You can unlock the Level 70 trial The Great Hunt (Extreme), also known as Rathalos EX, by accepting and completing the Level 70 quest “The Newer King on the Block” from the Hearty Hunter in Kugane (X:9.7, Y:8.9).
Although you’ll need to also complete this trial’s normal version first (The Great Hunt normal mode) before you can unlock the Extreme version.
This trial is part of the patch 4.36 content for the Stormblood expansion. In this guide we’ll explain how to unlock the trial, how to handle all of the trial’s battle mechanics, and what drops you can get.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Unlocking Quest: The Newer King on the Block
Before you can accept the quest from the Hearty Hunter, you’ll need to finish its prerequisite quest “The New King on the Block.” You’ll also need to defeat Rathalos’ normal version to clear it.
Once you’ve done that, talk to the Hearty Hunter once more in Kugane (X:9.7, Y:8.9) and accept the Level 70 quest “The Newer King on the Block.”
The Hearty Hunter will congratulate you for taking down the Rathalos and ask about your experience fighting the beast.
After your brief chat, talk to him once more to learn about a more powerful brood of Rathalos currently out in the wild.
Felyne will explain that certain breeds of Rathalos are much more powerful wyverns and are classified as “High Rank.” The Hearty Hunter will challenge you to hunt them, which you’ll gladly accept.
After talking to the Hearty Hunter, The Great Hunt (Extreme) will be unlocked. This trial requires at least a Level 70 Disciple of War or Magic job and an average item level of 350 to enter.
Trial Boss: Rathalos (Extreme)
The Extreme version of Rathalos is mostly similar to its normal version.
In Extreme, you can only enter the fight with four players. You can also respawn normally upon death without receiving a “Weakness” debuff. However, if the party receives three total KOs during the fight then the mission will fail.
Use regular heals and mitigation skills to survive the first two phases. Save your 10 Mega-Potions for the final phase to ensure maximum survivability.
Phase 1: MHW-style Combat
Most of the boss’ physical attacks are not telegraphed and have a chance of stunning players for five seconds. This fight also doesn’t have a set rotation, so memorize the boss’ visual cues to dodge its attacks appropriately.
- Roar: A room-wide AoE attack. The boss will cast this every 60 seconds.
- Rush: The boss will lower its head before rushing toward a player, damaging and knocking back anyone caught in its path.
- Tail Swipe: A 180-degree frontal AoE followed by a 180-degree backward AoE. Run away from melee range.
- Fire Breath: A targeted circle AoE on a random player that applies a stacking “Burns” DoT for 30 seconds. Dispel the DoT as necessary.
- Mangle: The boss will turn its head and use a frontal cone that knocks players back and applies a “Burns” DoT for 30 seconds.
- Flaming Recoil: One player will be targeted with an AoE that knocks them back and apples a stacking “Burns” DoT for 30 seconds.
Phase 2: Surviving King of the Skies
Similar to normal mode, tank the animals near the boss to quickly burn it down. You can also drop your “Fire Breath” AoEs on the animals to damage them further.
- Lullaby (Steppe Sheep): A point-blank AoE that applies a dispellable “Sleep” debuff for nine seconds.
- Wide Blaster (Steppe Coeurl): A room-wide frontal cone AoE that applies dispellable “Paralysis” debuff for 30 seconds.
- Head Butt (Steppe Yamaa): A frontal column attack.
- Seismic Scream (Steppe Yamaa): A “Physical Damage Up” buff.
- Garula: A giant mob that spawns when the boss reaches 69% HP and must be killed immediately. You’ll need its corpse to survive the incoming “King of the Skies” ultimate attack.
- Rush (Garula): A column attack toward the boss to incapacitate it. This attack will also stun all players for five seconds.
- Heave (Garula): A strong column attack toward a random player.
- Foothold: After the boss is downed, a “Foothold” will spawn that a DPS player must use to mount the boss for an Active Time Maneuver (ATM) event. Interact with the “Foothold” in front of the boss’ head to keep it grounded and prevent it from using “King of the Skies.”
In a typical 4-person composition, a DPS player should be mounting the boss. The mounted player will constantly receive damage, so keep them topped off at all times. If the mounted player dies, the party will wipe. Kill the garula before the ATM timer runs out. - King of the Skies: A room-wide ultimate AoE attack that deals 999,999 damage. Hide behind the garula’s corpse to survive.
Phase 3: Down Gauge and Severing the Tail
For the rest of the fight, all players will receive a “Scalebound” debuff, preventing you from recovering HP normally. You can only receive healing through the 10 Mega Potions available in your duty action slot.
You can still use shields, barriers, and other mitigation skills to reduce incoming damage.
The boss will also receive a “Vulnerability Down” buff and can only be significantly damaged once its “Down Gauge” reaches 100.
- Down Gauge: This gauge can be filled by attacking the boss normally. Don’t waste your high-damaging skills in filling up the gauge since the boss will take reduced damage due to its buff.
- Rathalos’ Tail: Once the “Down Gauge” reaches 100, the boss will be grounded and its tail will become targetable. Cut the tail off to deal massive damage (around 30% HP) to the boss.
The next time you fill the gauge after destroying its tail, the boss itself will become more vulnerable. Continue filling the gauge and attacking the boss until it’s dead. Save your limit breaks and burst damage skills for when the boss’ tail is exposed to burn it down quickly. - Rush (Phase 3): This attack now applies a dispellable “Poison” DoT for 20 seconds.
- Sweeping Flames: Immediately after “Rush,” the boss will turn around and use a non-telegraphed AoE that applies a stacking “Burns” DoT for 30 seconds.
- Fireball (Phase 3): Three consecutive stack markers on a random player that applies a stacking “Burns” DoT and leaves a fiery DoT puddle after each marker. Stack on the affected player near the outer edges of the arena.
Rewards
To guarantee a Rathalos Scale+ drop, your party needs to sever the boss’ tail during the fight. After killing the boss, you need to interact with its neck and severed tail to receive your loot.
Note: The Rathalos Scale+ can be traded for the Rathalos Whistle (50 scales) among other items with Smithy in Kugane (X:9.7, Y:8.9).
That said, here’s what you can get from this trial:
- Rathalos Scale (4 per clear)
- Rathalos Scale+ (1 per clear)
| Name | Type | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| Poogie | Minion | Basic |
| Proof of a Hero – Monster Hunter: World Version Orchestrion Roll | Orchestrion Roll | Basic |
| Rathalos Whistle | Other | Basic |
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Final Fantasy XIV
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