatalis is a Latin word that means 'ordained by fate'. The root words are
obviously 'fatal' or 'fateful' and a dictionary provides the following
definitions: 
    fatal. adj. : bringing death 
    fateful, adj. : having momentous consequences; of decisive importance: 
        having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin;  
        controlled or decreed by fate; predetermined.


How do you pronounce 'Fatalis'? 
-------------------------------

There are several ways to pronounce his name. The most common way appears to be
very similar to the pronunciation of the word 'fatalist', ie. FAY-tuh-lis.

An alternate, less common pronunciation is fuh-TAL-is, similar to the way you
might say, 'fatality'.

In the original Latin however, the proper way to articulate 'A' is to use the
'ah' sound, and Fatalis should be pronounced as:

FAH-ta-lis or fah-TA-lis

As Capcom is a Japanese company and Monster Hunter is very popular in Japan,
especially among the otaku set, one can argue that another, more prevalent, but
idiosyncratic pronunciation of Fatalis is FAH-tar-riss.


When can a player participate in the Fatalis quests?
----------------------------------------------------

Players who have reached HR17 and beyond can participate in Fatalis quests. In
the town screen, if a Fatalis mission is posted, the marker besides it appears
as a purple (or pink to some) color. Some HR20s who have Fatalis use this as a
means to attract HR17+ hunters to a town. Fatalis is sometimes considered a
highly desired quest for HR17 to pre-Fatalis HR20s. They cannot host it, but
can only join those that someone else posted.


How do you obtain the Fatalis quests? 
------------------------------------

Fatalis is a 'secret' quest in the sense that the four related quests do not
appear until certain conditions have been met. In fact there are four
associated quests that involve Fatalis, as you can fight him in 4 different
settings. This will be addressed in another question below.

Although the 'end' of the online game can be reached when the player completes
his final Urgent Quest, beating Lao Shan Lung in A Giant Dragon Invades, it
takes further effort to unlock the Fatalis quests.

After beating the Lao Urgent Quest and acquiring over 150,000 HRP, a hunter
reaches HR20 and attains the final rank of Monster Hunter. However, in order
for the Fatalis quests to appear, two things need to be done:

a. All the online quests from 1* to 6* have to be completed or cleared. The
quest list will display CLEARED if all the quests in that level are completed.

b. The hunter must have killed a certain number of large wyverns. It was
believed that this number had to be 50 Rathalos and 50 Rathians, but this
appears now to be false. Some players have reported that it took less than 25
Rathalos killed to unlock Fatalis. Another player said that Fatalis was
unlocked after killing Lao Shan Lung in a quest. Some of us now think that a
TOTAL of 100 (or more) large monsters need to be killed to unlock Fatalis.
These large wyverns or dragons can be Rathalos, Rathian, Gravios, Diablos,
Plesioth or Lao.


Will offline kills count? 
-------------------------

Fatalis is an online-only quest, and wyverns killed offline do not count.


How will I know when I've unlocked Fatalis?
-------------------------------------------

When you check your quests available with the girl at the counter in the
tavern, you will see a new set of quests added to your Urgent quests. There are
four of them, in addition to the Lao quest you unlocked earlier. From now on,
once you have unlocked them, you will always have the Fatalis quests.

You will notice that the two surly hunters called Red Devil and Black Devil,
who used to insult you from their bench on the far left of the tavern are now
on the floor, lamenting their peril, as they cannot seem to defeat this new
enemy. Various people in town will also say different things to you, for
instance, the innkeeper will scold you for resting at a time when you should be
fighting Fatalis.


How do I clear Fatalis? 
-----------------------

There are four Fatalis quests or stages. You can do any series of them in any
order. Every time you fight Fatalis, it is considered as one round. As you
fight Fatalis, he accumulates damage, and if enough damage is done in any
round, once the time is up (15 minutes for each quest or stage) he flies off
and you win that stage. At any time after that, when you start another Fatalis
round, he starts with the damage already dealt to him. If in any round, you do
enough damage to kill him (see later for Fatalis' HP) then you will have
cleared all the Fatalis quests in your Urgent quests list. You will also know
this because the two Devil brothers will be back at their usual spots, but now
they, and everybody else in the town, will look up to your for your amazing
feat in defeating Fatalis.


What are the different quests for fighting Fatalis?
---------------------------------------------------

All Fatalis quests last 15 minutes. The contract fee goes up per quest as you
get to use more powerful weapons for the castle.

Quest 1. Castle Schrade, One courtyard open, ballistas active on ledge opposite
camp ledge. Contract: 1600z Reward: 9600z HRP: 2000

Quest 2. Castle Schrade. Two courtyards open, gate active, ballistas active.
Contract: 2200z Reward: 9600z HRP: 2000

Quest 3. Castle Schrade. Two courtyards open, gate active, ballistas and cannon
active. Contract: 2400z Reward: 9600z HRP: 2000

Quest 4. Castle Schrade. Two courtyards open, gate active, ballistas and cannon
active, Dragonator active. Contract: 2800z Reward: 9600z HRP: 2000

You do NOT have to fight Fatalis in any quest order. The quest only determines
what sort of castle weaponry you have at your disposal. Experienced hunters who
want to kill Fatalis in the shortest possible time, usually choose the first
quest for every round until a kill is achieved. While this might be
counter-intuitive as there are only ballistas available, this is preferred
because the action is confined to the one courtyard (when Fatalis relocates
between the two courtyards, you cannot shoot at it), and hunters can continue
to pummel the dragon with a stream of Cluster shots.


What is the setting of a Fatalis quest like?
--------------------------------------------

Castle Schrade is essentially two large courtyards with a gate in the middle.
The camp, to the west of the gate, has two openings, to the north and south
courtyards.

There are small ledges to the west and east of the first or north courtyard,
the western ledge leads to camp and has a cannon mounted, while the opposite
ledge has a ballista.

There are ledges running all round the southern or second courtyard. There is a
cannon on the western ledge, close to the entrance to camp, and on the opposite
ledge, another ballista. The southern end of this courtyard is dominated by a
high rampart that houses the Dragonator spear cannon.

Fatalis will usually be in one or the other courtyard if it is open. When he
flies up very high, it always means he is moving to the other courtyard. W
Raider notes that there is a rare glitch, which we have also observed, where
Fatalis sometimes flies out of the courtyard, and it is impossible to hit him
at all.


What happens at the start of a Fatalis round?
---------------------------------------------

When you start the round, you will be in the first courtyard, facing the gate
to the south, away from Fatalis (usually he is in the center of the first
courtyard). To your right is the ledge that leads to camp (the camp ledge), and
most people make a beeline for this. You could however, use a Farcaster to
bring you to camp faster. Some people simply don't bother to go to camp at all,
they just start loading up and firing at Fatalis right away.

