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Everything you need to know about the newly added High Rank Zoh Shia in Monster Hunter Wilds’ title update 1 and how to defeat it.
Monster Hunter Wilds, despite being received fairly well by players and critics alike, had one major criticism levied against it: the game’s difficulty, or lack thereof. However, with the title update 1, Capcom seems to have addressed this one criticism with what is arguably the hardest monster in the entire game – Zoh Shia. While we did get a taste of Zoh Shia’s abilities in Low Rank, the High Rank version is where the monster truly shines, both in terms of spectacle and sheer difficulty. Furthermore, the High Rank variant finally comes with its own armor set and weapons for you to craft. However, with the right build and plenty of determination, you can easily defeat the keeper of the Dragontorch.
Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to defeat Zoh Shia in Monster Hunter Wilds title update 1.
How To Unlock Zoh Shia in Monster Hunter Wilds?
Much like Tempered Arkveld and Gore Magala, Zoh Shia is an end-game High Rank monster. The primary requirements to unlock the Zoh Shia quest (Assignment) are – complete High Rank story quests and reach Hunter Rank (HR) 50. Once you reach HR 50, you can talk to Werner at the Base Camp in Suja to start the Zoh Shia Assignment. Unlike other monsters in the game, Zoh Shia does not have an Optional Quest assigned to it. Instead, it appears as a random Investigation in Ruins of Wyveria, mostly during Inclemency, akin to Tempered Apex Monsters.
Is High Rank Zoh Shia Similar To the Low Rank Variant?
For the most part, yes, the High Rank version of Zoh Shia is more or less identical to the Low Rank variant. However, there are some key differences between the two. Firstly, the HR Zoh Shia is much tankier (more HP and Defense) and deals significantly higher damage compared to its Low Rank counterpart. In addition to that, HR Zoh Shia also has access to a few new attack strings that can easily catch you off guard, especially in its final phases. The HR variant is essentially a more aggressive and powerful version of the Low Rank Zoh Shia.
Zoh Shia Weaknesses
Zoh Shia is incredibly weak to Dragon Elemental damage. Furthermore, during our testing, we found Dragon Attack with the Critical Element skill works wonders against the monster. Additionally, if you want to use a Status build, Zoh Shia is also weak to Paralysis, Sleep, and Blastblight. We have yet to test the efficiency of Blastblight; however, judging from how well it works against Arkveld, it should work quite well against Zoh Shia as well. That said, Zoh Shia is resistant to Stun and Exhaust, which nullifies any use of Flash Pods against it.
As for weak spots, Zoh Shia has three key breakable parts – Head, Wingtalon, and Tail. All these parts can be broken, and the tail can be severed and carved. That said, you can only break Zoh Shia’s weak spots in Phases 2 and 3. In Phase 1, Zoh Shia is mostly covered with its armor. Here is the list of Zoh Shia’s weaknesses:
Elemental Weaknesses
- Dragon
Status Weaknesses
- Paralysis
- Sleep
- Blast
Weak Spots (Breakable)
- Head
- Wingtalon
- Tail
Items To Carry
- Mega Potions
- Ancient Potion
- Nulberry
- Energy Drink (essential for Dual Blade and Bow users)
- Farcaster
How To Defeat (High Rank) Zoh Shia In Monster Hunter Wilds?
Similar to the Low Rank variant, the High Rank Zoh Shia has 3 phases, noted by the amount of Wylk armor it loses. In the first phase, Zoh Shia is mostly covered in its armor. And even if you break it, the armor regenerates quite fast. However, breaking Zoh Shia’s armor in the first phase is also the quickest way to deal damage to the monster and create wounds. Furthermore, wounds created on Zoh Shia’s body persist even if it regenerates its armor. However, since it’s a Guardian, Zoh Shia can very easily heal its wounds. In the final phase, Zoh Shia completely loses its armor.
It is in this phase that you can break the monster’s weak spots and sever its tail. While you can deal damage to the weak spots in other phases as well, you won’t be able to break them until Phase 3. In addition to that, Zoh Shia also has three new attacks which it uses in Phases 2 and 3. The first is a flame AOE combo, which is quite reminiscent of Xeno’jiiva’s ground slam attack. The second is a lighting and flame combo, which the monster performs in Phase 3, usually after reaching critical health.
Lastly, in Phase 2, there’s an improved version of the flame AOE attack, which has the potential to “one-shot” hunters, even at full health. This combo is quite reminiscent of Alatreon’s Escaton Judgement, albeit a bit easier to avoid. Here are some tips for all three phases of Zoh Shia:
Phase 1
- The first phase is fairly straightforward, you simply need to stick close to Zoh Shia’s head and deal damage to it.
- Occasionally, the monster will perform a slam attack combo followed by a Wylk AOE. You can either dodge this combo or guard it to trigger a Power Clash.
- Focus on dealing as much damage as possible to the head in Phase 1.
- It’s best to focus most of your attacks on the head and the wingtalons. Attacking and breaking the armor on those parts is easy and also the best way to deal damage to Zoh Shia.
Phase 2
- Phase 2 starts with a roar followed by a devastating fire AOE attack. There are two ways to avoid the fire AOE: the first method is to break the Wylk crystals that appear after Zoh Shia’s roar, and the second method is to run to the edge of the arena.
- We highly recommend running (or using the Seikret) to the edge of the arena, which is the safest and much easier way to avoid damage from the fire AOE.
- Other attacks in Phase 2 are similar to the Low Rank Zoh Shia.
- However, do note that, unlike the Low Rank variant, High Rank Zoh Shia’s attacks deal a considerably high amount of knockback and damage.
- You can also mount Zoh Shia in the second Phase, which is a great way to create additional wounds and get a free topple.
Final Phase
- Phase 3 starts with another old roar, followed by a lightning AOE attack, reminiscent of the Extreme Behemoth from Monster Hunter World.
- In Phase 3, you can break Zoh Shia’s weak spots and also sever its tail. As such, we recommend focusing most of your attacks on the head and the tail.
- You can also target the wing talons. However, you can only land a successful hit when Zoh Shia performs a ground slam attack.
- Make sure to keep your distance from Zoh Shia’s head when it starts a roar or stands on its hind limb to perform a breath attack. During this time, it’s best to stay close to the monster’s tail and deal damage to it.
Additional Notes
Lastly, remember that Zoh Shia is meant to be an endgame monster. As such, it’s highly recommended to take some time and craft a build that’s powerful enough to take on the 8-star monsters. We highly recommend the Arkvulcan armor set paired with a Dragon Artian Weapon/Arkveld Weapon (Rarity 8).
Zoh Shia’s Dropped Materials
Here are all the materials you can get from defeating Zoh Shia:
- Zoh Shia Stakeclaw
- Blackember Mass
- Zoh Shia Crystalhorn
- Zoh Shia Crystaltail
- Guardian Blood+
- Zoh Shia Crystalscale
- Zoh Shia Layershell
- Zoh Shia Certificate S
- Faux Whitegleam Orb
We provide the latest news and create guides for Monster Hunter Wilds or MH Wilds. Meanwhile, you can check out the following Monster Hunter articles or catch us playing games on Twitch and YouTube:
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