The final boss of end of Monster Hunter Wilds. They resolve to fight it in an epic final hunt, hoping to end the Guardians' reign over all the creatures of the Forbidden Lands and return balance to its flora and fauna.

It's not an easy fight by any means, though it's probably not the hardest in the game (I actually found Arkveld a little tougher). Defeating Zoh Shia puts an end to Monster Hunter Wilds' story, and also signifies the first step in your graduation from Low Rank. That allows you to access the postgame, fighting more difficult versions of the main story monsters, as well as new species in a feature Monster Hunter has always termed High Rank. Still, beating Zoh Shia is a challenge, your final test before entering High Rank, and can be deadly to the unprepared.

How To Prep For Zoh Shia

What To Bring

The Zoh Shia hunt may sneak up on you; it arrives pretty quickly after a series of cutscenes following the previous quest, which involves slaying Arkveld. However, if you do have time to prepare beforehand, you can compensate for the many status effects Zoh Shia is able to inflict. It has a Strong Roar, which means you'll want the Earplugs ability if possible. Bring Nulberries to stave off Fireblight and Thunderblight, but anything that grants you Fire or Thunder resistance will also come in handy.

You can also dispel Fireblight (and reduce the duration of Thunderblight) by repeatedly dodge rolling.

Consumables like these will usually be provided during each mission in your Seikret's pouch. Press left on the D-Pad to summon your Seikret and open its inventory. These materials may also be replenished midway through the hunt - your companions will inform you with a voice line if that's the case.

Zoh Shia Elemental & Status Effect Weaknesses

The following chart describes all of Zoh Shia's damage resistances and weaknesses by body part. Not unlike Jin Dahaad, Zoh Shia has a breakable exoskeleton, which you can destroy bit by bit to expose greater weaknesses and inflict more damage.

So, Zoh Shia's major weak points are its wings and head. Elemental damage doesn't make a huge difference here, although if you do decide to use an elemental weapon, go for Dragon, as it does a little bit of extra damage on certain body parts. Status effect weaknesses are listed below:

Any tools or items causing Exhaust can be left at camp - Stun items you can take or leave. Unfortunately, Flash Pods, Sonic Bombs, Shock Traps, and Pitfall Traps are all ineffective against Zoh Shia.

Jin Dahaad's Weak Points & Moveset

Weak Points & Strategies

Zoh Shia doesn't have a weak point, per se, but its head and wingarms take more damage from most elements than any other parts of its body. It has four breakable parts:

But again, Zoh Shia is covered in a thick layer of crystals which can be broken off in order to increase the damage of your attacks. See the difference between Crystalized and non-Crystalized parts in the weakness table above. Using Heavy Piercing Pods, which may drop when you break Zoh Shia's crystal layer, will help shatter its defenses even further. Note also that you can only inflict Wounds on non-Crystalized parts of Zoh Shia.

So, for the most part, the ideal strategy for Zoh Shia is the same as any other Large Monster: chip away at its forelegs until it goes down, then attack its head repeatedly. You may be able to get some hits in on its wings while it's standing, however; you should always take the opportunity to do so. Otherwise, just stay healed, take care of status effects as they come in, and watch out for the moves below.

Zoh Shia Moveset

Zoh Shia effectively has three phases, which affect its damage resistance and available attacks. In phase one, its entire body will be extra-resistant, and it'll mainly use melee attacks. Eventually, it'll begin breathing fire and shatter some of its own crystals, exposing its head and wings permanently. Finally, it'll summon red lightning and shatter all the crystals on its body, having access to both Thunder and Fire attacks, but becoming more vulnerable.

When close to Zoh Shia, stay near its forelegs and wings, and watch out for its slam attack when it rears up on its hind legs. Zoh Shia may also spit out fireballs, or swing its wings or tail for traditional melee attacks. When it does this, give it some distance, as some of its melee attacks cause explosions after the fact.

Zoh Shia has a powerful, whole-arena ability: watch for it to brace itself against the ground, screaming as it summons a row of crystals in a circle around it, then roaring a jet of fire. The arena then explodes in fire. When this happens, I highly recommend getting aboard your Seikret and just running as far away as possible, then waiting for the inferno to .

Zoh Shia's attacks will sometimes cause small, white crystals to sprout out of the ground. If you attack these with elemental damage of any type, they'll explode a couple seconds later. You may need to watch out for these yourself, but you can also lure Zoh Shia next to them and blow them up for extra damage.

Speaking of luring Zoh Shia, you should also be mindful of the Shrine Fragments that hang from the ceiling. If you can shoot one of these with your slinger while Zoh Shia is standing beneath it, then it'll deal massive damage, while also knocking the monster to the ground and leaving them vulnerable to further attacks.

Zoh Shia Materials & Rewards

All Zoh Shia Drops

Eventually, Zoh Shia will go down, and you'll have an opportunity to carve materials from it. The table below shows all potential Zoh Shia drops, along with the frequency with which they appear.

These parts are rather generic: they can be used to craft any weapon or armor of the Guardian type. This consists of some of the best High Rank starting gear in Monster Hunter Wilds, so make sure to check back with the Smithy after the credits roll.