=============================================================== Monster Hunter Freedom Monster Hunter Freedom Boss Guide Author: Gray_Fox (Gray_Fox_5 on GameFAQs) Version: 1.7 Copyright 2006-2007 Gray_Fox (GameFAQs user Gray_Fox_5) =============================================================== ____________________________Table of Contents_____________________________ 1. Introduction [INT123] 2. Suggested Armor Sets [SAS789] 3. Money Making Ideas [MMI101] 4. Boss Battle Tactics [BBT147] 5. FAQs [FAQ634] 6. Credits [CRD652] 7. About Gray_Fox [AGF903] 8. Proper Online Conduct [POC528] *** Tip: Use Ctrl + F to open up the search bar and enter the codes given to access each section! (Ex. Type in BBT147 in the "Find what:" column and hit enter to jump right to the Boss Battle Tactics Section!!!) *** ___________________________Introduction [INT123]__________________________ Greetings Fellow Monster Hunters! You know why you're here, you want to beat down on old Rathalos, but just can't beat him. Or maybe Khezu is being a little you-know-what. Well, if you bothered to read the table of contents, you'll see exactly what I can help you with. Please note that this guide is for SLAYING tactics, not carving or capturing, but I will give you the visual clues on how to tell when a boss is about to die. This guide is intended for the use of first-timers or "seasoned veterans" of MH1 who just forgot a lot of stuff, like me. So, you'll notice that the strategies are more complex because you won't need one when you have a high HR, because most of the bosses will be dead before you know it. Also, please note that I started OFFLINE doing the village quests. I suggest doing gathering hall quests only if you need something from an easy quest. You'll have to do some 4* gathering hall quests to get Monster Bone +s too. It's better to start the gathering hall quests when you are comfortable with your MHF skills, because all of the bosses are stronger, faster, and have more health online. That way, you don't look like a stupid noob online =) . However, remember that we all started out as newbies, except hackers who like to suck the fun out of every game they see =p . Please do not copy or sell this guide without permission. It IS protected by Copyright law. Good luck and Happy Hunting! -Gray_Fox E-MAILING: See an error in a tactic? Want to share a tactic? Want to make a suggestion or share a theory? No problem. Just follow these simple steps. 1. NO E-MAILING ABOUT ANYTHING BUT THIS GUIDE!!! 2. NO TYPO CORRECTIONS!!! 3. English only!!! Keep it neat and clean and remember to be nice!!! 4. Contact Gray_Fox @ grayfox5@comcast.net 5. P.S. - This guide is intended to help newbies beat the bosses, not to help higher ranked monster hunters. So, the strategies here may be more complex, but that is because of the limited resources a newbie has. Read FAQ number 3 for clarification. Remember this quote, the author of it is myself =); "A fool is prideful and never asks questions, but a wise man asks all the questions he can. A fool also never answers peoples' questions respectfully. A wise man remembers when he was the one requiring an answer." UPDATES (As you can see, I update frequently, so information is not out of date, the update list will be "reset" periodically so the list doesn't get too long): Version 1.0 to 1.1 = Refined the Lao Shan tactic, refined the Online Conduct section 1.1 to 1.2 = Changed my contact information, I got a new e-mail address 1.2 to 1.3 = Revamped the Suggested Armor Sets Section 1.3 to 1.4 = Edited the Gypceros tactic and added a Red Khezu tactic. Edited the About Gray_Fox section and the Credits section too. 1.4 to 1.5 = Made two separate strategies for Lao, one for soloing and one for groups. Edited the Online Conduct section. 1.5 to 1.6 = Edited the Plesioth tactic. 1.6 to 1.7 = Edited some grammar and the Lao Shan tactic (again). Edited the About Gray_Fox section too. I also organized the Proper Online Conduct section. ______________________Suggested Armor Sets [SAS789]_______________________ Below are some suggestions for basic situation armor sets. Slaying Armor (1 to 3 Star Village Elder Quests) Head: Battle Helm Torso: Battle Mail Arms: Battle Vambraces Waist: Velociprey Tasset Legs: Battle Greaves Description: A great defensive armor set, giving you the maximum defensive bonus (+15 to your total defense) and Guard +1. It looks great too. Your character will look like a Samurai. Also, since you won't need new armor for a while, you can sell all other wyvern parts. Slaying Armor (4 to 5 Star Village Elder Quests [up to Green Plesioth]) Head: Battle Helm Torso: Battle Mail Arms: Battle Vambraces Waist: Rathian Tasset Legs: Battle Greaves Description: A balanced armor set, giving you the second best defensive bonus (+10 to your total defense), Guard +1, and Health +10, which can be crucial if you are low on health and trying to run away to heal, sharpen, etc. Also, since you won't need new armor for a bit, you can sell all other wyvern parts. It looks pretty good too. Slaying Armor (5 Star Village Elder Quests [after Green Plesioth]) Head: Plesioth Helm (K) Torso: Plesioth Mail (K) Arms: Plesioth Vambraces (K) Waist: Velociprey Tasset Legs: Plesioth Greaves (K) Description: A great armor set that gives you attack up medium, divine protection, and detect. That means, you are stronger, you have a high chance of receiving small damage for normally painful hits, and you can see detail of wyverns when painted! The defense is GREAT on this set too. It is relatively easy to make as well! You also get great water resistance. The downsides are the poor fire and thunder resistances, and that the helm looks a little like girls' hair from the front. You also have the much-hated guard -1 skill, but the additional damage isn't too much. The other skills definitely overweigh it. Slaying Armor (Kirin Quests - HR3 Gathering Quests) Head: Kirin Horn (Sword Saint Piercing) Torso: Kirin Jacket Arms: Kirin Longarms Waist: Kirin Hoop Legs: Kirin Leg Guards Description: In case you noticed, after you beat the Kirin Quest, it disappears. It will reappear at random times; but after some personal testing of my own I believe that the higher star quests you do, the higher of the chance it will come back. Mine came back after almost every Elder 5* Troublesome Pair Quest. The main problem with Kirin is that his hide is rock hard when hit by certain weapons like Dual Swords, so that's where Sword Saint Piercing comes in. Unfortunately, it removes all of the armor set's skills, but replaces them with