If you do go to camp, you will find a rack, a pile of cannonballs, and a supply
box on the left wall (as you enter from the northern entrance usually). You can
pick up some first-aid meds, rations, lifepowder and 4 sets of 3 ballistas from
the box. Additionally, you can search the rack for more ballistas, and, if the
quest has them, the cannonball stack for cannon shot. If you intend to use
ballistas to shoot Fatalis, it is suggested that you search the rack first and
then collect those at the box, as this is believed to maximize the number of
ballistas (10) that you can collect. This, however, may be just another rumor.
In any case, if you want to shoot ballista shot, you have to go back to camp to
pick these up.


How can I tell how badly Fatalis is hurt?
-----------------------------------------

In the opening animation, you can look closely at Fatalis to see the damage he
has sustained, and use this as a guide to how much longer you have to fight
him. This damage is cumulative and often more than one type will be apparent.
It generally appears in the following order:

Eye scar on Fatalis (after round in which you get Fatalis' Eye) 
Horn is chipped (after round in which you may get Fatalis' Horn) 
Starts breathing heavily (smoke and flames from his mouth) 
Wings start looking tattered 
Horns missing (usually one left) 
Large scar on chest (after round in which you get Fatalis' Crust)

A new method for determining Fatalis' damage has been proposed by Gravados
(Lord Grahf on GameFAQs) and verified by us. This involves counting the number
of Fatalis screams or roars. When a certain amount of damage is inflicted on
him, Fatalis will scream in agony. If this happens while he is airborne, he
will drop to the ground (and presumably take more damage).

The hypothesis is that each scream represents a percentage of damage taken,
presumed to be about 1%. Here's what we've found through actual tests. If you
can get Fatalis to scream at least 20-25 times, you will have a repel. Since
20% is 1/5 damage and you can fight Fatalis up to 5 rounds, this makes sense.
However, in some cases, it takes up to 25 screams to be sure of a repel.

In a number of two-round Fatalis kills, the number of screams has been observed
to be between 97 - 105, whereas if you take 3 to 4 rounds to kill him, the
scream count goes up to 120 - 135. It appears that between round 2 and 3,
Fatalis regains some health.

This scream counting method is not absolute, and it is possible that Fatalis
has a variable amount of HP determined randomly. Still, if you are able to
inflict over 50 screams in Round 1, you are looking good for a 2-round kill.


What kinds of rewards and carves will I get in a Fatalis round?
---------------------------------------------------------------

Generally, after the first repel round you will get Fatalis' Eye, sometimes a
Horn, Shells and Scales. In the next rounds, as he sustains more damage, you
will get, in addition, Fatalis' Webbing, if his wings take on damage, followed
by Fatalis' Crust, after which his chest will show a scar. Finally, in the
round that Fatalis dies, you will be able to carve his body to get a maximum of
nine carves, although in practice you may not be able to get all of them. The
places to carve are the head, chest and waist.

Often, it will take three to four rounds to kill Fatalis, although it can be
done in two, and may take as long as five. Typical rewards is a four round
battle are:

Round 1: Eye, Shell, Scale, Lightcrystals, Novacrystals 
Round 2: Horn, Shell, Scale, Webbing, Lightcrystals, Novacrystals 
Round 3: Crust, Horn, Shell, Scale, Webbing, Lightcrystals, Novacrystals 
Round 4: (including carves) Horn, Shell, Scale, Webbing, Lightcrystals,
         Novacrystals

The exact number of reward items vary and depends on your luck.


What are the attacks that Fatalis will use?
-------------------------------------------

Fatalis has two main attacks, depending on whether it is airborne or on the
ground. When it is in the air, it will use its deadly fireball attack. This is
a ranged attack that will deal at least 200 points of damage, and, unless the
hunter is wearing special fire-resistant armor (see later), it is an instant
one-hit kill if it is on target. The damage is dependant on distance. At close
range it deals more damage, and a partial hit deals less. The fireball has a
range of slightly over half the courtyard, so if you stand far away, the
fireball may not even reach you. However, at a great distance, the chances of
you hitting Fatalis with your gun are also reduced.

When Fatalis is on the ground, either after he lands or he takes a fall, he
will employ two different attacks. The first is the same fireball that is so
deadly from the air. Contrary to what people believe, the damage of a
ground-launched fireball is the same as an airborne fireball. The difference is
due to distance and most airborne fireballs are at a greater distance than a
ground-based one.

The other, more deadly ground-based attack is the bite. When Fatalis spots you,
he may start a menacing wiggly move straight towards you and lunges his head
and bites you. This is often a one-hit kill, especially if you are wearing
gunner armor. This move may be frightening to encounter, especially if you are
new to Fatalis, but experienced players will know how to evade this attack.
Once Fatalis is committed to this bite attack, when he is close enough, he does
not normally adjust his direction, and you can roll or run to avoid it.

Other melee attacks include a body slam - sometimes Fatalis will land on you,
or smash against you if you, by dint of good armor, survive a bite. Even being
scraped by his legs when he moves will deal damage. In other words, if you are
a gunner, just don't get hit by Fatalis. It's painful and more often than not,
lethal.

The weakest attack is the tail whip. Sometimes when Fatalis is hovering over
the ground, his tail will swipe you and you suffer a little damage. During his
'wiggle of death' on the ground, his tail may also hit you as you run the other
way. This can deal some damage, although not enough to kill.


What are some tips and tricks to avoid these attacks?
-----------------------------------------------------

Fatalis only fireballs directly in front of it. So one way to tell is to see if
Fatalis is looking directly at you. You can look at the facing of its head, or,
depending on the camera angle, the way its tail is lined up. If it looks at
you, get ready to dodge! Sometimes Fatalis will deliver a well-aimed fireball
if it has had time to track you. But on some occasions it will fire three
fireballs at successively closer ranges, the last of which may hit you if you
have not dodged by then. By predicting when and where Fatalis shoots its
fireball and then evading it, it is possible to use the time to reload or
combine, as he seldom follows up with another attempt. He will, instead, look
for another target, unless, of course, you are soloing him.

The way to avoid ground-based attacks is to know when Fatalis is about to lunge
at you. the rule of thumb is, if he looks directly at you, this is the time to
start moving or rolling away. After a few rounds observing Fatalis closely, you
will be able to guess his intentions. Keeping your distance is, of course, very
important. One tip suggested by Mykal is to dodge roll to the side, and then,
instead of continuing the movement, switch direction to roll in front, or
towards and parallel to Fatalis. He cannot turn so sharply and he will move
past you.

Once you've rolled or run out of the way, use the breathing room to reload or
combine. You should always make use of this 'free' time to prepare for your
next attack. Never reload or combine when there is a chance that you will get
attacked. Observe Fatalis' actions, if he is turning away, or is hit and
flailing on the ground, it's probably safe to reload or combine.

