Monster Hunter World: Nergigante Tips and Tricks

Monster Hunter World launches tomorrow and hunters all over the world will embark on a new journey, full of new environments and challenges. New hunters may find this task a bit overwhelming at first, going into battle with massive intimidating creatures. The new flagship monster, the Nergigante, is no small task for any hunter. This aggressive behemoth is fast and deals a ton of damage from almost all angles. So to help take down this elder dragon, here are some tips and tricks for a successful hunt.

1: Defensive Armor

Being an elder dragon, Nergigante does not do any form of elemental damage. But his physical attacks hit like a train. Stacking high defensive armor and charms will serve a hunter well in being able to withstand the monster’s blows. Weapons with a shield, such as the charge blade or lance, are also useful when trying to hold out against Nergigante’s big slam attacks.

2: Watch the Spikes

Nergigante is covered in quills, the main areas being the top of the head, the front legs, the front of the wings and on the tip of the tail. Watching the color changes in the spikes is key to reading the monster’s attack pattern, as well as watching for prime openings for attacks. When the spikes are white, they are vulnerable to attack. These spikes can be broken off the Nergigante, which opens up more areas for attack. If the spikes are left untouched, they will eventually turn black. This causes them to harden considerably, and the hunter’s attacks will begin to bounce off. When all Nergigante’s spikes turn black, this is a good indicator that he is about to use one of his big attacks. Once this happens, the spikes will break off and the monster will reset.

3: Weaknesses and Attack Areas

Nergigante is weak to the dragon element, so using a weapon that can put out this kind of damage gives the hunter a huge upper-hand for maximizing damage. When the monster’s spikes are white, they are particularly susceptible to thunder damage. This can be exploited easily with the use of ranged weapons that have thunder coating or thunder ammo, giving the hunter the option to swap to this elemental damage when the monster is vulnerable. The best areas to attack Nergigante while simultaneously avoiding most attacks are his hind legs and belly. Keeping close to these areas will help the hunter avoid damage from the front legs, head and tail.

4: Dodge!

Nergigante does damage from almost every angle, so being able to dance around the monster and keep an eye on his big attacks is key to survival. There are three big attacks that should be avoided if at all possible, but thankfully they all have tells for when the monster is about to use them. The first one to watch out for is when Nergigante lays down on his side, with one wing toward the hunter. The monster will then slide full tilt on its side at the hunter, dealing a substantial amount of damage and a large knock-back. The best way to avoid this is to dodge to the side toward the monster’s tail area, away from the wing. Second, Nergigante will raise up on its hind legs, which signals the body slam attack. Try to dodge to either side of the monster. If the hunter dodges back, they may be hit with the secondary attack, in which Nergigante pulls its head out of the ground, throwing shrapnel toward the front. The third, and probably the biggest attack to watch for, is Nergigante’s flying tackle. The monster will lift itself off the ground, flying backward slightly, and then dive forward, dragging along the ground for a considerable distance. This attack hurts badly, so avoiding it is essential. If the hunter is close enough, diving toward the monster toward, under its tail, is the best way to avoid the attack. If the hunter dodges to the side, they must try to get as far away as possible, due to the hit-box of this attack having a large range.

Nergigante is a tough fight, but a fun one that keeps hunters on their toes the whole time. Hopefully these tips and tricks will help hunters all over successfully take down the aggressive elder dragon. Don’t forget to check out the companion video to this article to watch these strategies in action.