a very valuable skill called ESP. This skill allows you to pierce any hide without bouncing off, and doing 100% damage to that part. You'll need to obtain a Small Lao Shan Claw to unlock the helm though, so you might have to do Kirin after Lao if you can. Otherwise, just use a different weapon. So basically, the helm provides the skills, and the rest of the armor provides you with really good thunder resistance. I suggest using this armor for Khezu quests too. However, if you are using the Kirin Horn, you get many great bonus skills too. Slaying Armor (HR3 Gathering Hall Quests Armor) Head: Sword Saint Piercing Torso: Auroros Torso Mai Arms: Hunter's Vambraces S Waist: Hunter's Tasset S Legs: Auroros Pants Mai Description: First of all, this set looks really cool. You'll be able to see your face too, because even though Sword Saint Piercing is a helm, you can't see it. This armor set gives you the essential ESP skill, and Damage Recovery Speed +1. The Damage Recovery Speed +1 skill acts like an Immunizer and allows you to heal the red health quickly. This armor set also has a very high defense and is easy to acquire. The hardest parts will be the Rathian Plates, which are found easiest by carving Rathian's tail in the HR2 5* Troublesome Pair Quest, the Monoblos Heart which can be carved out of the Elder Urgent White Monoblos easiest, the Carbalite Ore, which can only be mined in the Mining+2 part of Kokoto Farms, and it can be bomb-mined with a Large Barrel Bomb+, and finally, the Commendations from the Elder 5* Powderstone Quest or Urgent Lao Shan Quest. After you get everything, it will be well worth it. The carry armor makes the Powderstone Quest a synch, you don't even have to clear out the areas, just bring a mega juice and book it. The one and only downside to this armor set is the Elemental Resistances, with Water Resistance being the only resistance in the positives. A small price to pay........ Slaying Armor (HR4 armor) Head: Sword Saint Piercing Torso: Khezu Mail U Arms: Khezu Vambraces U Waist: Khezu Tasset U Legs: Khezu Greaves U Description: The answer to all of our prayers. A good slaying armor set AND a good Kirin/Khezu armor set. The defense is fairly good, but it compensates with 12 Fire Resistance, -12 Water Resistance, 16 Thunder Resistance, and 0 Dragon Resistance. The armor's look isn't good or bad, it's kinda dull, but the skills with this set are awesome. You get Recovery Items Inc., which means that all healing items heal more health, Recovery Speed +1, which was explained in the above set, and ESP. However, you also get a skill which makes your Whetstones only half as good, but it is a small price to pay for good elemental resistances and good skills. Alchemy Armor (Elder and Online) Head: Hunter Helm Torso: Battle Mail Arms: Chain Vambraces Waist: Velociprey Tasset Legs: Anything or Nothing Description: A simple, cheap armor set, giving you the alchemy skill, which adds several more combinations that you can perform. I do all of my alchemy in town, so the skills and look of it don't really matter. Also, you can buy all of these armor parts in town, except for the Tasset, which is simple to make. However, if you are a true Alchemist, that needs Special Mushrooms and Piscine Livers, you'll need a better Alchemy Set because those items can only be obtained during a quest, so you'll need better defense. Carry Armor (Elder and Online) Head: Battle Helm Torso: Steel Mail+ Arms: Battle Vambraces Waist: Velociprey Tasset Legs: Battle Greaves Description: If you have the other armor sets, then you have everything except the Steel Mail+. The only bonus it has is Backpacking Expert, which makes you run faster with eggs/stones/ore. It makes the Powderstone quests a piece of cake with Mega Juices too. Don't try to fight anything tough with it though, because it doesn't have good defense from the lack of skills. The only real perks to this set is that egg/stones/ore missions are way easier and it makes you look like an armored Samurai. Note that to get the Monster Bone +s for Steel Mail+, I recommend doing the Gathering Hall 4* Attack of the Yian Kut-Ku Quest. You'll have to fight a Blue Kut-Ku +, but chances are you'll get Small Blue Kut-Ku Ears from it, which you can trade the Forest and Hills Elder for Monster Bone +s. Note also that the only quest where the carry skill is practically necessary is the Powderstone quests, otherwise they are really hard and frustrating. I have done all of the other egg/stone/ore missions without this set. _______________________Money Making Ideas [MMI101]______________________ Below are tips to make money relatively quickly. Idea 1. Repeat quests with wyverns that are easy to kill and have parts that you don't need. A good example is the Elder Blue Yian Kut-Ku, (NOT Yian Garuga), whose stuff is very valuable and is not used for a while. Idea 2. Clean out your item box periodically. No one likes a full item box and some items you don't need could be very valuable. Idea 3. When you have completed your 4 star quests, take on Yian Garuga. Sell all of his items that are not needed to make whatever Garuga stuff you desire. I don't recommend keeping anything though, because all of his stuff can easily be beaten by other armor/weapons. The dual swords are the only fairly good investment. Idea 4. Got too many Godbugs? Well, chances are you have a lot of Wyvern Fangs/Claws too. Combine the Godbugs with the Wyvern Fangs to make Lifecrystals, and then combine the Lifecrystals with the Wyvern Claws to make Lifepowder. Each Lifepowder sells for 630z! If you play online though, keep it, it will heal you considerably and your teammates. You might want to keep a couple of them for offline too, as they heal more health than a mega potion, but you can only carry three at a time. Idea 5. If you're out on a Garuga run, and you think he is going to die in about 1-4 hits, let time run out to repel him. Then, when it says that you have 1 min. until you return to camp, kill him. You will get rewards for killing him AND repelling him. Not only that, but you can carve him too after you kill him to get more stuff!!! When you get back, sell all the stuff and watch your amount of money soar. Idea 6. GO ONLINE, help newbies or people of a lower HR and do their quests and just sell everything you get. _______________________Boss Battle Tactics [BBT147]________________________ Ah, the section you've probably been looking for. Here are some battle tactics for each boss. 1. "Dromes" (Velocidrome, Gendrome, Iodrome) Best Weapon Type (to use on him/her): Raw