Another tip contributed by W_Raider is to keep your distance, but try and have
another team-mate CLOSER to him than you. This may be a cheap trick, but it
worked in 'Nam.


What are the preferred weapons used to defeat Fatalis?
------------------------------------------------------

There is no doubt that the bowgun is the weapon of choice, and the only common
criterion is that the gun must be able to shoot Cluster 2 shot. In all quests
Fatalis is airborne much of the time, and a bowgun is the only weapon that can
reach it. 

It would be good to select a gun that has at least a FAST reload speed,
although with certain armor such as the Genesis or Glyph, this speed can be
improved. Reload speed is important if you want to take Fatalis out as fast as
possible, as a faster reloading gun improves your rate of fire. For example, a
VERY SLOW gun like the YKK cannon can manage 50-70 Cluster 2s in a 15 minute
round, while a FAST or VERY FAST gun is often able to unload all 102 Cluster
2s.

It used to be thought suicidal, but highly skilled players have tried and found
that it is possible to melee Fatalis and defeat him. This will be described
later in another section.

Heavy bowguns

There are two classes of bowguns, Heavy and Light. Heavy bowguns generally have
a higher attack factor, a longer range for shots fired, and apparently with a
faster and straighter trajectory, reflecting their greater power or muzzle
velocity. When a heavy bowgun is carried, the hunter walks with the gun drawn,
and putting the gun away (or sheathing) takes a little longer, because in many
cases it has to be folded in half and then slung on the back.

Vor Cannon: This is the most popular heavy bowgun used to fight Fatalis. The
essential parts to make this gun are Fatalis parts, 2 Horns and 2 Scales. An
HR17 on his or her first Fatalis fight should be able to collect these parts in
just two rounds. The Vor is popular because it has a high attack power (276
fully modded), FAST reload speed and versatile ammo selection. Are there any
drawbacks to the Vor? It does not shoot any type of Pellet, but many gunners
don't think that's an issue. It is also thought to be one of the ugliest
bowguns in the game, and some players complain that it is too commonplace.
These presumed drawbacks however, don't influence its effectiveness on Fatalis.

Yian Kut-ku Cannon. A heavy-duty favorite of HR13+ gunners, it has high attack
pawer (300 fully modded) and shoots Cluster 2 shot. Its main drawback is that
its reload speed is VERY SLOW. Players with a YKK Cannon would usually switch
to a Vor after their first few Fatalis rounds.

Flechette gun: This is the choice of some hunters who want to use Dragon shot
as well as Cluster 2 on Fatalis. This gun is slightly harder to make than the
YKK cannon as it requires a Vespoid abdomen. However, there is some evidence
that Dragon shot, while much better than Normal or Pierce shot, is still
inferior to the ubiquitous Cluster 2. The VERY SLOW relaod speed of the
Flechette gun is another drawback.

Quickcaster: If you have the patience to collect the Majestic Horns, and have
the Kirin parts, the Quickcaster is the weapon you might want to bring. Its
looks are distinctive and cool and it handles like sleek lightning. People will
ask you, "What's that? A WHITE gun?" You are probably the only one in your
entire state to own one. It shoots Cluster 2s and has FAST reload. What's not
to like about the Quickcaster?

Lao Shan Lung Cannon: For those who can afford the plates, this is the ultimate
bowgun, with its 360 fully modded attack, the highest in the game. The Lao
cannon however only shoots Level 3 ammo, and as you can only carry limited
amounts of this, your choices are shooting 13 Cluster 3s, 19 Crag 3s and
followed by Pellet and Pierce 3 shots. However, it may be feasible to stay at
close range to Fatalis and pepper him with Pellet 3 and Pierce 3s, as each shot
benefits from the Lao cannon's 360 attack.

Light Bowguns

Light bowguns on the other hand, have lower attack factors and a shot
trajectory that demonstrates a pronounced arc, i.e. the shot drops over
distance or height presumably because these light guns are weaker. Gunners
using light bowguns must adjust for this trajectory. Light bowguns, however,
allow the hunter to run with the gun drawn and sheathing/unsheathing is much
quicker than with a heavy bowgun. When you are out of ammo, you can relocate by
running and combining at the same time. Some light bowguns like the Grenade or
Titan Launcher also have VERY FAST reload speeds, the fastest in the game,
although their maximum modded attack factor is only 192. Gunners who use light
bowguns rely on mobility rather than power. Light gunners tend to stay close to
the target as they can move faster, to make up for the slower and less poweful
trajectory of the shot.

Grenade Launcher: For HR13+ gunners, this is cheap and easy to make and has a
good selection of most Level 1 and 2 ammo. Hunters who are not usually gunners
can use this as a learning tool to get the hang of gunning before taking on
Fatalis.

Titan Launcher: A slightly higher grade bowgun, it has the same ammo selection
as the Grenade Launcher, except that it shoots Level 2 and 3 instead. It is
also not difficult to make, and affordable. It requires three Gravios
Carapaces, but most hunters who have reached HR17 should be able to get these
easily. The Titan Launcher is the most popular light bowgun among experienced
Fatalis hunters.

Maelstrom: A favorite of support gunners, the Maelstrom is weak in gun attack
power (144 fully modded, but see next question), but makes up for it with its
extremely versatile ammo selection.

Dark Parasol: For those lucky enough to find the lost umbrella, the Dark
Parasol is the weapon to bring to raise an eyebrow among fellow hunters. With a
FAST reload and wide ammo selection, the Dark Parasol is a formidable support
gun. However, the Dark Parasol has the important drawbacks of not being able to
shoot Cluster or Pierce shots, and is not recommended for Fatalis unless you
plan to use it solely for support.

For all bowguns, you should mod it as high an attack as you can. Modding a gun
improves its power, range and accuracy, according to the in-game info. The long
barrel upgrade is also essential, as Fatalis is flying much of the time and you
may be shooting it at a distance. Always pick this over the silencer option. A
zoom scope is not really crucial, but it is always useful to have. In the end,
it's the bowgun that you like and are most familiar with, that's the one that
works best.


How important is gun attack? 
----------------------------

The gun's attack factor determines the damage caused when a Normal shot hits
its target. For other ammo, the damage is related to this baseline.

For Normal 1 shot, this is about half the attack factor at point-blank range.
Normal 2 and Normal 3 shot inflict full attack factor at point-blank. Damage
falls off rapidly with distance, but Normal 3 shot retains more power than
Normal 1 and 2. In most cases, Normal shot is a waste of time against Fatalis
as its damage is insignificant compared to the other ammo. If you have to bring
Normal shot as a last resort, bring Normal 2, as it is easier to make or buy.

