Monster Hunter Stories 2: How To Counter Every Large Monster | Weaknesses & Attack Patterns List

/ Features / , , , /

To beat back the big monsters in Monster Hunter Stories 2, you need a load of information; you need to know what types of weapons to use, what types of attacks to use to counter them, and what their elemental weaknesses are. Even the most basic monster fight requires you to use the right weapon and the right attack or you’ll get crushed. And there are dozens of monsters to fight — each part of a monster has a different weapon weakness, and monsters tend to change up their attack patterns at important intervals in the battle.

If you’re sick of forgetting which monsters attack when and what you need, then you’re just like us. That’s why we’ve put together a cheat sheet for every single monster in the game, letting you know what you need for each one in the simplest terms possible. Scroll down for a rundown on monster attacks, when they change, what weapons to use, and what each monster’s elemental weakness is. This only covers the big monsters — the little monsters are just a nuisance, the big monsters are the real threat. Grab your best bone axe, and let’s wade into the monster battling arena together.

More Monster Hunter Stories 2 guides:

Beginner’s Guide | How To Farm Money & XP Early | How To Claim Free Kamura Garb | How To Turn Invisible And Skip Battles | How To Unlock More Expedition Slots | Where To Find All Royal Monsters | How To Craft Heart Restoring Items | Revive Guide | How To Boost Monsties With Gene Channeling | How To Get Rare Rainbow Eggs | Best Eggs Guide | How To Get Anjanath Early | T-Rex Monstie Guide | How To Answer All Quiz Questions | How To Hatch Elder Dragons & Deviant Monsties | How To Get Palamute Monsties

[Work-In-Progress: Check back soon for new updates.]

Every large monster has a weakness and an attack pattern. If you don’t want to memorize every single monster’s attacks, you can use the cheat sheet below.

Press [Ctrl+F] to search through the full list of monsters and find the weaknesses you need to make battles easier.

Agnaktor

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Swaps after Molten Cross / Uppercut) & Technical (Enraged)
  • Elemental Weakness: Water

Anjanath

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Enraged)
  • Elemental Weakness: Water

Arzuros

  • Primary Attack: Power
  • Secondary Attack: Technical (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Blunt (All Parts) / Slash (Stomach, Tail) / Slash (Wings w/ Bolt)
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire

Astalos

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Bolt)
  • Elemental Weakness: Ice

Barioth

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash (Stomach, Tail) / Blunt (Spikes) / Piercing (Stomach)
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire

Barroth

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Technical (Mud Armor)
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire (Normal) / Water (Mud Armor)

Basarios

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Enraged)
  • Elemental Weakness: Water

Bazelgeuse

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Technical (Enraged)
  • Elemental Weakness: Thunder

Brachydios

  • Primary Attack: Power
  • Secondary Attack: Speed (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash (Head, Body) / Piercing (Tail) / Blunt (Fist w/ Slime Charge)
  • Elemental Weakness: Water

Bulldrome

  • Primary Attack: Power
  • Secondary Attack:
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash
  • Elemental Weakness: Thunder

Cephadrome

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Technical (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Piercing (Back) / Blunt (Stomach) / Slash (Tail)
  • Elemental Weakness: Ice

Congalala

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Blunt (Head) / Piercing (Body) / Slash (Tail)
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire

Daimyo Hermitaur

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Blunt
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire

Deviljho

  • Primary Attack: Power
  • Secondary Attack: Speed (Pumped Up)
  • Elemental Weakness: Dragon

Diablos

  • Primary Attack: Power
  • Secondary Attack: Speed (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Blunt (Horn) / Piercing (Legs) / Slash (Tail)
  • Elemental Weakness: Ice

Duramboros

  • Primary Attack: Power
  • Secondary Attack: Technical (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Blunt (Body, Tail) / Slash (Legs)
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire

Gammoth

  • Primary Attack: Power
  • Secondary Attack:
  • Weapon Weakness: Blunt (Head, Legs, Body w/ Snow Slurp) / Slash (Nose, Tail w/ Snow Slurp)
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire

Gendrome

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Technical (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash / Piercing
  • Elemental Weakness: Ice

Glavenus

  • Primary Attack: Power
  • Secondary Attack:
  • Elemental Weakness: Water

Black Gravios

  • Primary Attack: Power
  • Secondary Attack: Technical (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Blunt (Head, Stomach) / Slash (Legs)
  • Elemental Weakness: Water

Great Baggi

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Technical (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash / Piercing
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire

Great Jaggi

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Speed (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash / Piercing
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire

Gypceros

  • Primary Attack: Power
  • Secondary Attack: Technical (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash (Stomach, Tail) / Piercing (Head)
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire

Iodrome

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash / Piercing
  • Elemental Weakness: Water

Kecha Wacha

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Technical (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Blunt (Body, Claws) / Slash (Head, Tail, Body)
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire

Khezu

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Piercing (Head) / Slush, Blunt (Body)
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire

Kirin

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Technical (Enraged)
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire

Kulu-Ya-Ku

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Rock)
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash, Piercing / Blunt (Rock)
  • Elemental Weakness: Water

Kushala Daora

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Enraged) / Speed (Flying)
  • Weapon Weakness:
  • Elemental Weakness: Thunder

Lagiacrus

  • Primary Attack: Power
  • Secondary Attack: Speed (Enraged) / Technical (Electrified)
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash (Body) / Blunt (Tail, Back w/ Electrified)
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire

Lagombi

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire

Legiana

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Enraged) / Technical (Flying)
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash (Body, Head, Wings) / Blunt (Body / Wings)
  • Elemental Weakness: Thunder

Mizutsune

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Speed (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Blunt, Slash (Body, Legs) / Piercing (Tail)
  • Elemental Weakness: Thunder

Monoblos

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Piercing (Stomach, Tail, Legs, Horn) / Slash (Stomach)
  • Elemental Weakness: Thunder

Nargacuga

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Technical (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Piercing
  • Elemental Weakness: Thunder

Nergigante

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Power (White Spikes) / Speed (Black Spikes)
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash, Piercing (Body w/o Spikes) / Slash, Piercing, Blunt (White Spikes) / None (Black Spikes)
  • Elemental Weakness: Thunder

Nerscylla

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Speed (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Piercing (Chest, Needle) / Slash (Legs, Stomach) / Blunt (Head)
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire

Paolumu

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Speed (Flying)
  • Weapon Weakness: Blunt (Body) / Piercing (Neck w/ Flying)
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire

Plesioth

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Piercing (Body, Back, Tail) / Slash (Body)
  • Elemental Weakness: Thunder

Pukei-Pukei

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Enraged)
  • Elemental Weakness: Thunder

Qurupeco

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack:
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash (Body) / Blunt (Head)
  • Elemental Weakness: Ice

Rajang

  • Primary Attack: Power
  • Secondary Attack: Power / Speed / Technical (Swaps glowing Aura)
  • Weapon Weakness:
  • Elemental Weakness: Ice

Rathalos

  • Primary Attack: Power
  • Secondary Attack: Speed (Flying)
  • Weapon Weakness:
  • Elemental Weakness: Thunder

Rathian

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash
  • Elemental Weakness: Dragon

Royal Ludroth

  • Primary Attack: Power
  • Secondary Attack: Technical (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash (Body) / Piercing (Head)
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire

Seltas

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Formation)
  • Weapon Weakness: Blunt (Head) / Piercing (Stomach)
  • Elemental Weakness: Thunder

Seregios

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Speed (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness:
  • Elemental Weakness: Thunder

Teostra

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Enraged) / Technical (Flying)
  • Elemental Weakness: Water

Tetsucabra

  • Primary Attack: Power
  • Secondary Attack:
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash, Piercing / Blunt (Rock Wall)
  • Elemental Weakness: Water

Tigrex

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash (Head) / Slash, Blunt, Piercing (Legs)
  • Elemental Weakness: Thunder

Tobi-Kidachi

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Technical (Enraged) / Power (Electric Charge)
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash (Body, Tail, Legs) / Blunt (Body, Tail)
  • Elemental Weakness: Water

Uragaan

  • Primary Attack: Power
  • Secondary Attack: Technical (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Blunt (Head, Tail, Rock) / Slash (Stomach, Tail)
  • Elemental Weakness: Water

Velkhana

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Technical (Ice) / Power (Flying)
  • Elemental Weakness: Fire

Yian Garuga

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Power (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash
  • Elemental Weakness: Water

Yian Kut-Ku

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Speed (Enraged)
  • Weapon Weakness: Piercing
  • Elemental Weakness: Ice

Zamtrios

  • Primary Attack: Technical
  • Secondary Attack: Speed (Ice) / Power (Swell)
  • Weapon Weakness: Slash / Piercing
  • Elemental Weakness: Thunder

Zinogre

  • Primary Attack: Speed
  • Secondary Attack: Technical (Following Electric Charge) / Power (Following Thunder Supercharge)
  • Weapon Weakness: Piercing (Head, Tail) / Slash (Tail)
  • Elemental Weakness: Ice