Damage (Non-poison and/or non-elemental) Water, Dragon, or Thunder Element Crucial Items: Whetstones (Blademasters) Flash Bombs Herbal Meds (Iodrome only, he can poison you) Method: TRY TO HIT THE "DROME" BEFORE IT FINISHES ITS "PREY CALL!!!" The "prey call" is the first sound the "Drome" makes when it sees you. If the call is successful, some prey will spawn to aid it. If you hit it before he finishes, the prey will not come. Attack the "Drome" relentlessly until you have to sharpen. Throw a flash bomb when you have to sharpen and then sharpen your sword. If the surrounding prey proves to be difficult, throw another flash bomb when they are all looking at you and continue to attack the "Drome." Keeping your sword sharp is key because the duller your blade is, the harder the "Drome" is to knock down. Try to pin the "Drome" to a wall or corner too, so you aren't running around to get to it when you knock him down. 2. Yian Kut-Ku (and Blue YKK) Best Weapon Type: Water Element Poison Crucial Items: Whetstones (Blademasters) Potions Flash Bombs Small Barrel Bombs Paintballs Method: Paint KK first, then attack either his head, wings, or legs. Occasionally, use your small barrel bombs to stun KK. This gives you a solid 2 or 3 extra combos to deal on him without opposition. Watch out though, because after he recovers from the shock, he will be automatically thrown into Frenzy Mode. Sharpen/reload when KK is either charging you or doing his "fireball frenzy." When KK does his roar to change modes or just for the heck of it, attack him in the head, because his head receives the most damage. Finally, return to attacking under the legs. If he is in frenzy mode, LEAVE HIM ALONE. He may seem un-intimidating, but his frenzy attacks can really add up and if he gets you in his "pin combo" (pins you to a wall or corner where the camera is bad, pecks you, charges you, repeats) you're as good as dead. When his ears go down while attacking him, this means he is about to die. This is where the flash bombs come in, if you didn't use them to blind the surrounding enemies. Flash bomb him relentlessly to keep him from flying away (he will if you let him) and kill him. 3. Gypceros (and Purple Gyppy) Best Weapon Type: Fire Element Water Element Crucial Items: Whetstones (Blademasters) Potions Herbal Meds Paintballs Method: DO NOT USE FLASH BOMBS ON GYPPY!!! If he has a flash attack, do you think flash bombs will work on him? No. Save the bombs for another fight. Now, this strategy is pretty easy. Just paint him, go under his legs, and attack him like crazy. Sharpen/reload when he does his poison run attack, after dodging it, and then continue to attack him. When Gyppy goes to cock his head, DIVE OR BLOCK. This will effectively avoid getting dazed by his flash attack. Watch out for his peck attack too, if he hits you with it he can steal stuff from you; and there is no way to get it back. If you accidentally get poisoned, use an Herbal Med to cure the poison and lower the amount of red you have to recover. If he "dies" and you don't see the target monster slain pop-up, then he is STILL ALIVE. DO NOT TOUCH HIM WHEN HE DOES THIS, otherwise he'll do a flail that really destroys you. He will wake up over time, but don't give him this chance. Remember that while he is faking death, he is healing. So, throw another paintball at him to wake him up and continue the plan until he finally dies. Note that he USUALLY fakes death about 1-5 times, and that isn't just a guess, he has ACTUALLY faked death 5 TIMES to me once. I have also killed him a few times without him faking death at all. Also note that when you see him enter frenzy mode more frequently (like after a normal combo or half combo), this means he is about to die. On rare occasions, he will even limp, if you let him =) . Note also that his tail is rubbery, so when he whips it, it will extend outwards, so watch out; his tail swing has a wide and far radius. 4. Rathalos (and its Sub-Species) Best Weapon Type: Rathalos: Dragon Element Water Element Azure Rathalos: Dragon Element Water Element Silver Rathalos: Thunder Element Water Element Crucial Items: Whetstones (Blademasters) Herbal Meds Paintballs Pitfall Trap Flash Bombs Method: Paint Los, then let him charge around. When he falls down, plant a Pitfall Trap if you can. When he runs over it, attack him. When he shoots a fireball at you, attack his head or neck with ONE combo. I suggest going after the head first, and break his head crown off. Then, attack either/or. Then, roll out to avoid various attacks, even if he flinches, because he'll attack right after he flinches. Another good time to attack his head is when he roars to change modes. If Los takes off into the air, STAY ON TOP OF HIS SHADOW. This will allow you to avoid the aerial fireball attack and the poison claw attack. The Herbal Meds are for if you get hit by the poison claw attack. When he is about to die, Los will start limping. Use the KK flash bomb strategy to kill him there on the spot. If he gets away to his "retreat area" (for example, area 5 in Forest and Hills), LET HIM SLEEP. Not forever, but for like a minute or so. Enter the area and dish out a combo on his tail. Another opportunity to chop/shoot his tail off is to attack it when he lands from flying, after the dust clears of course; and when he is shooting a fireball. 5. Rathian (and its Sub-Species) Best Weapon Type: Rathian: Thunder Element Water Element Pink Rathian: Dragon Element Thunder Element Gold Rathian: Thunder Element Water Element Crucial Items: (Same as Los) Method: Same as Los, but when Rathian backs up, ROLL, BLOCK, OR DIVE IMMEDIATELY. You will have only seconds before Rathian does her "poison back-flip" attack. The Herbal Meds should cover you if she hits you. Also note that Rathian does not have any aerial attacks, so don't worry about staying under her shadow when she takes off. Also note that she has TWO fireball attacks. One is exactly the same as Los', but the other shoots three fireballs, two in a "V" formation and one straight at you. So, when you jump at her head, and watch out for the "V" formation fireballs. Apply the same "sleep strategy" from Los as well too. Watch out when you cut her tail off though, because the rest of her tail can STILL POISON YOU. 6. Basarios Best Weapon Type: Dragon Element Water Element Crucial Items: Whetstones (Blademasters) Potions Herbal Meds Paintballs Method: Painting him isn't necessary, because he stays in one area only, but I like to so I can see where he is when my camera isn't on him. You also need a