Pierce and Pellet are like Normal shot, except that they hit multiple times or
have multiple shots respectively. So a gun with a higher attack factor is
proportionately better off if it uses Pierce or Pellet. Pellet shot, however,
has a very short range. According to W Raider, it has the unfortunate side
effect of making Fatalis irritable, so it may not be a wise choice in ammo.

For the other kinds of shot, it is debatable whether gun damage is related to
its attack when the shot impacts the target. For example, the ubiquitous
Cluster 2 shot may or may not add the attack factor when it hits and the
bomblets separately explode.

Attack boosts due to food at the inn, powercharms and demondrugs etc. affect
the attack factor. Check your status to see this. Do not expect a great
improvement though, even though they stack, each boost adds about 5 to 10.
Because of the relatively low damage (the Lao Cannon does 360 damage e.g.)
compared to the 1000-2500 damage a Cluster shot can do, it can be argued that a
gun's attack contributes minimally to its damage on a large monster such as
Fatalis.

Therefore, despite 'conventional' wisdom, a gun's attack factor is NOT as
important as other attributes such as reload speed and ammo selection. If a gun
allows you to shoot more Cluster 2s because of its reload speed always pick
this over a gun with a higher attack.

Of course, every little boost does help if you can afford it. But given a
choice between, say, an attack boost or defense boost, always choose the
latter, as it may make the difference between surviving a fireball or dying.


What ammo works best on Fatalis? 
--------------------------------

The ammo of choice is the Cluster 2 shot. Cluster shots are essentially
bomblets that spread out and explode separately when the shot hits the target.
Cluster 1 splits up into 3; Cluster 2: 4,  and Cluster 3: 5 bomblets. Each
bomblet does about 500 HP damage, and the total damage inflicted on Fatalis
depends on whether they all explode on target. Some bomblets explode further
away, causing less damage, or some may miss altogether. Because of this
uncertainty in dispersal, the damage caused by Cluster shot is only an
estimate. For most purposes we make the assumption that Cluster 1 does 1500 HP
damage, Cluster 2, 2000 and Cluster 3, 2500.

Cluster 2 shot is the most popular ammo simply because you can carry the most
of it - 102 shots. You can carry 3 ready to go, and 99 each of wyvern claws and
small bone husks, which you then combine to make Cluster 2 shot.

Cluster 3 is more powerful but you can only carry 3 at a time, plus 10 to be
combined. The limitation is the number of Scatterfish you can bring, 10.

Cluster 1 has the same limitation - a maximum of 13 shots because you can only
carry 10 Bomberries.

Crag shots pierce and then explode inside the target. Crags do from 500 to 1500
damage depending on level, and are useful when you run out of Cluser shot. You
can carry 19 of each.

Pellet and Pierce also work, but see the previous question. Use these only when
you run out of other, more damaging ammo. Don't bring Normal shots as they are
virtually useless. Using Pierce or Normal shot on Fatalis is very obvious, as
the impact explosions can be seen clearly, and this sometimes leads your
team-mates to question your sanity, if you have not already made this clear
beforehand.

Poison shots should be avoided as they do minimal damage and it is hard to
inflict a poison status effect on Fatalis.

Stun Lvl 2, however, has been shown to work, and is a great support option if
others are meleeing Fatalis. It takes about 16-20 shots to achieve a stun
however.

Some people believe that Dragon shot should work well on Fatalis. However,
independent tests have shown that they inflict only about 500 to 1000 damage on
an offline Rathian. Whether they do more damage on Fatalis, which is slightly
weaker to Dragon element, is possible but debatable. As it is, the only gun
with Dragon shot that is practical against Fatalis is the Flechette gun.


What else should one bring on a Fatalis quest?
----------------------------------------------

Before you start your quest, go and eat at the inn to get a +50 health boost.
You might want to boost your stamina as well, as you need that to dodge roll,
and if you use a heavy bowgun, that's your main mode of evasion. Attack boosts
are useful if you plan to melee Fatalis, but for gunners, the contribution is
minimal.

Spend some time at your trunk to sort out your inventory. Sort the items in the
trunk and your inventory, then store the top two items (usually potions). Then
load the top two slots with small bone husks and wyvern claws. Now take out
Combo Books 1-4. Combine husks and claws to make 3 Cluster 2 shots. Then load
up husks and claws again to make up 99. Bring 10 Mega Potions as you want to
save time healing up fast. Bring a couple of steaks for stamina if you need to.
You're all set to go now. You can bring Potions too if you want, but since a
Fatalis hit is so damaging, if not a one-hit kill, use Mega Potions to bring
your health back up fast.

Other optional items to bring are Lifepowders, to heal team-mates (the supply
box in camp provides 2 in any case), Max Potions to restore your health to full
(useful if you die and you want to start again with maximum health), or an
Ancient Potion for the same reason. Some people also bring a Farcaster to
either speed up their trip back to camp, or to get them out of a tight spot.

Armorcharms, Armor Seeds, Armorskin and Mega Armorskin are all useful to boost
your defense and may make the difference between surviving a partial fireball
hit or dying.

If you are meleeing Fatalis, you should also bring, in addition to the above, a
supply of whetstones, other things you normally bring on a quest, plus extra
potions and maybe megajuices. A Powercharm, if you have one, is good for that
little extra attack boost.

Recommended Inventory List for Fatalis (gunning)

Sm Bone Husks       99
Wyvern Claws        99
Book of Combos 1     1
Book of Combos 2     1
Book of Combos 3     1
Book of Combos 4     1
Cluster 2 S          3
Mega Potion         10
(the following are optional)
Burst Arrowana      10
Lg Bone Husks       30
Bomb Arrowana       10
Scatterfish         10
Crag 2 S             9
Crag 3 S             9
Cluster 3 S          3
Max Potion           2
Farcaster            1
Pierce 2 S          50


What is 'claw day?' 
-------------------

Claw day (some pedants call it the Material Shop Special Day) is the
favorite shopping day for Fatalis hunters, for it is the one day when the
Materials Shop in the Market sells small bone husks and wyvern claws (as well
as other items like Nitroshrooms). Claw day occurs every ten days. If today is
claw day, then the next is ten days later.

Small bone husks and wyvern claws are not cheap. Husks cost 30z each and a
claw, 180z. Buying two whole 'stacks' of 99 husks and 99 claws will set you
back 20790z.

Two days before claw day is 'fish day' (or Food Shop Special Day), another
useful day for buying ammo parts, when you can buy various fish from the Food
Shop manned by the well-known fat lady in the red dress. You can buy Burst
Arrowana for Crag 2 shot, Bomb Arrowana for Crag 3 shot, and Scatterfish for
Cluster 3 shot.

