How to defeat Arkveld in Monster Hunter Wilds

There's one opponent in Monster Hunter Wilds that towers over everything you face before it, and that's Arkveld, a massive white wyvern. Wilds' "flagship" monster is an abrupt slap in the face if you yawned your way through previous fights against Doshaguma or Chatacabra, so don't expect to get off so easy this time.

Both fights against Arkveld are a ⭐⭐⭐ battle, the highest you'll see while playing through the story in Low Rank. While the first time you face this beast you'll simply have to survive to fend it off, the fighting gets serious once Guardian Arkveld learns how to feed during The Pale Dream of a Lone Shadow quest. Now, it's your job to beat Arkveld once and for all.

What type of monster is Arkveld?

Arkveld is "a legendary monster known only through written records," according to Wilds' in-game description. That's a fancy way of saying "he old," but in Monster Hunter, the oldest monsters are often the fiercest, and Guardian Arkveld is no different now that it's learned to feed and power itself up.

Arkveld is a wyvern, though it spends the bulk of its time on the ground, oddly preferring to use its wings as deadly weapons instead of for flying. This wyvern also has chains-like appendages that it uses as blades and whips, which give Arkveld a great deal of range.

How to fight Arkveld

There are few angles where Arkveld won't attack from: It's got claws, fangs, and a sharp tail that can cover its rear without turning around, but its most distinctive attacks come from its four "energy whips" at its wingspan. Arkveld will swing these whips in all directions to extend its range or swat down airborne hunters. It can also charge the whips with Dragon energy, unleashing elemental explosions in a huge radius around it.

Generally, you'll want to stay away from its head and instead stick close to its wings. Arkveld is more likely to charge its whips and take advantage of its ranged capabilities if you're too far back. By staying near Arkveld's wings, you'll eventually be able to break the chainblades entirely on either side.

Even when you're skirting along the side of Arkveld, don't relax yet. Arkveld has a variety of quick slashes and AoE attacks that force you to dodge and reposition. More on that later.

As with any monster, it's also wise to learn the fight's location and take advantage of any environmental hazards you can—dropping a pile of hanging rocks on Arkveld's head will deal a huge 1,000 damage, and pulling another monster into a turf war will deal more damage in seconds than you'll be able to in whole minutes.

If you're struggling to take Arkveld on solo or via an SOS flare, try recruiting a squad of three other veteran hunters and coordinate weapons: Someone with a ranged weapon like the bow to trigger wounds from a distance, a tankier player who can survive Arkveld's aggro, and maybe a hunting horn pro on support to keep the team buffed. That's a nicer way of saying get good, right?

How to deal with Arkveld's whips

Tactics that work well in most hunts apply here: Generally, the sides are safest from its whips. From there you can hack away at its arms, opening wounds while giving yourself enough room to reposition when Arkveld moves to face you. Arkveld is most comfortable at medium range, where it can challenge complacent hunters with extended whip attacks. Either get in close or stay as far away as possible to avoid the whips' sweet spots.

Arkveld's movements are erratic, but its most common attack is a basic swing of its right or left claw and whip, slow enough to counter if recognized.

Other Arkveld attacks to look out for

One of Arkveld's deadliest moves is this linear energy wave that procs in front of it and travels in an expanding wave, erupting four or five times. Your best bet to avoid it is to read the attack's big windup and get away from the monster's front. If it's too late for that, try to roll into the attack instead of away from it. Otherwise, it'll just chase you down and cart you in a single hit.

Remember how I said Arkveld mostly prefers to stay on the ground? Well, when it does decide to use its wings, it can leap into the air and come divebombing back down with terrifying speed, raking its whips along the ground to knock you (or your whole squad) off your feet.

Oh yeah, the jerk will also grab hunters King Kong-style with one clawed hand, making eye contact before it smacks them across the battlefield. Watch out for that—in multiplayer you may be able to head off some of the damage by wounding Arkveld before it squeezes your friend like a ripe tomato.

Arkveld weaknesses

More icons denote more effective damage, with 1 being minimum and 4 being maximum. Elements not listed deal no bonus damage.

Arkveld packs one hell of a punch, so there are a few things you should do to prepare. Firstly, you can use the Doshaguma or Guardian Ebony armour sets to gain Dragon elemental resistance. This does exactly what it says on the tin: it reduces the damage you'll take from Arkveld's attacks. Trust me, you'll need it.

Now you can take more hits, it's time to improve your damage too. Oddly, Arkveld is actually weak to Dragon, the same element that it dishes out. You won't have access to any Dragon weapons the first time you fight this monster, but Arkveld's gear you can craft afterwards deal Dragon damage. This makes subsequent fights against them easier.

Other than Dragon, Poison, Sleep, Paralysis, and Blast weapons are all strong against Arkveld. You'll have access to the Lala Barina and Nerscylla gear at this point, so I recommend checking those out for your first fight against Arkveld.

High Rank Arkveld materials

Here's what you'll get for hunting Arkveld in High Rank, which is where you'll spend most of your time with this beasty.

• Arkveld Calloushell
  • Left Chainblade – 100%
  • Right Chainblade – 100%
• Arkveld Scale+
  • Target Rewards – 20%
  • Wound Destroyed Reward – 45%
  • Carving – 30%
• Arkveld Horn+
  • Target Rewards – 8%
  • Head – 100%
  • Carving – 13%
• Arkveld Tail
  • Target Rewards – 8%
  • Carving – 11%
  • Carving (Severed Tail) – 93%
• Arkveld Armorplate
  • Target Rewards – 20%
  • Wound Destroyed Reward – 43%
  • Carving – 23%
• White Arkveld Pelt
  • Target Rewards – 15%
  • Wound Destroyed Reward – 12%
  • Carving – 18%
• Monster Hardbone
  • Target Rewards – 18%
• Arkveld Certificate S
  • Target Rewards – 8%
• Arkveld Gem
  • Target Rewards – 3%
  • Carving – 5%
  • Carving (Severed Tail) – 7%