couple paintballs to get Basarios to come out easily. Paint the 5-rock rock formations until one of them shakes and jumps out of the ground. This is Basarios. This is one of the easiest things to fight, because he doesn't have a lot of attacks. He also doesn't have his beam attack anymore from MH1, but a catapult-type fireball instead. Basically, attack his chest like crazy and STAY AWAY FROM HIS TAIL. When he does his tail swing attack, it takes out a good chunk of your health and knocks you over if you aren't in Fury Mode. WHEN HE IS ABOUT TO LAY DOWN (you'll see what I'm talking about), ROLL OUT. This is Basarios' "poison cloud/sleep cloud" attack, which is what the Herbal Meds are for. If you have a long weapon or a gun, shoot his little tail stub, as this can be cut/blown off and carved. Try to stay close to him too, because when you get far away, he shoots fireballs and charges at you. During the fight, try to get him to charge the single white rocks, as these are large barrel bomb type rocks that detonate on impact. When Basarios is starts to fly up in the air a lot, then he is about to die. He'll do it more frequently as he gets closer to death. 7. Gravios Best Weapon Type: Poison Water Element Crucial Items: Whetstones (Blademasters) Potions Herbs Paintballs Cool Drinks Method: Paint Gravios, he can move if you leave him alone or die. Attack Gravios between his legs constantly until he leans to the side, then ROLL OUT, BLOCK, OR DIVE. Also, AVOID HIS TAIL. His tail swing, which is exactly like Basarios' takes out a LOT of health. Heal/sharpen/reload when Gravios does his charge attack (after dodging). Watch out for the Basarios-like lay down too. Instead of poisoning you like Basarios, he can blow you up or put you to sleep. However, you can still attack his tail without being caught in the gas. Gravios' "Heat Laser" attack can sometimes blow himself up too, so watch out when you try to attack him from the side. The herbs are essential because chances are you'll have used all of your healing items and he STILL won't be dead. Patience and focus is key. Gravios also has the same near death flying move as Basarios. Note that his tail can usually only be reached by gun shots or a REALLY long lance/great sword. His tail can also be carved TWICE. 8. Yian Garuga Best Weapon Type: Water Element Raw Damage Crucial Items: Whetstones (Blademasters) Potions Herbs Paintballs Pitfall Trap Large Barrel Bomb +x2 (or regular ones) Small Barrel Bomb + (or a regular one) Net x2 Trap Tool x2 Herbal Meds Armorskin Demondrug Immunizer Flash bombs Method: Drink the Immunizer, Demondrug, and Armorskin, and then eat your rations. Head to area 10, paint on sight, then flash bomb him. While he is blinded, plant a Pitfall Trap right under him. When he falls in, plant two large barrel bombs and then a small barrel bomb to inflict good damage on him. Try to plant the bombs near his head to break off parts. Attack him until he gets out. Combine the net and trap tool (I said two of each in case one fails) and repeat the strategy, but of course, without the bombs. Dodge all attacks, until he shoots fireballs. Then, attack his head and crack his beak/break off his ears. Try to get his tail off too when he shoots fireballs. If you break one ear, crack his beak, and break off his tail, AND beat him up really good, you have "repelled him." If you aren't so good on items after completing these tasks, go do other stuff and let time run out. If not, keep fighting him. After winning, you can repeat this quest and his tail will still be off from before and his beak will also be cracked too. He also has the same health you left him with. So, take as many times as you need to kill him. (It took me 3 rounds the first time). Try to avoid him in frenzy mode too, he is a real pain in that mode, so let him cool off. Also note that his tail is poisonous and EVEN WHEN IT IS GONE, so the rest of his tail can STILL POISON YOU. His near death signal is just like Gypceros', when he goes into Frenzy Mode more often, he is about to die. He also flinches a lot more too. 9. Plesioth (and Green Plesioth) Best Weapon Type: Thunder Element Fire Element Crucial Items: Potions Whetstones (Blademasters) Paintballs Sonic Bombs x10 Frogs Hot Drinks Immunizer ***Note, the following method is for fighting Plesioth in the desert, if your fighting him in the Jungle, then you'll have to use Sonic Bombs to get Plesioth out of the water.*** Method: Drink the Immunizer and Hot Drink, ant then eat your rations. Head to area 4 and kill the four Genprey here. They will not respawn. Now, there is what appears to be a yellow blob in front of the water. Search here to find frogs and crickets. Throw away the crickets, but keep the frogs. Now, enter area 5. Kill the two Genprey here as well, and they won't respawn either. Now, time to fight Plesioth. If he sees you, then use Sonic Bombs to flush him out. They have about a 50/50 chance of getting him out of the water. If you run out, don't worry, there are other ways of flushing him out. If he doesn't see you, cast your frogs into the water. Unlike normal fish, Plesioth cannot be seen while you are fishing for him. When the frog sinks into the water, immediately hit X and you will throw him onto the shore. This gives you time to dish out about 2-3 combos on him before he gets up. GUNNERS: DO NOT SHOOT HIM WHEN HE IS IN THE WATER IF HIS TOP FIN IS DOWN!!! You CAN and WILL KILL HIM IN THE WATER, making it so you CANNOT CARVE HIM!!! Now, when he IS on the shore, the real fighting begins. Attack his legs constantly, as they are his weak spot. Eventually, he will fall down and give you time to attack him without resistance. Watch out for his side tackle though, it is just like Gravios' and can get very annoying. To dodge it, roll out, block, or dive. The damage will barely hurt you. All of Plesioth's other attacks are easy to dodge while your between his legs, because they won't hit you. Watch out when he runs to dive back into the water, because he can trample you. When he is in the water, don't try to sharpen/reload/heal until he starts swimming around. Otherwise, he will surface and shoot you with his powerful water beam attack. When Plesioth's top fin goes down, he is about to die. If you're going to capture him, try to roll out every once in a while to check if it's down, because you can't see it when you're under his legs, the camera is too zoomed in. Plesioth has relatively low health, so he'll go down quickly and if you are a good dodger, you may not even need the potions. Note also that