The order of market special days goes like this:

Material Shop Special (Claw Day) 
No special 
Half-Price Day (half-price at all shops except Combo Shop) 
No special 
Item Shop Special (Megabugnet, Megapickaxe and Gunpowder) 
No special 
Half-Price Day 
No special 
Food Shop Special (Fish or Honey Day) 
No special


What can I do if I can't afford Wyvern Claws and Small Bone Husks?
------------------------------------------------------------------

Wyvern claws are picked up as rewards from many wyverns including YKK+, Raths,
Plesioth and Khezu. The quickest way to collect them is to go on YKK+ runs
which yield from 0 to 25 claws per run. You can wear Luck armor to improve your
haul of claws.

Small bone husks are dropped by Dromes, Bloses, Basarios and Gravios. You can
get multiple stacks of 24 if you fight the Basarios+ or Gravios+. They also
drop Large bone husks which are useful in making ammo as well. The easiest way
to get husks however is to either do the offline 3* Velocidrome quest or the
online 1* quest. They come in stacks of 8. The offline quest is quick and easy
- you only kill one drome, and it usually takes less than a minute. Another
bonus is that you can scrounge 4 flash bombs from the supply box in this quest.



What armor is recommended for fighting Fatalis?
-----------------------------------------------

Some people believe that since Fatalis' attacks are so deadly, it may be
pointless to wear any armor at all. However, this is simply not true. There are
certain armor combos that allow you to survive certain attacks. Some folks
prefer to wear the Guild or some other combo set with Good Luck skills to
improve their chances during reward time. In practice, since the 'rare' rewards
such as Fatalis' eye or crust are virtually certain during the rounds in which
they appear, these skills affect only the minor rewards.

The Genesis gunner set has several advantages. The most important advantage is
the Reload Speed + 2 skill. This makes VERY SLOW reload guns practical on a
Fatalis battle (VERY SLOW becomes NORMAL). These sets also have a high
fire-resistance and it will allow you to survive most fireballs, especially if
they are at a long distance, or you are dodging out of its way. The speedy
damage recovery skill helps if you do get hit too. 

The Glyph set with the Red Tasset and Pants for female gunners, while lacking
the reload skill, has instead a +25 fire-resistance and will enable you to
survive almost all fireballs.

The most affordable, easily obtained and often overlooked armor combo is the
Rathalos/Rathian gunner armor combo. This comprises a mix of Rathalos/Rathian
parts and is different for male and female gunners.

Male                Female 
----                ------ 
Rathalos Cap        Rathian Cap 
Rathian Vest        Rathalos Vest 
Rathian Guards      Rathian Guards 
Rathalos Coat       Rathalos Coat 
Rathian Leggings    Rathian Leggings

This armor combo has a +25 fire-resistance skill. In addition to the +25
fire-resistance already present, the total fire-resistance of this set is +50.
Wearing this armor combo, a gunner will survive almost any Fatalis fireball,
even those at close range. At normal ranges, a direct fireball hit will take
off about 100 HP, allowing the gunner with 150 Health to survive and then
recover with only two Megapotions. The great drawback of this armor set is the
low defense of 44. Don't even get touched by Fatalis as it might be fatal!

For meleeing Fatalis, although people who have the Dragon or Auroros set want
to flaunt it, the negative Dragon resistance of these armor might be a problem.
The Hornet+/Vespoid+ combo, however, with the +25 Dragon resistance (total:
+33) provides the best protection possible, and is the recommended armor for
meleeing Fatalis. The two following combos all work for both male and female
blademasters.

Helm:  Any                 Any
Torso: Vespoid+ Mail       Vespoid+ Mail 
Arm:   Hornet+ Greaves     Vespoid+ Greaves
Waist: Hornet+ Tasset      Hornet+ Tasset 
Legs:  Vespoid+ Greaves    Hornet+ Greaves

Wearing a Hornet+ helm, giving a total defense of 106, +35 Dragon resistance,
this armor set has been proven to withstand one direct Fatalis bite and two
body slams without healing. The -25 fire resistance is a drawback though. You
definitely do not want to be hit by a fireball wearing this combo.


How do ballistas and cannon work? 
---------------------------------

The ballista is essentially a giant crossbow that shoots large arrows or darts.
There are ballistas on the east ledge opposite the camp ledge in Courtyard 1
and another on the long ledge on the east side in Courtyard 2. Ballista shots
can be collected from the supply box in camp where they come in sets of 3, and
you can also find some more in the spear rack. You can only carry a maximum of
10 ballista shots at any time.

To shoot a ballista, move to the ballista, use L2 to select the ballista shot,
and press square to engage it. You can now also select R1 to enable the 'scope'
view with a cross-hair. You can now rotate the ballista using the left
directional stick, and press X to fire it. After firing, you have to press
square again to re-engage the next shot.

Ballistas work best at a medium distance, or when Fatalis is trying to fly away
from the ground, usually, at about half-courtyard, when it is centered in the
cross-hairs. A ballista hit results in a vibration felt in the control sticks.
When Fatalis comes close to the ballista, even at point-blank range, for some
reason, the ballista will never hit. Ballistas are very effective when Fatalis
is attempting to get airborne for a hit will send him crashing down. Ballistas
do much more damage than Cluster 2 shots, possibly 4000 HP damage or more, but
this is just a guesstimate. A good ballista hit will usually make Fatalis
flinch and scream.

Cannon on the other hand, are artillery pieces that are fixed in position and
can be found at the corner of the camp ledge in Courtyard 1, and just outside
the camp entrance in Courtyard 2. You pick up one Cannon at a time from the
pile of cannonballs next to the supply box, and carry it in front of the
cannon. Then press X to fire. Cannon are fixed and therefore you cannot swivel
it. You have to wait until Fatalis is in position before you fire. However, if
you have partners shooting at Fatalis using the ballista in Courtyard 1, he
usually comes close enough to that ledge, positioning himself perfectly for a
shot. Cannon shots deal massive damage when on target, although we do not know
how much, it is certainly more than a ballista shot.

According to Mykal, there is a trick to using the cannon in Courtyard 2 -
whenever Fatalis relocates from Courtyard 1 to 2, he will land in the Courtyard
in just the perfect spot for a shot. Timing the shot, though, is tricky. You
need to shoot just as he is about to land.


What about the Gate? 
--------------------

In quests 2 to 4, the gate between the two courtyards is open and active. You
have to lure Fatalis under the gate for it to close on him and deal some
damage. When he is trapped in the gate, he is apparently weakened and it is a
good opportunity to pummel him with more shots. The gate, however, is only a
one-shot deal.

The best way to attract Fatalis is to stand just inside the other courtyard,
shooting at him to drop him to the ground, and then trying to get him to lunge
forward into Courtyard 2. Using flutes to attract him sometimes works too. All
four players should work in cooperation to bait Fatalis to move towards the
gate.

Using the gate is not always effective, as sometimes Fatalis decides to fly to
Courtyard 2 instead of using the ground. Also, there is sometimes one hunter
who either does not know the procedure, or forgets, and stays in Courtyard 1,
attracting Fatalis' attention, creating ill-will and frustration among his
team-mates.


