Monster Hunter World Iceborne arrives at the end of the week, but we’re currently being treated to an Open Beta, which includes an off hunt hunt for this beast, so here’s the second in our series for the DLC to give you some hints and tips on how to beat Nargacuga. For the Beta you’ll find mention of the bat-faced panther monster on The Great Jagras Hunt, and if you follow the clues you’ll find the Iceborne addition of Narga, which looks epic.
AdvertisementIt may not be as troublesome as Velkhana, but it can still do a lot to inflict damage so it’s always good to find out more about how to take it on. You can see it in action for yourself in the gameplay video at the bottom of the page, but we’ll also talk you through everything you need to take into account before that. It’s a returning monster to the series, so if you’ve fought it before then you’ll have a little advantage, but this is the Iceborne interpretation of Nargacuga, so it will be updated for that.
Setup to beat Nargacuga
While this is an new Iceborne monster addition it doesn’t require the same set up that you would put in place for the ice beasts that have been introduced, so there is no need for the Iceproof Mantle or any other ice resistance that you might put in place. Nargacuga doesn’t blight you either, so there’s no need to worry about Null Berries. However, there is one important similarity to Velkhana in that it’s a very fast monster, so speed is going to be a big part of your attack and defence strategies.
General preparations for Monster Hunter World are the things to focus on if you want to speed up the Nargacuga Hunt. If you’ve picked up any Streamstones from tempered Elder Dragon hunts then you should be pretty overpowered in comparison to the red-eyes panther bat. You can also throw in some Mega Demondrug and Mega Armorskin to buff up your Hunter pre-fight, and keep a good supply of potions for recovery if you need them. For your pre-fight meal go for your biggest attack boost to help you beat it as quickly as possible.
Nargacuga is weakest to thunder and second weakest to fire, so the best weapon to fight it with will be the one you’re most comfortable with that give you good attack stats with either of these elements. However, if you’re looking to counter it’s speed of attack then you might want to try the Dual Blades, which will give you perpetual motion in the fight and a good chance of getting it in the head and wing fairly regularly.
It’s tail is its biggest asset and you might want to go all out to sever it, making the Switch Axe a good option, but you should be aware that it takes most of the fight to sever the tail even with sustained attacks on it. You can see in the Iceborne gameplay video below that the on-screen Hunter gets in solid damage in on the throughout the fight, but doesn’t take it out until moments before the finish, so don’t expect it to be an instant fix for its tail attacks.
AdvertisementIn terms of the best armor, this is really down to what you want to achieve in the fight. Match this to Armor skills and defence balance to give you the best chance of hitting your target. If you’re looking for the biggest carve haul then you might want to go for the Legiana sets for the luck bonus, but if you’re looking to break parts like the head or wing then the Uragaan sets work well. However, if you just want finish it off as fast as possible then go for elemental attack boosts like the fire of the Lavasioth sets or the thunder of Kirin.
You can follow Monster Hunter World On it’s official Twitter page at to see more on the Iceborne DLC.
How to attack Nargacuga
With preparation done and dusted, it’s time to look at how you should approach attacking Nargacuga. As mentioned earlier, this is a fast moving monster, so speed is all important. It doesn’t have much that can come close to one-shot finishing you, so you go toe-to-toe with it a little, but thinking of this as a get in, do damage, avoid attacks cycle, rinse, repeat and you probably won’t go too far wrong.
Luckily, it isn’t as powerful as the Ice King of the Elder Dragons, but it does have a long range attack from its tail, which can fire knife-like pin vollies at you. Roll is you best way to avoid getting hit with this, so be ready to move if it curls it’s tail in you direction.
The majority of its attacks come from its tail tip, but it has a long tail, so you can aim for the first third of its tail pretty comfortably to get in the damage. However, it can do a whole body spin flicking the spiky tail, which does a lot of damage, which is why it’s a good idea to get in, get some hits in and then move. It’s got an AI system that is designed to respond to the way you fight, so think about mixing this up if it seems to be picking up on your signature efforts.
It’s other big move is the tail slap, which is pretty devastating if you get caught on the wrong end of it. It has a tell for this though, which is that it’ll face you first, lower it’s head, raise it’s tail and then flip it in your direction with a lot of speed. When you see it start this it’s a good idea to roll out of the way, but leave enough time to run back in because it’s spikes get caught in the ground giving you a good amount of free swings to get in your best combos.
There will be lots of opportunities to mount it, but as it moves quickly don’t be surprised if you miss more than you land. It seems to recover pretty quickly though after a mount knockdown.
If you’re not going all out for the tail sever then there’s a big opportunity to get under it to do a lot of body and wing damage. It seems less able to detect you and respond with an attack when you’re under it’s mid-section, so it’s a good tip to get in plenty of hits for a faster finish.
Nargacuga can damage you with its entire body, but the other areas to be aware of are its clawed wings and attacks from the front. The latter are the most savage and it can make a lunge for you with its fangs at any moment, so it’s a good idea to steer clear of it unless you’re really gunning for a head break.
You definitely don’t need to be as careful with this guy compared to Velkhana, so you can pick your approach, get in some big hits, duck out and get straight back in again yo keep up the pressure. If you’re hunting it as a team then you can really lay in on it from different angles, especially with a gunner on the fringes or a dual blades hunter keeping it disoriented. It rages a lot with its red eyes, but that doesn’t seem to change too much in terms of the way you fight it.
AdvertisementOther hints and tips to fighting Nargacuga
1. Look out for vine traps that you can lure it over to. It doesn’t stay trapped for long, but it will give you some free hits on it.
2. There’s also poison in the outer forest area to lure it into
3. If you’re struggling to keep up with Nargacuga, make sure you mark it as a target on the map
4. Lastly, don’t forget about your Palico setup with a focus on the damage you can do
Nargacuga fight gameplay video
In addition to the Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Nargacuga gameplay video above, you can find out more about the DLC release on the MHW website at https://www.monsterhunter.com/world-iceborne/us/.