some times, when Plesioth does his water spray attack, his wing will be on shore. If you do enough damage to the wing, it will have the same effect as a sonic bomb. 10. Cephadrome (and Cephalos) Best Weapon Type: Thunder Element Water Element Crucial Items: Flash Bombs Potions Sonic Bombs x10 Whetstones (Blademasters) Paintballs Cool Drinks Well-Done Steaks Method: The Cephadrome is actually harder that Yian Kut-Ku and Plesioth, for the fact that it is so hard to get him out of the sand sometimes; and that he has his friends helping him. Anyway, when you start, drink a cool drink. Head into the actual desert area of the desert and wait for him to see you. Now, look for a blackish-brownish fin swimming around. When you can get a clean shot (meaning when no other Cephalos' around), throw a Sonic Bomb to get him out of the sand. Make sure he sees you so he doesn't jump straight back into the sand and bull-rush him and keep attacking between his legs. Watch out for his side tackle, as all fish-like bosses have it. Watch out for his buddies too, they can get really annoying. When you think he might jump in soon, flash bomb him to keep him from diving back in. If you run out of Sonic Bombs, don't worry, all hope is not lost. Well, most of it is =p . When he jumps out of the sand to do his "Sand Ball/Sand Beam" attack (I still don't know how sand can hurt you...you don't see kids dying at the beach when another kid throws sand in his face), attack him from the side. Attack his fin too when he's swimming as well. Eventually, he'll pop out. He will also jump out on his own occasionally too. When his fin lowers, he is about to die. This battle is really a test of endurance, because your stamina will decrease over time (that's what the steaks are for), and he like to swim around a lot rather than fighting. Patience is key to defeating this coward =). 11. Khezu Best Weapon Type: Fire Element Raw Damage Crucial Items: Hot Drinks Paintballs Herbal Meds Whetstones (Blademasters) Method: Khezu is an extremely easy wyvern to defeat, if you know what you are doing. He only has one attack that will probably kill you, his lightning shot. When Khezu goes to "roll" his head and you see lightning in his mouth, ROLL OUT IMMEDIATELY. If he hits you with that attack, you will sustain heavy damage and be paralyzed. Chances are, he'll shoot you again too if you are hit and kill you. Otherwise, attack his legs and try to make him fall over. All of his attacks except when he shocks himself exposes himself to more attacks. When he strikes lightning on himself, DIVE OR BLOCK. The Herbal Meds are for the Ioprey that usually surround him, as they can poison you if you don't kill them. The Hot Drinks are to keep your stamina from decreasing, since about 85% of the time Khezu is in a cold, dark, cave. Khezu will limp when he is about to die, if you let him. Otherwise, the more frequently he falls over, the closer he is to death. 12. Black Gravios Best Weapon Type: Poison Water Crucial Items: Paintballs Whetstones (Blademasters) Potions Herbs Mega Potions Demondrug Armorskin Pitfall Trap Large Barrel Bomb + x2 Small Barrel Bomb + x2 Large Barrel Bomb x3 Small Barrel Bomb x3 Well-Done Steaks Immunizer Sleep Throwing Knives Stun Throwing Knives Method: As you can see, Black Gravios is really, REALLY annoying and hard to beat on your first shot, especially if you are a Blademaster. Start by painting him when he is doing his fire beam attack, after dodging of course, and then the fight begins. If you haven't done so already, drink the demondrug, armorskin, and immunizer, and eat your well-done steak. Now then, when he does him beam attack, DO NOT ATTACK HIM. There is about a 75% chance that he will explode when he does this attack, and you'll sustain moderate damage for it. To start off, throw all of your stun throwing knives at him, hopefully he will be stunned if you did it right. Now, barrage him with combos until he isn't stunned anymore. Then, the plan is to throw all of your sleep throwing knives at him. When he is asleep, plant your Pitfall Trap under him. When he gets caught in it, plant ONE Large Barrel Bomb+ and then a Small Barrel Bomb + to inflict really good damage. Repeat this once the explosion clears, and the do the same thing with your normal Large Barrel Bombs and Small Barrel Bombs. This will totally annihilate Black Gravios (BG). After that bombfest is over, you'll see that his stomach will be cracked all the way open. Now, this is the part where if you are impatient, you will die. This is why I suggested the poison element, because the poison will hurt him when you can't. Stay close to BG, but not to the point where you will get hit by his explosions. This will lower your chances of being shot at by BG. Here are your opportunities to attack: 1. When BG does his tail swing, attack his weakened stomach until he starts shooting lasers or a different attack. 2. When BG flies in the air, let him attempt to crush you. Then, attack your way back in. Roll out when necessary. 3. When he is about to run/just finished his run, attack his stomach. It will be a long fight, and you'll probably need to sharpen/reload/heal frequently. When BG is about to shoot a laser, run out of the line of fire and heal. Try to stay farther away from BG when you need to sharpen/heal/reload as well. This will give you a couple extra seconds to dodge the beam, because it has to reach you. You'll have just enough time to roll-dodge the next beam if you healed or reloaded, but if you sharpen without a sharpening skill, YOU HAVE TO DIVE TO AVOID GETTING SHOT. In case you forgot how to dive, view my Controls section for details. After a lot of time and patience, eventually BG will fall. Congratulations on a job well done. Now, take a break so you don't bore yourself of MHF =) . 