Monster Hunter Wilds Monster Weakness Chart: Every Element & Status
Complete elemental and status weakness chart for all monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds, including Title Update additions. Know exactly what to bring before every hunt.
Why Weaknesses Matter More Than Raw Damage
Hitting a Rathalos with a Thunder weapon deals roughly 30% more damage than a raw weapon of the same tier. Against monsters with three-star weaknesses, elemental matching is the single biggest DPS increase you can get outside of affinity stacking. Status weaknesses matter too — knowing a monster is weak to Paralysis means one lockdown per hunt that gives your whole team a free damage window.
Check this chart before every unfamiliar hunt. Bring the right element. Win faster.
If you’re still getting your bearings, our beginner’s guide covers the fundamentals before you start min-maxing weaknesses.
How to Read the Chart
- ★★★ = Highly effective (bring this)
- ★★ = Moderately effective (works fine)
- ★ = Low effectiveness (minimal extra damage)
- — = Immune or negligible effect
For status effects:
- ★★★ = Triggers quickly, multiple applications per hunt
- ★★ = Takes moderate buildup, 1-2 triggers per hunt
- ★ = Very slow buildup, barely worth running
Early Game Monsters
| Monster | Type | Fire | Water | Thunder | Ice | Dragon | Best Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatacabra | Amphibian | — | ★★★ | ★★ | ★ | ★ | Poison ★★★ |
| Doshaguma | Fanged Beast | ★★ | ★ | ★★★ | ★ | ★ | Paralysis ★★★ |
| Kulu-Ya-Ku | Bird Wyvern | ★★ | ★★★ | ★ | ★★ | — | Sleep ★★ |
| Balahara | Leviathan | ★★★ | — | ★★ | ★ | ★ | Blast ★★ |
| Quematrice | Brute Wyvern | ★ | ★★★ | ★ | ★★ | ★ | Poison ★★ |
| Rey Dau | Flying Wyvern | ★★ | ★ | — | ★★★ | ★ | Paralysis ★★ |
Early game takeaway: Water weapons cover the most matchups. If you only want to build one elemental weapon for Low Rank, make it Water. Chatacabra, Kulu-Ya-Ku, and Quematrice all fold to it.
Mid Game Monsters
| Monster | Type | Fire | Water | Thunder | Ice | Dragon | Best Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rathalos | Flying Wyvern | — | ★★ | ★★★ | ★★ | ★★ | Paralysis ★★★ |
| Rathian | Flying Wyvern | — | ★★ | ★★★ | ★★ | ★ | Stun ★★ |
| Congalala | Fanged Beast | ★★★ | ★ | ★★ | ★ | ★ | Blast ★★ |
| Gypceros | Bird Wyvern | ★★ | ★ | ★ | ★★ | ★★★ | Sleep ★★★ |
| Gravios | Flying Wyvern | ★ | ★★★ | ★ | ★ | ★★ | Blast ★★★ |
| Nerscylla | Temnoceran | ★★★ | ★ | ★★ | ★ | ★ | Blast ★★ |
| Uth Duna | Leviathan | ★★★ | — | ★★ | ★★ | ★★ | Blast ★★ |
| Yian Kut-Ku | Bird Wyvern | ★ | ★★★ | ★★ | ★ | ★ | Poison ★★ |
| Blangonga | Fanged Beast | ★★★ | ★ | ★ | — | ★★ | Paralysis ★★ |
| Lala Barina | Temnoceran | ★★★ | ★ | ★★ | ★ | ★ | Poison ★★ |
Mid game takeaway: Thunder covers Rathalos and Rathian — the two monsters you’ll fight most during High Rank. Fire is your second priority since it handles Congalala, Nerscylla, Uth Duna, Blangonga, and Lala Barina. Build a Thunder weapon first, Fire second.
Late Game and Endgame Monsters
| Monster | Type | Fire | Water | Thunder | Ice | Dragon | Best Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hirabami | Leviathan | ★★ | ★ | ★★ | ★★ | ★★ | Paralysis ★★ |
| Jin Dahaad | Leviathan | ★★ | ★ | ★★ | ★★ | ★★ | Poison ★★ |
| Rompopolo | Brute Wyvern | ★ | ★★★ | ★★ | ★ | ★ | Blast ★★ |
| Ajarakan | Fanged Beast | ★★ | ★★ | ★★ | ★ | ★★ | Paralysis ★★ |
| Nu Udra | Cephalopod | ★★★* | ★ | ★★ | ★ | ★ | Blast ★★ |
| Xu Wu | Cephalopod | ★★ | ★★ | ★ | ★★ | ★★ | Poison ★★ |
| Gelidron | Amphibian | ★★★ | ★ | ★★ | — | ★ | Blast ★★ |
| Gore Magala | Demi Elder | ★★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★★ | Poison ★★ |
| Zoh Shia | Construct | ★★ | ★★ | ★★ | ★ | ★★ | Blast ★★ |
| Arkveld | Flying Wyvern | ★★ | ★★ | ★★ | ★ | ★★ | Poison ★★ |
*Nu Udra: Fire is especially effective because it ignites its oilsilt coating, dealing extra environmental damage. Bring Fire against Nu Udra, always.
Late game takeaway: Elemental weaknesses get less lopsided at this stage. Many endgame monsters have spread resistances instead of one glaring three-star hole. Fire remains useful (Nu Udra, Gelidron), and Water handles Rompopolo. For monsters like Arkveld and Zoh Shia, where nothing dominates, Blast status or raw damage with wound focus is your best bet.