How does one use the Dragonator? 
--------------------------------

The steam-powered Dragonator spear cannon is located in the southern wall of
Courtyard 2, and is activated by a large red button on the rampart above it.
The technique here is to lure Fatalis to the second courtyard, usually via the
gate, and then relocating to the southern end, tempting him to move to a spot
in front of the Dragonator. Usually one or two hunters should stay on the ledge
on top, and another below, using flutes if necessary to attract his attention.
The Dragonator deals a lot of damage, as is evident by the agonized screams
from Fatalis when he is hit. However, getting Fatalis into position can be a
tricky business. Sometimes he will not land in front of the spear cannon, and
sometimes he may decide to fly back to Courtyard 1.


What parts of Fatalis should gunners to aim for?
------------------------------------------------

The head, chest and belly are usually good places to hit Fatalis. In practice,
when he is up in the air, aim for his head, as the dropoff in trajectory
usually brings the shot down to impact on his chest, belly or wings, all of
which are good spots to hit him.

When Fatalis is on the ground, sometimes he will attempt to fly up. This is a
good opportunity to shoot him, and if you can score a good hit with Cluster
shot on his wings or chest, you will bring him crashing down to the ground with
a scream. We cannot prove this, but the agonizing sound he makes suggests that
a lot of damage is sustained during the fall. A team of experienced gunners can
sometimes get Fatalis trapped in such a loop - scream, fall, tries to fly, hit
again, scream and fall, repeat cycle.


How much HP does Fatalis have? 
------------------------------

Nobody knows precisely how much HP the black dragon has, nor indeed, for any of
the other monsters in Monster Hunter, but this number can be estimated based on
several assumptions: how much damage a Cluster 2 shot does, and how many shots
on average it takes to kill Fatalis.

It takes between 500 to 600 Cluster 2 shots to kill Fatalis. Assuming that a
Cluster 2 does 2000 HP damage, we arrive at a number between 1 million to 1.2
million HP.

A million is a nice round number and one that might appeal to
the programmers who devised the system. It is also an appropriate number for
the ultimate 'boss' in Monster Hunter.

This estimate for Fatalis' HP is just that, an estimate. If we have more
players helping by totalling the exact number of shots required to kill
Fatalis, we might be able to arrive at a more reliable figure.


How much damage do you need to inflict in order to repel Fatalis?
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Based on results from a successful Fatalis solo attempt (Akubarix, April 8/9
2005), it appears that you need to inflict around or just under 200,000 HP
damage in one round to repel Fatalis. Since 5 rounds is the maximum number of
rounds you can fight Fatalis, 20% of 1 million, or 200,000, seems reasonable as
the minimum amount of damage you need to do per round to win. This suggests
that a team of 4 hunters need to average only 25 Cluster 2 hits to repel
Fatalis, which is a surprisingly low number. In practice though, given that
bomblets disperse and full damage is not taken, it will take more shots to
achieve the desired damage.

A better method for estimating how close you are to a repel is to count the
number of times Fatalis screams. This is described in detail in a question
above. In practice, if you can achieve 25 screams, you are virtually guaranteed
of a repel.


How fast can Fatalis be killed? 
------------------------------

A good team of four people with fast reloading guns can often do it in two
rounds. If everybody shoots off more than 60 Cluster 2s on target, a kill is
often assured before the end of Round 2. Even with as few as 60 rounds fired,
it is still possible, as long as ballistas are also used. There are also other
ways that Fatalis can sustain extra damage, for example, when he takes a fall.
The rationale is this: 60 x 4 x 2000 x 2 = 960,000, which is close to the
1,000,000 HP number.

The best quest to do it is the very first one, with one courtyard. In this
quest, with no distractions such as the Gate or Dragonator, everybody is just
concentrating on Fatalis, and sending a constant barrage of Cluster 2 shots his
way. If there are only 3 players, it is still possible to kill Fatalis in 2
rounds, but each player has to shoot more than 80 Cluster 2s on target, which
is not too difficult to do. Skilled gunners, especially those with Genesis or
Glyph armor, can often get off all 102 shots with minutes to spare.

Assuming that Fatalis does have 1 Million HP, we can predict that Fatalis can
almost certainly never be killed in one round, since 102 x 4 x 2000 = 816,000,
even if this is augmented by Cluster 3 shot, the total is still a little shy of
1,000,000. So far, no team has been able to achieve this feat.


Can Fatalis be soloed? 
----------------------

Yes, some people have done it, although only one attempt (the above-mentioned
solo by Akubarix) has been documented and recorded. Given that only 20% damage
needs to be inflicted, and a good gunner can often get 100 shots off, and on
target, this number can be met. In fact, during subsequent  attempts, a failure
to repel was noted when 96 shots were on target. As few as 98 shots on target
in one test resulted in a repel. Since most skilled gunners can shoot their
entire load of Cluster 2 shots in 15 minutes, carrying some extra Cluster 3 or
Pierce shot allows for more damage to be inflicted. In the solo attempt
described above, Fatalis died in the 5th round, with about a minute left. The
total number of shots was (98 + 100 + 102 + 100 + 99 Cluster 2s) + (9 Cluster
3s).


What are some good strategies to adopt for gunning Fatalis?
-----------------------------------------------------------

There seem to be a couple of basic strategies. The first is the 'noob's'
strategy of staying on the ledges and firing at Fatalis. It offers the apparent
safety of the camp, if Fatalis comes too close, you can always duck back in to
reload or combine. This does waste some time of course. While on the ledge,
Fatalis cannot touch you even if his head comes menacingly close. However, note
that if Fatalis is airborne and zeroes in on you on the ledge, you don't have
much space to dodge a fireball. Also, stray cluster shots from your teammates
can sometimes knock you off the ledge and right into Fatalis. Sometimes,
Fatalis gets so enraged by a stationary gunner on the camp ledge that he
actually lands on the ledge itself, with fatal results to the gunners on it.
The other ledge, with the ballistas, however, seems to be too small for Fatalis
to land on, but it offers no room to escape if he fireballs you there.

On the other hand, and especially if you have the fire-resistant combo,
ledge-camping becomes a viable strategy. If two players are on either ledge,
Fatalis sometimes gets lured into the space between them, in front of the gate.
The other two gunners on the courtyard can get off many shots while he is so
preoccupied. If Fatalis can be grounded at this spot, he offers a good target
for all as he tries to fly up and escape.

The more 'advanced' strategy is for gunners to stay in the courtyard, walking
close to Fatalis' side and firing at him either on the ground or while he is in
the air. On the ground, sticking to his side and timing your movements to avoid
getting in front of his face, is a good strategy, but only after you have
enough experience to understand his moves and attacks.