13. Monoblos (and White Monoblos) Best Weapon Type: Poison Water Element Crucial Items: Paintballs Potions Herbs Whetstones (Blademasters) Sonic Bombs x10 Flash Bombs x5 Demondrug (Optional) Armorskin (Optional) Mega Potions x3 Method: Here he is, the infamous Monoblos. He isn't really as hard as you would think. First off, drink your armorskin and demondrug if you brought one, cool drinks aren't necessary because Monoblos never goes in the desert. Now then, go to area 1 and eliminate THREE WAVES of Apceros. The Vespoids will constantly respawn. Kill the first wave of Apceros, then go to area 4 and kill off all the Genprey. If this is not your first time, Monoblos may or may not already be here, but rest assured, he's coming. If this is your first time, then he will stay in area 10 until you go there, so you can clear out the Genprey without having to watch your back. Return to area 1 if you can to clear out the second wave of Apceros, and then re-enter to kill the final wave. Now, go into area 10 ***Jaws Music***. Here he is, Monoblos. Run to the ledge and jump on it. Now, let the Genprey here jump up there with you and kill them off. There are three waves of them too; they spawn in the dead bushes. Finally, when the coast is clear, you can officially start your fight with Monoblos. First off, if you didn't notice, he can get stuck in ledges when he charges them. So, let him charge the ledge and get stuck. Now, jump off and attack either his tail or head. When his horn breaks off, he can't get stuck anymore so you may want to go for the tail first, if you can reach it. Stay on the ledge and repeat this tactic until Monoblos leaves or you break his horn off. After this is done, just rush him and attack between his legs. Make sure you are attacking the front half of his legs, or else his powerful tail slam attack with crush you. The Mega Potions are in case he gets a good combo on you and you need to heal. If Monoblos digs underground, wait until his whole tail goes under, and then throw a Sonic Bomb over him. This will force him out of the sand, but only half way, simulating a Pitfall Trap-type capture. Note that this can't be done when he is in Frenzy Mode (black smoke coming out of his mouth). Now is your chance to wail on him. If you decided to bring the explosives, use them on him when he is trapped too. Eventually, as you hack at him, he will die. If at any point you didn't get his horn off, rest assured, there is a ledge in area 1 too. If you get him to fall over, attack his tail!!! It'll move around a bit, but this is the best time to attack it and chop it off. When Monoblos is in Frenzy Mode, use Flash Bombs to stun him and deal some damage to him. If he is in the sand and you can't/are out of Sonics, run behind and away from him in a diagonal direction; he can't swim complex routes so run around in different directions to confuse him. He will limp when he is about to die. 14. Diablos Best Weapon Type: Poison Water Element Crucial Items: Potions Herbs Paintballs Whetstones (Blademasters) Sonic Bombs x10 Flash Bombs x5 Demondrug or Power Seed x10 (Optional) Armorskin or Armor Seed x10 (Optional) Method: If you ask me, Diablos is EASIER than Monoblos. Why do you think they have a "Four Horns" Quest but not a "Two Horns" Quest? Because Diablos is slower, except for his charge move, and he makes himself more vulnerable than Monoblos. Read below to see what I'm talking about. Use the same strategy you did for Monoblos on him, except remember that Diablos has TWO horns. This is actually his greatest weakness because now he can pin himself twice as much as Monoblos, getting you more headshots on him. Also note that even before he gets stuck, his horns hang over the ledge, so from the ledge, attack/shoot his horns. Be careful though, because Diablos' tail can whip you from where you are standing. When he gets stuck though, jump down. On ground level, all your slashes/shots will hit, and you can get more in. Diablos will limp when he is about to die. ***Note for Black Diablos***: He can one hit kill you if you are directly under him when he pops out of the sand, so it's best to leave the area to heal if he is under the sand. 15. Kirin (Elder Random Urgent Quest ["The Legendary Kirin"]) Best Weapon Type: Raw Damage Water/Fire Element Crucial Items: Potions Herbs Mega Potions Paintballs Whetstones (Blademasters) Method: If you don't do this right, you are going get yourself killed. Kirin is very powerful and, despite his size and amount of carves, a force to be reckoned with. Now then, drink your skins and drugs and let's get going. Head straight to area 6. If this is your first time fighting Kirin, you'll go through a cut-scene. If not, he is still in area 6 and will NEVER leave area 6. Before you fight him, kill all of the prey so it's a one on one fight. Now, it's time to start wailing on this wussy unicorn douche. If Kirin is not using his lightning moves, attack him from the side. The front does more damage, but it is risky because his charge will get you good, so stick with his side. When Kirin neighs and his horn starts to glow, ROLL AWAY. Observe what attack he is using. If he is shocking himself, leave him be and heal if necessary. If he shoots lightning that surrounds him, same deal. However, If he shoots lightning in front of himself, attack him from the side and wail on him. Basically, this is an all roll-slash/shoot fight. Hack at him, and when his horn glows, roll out. It seems simple enough, but watch out; Kirin is a deadly beast. When Kirin charges at you, ROLL OR DIVE. His charge automatically breaks through anything. However, this can be used to your advantage, because every once in a while Kirin will charge repetitively at the wall. This makes a good time to attack him or sharpen, but don't sharpen in the area if he does anything else, because he is way too fast. Otherwise, flee to area 4 to sharpen/reload quickly and then return to the fight. The best time to dish out a powerful attack is when he does his Charge Stance. This is when he sort of digs in with his right leg (your left), as if to charge at you, but instead he just stands there for a while. Go for his head during that time too, because he won't charge immediately after. He killed me twice on the first run, but, lucky for you, you can learn from my mistakes. Note that pitfall traps do NOT work on him and when he runs away from you to the exit sections of the area frequently, he is about to die. Eventually, you'll knock him over and he won't get up. If you have a GOOD hammer or bowgun lying around, USE IT. Kirin is the only beast that can be knocked down frequently with a hammer/bowgun. ***SAVE HIS STUFF***; you can make good weapons and armor with his stuff. 16. Lao Shan Lung (and Azure Lao Shan Lung) Best Weapon Type: Dragon Element Fire Element Crucial Items: Potions Mega Potions Herbs Whetstones (Blademasters) Demondrug Armorskin Well-Done Steaks Large Barrel Bomb+ x2 Small Barrel Bomb+ SOLO Method: Lao is much easier than you think. For a Blademaster, this is your general strategy: 1. Get stuff from the item box (it's brown in this map) including the Ballista Rounds, then eat and drink your stuff. 