Monster Hunter World's smashing success in 2018, breaking the franchise out into the mainstream.
Rise is the most accessible game in the series to date and is poised for an Iceborne-like expansion next summer with Sunbreak. The DLC will add new quests and monsters including for the PC port. However, even now the base game on Switch has received a respectable amount of difficult Event/Challenge Quests through free updates.
Scorching Showdown
The Monster Hunter World: Iceborne expansion brought Teostra in Event Quests, and one of the early free updates for Rise introduced him onto the Switch. The "Emperor of Flame" is one of the franchise's legacy Elder Dragons, going back to Monster Hunter 2 for the PS2. Scorching Showdown tasks players to hunt one in the Sandy Plains and have to be at High-Rank level 8 or higher to tackle it.
Teostra is a daunting monster to handle as it can deal heavy damage up close and at a distance. Attacks that surround its body make it difficult to stay close for too long, and its flames can inflict Fireblight. He also has a devastating Supernova with a wide area-of-effect and can scatter dust that explodes on command. These explosions also inflict Blastblight if hunters realize too late when to run as far as possible.
Heart Of Rivalry
Mizutsune was already one of Monster Hunter Rise's strongest monsters, but adding in its Apex version into regular hunts elevated the difficulty. It has hard-to-predict water beams that reach long-range, is incredibly swift, and can now fire water bubbles that inflict Waterblight to tear down players' stamina as well as health from the explosions.
Things only became harder when Heart of Rivalry threw in an Apex variant of Zinogre, too. The latter has been a fan-favorite since the Japan-exclusive Monster Hunter Portable 3rd and the worldwide 3 Ultimate for the 3DS, and its heavy physical attacks, agility, and Thunderblight make it a handful in combat. Hunters will have to make use of the mounting tactics and Turf Wars to chip away their health from safety, especially since their Apex forms are more aggressive by default.
Clouds Of Narwa Rumble Again
The Thunder Serpent Narwa serves as the final boss and Elder Dragon of Monster Hunter Rise and can be hunted again in an Event Quest. And like other Elders like the fabled Fatalis, the fight with the Narwa is broken up into phases to emphasize the momentous atmosphere of fights with it.
Because of this, players generally need to come well-prepared in of equipment and mentally, as it'll be a drawn-out fight demanding focus. As its name suggests, it's a monster with Thunder-based attacks and also makes use of telekinetic powers to broaden its range of damage. Its abilities range from firing electrical beams, raising metallic platforms, and using its electric sac to create deadly and expanding rings. Expectedly, these elemental attacks can also cause Thunderblight and Stun.
SF: Ultimate Promotion Exam
Another imposing threat recently introduced to Monster Hunter Rise is Rajang. It's another classic monster from MH2 and has become infamous for being the bane of countless players. Rajang now can be found in the game at any time regardless of the quest taken, but hunters would be wise to let it sleep whenever possible.
Once enraged, Rajang becomes furiously relentless by chasing down the player wherever they might be on the map. The Street Fighter crossover Event Quest SF: Ultimate Promotion Exam sends players to the Shrine Ruins specifically to hunt it down, meaning there's nowhere to hide this time. Rajang is fast, ruthless, and can even command Thunder attacks when it enters its enraged state. It's one of the franchise's most fast-paced and intense battles, making it one of Capcom's wildest boss fights.
Tempest In The Desert
The "Shadow Among the Tempest" Kushala Daora has also caused many headaches for Monster Hunter fans due to its sheer strength and natural defenses. Tempest in the Desert has players in the Sandy Plains to hunt a Kushala while dealing with the aforementioned boons it has. The scope of this fight is one of the biggest tests of pattern recognition in the game.
Being airborne is also an issue, making it ideal for players to hunt in groups consisting of bow or bowgun s to compensate. Kushala Daora's metallic scales also make it difficult to deal damage, and it unleashes an aura of intense wind pressure to prevent hunters from getting close. If players aren't careful in recognizing when to close the distance and what parts to break off of Kushala, it can easily become a frustrating fight ending in failure.
Heart Of A Hero
Heart of a Hero is another Event Quest that pits players against two monsters at a time. However, this time the zone is the Arena in the village. This can make things even more hectic considering that the monsters in question are Diablos and Tigrex. The former is a classic from the first Monster Hunter game also on the PS2, and the latter first appeared in Freedom 2 on the PSP. Despite not being carnivorous, Diablos is one of the most aggressive monsters in the franchise and hits for incredible physical damage.
The sand and dirt is its domain, as it can dig and tunnel through it to attack hunters from below. Meanwhile, Tigrex is similar violent while also being notoriously hard to predict with its erratic attacks. Tigrex in particular is quite fast, and having to deal with both of these beasts in an enclosed space is a grueling task. The game does a great job of implementing thrilling challenges like this, but easing players into the endgame difficulty through the story is one of Monster Hunter Rise's biggest pros.
Trouble In Paradise
Arguably the franchise's biggest icon is the "King of the Skies" himself, Rathalos. For a long time, Rathalos even made up part of the Monster Hunter logo and was the flagship monster for the first game. Along with the King is the "Queen of the Land" in the form of Rathian, and Trouble in Paradise has hunters fight against Apex versions of both simultaneously.
They're both formidable opponents as is, with each having proficiencies in the air and on land. In their Apex state, they become hyperviolent and gain new combinations of attacks, in addition to new moves Rise already gave to their base versions. Managing all this in addition to the fire and poison ailments they can inflict give hunters a chaotic, high-octane fight that demands great timing, positioning, as well as pattern recognition.
