Rathian

Learn about the Rathian in monster hunter 3 ultimate, including its habitats, weaknesses, and key attacks like Fireball and Backflip.

Habitat:

• Deserted Island: Areas 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 (Spawn and Rest)
• Sandy Plains: Areas 1, 2, 3, 4 (Spawn), 8, 9, 10, 11 (Rest)
• Flooded Forest: Areas 1, 2 (Spawn), 4, 7, 9, 10 (Rest)
• Misty Peaks: Areas 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (Spawn and Rest), 9

Properties:

• Weak Spots: Head, Belly
• Susceptible To: Fatigue
• Strong Against: Fire
• Weak Against: Dragon, Thunder

Part Durability:

• Head, Body: Medium Durability (Effect: Lurch)
• Neck: Very Low Durability (Effect: Lurch)
• Wings (x2), Tail: Low Durability (Effect: Large Lurch)
• Legs (x2): Medium Durability (Effect: Knockdown)

Breakable Parts:

• Head: Break by decreasing durability. Effect: Extra Rewards.
• Wings (x2): Break by decreasing durability. Effect: Extra Rewards (Only Once), Slower Key Attacks.
• Tail: Break by damaging with Cut Weapons. Effect: Extra Carve.

Rage Effects:

• Attack: 130%
• Defence: No Change
• Speed: 115%

Key Attacks:

• Fireball: The Rathian pulls her head back, flaming at the jaw, and then launches either a single fireball straight at the hunter, or a volley of three - one forward, one to the left 45 degrees and another to the right at 45 degrees.
• Backflip: The Rathian ‘places’ her feet and then launches herself upwards, swinging her tail under herself in the act. This will inflict poison.
• Pin: From the air the Rathian may attempt to ‘pin’ the hunter with its claws, clearly signalled by the Rathian putting her claws down, towards the hunter before coming in for an attack.
• Charge: The Rathian may simply charge forward, making her entire body a weapon.
• Wyvernfire: A huge, localised explosion signaled by the Rathian hopping backwards with fire smouldering in her jaw. Make sure you’re well away from the Rathian, or ‘past’ her mouth.

Recommended Strategy:

You want to effectively hug the Rathian. You don’t want to be under her legs for fear of being trampled, but the ideal spot to fight the Rathian from is next to her legs or around the mid point of her tail. From here, deal damage and the dodge when you see an attack coming, more often than not ‘through’ the Rathian, with an eye to landing on her other side. If the Rathian gets into the air then that is your cue to run (unless you’re late in the fight and confident in your weapon, long swords and the like can bring a Rathian back down to earth if you’re good enough). Run around because you do not want to find yourself pinned. Obviously use traps if you can, and make sure you pack an extra antidote or two, it never hurts to be cautious.