2. If you couldn't get ballista rounds, go to your left, and examine the harpoon-looking things. These are Ballista S rounds. Collect as many as you can, up to 10 of them. 3. Go to area 2 and wait for Lao. 4. When his head pops out, bomb it. After you bomb him, you'll have three choices, depending on your weapon type. SnS Users = Attack the head. Any other Blademaster = Attack the stomach (the part that sags). Note that in some cases though, it is better to attack the head, like for instance, if there is too many people attack the stomach. Gunners = Shoot the shoulder or spine When he gets to area 4, you'll see a ledge on one side leading up to a bridge. When Lao is halfway under, run up and run off the bridge toward the bigger half of Lao's back. If done right, your character will be trying to balance on his back. You can carve him at this point, and then he will eventually shake you off. For gunners, there are various places you can climb up to shoot him, but watch out; he may try to bite you. When he gets to the last area, man the ballistas (press [ ] on with the ammo out, circle to shoot) and shoot at him until you run out of ammo. When you're out of ammo, run off the fort and attack him, unless you are a gunner. Gunners should stay on the fort and snipe Lao in the spine. When he gets right on the fort gate and stands up, climb up the ladder to your left (facing Lao) and hit the red button with circle. This will activate the Dragonater, which is a series of long spikes that shoot out and retract from the fort. You can only do this once though, so watch out. When he stands on two legs, he will tip-toe to the gate. If you are a Blademaster, attack his back-left foot the whole time in this area, because he will stand up a lot. If you are a gunner, shoot his oh-so-vulnerable belly. Eventually, the beast will fall or be repelled if time runs out and the fort is still standing. To check the health on the fort, click quest info in the menu and it will show you. It's good to check because if it's getting too low, you have to start a suicide attack, instead of playing it safe. When he dies, RUN INSIDE HIM!!! There are lumps inside his body where you have to carve them. If you're having trouble finding a spot, just run the length of his body while repetitively hitting circle. Different areas of Lao give different stuff. GROUP Method: Basically the same, except now you have different points to attack. One person (preferably the one with the best weapon) attacks Lao's back-LEFT foot (facing him, it's the back-left foot). This will cause Lao to "trip", making him vulnerable to about 2-3 combos. After that, he'll get back up and keep moving. The trip HURTS if you are under him, so everyone else should attack the HEAD and avoid the belly. Basically, with four people, 3 attack the head, one trips him. Also, don't use the ballista's, because if he dies while you are on them, you'll lose time getting to him to carve him. ***GROUP CARVING NOTE***: when he dies, you can break your connection to make the game lag, giving you the ability to get ALL the possible carves (3 head, 3 upper belly, and 3 lower belly). Usually, without lag, you can only get 6 or 7 total carves. Note that the disconnection method is somewhat cheap, but effective if you want to make some serious bucks and get a lot of Lao stuff. 17. Kirin+ (HR2 5* Gathering Hall Random Quest ["On the Trail of the Beast"]) Best Weapon Type: (Same as Regular Kirin) Crucial Items: Demondrug/Mega Demondrug Armorskin/Mega Armorskin Potions Herbs Whetstones (Blademasters) Herbal Meds Mega Potions Paintballs Method: Kirin+ is in area 5. Your sharpening area will be area 2. Now, drink your drugs and skins, eat your rations, and head out. When you arrive in area 5, you will notice that Kirin+ is practically surrounded by Ioprey and Genprey. They respawn, but not forever. So, spend all of your time painting Kirin+ and clearing out the prey. When none of them respawn, it's time to fight. Apply the regular Kirin tactic to Kirin+. However, Kirin will now use the charge move more frequently and will also fall down more. He also learned a new move - Jump. "Jump" is just like regular Kirin's side to side jump, but instead it is straight on. AVOID THE FRONT OF KIRIN+ AT ALL COSTS!!! Ninety percent of the time that you attack him from the front, he will counter you with a charge. The side of Kirin+ is your target. The only time you should attack Kirin's head is when he has been knocked down. Note that Kirin+ is a "+" monster, meaning he is only found in 4* and 5* Gathering Hall Quests, and that he has more health, is stronger, and faster too. This applies to all monsters in that quest range. 18. Red Khezu Best Weapon Type: Water Element Raw Damage Crucial Items: (Same as regular Khezu) Method: Red Khezu is basically the same as a regular Khezu, but with only a few minor differences. The first is that Khezu is now a fire-elemented boss, despite the fact that he has no fire attacks. The other difference is that he has one new attack, which is basically called the "Freaky Attack," and let me tell ya, it's just that. Basically, when Khezu does the "Freaky Attack," he will stretch his neck out and wail it around very, very fast. So, the basic strategy: same as Khezu, but stay away from his head and note the change in best weapon type since he is fire-elemented now. ___________________________FAQs [FAQ634]____________________________ This section will have Frequently Asked Questions, keywords "frequently asked." Note that there are some model questions in here that weren't asked by anyone, so check here before you ask me a question or request credit for a question. Also, the FAQs are in no specific order, so please read ALL of the FAQs before asking me a question that has already been answered. Q. The actual game itself never mentions "Bosses," so what is a boss? A. Well, yes, in MHF, there is no such thing as bosses. There are Alphas, which are the "Dromes." Dragons, which are Fatalis and Lao-Shan Lung, and there are Wyverns which is pretty much everything else. So, as you can see, the classifying system can get a little to complicated and technical for my taste. So, I grouped all of these creatures into one big and vague category, bosses. Q. I suggested a theory/tactic, but I wasn't given credit for it. Why? A. Well, there are a number of reasons: a) Someone else explained the tactic more clearly. b) You didn't give me a name to credit. I don't credit e-mail addresses for obvious reasons. Please note though that I will inform you if I need a name to credit and I will tell you if I did or did not use your information. Q. My question isn't here. Why? A. Don't skip to the questions, read