A mix of the two strategies is probably a good idea, as gunners are spread out
in the courtyard. Bunching up is not a good idea for obvious reasons. While
Fatalis' attention is focused on a target it gives time for the other gunners
to relocate, reload or combine.


Can Fatalis be stunned, poisoned or put to sleep?
-------------------------------------------------

Yes, apparently, you can inflict status effects on Fatalis, although it is hard
to do so.

The most practical status effect is stun, and you can stun Fatalis with Stun
Lvl 2 shot. Thanks to data from Monster Hunter G, provided by Gravados, we
learn that Fatalis has a Stun tolerance of 400, and that each Stun Lvl 1
inflicts 25 points of stun, and a Stun Lvl 2 inflicts 50 points.

When a stun shot is fired, stun points build up until the tolerance level is
reached, after which the monster becomes stunned. Stun points are also lost at
a constant rate, so to stun a monster, you have to keep firing stun shots at a
rate faster than it is lost. In practice, with two gunner shooting Stun Lvl 2,
Fatalis can be stunned in 8 shots. With one gunner, and a fast enough gun,
around 10 or more shots to achieve a stun on Fatalis.

You might want to stun Fatalis in order to support fellow team-members meleeing
Fatalis. Sometimes, if Fatalis is in the air, a good hit from a Stun shot will
bring him crashing to the ground, even if he is not subsequently stunned. When
Fatalis does get stunned, the animation is interesting to watch. He goes groggy
and limp, and his head flops down. Then the yellow electic stun animation
starts.

Using melee weapons, It is also possible to stun Fatalis using an Iron Devil or
Trident.

Fatalis can be poisoned, and poison works almost the same way as stun, with
tolerance levels for Fatalis of 400. However, Fatalis loses poison tolerance
faster than other monsters. If you want to try, use Poison Shot Lvl 2; and
bring small bone husks and Ioprey fangs to combine. It will take over 10 shots
to do so and he stays poisoned for only about 30 seconds. Gunning him appears
to be more effective than using a poison melee weapon. We have tried using a
Chrome Razor on him without any effect.

Fatalis can even be put to sleep. It takes about 8 to 10 Sleep Lvl 2 shots to
put Fatalis to sleep, although this might be something you would do as a gag
because the next hit would just wake him up.


Can Fatalis be trapped?
-----------------------

For those of you who might be hopeful enough to bring a pitfall trap on a
Fatalis quest, the short answer is no. It's not that he cannot be trapped, for
we don't know that, but the game won't allow you to place a trap anywhere in
the Castle.


What about meleeing Fata? 
-------------------------

Fatalis can be successfully meleed and a party of 4 just using melee weapons
can repel Fatalis, but with all things being equal, a melee weapon is never
going to be as effective as a gun firing Cluster 2 shot.

You need to have skill and a certain amount of courage while attempting to
melee Fatalis, in addition to a good understanding of how he moves and attacks.
A single mistake can often result in your death. Even experienced blademasters
need to be cautious around Fatalis.

Any melee weapon can be used against Fatalis, although it is preferable to use
one that has Dragon element. The Black Dragon Spear and Eternal Annihilator are
the favorite melee weapons as they deal the most damage, and have a long reach.
There are those who argue that a hammer is the best weapon to use in general
because they hit much better. Dragonbreaker is a good hammer to use on Fatalis,
and even the Dual Dragon Ultimus has its advocates. We have also tested out the
Black Dragon Sword and the Eternal Strife. Due to the close striking nature of
the last two weapons, great skill and armor are necessary of course. Dragon
armor is a good choice, but the best armor to use is the Hornet+/Vespoid+ combo
with the +25 Dragon resistance.

Using a Great Sword, attack the chest, belly and if possible, the groin area.
Fatalis seems to be weakest there. If he is immobilized, attack the head and
wings. Most blows to the back and body tend to bounce off however. Using a
lance, charge attacks work, but you need to be fast and try to go through the
body, aiming for the chest at the right moment. Attacking the back legs and
tail also work, and is probably safest.

Try not to get caught between Fatalis and a wall. Always try to maneuver to
attack so that you have space to escape after striking the blow. A fireball and
even a direct bite CAN be blocked, especially if you use a lance, but it takes
off almost all your stamina and some health. Using a megajuice is definitely
helpful.

If you have a gunner with you, ask him to stun Fatalis with Stun Lvl 2 shot.
This makes it easier to attack him and you will deal more damage. The wings are
a good choice, as is the head. Lancing the head when Fatalis is stunned causes
him to flinch noticeably, and is as close to headlocking as you can get with
this giant dragon.


Can you make a profit from fighting Fatalis?
--------------------------------------------

Given the high cost of ammunition, you might be discouraged from trying to make
money off Fatalis runs, and in fact, you would be right, as there are more
lucrative quests such as dual Raths or Lao+ at your disposal as an HR20. Still,
it is possible to make money off Fatalis provided you don't kill him too soon.
If a party of 4 can ease off on the dragon and do enough damage to repel him,
over the course of 4 or 5 rounds, you can make a decent profit.

Assuming that Fatalis has an HP of 1 million, it takes 125 Cluster 2s on
average to kill him, it will cost 26520z for ammo. We have run some Fatalis
rounds to completion, taking into account the reward money and all the parts
you can take off him including the carves at the end, you end up with
approximately 56000z. The potential profit off a complete Fatalis kill is
therefore around 26000z or thereabouts, depending on your ammo usage.


What is Fatalis leeching? 
-------------------------

Since not everybody can host a Fatalis quest, the onus is on the 'guest'
players to be honest and upfront about what they can contribute or bring to a
quest. Before you start, make sure you find out from the host what expectations
he has, which round it is and if you have any reservations, tell him. For
example, if you are a beginner and still finding your way around, let him know.

If you are short on ammo or you don't have an adequate gun or armor, let people
know beforehand. The general expectation is that if you come on a Fatalis
quest, you should have at least 60 Cluster 2 shots, if not the full complement
of 102. If not, tell people.

Nothing is more annoying than to see someone start firing Normal or Pierce shot
5 minutes into the round, especially if at the start they replied yes to the
question, "You have ammo?" (which, for Fatalis, means, "You have enough Cluster
2?).

Players who lie about their ammo in order to get into a Fatalis quest, and who
then deny it even after they are caught, are called Fatalis leechers. This is
not a nice thing to be called. People have been known to post the names of such
miscreants on the GameFAQs Monster Hunter message board. You have been warned!


Why do people call Fatalis 'fatty'? 
-----------------------------------

Some pedants want to call him by his full name, but really, you should, for
that is his proper name, and to give the legendary dragon his due respect,
calling something by its true name is the right thing to do. However, 'Fata' is
almost always acceptable as a short form and nobody will take any notice. When
in doubt, it's Fata, and NOT Fatty. Some others take great offense if you call
him 'fatty' and may even refuse to take you along on a quest. At this point,
you don't have the quest yourself, so it's stupid if you act up. Getting upset
about this just compounds matters.

