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Monster Hunter games have always boasted monster designs in video games. From a wide variety of standard lizard-like monsters such as Jagras, gigantic flying wyverns like Rathalos, and monstrous crustaceans like the Shogun Ceanataur, the monsters in these games never fail to amaze players. All this holds true for Monster Hunter Rise as well.
While all the monsters in Monster Hunter Rise are a spectacle to behold on the battlefield with unique and interesting attacks and behaviors, players still gravitate towards the Elder Dragons in these games. The Elder Dragons are essentially the ultimate hunting challenge in the Monster Hunter game for players.
The base game of Monster Hunter Rise already features a massive roster of Elder Dragons, and with the recently released Sunbreak expansion, Capcom has introduced even more of these incredible beasts in the game. We have ranked all the Elder Dragons in the base game as well as the expansion in terms of hunting difficulty.
Note: This article reflects the author's opinions. Also, the list contains mild spoilers for Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak.
Ranking the incredible Elder Dragons in Monster Hunter Rise and the Sunbreak expansion
All the Elder Dragons in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
There are a total of 11 Elder Dragons in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, with seven in the base game and four that are introduced in the Sunbreak expansion. Most of the Elder Dragons in the game are returning monsters from previous Monster Hunter games, with a few being original monsters introduced in Monster Hunter Rise.
However, the returning monsters have received a few tweaks to their design to make them a fresh and engaging encounter for long-time fans of the Monster Hunter series.
Elder Dragons in Monster Hunter Rise:
- Chameleos
- Teostra
- Kushala Daora
- Crimson Glow Valstrax
- Wind Serpent Ibushi
- Thunder Serpent Narwa
- Narwa the Allmother
Elder Dragons in Sunbreak:
- Malzeno
- Gaismagorm
- Gore Magala
- Shagaru Magala
11) Chameleos
Chameleos, as its name suggests, is an Elder Dragon with the features of a Chameleon. Very few sightings of this monster have been recorded, presumably due to its ability to blend with its surroundings.
The monster can spew a fog-like breath during battle which helps it to disappear for a short while and then surprise the hunters with a sudden attack.
When enraged, Chameleos can buff itself up by licking the pollen of the Petalaces equipped by the hunters. The monster can also inflict poison ailment with its attacks.
The monster is ranked this low in the list due to it being massively vulnerable to fire and blast damage, also its only strength is its vanishing ability which players can disable by severing the horn on the tip of its nose.
10) Teostra
Teostra is an Elder Dragon featuring a lion-like face with a blazing red mane but the body of a quadrupedal dragon with huge wings. The Elder Dragon sure looks intimidating, especially due to its stature as well as its outer appearance. However, its true power isn't in its brute force, as its appearance might suggest, but in its ability to harness elemental affinity.
Teostra uses fire element against its enemies to cause absurd amounts of damage. It also scatters scale dust from its body that envelopes the surrounding area and explodes, causing damage, however, attacking the monster's head can prevent a huge explosion.
Teostra is highly vulnerable to water and blast damage, and it is thus highly recommended that players use weapons imbued with water element or weapons that can cause blast damage against Teostra.
Although this Elder Dragon is capable of dishing out a lot of damage if players are not careful, it being highly vulnerable to water and blast damage and also the possibility to stun the monster can basically trivialize the fight for players.
9) Wind Serpent Ibushi
The Wind Serpent Ibushi is a very unique monster in Monster Hunter Rise. The male Elder Dragons float upside down in midair by modulating a special gas within its body that also allows for its fluid and graceful movements. The monster can also use wind updrafts to distance itself from hunters during battle.
The Elder Dragon has special organs called 'windsacs' on its back and tail that store this gas, which allows it to move freely in midair. However, these windsacs are very delicate and players can focus their attacks on these parts, injuring them and opening up opportunities to deal massive amounts of damage to the monster.
Wind Serpent Ibushi is also highly vulnerable to Dragonblight, using a weapon imbued with Dragonblight elemental status and focusing attacks on its delicate windsacs can help players slay this Elder Dragon without much hassle.
8) Kushala Daora
Added to Monster Hunter Rise in the April 2021 update, Kushala Daora harnesses the wind to both boost its defenses and attack the hunters. The Elder Dragon is covered in steel-like scales and has the ability to deal significant amounts of damage using its tail and claw attacks.
The monster is also invulnerable when it conjures the 'Black Wind Aura', which players can only disable by poisoning the Elder Dragon. The monster is highly vulnerable to Thunder elemental status as well as Blast damage, thus a weapon with either elemental ability is highly recommended.
7) Thunder Serpent Narwa
Thunder Serpent Narwa is the female variant and 'queen' of Wind Serpent Ibushi. Featuring a similar moveset to its male counterpart, Thunder Serpent Narwa poses a greater threat against the players with its lightning-imbued attacks and the ability to generate powerful magnetic fields that are the cause of the levitating battlefield.
The Elder Dragon, however, suffers from the same weakness as the Wind Serpent Ibushi, as players can target the delicate 'thundersacs' to ground the beast. Thunder Serpent Narwa uses this part to store huge amounts of electrical energy which it uses in its movements and attacks. However, injuring the thundersacs can easily stun the Elder Dragon.