the paragraph above it and you'll see why. Q. I have a better tactic. Can I e-mail you? A. Clearly, you did not read the introduction, but yes, you can. Keep in mind that your strategy might not be the primary one though, because if it's directed toward high ranked players, then it doesn't apply to the newbies or seasoned players that are the directed audience of this guide. However, if it is a good newbie strategy, then I will probably fuse it together with mine and give you the proper credit. Also note that most of these armor sets/tactics are OFFLINE ones, so some things may not be available to people who are strictly playing Offline in the Village. Online stuff will be gradually filtered in. Q. I have a better armor set. A. E-mail me and I'll check it out. Q. Can you help me with WiFi MAX/Xlink Kai? A. No; there are way too many specific problems for it. The only thing I can tell you is that even if you have a router, don't use it. Buy WiFi MAX. It is cheap, easy to use, and downright awesome. Some people won't even play with non-WiFi MAX users, and most current versions of popular routers are not supported by Xlink Kai. Q. What kind of tactics are you looking for? A. Specifically, bowgun strategies. Q. What armor sets are you looking for? A. Good gunner armor or armor with other useful skills. ___________________________Credits [CRD652]___________________________ GENERAL CREDITS http://www.gamefaqs.com - For accepting my FAQ You - For reading Gray_Fox - One of the few people who actually knows that Gray Fox is a character from the Metal Gear Solid series =) . I'm also the author of this FAQ. THEORY/TACTIC/ARMOR SETS/CORECTIONS CREDITS ACEjoke - For helping me with the Village Elder 5* Green Plesioth armor set. OwwMyEyeXO, EcoObsession, and cssjester - for revealing the key Lao Shan weak parts in the forums Kamahl - for help with the HR4 armor set PyroFonix - For correcting my "Pink Gyppy" mistake, it's actually purple. QUESTION CREDITS _______________________ About Gray_Fox [AGF903]_______________________ I don't ever reveal personal information, except for Xlink Kai and game version issues; I will tell you that I live in the United States. Here are my characters' stats for Monster Hunter Freedom: Character Name: Gray_Fox Gender: Male Weapon Preference: Dual Swords and the Sword and Shield FINISHED Weapons in my Possession: Deadly Battleaxe (SnS), Cursed Spirit (SnS), Odyssey Blade (SnS), Jade Tempest (Light Bowgun), and Kirin Bolt Kami (SnS) Armor: The best set(s) that are mentioned in my guide. Xlink Kai?: Yes. Xlink Kai Username: grayfox5 Reason why I picked the name: Before the events of the popular Metal Gear Solid Series, a soldier codenamed Gray Fox taught main character Solid Snake everything he knew. However, a future war separates the two and they end up being on different sides. In the end, they fight, and Gray Fox dies. Gray Fox becomes a sick Cyber Ninja though, when he was revived from death and made into a half-human cyber-ninja. He tries to kill Snake, but in the end forgives him and even sacrifices himself to save Solid Snake. See Credits section for clarification/details. _____________________Proper Online Conduct [POC528]____________________ Here are some tips to play online and be respected: BEFORE A QUEST: * DO NOT BEG. Plain and simple. * GET READY QUICK!!! Tell your teammates when you're eating in the kitchen and stuff like that, so they can get a sense of when you'll be ready. * Do not insult people, talk smack, mess up peoples' connections, etc. * Don't flame (smack talk a specific person or group), and don't troll (provoke people and always say negative things). * DO NOT JOIN A QUEST UNLESS ASKED TOO! You aren't the only one with friends you know. * Ask people in the Monster Hunter Freedom General Chat if anyone wants to help you with ____. Check the already created rooms first though by clicking the info button for each. It will then pop up and tell you what they are doing. Don't join a room with 4 people in it either, because obviously, it is full. * Tell your teammates what is going on! Tell them when you'll "brb," don't just disappear! Everyone hates waiting for people that they don't even know are coming back. * If you are asked to leave, do so. Don't argue, just do it. There are plenty of other rooms to choose from. * ADMINS - Use your powers! Kick annoying people or inactive people, this way your room doesn't look full and then people can join. * STAY AWAY FROM HIGH PINGERS. If you are in a room and on the left under someone's name it says "Ping: Bad," get out of the room. High pingers cause great amounts of lag in a quest and could accidentally disconnect mid-quest and leave you hanging out to dry. * If you have a good Autotracker armor set, use it. It will greatly help your team, and save everyone paintballs =) . Let your teammates know that you're wearing an Autotracker set ahead of time though, so they know they can leave their paintballs at home. THE QUEST-CHOICE METHOD: * In this method, the host does one of his quests, then one of all of your teammates' quests. If someone newly joins your room, skip his turn ONCE to prove his/her loyalty. * DO NOT BE SELFISH!!! If you just did a quest you wanted, ask the group if any1 needs anything done, then ask about your own needs. It's only fair. * HOST HAS FIRST QUEST CHOICE. Plain and simple. DURING A QUEST: * Great Sword Users = DO NOT UPSWING. The upswing sends teammates flying thru the air and is very annoying. * SnS (Sword and Shield) Users = Do NOT use the triangle, triangle, triangle combo! The final move will literally launch players off to the sides of the map. Why? I don not know. * Hammer Users = Stay AWAY from other people when fighting. The hammer can send players flying and falling everywhere. * Lancers = Watch where you charge! It is very annoying for a lancer to ram a player to the ground to get to a boss. * Dual Sword Users = All of your attacks except basic swings can knock people over, so keep your distance too. * Bowgunners = Avoid using Pellet rounds. These can hit a player near the boss and stop his attacks. Tip: use Pierce Rounds instead, they are just as good. * Paint targets if no one else will. This way, you avoid the "Where is he?" questions. * Use the beacon if you wish to tell people where chopped off parts are, or to "paint" the target for your mates. (To beacon, press START > RIGHT (D-Pad)> Gestures > [ ] button, then hit circle or start to exit out). * The beacon is a useful tool, but also very annoying if you spam it, so only beacon ONE to TWO times.