A ton of monsters were added with Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, including the final boss Shara Ishvalda that is the focus of the expansion's main story.
Shara Ishvalda is a massive Elder Dragon that lives up to the name of being the expansion's final story-based monster. Hunters are plunged into the hunt immediately after fighting a Ruiner Nergigante that can catch them off-guard.
There are two phases to the Shara Ishvalda fight that feature vastly different mechanics and look for the monster. This guide helps players understand the boss' weaknesses and attack patterns to guide them in beating it.
Shara Ishvalda Weaknesses
This monster's weak points include its head, neck, and wing areas. It is also particularly resistant to damage to attacks on its feet and tail during the first phase. When it comes to elements, Ice and Blast are the best to use.
You should also avoid using weapons that have the Thunder element or Sleep ailment. It is also recommended to use melee weapons instead of ranged ones, according to The Gamer.
Fighting Shara Ishvalda
When you actually encounter Shara Ishvalda, you will come face to face with the monster's rock mode. During this phase, the monster is coated by a layer of armor that makes most weapons bounce and not deal a lot of damage.
It is recommended to tenderize the parts that you are attacking to make them easier to hit and take more damage. There are also a variety of falling rocks that you can take advantage of in the first phase to deal significant damage, IGN said.
You can use your clutch claw to wall slam Shara Ishvalda to the surrounding environment to cause it to fall down. This gives you several seconds to keep attacking it without fear of being attacked back.
The second phase of the fight has the monster shedding off its rock armor and it becomes much more agile. It also gets a new set of attacks, including shooting beams of transparent energy that come out of its wing tentacles.
The major attack that you need to keep a lookout for is when Shara Ishvalda digs into the ground and goes to a corner of the area. Make sure to keep your distance or use the Superman Dive dodge to avoid damage.
Other Tips
If you are struggling to beat Shara Ishvalda, one particular strategy that is good to use is focusing your attacks on its tail. You would ideally be positioned to always be behind the monster with this tactic.
What makes this strategy shine is that there are not a lot of attacks that the monster can do that can reach you when you are near its tail.
This makes it a lot less dangerous to fight in general. The only thing is that the tail is not a weak spot. This requires you to tenderize it to deal a lot more damage, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.
