Let us tell you right away: certain monsters in Monster Hunter: Iceborne are tough. The sheer number of all-new creatures present in this expansion pack is quite staggering, and very few of them are outright pushovers. That said, we did manage to pick out a few of our favorite challenges, and with that, we've prepared our list of the hardest monsters in Iceborne!

We boiled things down to five difficult encounters that are almost certainly going to give you a run for your money. Naturally, if your playstyle fits the bill, you may get through the following monsters relatively easily! This wasn't the case with us at all, though. To that end, we'll also share a few valuable fight tips to try and help you out!

On a related note, if it's just creature designs you're interested in, you're also welcome to scroll through this list! Monster Hunter is nothing if not an incredible visual experience. Iceborne especially!

Barioth

hardest monsters in iceborne

One of the creatures emblematic for Iceborne is the legendary Barioth. This saber-toothed wyvern doesn't look even remotely as flashy as the rest of the creatures on our list, but that doesn't mean it's easy to beat! Here's an overview of its meta-stats:

Barioth is as fast as it is vicious, and it will use a wide variety of attacks to try and take you down. Its attacks dish out both physical and elemental damage, while its dedicated magic attacks can easily inflict Iceblight. Especially dangerous are its pounce attacks, and it is recommended that you roll to the left of the monster for an easier evade.

Do try to stick close to Barioth, as its long-range attacks are far more potent than the ones it dishes out at the short-range. At the same time, you're going to want to destroy its claws as soon as possible. This will nullify some of its advanced mobility options, as well as reducing its killing potential.

TIP: Don't be afraid of using your Flash Pods! Barioth enrages as soon as it regains its sight, but when it finally calms down, it's going to be extremely vulnerable to attacks until it recovers its energy.

Savage Deviljho

Few creatures are as incredibly intimidating as the massive Savage Deviljho. Coincidentally, it's also a very difficult thing to take down, and it dishes out punishment left and right, up and down! Being a mutated monster, it's even more aggressive than a garden-variety Deviljho. Chances are that it'll ruin at least a few capture hunts for you. Do not underestimate this beast!

We've all fought Deviljho, right? They're not that bad once you figure out their behavioral patterns and attacks. None of that counts for the Savage variant, though! If you do end up encountering a Savage Deviljho out in the wild, you better hope you've stocked up on traps to keep it away from the creature you're actually hunting.

Note that its Dragon Breath attack leaves behind a damaging miasma that inflicts Dragonblight. Avoid this like the plague, because it pretty much is the plague. A good idea would be to keep an eye out for when Savage rears up just before puking out Dragon Breath. That way, you'll be out of harm's way for a short while, and have access to one of its weak points - the tail.

TIP: Savage Deviljho is rather vulnerable to a number of different status effects. Take Paralysis/Sleep Knives, Flash Pods, and all sorts of Traps to keep the bastard busy long enough to complete your hunt. Alternatively, try taking it down if you think you're ready. Good luck with that, though!

Shara Ishvalda

hardest monsters in iceborne

Here's a creepy one! The final boss of the Iceborne expansion pack, Shara Ishvalda is a three-stage monstrosity that is disturbing to fight against for a number of reasons. One is that it's a tough bastard in all of its stages, the second is that it sports a truly alien and creepy design, and the third is that its eyes stare directly at the camera. In effect, you, the player. What that means is that the creature readily breaks the fourth wall to intimidate you. Nothing to joke with!

An Elder Dragon in the truest sense of the word, the Shara Ishvalda encounter is at first a decidedly dull fight. The creature's first form is a goliath of dirt and stone that will break apart as you finally "kill" it for the first time. Then you'll have to duke it out with it for the first time, and then, when you "kill" it for the second time and attempt to carve its corpse, it's going to open its eldritch horror eyes and come at you for real.

Shara Ishvalda will easily two-shot you in most cases, no matter which form you're fighting against. The initial larval stage is not too difficult, at least, but when the armor breaks apart, you'll be in real danger. Shara uses its wings both as close and long-range weapons, and boosting your Stun resistance is a good way to improve your chances considerably.

TIP: Make good use of the three wall traps scattered around the arena. Try to slam Shara into them by any means necessary. Keep in mind that bombs can trigger them too, in a pinch. Another good idea would be to stick to the creature's rear and keep using Clutch Claw whenever possible. Weakening Shara Ishvalda through this technique may allow you to take it down, but it's not an easy technique to pull off.

Seething Bazelgeuse

hardest monsters in iceborne

Monster Hunter's ecology is as weird as it gets, but explosive body parts? Seething Bazelgeuse is a vicious bastard, let us tell you that. At the very least as vicious as the Savage Deviljho, this monstrosity is a master at crowd control and area-of-effect damage. For the most part, it behaves similarly to its weaker cousin, but comes with a destructive new attack to boot. Ultimate Divebomb sees the creature rise high-up into the air to scatter its explosive scales around the battlefield, only for it to come crashing down in a massive explosion at the end.

Seething Bazelgeuse's Ultimate Divebomb triggers when it becomes enraged (as per its purple scales)! Pulling it off will reset the monster's enrage timer, too. It goes without saying that, the angrier it gets, the more damage will its scales do. Their range increases as well!

Luckily, this particular creature is pretty darn weak to the Sleep Status Effect. Use and abuse the gadgets and traps that can dish it out to stay on top of Bezelgeuse as the fight ramps up. Another thing to keep in mind would be to try and stay directly beneath the creature, where neither its neck bombs nor its tail can reach you. A challenge in a fight against a flying monster, but it might help out in a pinch.

TIP: When the fight starts, you'll have the opportunity to drop two massive crystals on Seething Bazelgeuse in the central area. We must recommend you do this as it greatly reduces the creature's health, shortening the fight duration and protecting you from a headache or two!

Silver Rathalos

To end things on a high and appropriately badass note, we've opted for the Silver Rathalos! A rare and destructive creature, particularly unlucky players might have to face it in tandem with Gold Rathian, its effective counterpart.

For the most part, Silver Rathalos is just a far more powerful and aggressive version of the already threatening base Rathalos. This means you're in for a fight with a powerhouse at any range, with very few weaknesses you could exploit.

Your best bet for dealing any significant damage to Silver Rathalos (and its even more powerful Tempered variant) will be to rely on Water and Thunder effects. Our advice would be to get as much experience on base Rathalos as possible because that's essentially the skill-set you'll be going against. Just, y'know, way more powerful.

TIP: Use your Flash Pods while the creature is swooping through the air. Though any version of Rathalos recovers from this very, very quickly, you'll have a few precious moments to try and deal as much damage to its wings as possible. Eventually, you'll clip it, which will make the monster far easier to deal with.

Good luck!

 

Let us tell you right away: certain monsters in Monster Hunter: Iceborne are tough. The sheer number of all-new creatures present in this expansion pack is quite staggering, and very few of them are outright pushovers. That said, we did manage to pick out a few of our favorite challenges, and with that, we’ve prepared our list […]