6) Narwa the Allmother
Available only at Hunter Rank (HR) 50, the final boss of the base game, Narwa the Allmother, is undeniably a challenging monster to slay.
Narwa the Allmother is a fusion of Thunder Serpent Narwa and Wind Serpent Ibushi, combining both these Elder Dragons' strengths, giving her the ability to manipulate wind while also amplifying her own electrical attacks.
This transformed Elder Dragon boasts much higher defenses than Thunder Serpent Narwa and increases attack power, however, players can target their attacks on areas of her body that have accumulated energy and can give players an edge over her during the battle.
5) Malzeno
Malzeno, the flagship monster of Sunbreak expansion for Monster Hunter Rise and the most iconic of The Three Lords, is a force to be reckoned with. The vampire-like Elder Dragon comes with a new status ailment that it can inflict on hunters, titled Bloodblight, which drains the hunter's health constantly and also reduces the potency of healing items for a duration.
However, Bloodblight can be countered by dealing damage to Malzeno while being inflicted with the ailment, much like the rally mechanic in FromSoftware's Bloodborne. Regardless, even without Bloodblight, Malzeno is a massive threat that players should only tackle, with properly upgraded gear and optimized builds.
4) Crimson Glow Valstrax
The Crimson Glow Valstrax is a mutated version of the returning Elder Dragon first introduced in Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. The Crimson Glow Valstrax is a highly aggressive variant of the original Elder Dragon.
It is said to have been driven mad by its own rampant energy, which causes it to lash out at anything in its sight.
The Elder Dragon features a unique ability to channel energy into its wings and then releases it, causing it to power-up its attacks substantially. This ability also allows the monster to quickly shoot up in the atmosphere and rain down on the hunter akin to a meteor, causing catastrophic amounts of damage.
However, players can charge their attacks as well to strike right when the Crimson Glow Valstrax channels energy from its chest to its wings, attacking the monster right at this moment can cause the accumulated energy to combust and deal serious amounts of damage to the beast.
3) Gore Magala
Gore Magala can look very intimidating at first, and rightfully so. The Elder Dragon, which was first introduced in Monster Hunter 4, possesses black shroud-like wings that envelop its entire body.
The monster, although lacking proper eyesight, has a heightened sense of awareness and can scatter scales from its wings to ascertain the location of its enemies.
The Elder Dragon is capable of dishing out significant damage using just the raw strength of its massive claws and tail, and apart from that, it also acts as a vector for the frenzy virus, which it spreads using its scales.
Hunters take significantly more damage when inflicted with the frenzy virus but can also use this ailment to their advantage by attacking the monster in a frenzy state that can turn the ailment into an affinity status with an increased critical chance bonus, which can drastically turn the tides of the battle in favor of the hunters.
Gore Magala is also highly vulnerable to Fireblight, thus a fire element imbued weapon is higly recommended.
Note: Gore Magala in Monster Hunter Rise is an Elder Dragon that is in its juvenile form, which becomes a complete Elder Dragon once it evolves into Shagaru Magala.
Additionally, Monster Hunter games feature some monsters that, while classified as Elder Dragons, may not satisfy every criterion for being one.
For instance, Kushala Daora can get exhausted during battle, even though Elder Dragons, by definition, are not supposed to. The same goes for Gore Magala, which is classified as '???' in Monster Hunter Rise but is technically an Elder Dragon only in the early stages of its life cycle.
2) Shagaru Magala
According to Capcom, Shagaru Magala is described as:
"The form taken by Gore Magala once they mature and molt. Gorgeous, glittering scales cover Shagaru Magala, and their divine wings are large enough wrap arond their entire body. According to records, one was said to have scattered its black scales over an area the size of a mountain, annhilating any and all lifeforms inhabiting the region."
Essentially, these are Gore Magala, but even faster, stronger and highly aggressive. The Elder Dragon also develops proper eyesight after evolving into Shagaru Magala. The monster is constantly in a frenzied state, dealing massive amounts of damage, and it can also cause frenzy explosions on the ground.
The only positive aspect for players against this furious monster is that it shares the same weaknesses to Fireblight as Gore Magala, which players can use to their advantage in the battle.
1) Gaismagorm
The final boss of the Sunbreak expansion of Monster Hunter Rise, the Elder Dragon Gaismagorm is, hands down, the most difficult encounter in the entire game. It is a gargantuan monster with rock-like forearms that allow it to dig massive craters that it uses to nest in.
The Elder Dragon shares a symbiotic relationship with Quiro a red crystalized rock-like formation that covers the carapace of the monster, feeding on their life force for energy. It also uses the Quiro in its attacks, by charging these crystals and throwing them at the hunters while they explode.
Although seemingly slow and clumsy, the Gaismagorm is relentless in its attacks, often chaining its combos with other attacks. There is very brief breathing room for players while battling the gigantic Elder Dragon. The only viable strategy against this beast is to attack the Quiro crystals on its body before it can use them against the hunters.
Although it is way easier said than done, given the high aggression and massive attack range of this monster. The Giasmagorm is quite possibly the longest and most arduous battle in the Sunbreak expansion and thus claims the top spot in being the most difficult Elder Dragon in Monster Hunter Rise.