Gore Magala Note
Gore Magala is classified as a “Demi Elder” — not a full Elder Dragon. It can still be trapped, which makes it more approachable than you’d expect for its threat level. Fire and Dragon are your best bets. When it enters Frenzy mode, its hitzones shift, so watch for the visual cue (purple particles) and adjust your targeting accordingly.
Cephalopods: A New Monster Type
Nu Udra and Xu Wu are Cephalopods, a monster type brand new to the series in Wilds. They fight in ways that feel alien compared to traditional wyverns — lots of tentacle sweeps, ink clouds, and environmental manipulation. Nu Udra’s oilsilt mechanic means a Fire weapon does double duty: direct elemental damage plus igniting the silt puddles around the arena.
Title Update Monsters
| Monster | Type | Fire | Water | Thunder | Ice | Dragon | Best Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mizutsune (TU1) | Leviathan | ★★ | — | ★★★ | ★★ | ★ | Blast ★★ |
| Lagiacrus (TU2) | Leviathan | ★★ | ★ | — | ★★★ | ★★ | Paralysis ★★ |
| Seregios (TU2) | Flying Wyvern | ★★ | ★★ | ★★★ | ★ | ★ | Poison ★★ |
| Gogmazios (TU4) | Elder Dragon | ★★★ | ★ | ★★ | ★ | ★★ | Blast ★★ |
Important: Gogmazios is the only Elder Dragon in Monster Hunter Wilds. This is a massive departure from previous games. No Teostra, no Kushala Daora, no Kirin. Just Gogmazios, added in Title Update 4 as a siege fight. Everything else on this roster is a standard large monster, a Demi Elder (Gore Magala), or a Construct (Zoh Shia).
Elder Dragon Status Immunity
Gogmazios cannot be trapped with Shock Traps or Pitfall Traps. Status ailments still work, but buildup thresholds are significantly higher than regular monsters. Expect one proc at most during the siege. For everyone else on the roster — yes, even Gore Magala — traps work fine.
Tempered and Arch-Tempered Variants
Tempered monsters share the same elemental weaknesses as their base versions but with higher status resistance thresholds. Arch-Tempered variants push this further:
- Status buildup requirements roughly double
- Some AT monsters gain partial resistance to their base version’s three-star weakness (drops to two-star)
- AT hunts are where raw damage builds with wound focus often outperform pure elemental setups
For AT hunts, prioritize elemental damage over status. A Paralysis weapon that procs twice on normal Rathalos might only proc once on Tempered and zero times on AT. Check our best armor sets guide for AT-specific build recommendations.
Weak Spots by Body Part
Elemental damage isn’t uniform across the body. General rules:
Most Monsters
- Head: Usually the best elemental hitzone
- Tail: Second-best for cutting weapons
- Wings: Good for Thunder on flying wyverns
- Legs: Worst elemental hitzone on almost everything
- Belly: Varies wildly — check Hunter’s Notes in-game
Special Cases
Gravios: The belly is the standout hitzone, but only after you crack the shell. Water bombs or repeated hits to the chest break the armor plating and expose a massive Water weakness underneath. Bring Mind’s Eye or use shelling weapons to avoid bouncing on the unbroken shell.
Rey Dau: The wing membranes take massive Ice damage. Weapons with vertical reach (Long Sword, Insect Glaive, Switch Axe) can reliably hit them when Rey Dau is grounded.
Arkveld (flagship): Its tentacle-like appendages shift hitzones depending on which phase it’s in. Check the wound indicators — glowing orange wounds take extra elemental damage regardless of which element you’re using.
Status Effect Mechanics
Buildup and Threshold
Every status hit adds buildup toward a threshold. Once the threshold is reached, the status triggers. After each trigger, the threshold increases by a fixed amount, making the next trigger harder to reach.
| Status | Effect | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Poison | DoT, 10 damage/tick for 40 seconds | ~400 total damage |
| Paralysis | Monster frozen in place | 5-8 seconds |
| Sleep | Monster falls asleep, first hit = 2x damage | Until hit |
| Blast | Explosion on buildup, flat 120 damage | Instant |
| Stun | Monster dazed, stumbles | 5-10 seconds |
| Exhaust | Monster drools, attacks slower | 20-30 seconds |
Best Status by Situation
- Solo play: Paralysis (free combo window) or Poison (set-and-forget damage)
- Multiplayer: Sleep (bomb wake-ups for massive burst) or Paralysis (whole team benefits)
- Speed running: Blast (consistent extra damage, no positioning requirement)
- Sustained fights: Poison on monsters with ★★★ weakness, free 1000+ damage across multiple procs
For more on multiplayer strategy, see our multiplayer guide.
Quick Reference: What to Bring
| If Fighting… | Bring This Element | Backup Status |
|---|---|---|
| Fire monsters | Water | Poison |
| Ice monsters | Fire | Blast |
| Thunder monsters | Ice or Water | Paralysis |
| Water monsters | Thunder | Sleep |
| Cephalopods (Nu Udra) | Fire | Blast |
| Arkveld / Zoh Shia | Any element (spread resist) | Poison |
| Gore Magala | Fire or Dragon | Poison |
| Gogmazios (Elder) | Fire | Blast |
| No idea | Dragon or Blast | Always decent |
Dragon and Blast are the “universal okay” options. They’re never the best choice, but they’re never terrible either. If you only want to maintain one weapon for lazy farming, Dragon element with Blast coating/ammo covers the widest range of matchups.
With the dual-weapon loadout system, you can carry an elemental weapon and a raw/status weapon on your Seikret, swapping mid-hunt as the situation changes. Use it.