Monster Hunter World: Slaying Barroth – Tips and Tricks

Monster Hunter World is finally here, and the reception of this new iteration of the franchise has been positive, especially among new players to the series. The roster of monsters is a healthy mix of classic and new creatures. In this article, we will be taking a look at an old favorite, the Barroth. So, here are some tips and tricks to help hunters take on this behemoth of a brute wyvern.

1: Reading Barroth’s Attacks

Barroth’s size may be intimidating at first, but compared to other monsters it is much slower and its movements are easy to read before an upcoming attack. There are three big damage dealing attacks to watch for. First, if attacking from behind, watch for Barroth to lift his tail high up in the air. The monster will hold the tail there for a moment before sweeping it back and forth a few times, hitting any hunter around that area. While not the heaviest hitting attack, it does cause knock-back and can stagger a hunter, so dodging out of the way either toward the monster’s body or backward out of range of the tail are the best ways to avoid being struck. Second, the hunter will see the Barroth lower its head and steam will briefly come out of its crown. This signals the Barroth is about to charge in a straight line toward the hunter. This attack hits hard and causes severe knock-back, but avoiding it can be done easily. Watch for the steam on the head and dodge to the right or the left, out of Barroth’s range. Once Barroth has completed the charge, he will usually recover for a few seconds, giving the hunter time to get in some free damage. Third, Barroth will look up in the air, signaling that he is about to do a headbutt, then will smash its head down directly in front of it. Avoiding this attack is as easy as dodging away from the head in any direction, but make sure to get a bit of distance. If you’re too close, the headbutt can cause you to stagger.

2: The Mud Mechanic

Barroth is a master of using its environment to its advantage. When in swamp or water-based areas, Barroth will lay on its back and roll around in the mud, covering its whole body. This provides an extra layer of armor to the monster, boosting its defense and causing weapons with a lower sharpness to bounce off its body. At certain times, the monster will stop and begin to shake its whole body back and forth, flinging the mud onto the ground. If the hunter gets hit by one of these globs, it can result in water-blight which will debuff the hunter’s stamina, causing it to refill slower and deplete much faster. Second, the monster will raise its head back and headbutt the ground, causing damage and flinging a pile of mud directly in front of it—if still covered. If the hunter walks into one of these mud piles on the ground, it will slow the hunter’s movement drastically and inhibit the hunter from attacking until they have escaped from the mud and recovered. It’s best to back off from Barroth when these attacks occur and wait a few seconds for the mud piles to disappear before engaging again. The mud can also be broken off the body when attacked, which gets rid of the armor effect, allowing the hunter to deal more damage. When all the mud is broken off, the Barroth can no longer use mud-based attacks.

3: Weaknesses

Barroth has two main weak points to physical damage on its body. Its front arms can be broken, and its tail can be severed. When fighting this monster, a slashing damage weapon is only needed to cut off the tail, while the rest of the breakable parts on the monster are best-taken care of with a blunt damage weapon such as the hammer or a hunting horn. Elemental weaknesses also play a huge part in this fight, but are a bit tricky with the Barroth’s mud mechanic. While the monster is covered in mud it is susceptible to water elemental damage and resistant to fire. Once the mud is knocked off the monster these weaknesses are switched, and the monster becomes weak to fire damage and resistant to water damage. The Barroth is also weak to the poison, paralysis, and blast ailments, so choosing a weapon that can cause these status effects put the hunter at a huge advantage.

While Barroth is not the most difficult fight, this monster is an awesome training tool for hunters to learn the mechanics of reading monster movements to predict attacks and patterns. Don’t forget to check out our companion video to this article to see some of these tips and tricks in action.