Here's a typical scenario:

(HR17, newly minted, enters town with his YKK cannon. A few HR20s are lounging
around) 
HR17: fatty anybody? 
HR20: No fatty, sry but I have fata and you're not coming

Another HR20 goes to the board and puts up khezu+: Here's a fatty for you

Yet another HR20: I think he means lao. lao's fat right?

So, if you have to beg other people for 'fatty', don't! It's always safe to beg
for 'fata' instead. But in the first place, why beg? Begging for a quest
demeans you in the eyes of some pompous and arrogant HR20s. Don't do it either!

This is similar to the ever-irritating 'volcano+?' first question that some
HR13-15s ask when they enter a town with an HR20. It is also very annoying for
HR20s to be pestered with 'los? blos? etc' whenever you enter town. This is not
a good way to start a conversation. Be nice at all times. Enter town, say some
friendly words of greeting, chat up people to get to know them. Compliment
their weapons or armor. (This will always work to get you on their good side.)
Get to know some HR20s who are nice. They do exist you know. Do some other
quests first with them to get to know them. At least if they're rude to you
while you've been nice, you can always leave town with your conscience intact.

Of course, once you get Fatalis on your own and you can host the quests, you
are welcome to call him what you like. Nobody can tell you what to call him.
But then again, they also have the choice to come with you or not. And there is
a rumor that if you call Fatalis 'fatty' he finds out about it and you will be
trampled and flattened by him in your first outing. So who's fat now?

Many 'first generation' Monster Hunters just despise newer players who call him
'fatty', and this has become an extremely divisive issue as more and more newly
minted HR20s come online without the requisite respect, honor or dignity.

Also, since 'the correct' pronunciation of Fatalis should be Fah-ta-lis, a more
accurate way to shorten it would sound like 'Farty'. We've never heard anybody
call him this, although it can be argued that it's more appropriate for
Basarios and his poisonous gas emissions.


==============================

4) Myths, Rumors, Fallacies and other Absurdities regarding Fatalis

This is a miscellaneous section on odd things people believe about the Fatalis
quest, many of which are wrong or absurd. All of these have actually been heard
and encountered in the Monster Hunter world.

You need to do all the Fatalis quests in order
----------------------------------------------
Not true, you can do them in any order. Most experts just use the first quest
from a brand-new Fatalis to killing it, usually in two rounds

You can only kill Fatalis in Round 4, and only with the Dragonator
------------------------------------------------------------------
See above. Not true. There was once an incident where a very foolish hunter
told two of his gunners to stay in camp, so that he and a team-mate could lure
Fatalis all the way to the Dragonator. Meanwhile, the gunners are stuck indoors
when they could be out dealing damage to the dragon. All this seemed to work,
as Fatalis duly followed the two to the Dragonator after a few minutes.
Unfortunately for this strategy, the hunter missed with the Dragonator.
Needless to say, he failed the quest. It is not known whether he did succeed
with this strategy as everybody abandoned him soon after and refused to go on
any more quests with him.

If you get two deaths, abandon the quest
----------------------------------------
Not a wrong thing to believe in, just a strategy, but rather than facing the
possibility of losing the quest, many people abandon and do it again, to
conserve ammo. The purists will argue that this is a form of 'cheating', but
then again, you can say the same about plate runs, suicide mining, headlocking
and any form of circumventing the 'true' nature of how the game should be
played.

Don't bother going back to camp, it wastes time
-----------------------------------------------
Some players who host the quest demand that their guest players do not waste
time by going back to camp. Their contention is that there really isn't much to
be gained by going back to camp (unless you do want to start off on the camp
ledge) as at most you will pick up some meds, rations, perhaps the lifepowder
and the ballistas. You should be able to start the quest at max health and
stamina by eating at the King Room, and you can bring everything else except
the ballistas. This is a matter of strategy, and personal preference.

You can only get a crust if you shoot his belly/tail
----------------------------------------------------
This is not true. You will always get a part after a certain amount of damage
has been done. For the eye, it's after the first repel. For the crust, you need
to do over 75%-80% damage - usually in the last and killing round, or the round
before that. You don't have to hit a particular part.

You can cut off Fatalis' tail
-----------------------------
This is not true. But if it is possible, it has never been verified.

You can jump on Fatalis' back and carve
---------------------------------------
You have to be very gullible if you believe the rumor that you can jump onto
his back (usually off the ballista or the dragonator ledge) and carve a Fatalis
plate from there. Needless to say, this prank is only initiated in order to
persuade someone to try to jump off and die a gruesome death.


==============================

5) Acknowledgments

In preparing this guide, we believed that two people could not possibly explain
or even serve as authorities on the strategies and tips on how to take on this
formidable dragon, so we prepared a list of questions and short-listed many
veteran Fatalis hunters to seek their answers. We also asked inexperienced
Fatalis hunters for their opinions too because we wanted a range of opinions as
well.

We compiled and summarized their thoughts and used their inputs as the basis of
this guide. We give special credit where it is due, but where it is not
mentioned, it can be assumed that the facts either came from us, or are so
well-known that it would be meaningless to ascribe ownership.

The players who have helped us compile this guide are: Deathslayer31, John5000,
Space_Avocado, Akubarix, VulgarKyo, W Raider, Bahaumat, Mykal, der_Karl,
Zabuza_clt23, DB_AznGangster, Gravados, Ortega and solsavior.

Many players helped with participating in quests to try out ammo, weapons and
other techniques with Fatalis. Although we cannot recall all of them, here are
the ones we do remember: Torankusu, Zaknafein, Demonsoul, Wave_Snake, Grayson,
Sn1per_X, Brahmas, Kiyoshi.

Special thanks to Deathslayer31 for showing me how he uses all the melee
weapons against Fatalis.

Special thanks to Akubarix for letting me leech off his complete Fatalis solo.

Special thanks to Gravados for working out Stun, Poison and Sleep status
effects on Fatalis.

Thanks to Gravados, Ortega, Sacred, Azerous, Zeddicus, Craze_01, TheDoomBringer
and John5000 for invaluable help in verifying the 'counting screams' method.

Thanks to xLeo, fierceaura, omega bahumat, Sacred, terragen for comments,
background information and/or corrections to the FAQ, as posted on the GameFAQs
message board.

We are also grateful to Bobo for bringing to our attention the correct otaku
pronunciation of Fatalis.

Other members of the GameFAQs Monster Hunter message board have occasionally
helped us with helpful information. Here's a note of appreciation to all of
them!

If you have comments, errors to point out or info you wish to add to this FAQ
please e-mail sanjuro333@gmail.com or post something in the GameFAQs Monster
Hunter message board.