The creatures of Monster Hunter: World are majestic, awe-inspiring beasts, so it's only natural that we would want to murder them and carve out their organs to make cool suits of armor. It's a complicated relationship—one that makes us profoundly ambivalent thanks to these creatures' tendency to employ dastardly tricks in order to stay alive. We love them and we hate them, but we love (and hate) some more than others. So if you're out hunting and see one of these beasts listed below, just turn the other way and avoid the excruciating pain that they'll inevitably cause you.
Anjanath
This dumbass T-Rex. It's everyone's first major roadblock in Monster Hunter: World and the rudest wake up call in videogames. I'd wager most players meet their first Anjanath while hunting a Pukei-pukei or Great Jagras. There they are, plodding along and following their first scoutflies like moths to a flame thinking about all the cute, fun outfits they're going to make when jaws snap around their waist and toss them into the canopy. It's our friend, the Anjanath, a fiery, chicken-winged Jurassic Park wannabe with zero chill. I'm still farming Anjanaths in high rank just to get a damn gem that won't drop so I can complete each armor set and firmly place the fool dinosaur in the rearview. And still, as far as I've progressed, fighting them is a chore. As soon as you think an Anjanath is near death, all limping and scared, they'll suddenly perk up, spread those wings, start puking fire and jumping all over the damn place. They never kill me any more, but Anjanaths still manage to knock me around like a bean bag, which is somehow worse. —James Davenport
Kirin
This elder dragon is one of the first you'll encounter on your quest to slaughter every creature in Monster Hunter: World. From a distance, they're a majestic, docile unicorn that could make even the sturdiest hunter shed a tear at the thought of flaying it for a new coat. But any experienced Kirin-slayer knows that's just a guise. Kirin is a piece of shit of the highest, eldritch order. Chances are you'll spend more time chasing it than actually hitting it because this prancing pony dances around the map with the happy-go-lucky pep of a Viagra commercial, flailing and kicking and unleashing lightning bolts with such furious aplomb that you're better off just ignoring this garbage monster and focusing your efforts on something that doesn't require Matrix-esque bullet-time precision to actually hit. Who am I kidding, though? I know you won't take my advice because those who do manage to kill Kirin enough times will end up looking like a My Little Pony cosplayer and that's a siren call too alluring to ignore. —Steven Messner
Nergigante
For me, Monster Hunter is all about mastering monsters in order to improve your hunt times against them, so I view World as a time trial first and an RPG second. World's new Elder Dragon Nergigante is everything I want from that kind of experience: he punishes you big time if you mess up, but you're hugely rewarded for learning his moves and you'll see big jumps in your hunt times as a result of your efforts. The white spikes that appear on his body make every fight a little different since they force you to target different body parts, and breaking them creates openings to land big, satisfying combos. These spikes are also a race against time all their own: if you don't break them fast enough, they'll harden and buff Nergigante's armor and attacks. Fighting Nergigante feels like the world's most intense game of tug-o-war, and I never get tired of it. He looks awesome, all of his gear is good, every weapon is good against him, and to top it all off, he eats Elder Dragons. I mean, come on, dude. —Austin Wood
Paolumu
It's a pink bat that inflates. —James Davenport
Odogaron
This screaming streak of bile glows from within during temper tantrums. Yes, it hates you so much its insides go into a molten fury. It starts frantically lashing out with claws that inflict a unique and cruel bleeding status effect. The more you move while bleeding, the more damage you take. You’re a sitting duck unless you hide and crouch down for a while, or eat a healing steak.
Odogaron does run out of breath eventually, but it still lunges at you with more ferocity than most of the other monsters in the game. I have killed dozens now, and every single one of them was a total asshole. I can never bring myself to feel sorry for Odogaron. Odogaron is the one monster I can never forgive, even though I have a grudging respect for its raw determination to survive. —Tom Senior
Zorah Magdaros
At the far, far end of the spectrum, we have Zorah Magdaros, a stupid rock that always takes forever to fight. World's story spends ages hyping Zorah up as this big, bad force of nature, but when you finally get to hunt him, all you do is hit rocks for 10 minutes and then fire cannons for 10 more minutes. I wish I was exaggerating. Zorah is a repetitive fight that requires no skill and is virtually impossible to speed up since cannon and ballista damage can't be improved outside of a few niche armor skills which don't make the fight any less boring. I hope Nergigante eats him. —Austin Wood
Legiana
This flying ice dragon is one of the most beautiful creatures in Monster Hunter World. Every time I bring one down I imagine a single tear rolling down the cheek of David Attenborough. Legiana isn’t really bothering anyone, its lair is way up in the clouds far away from human civilisation. You have to climb or wind-mantle your way up there to finish it off. Doing so means dodging annoying ice breath attacks as you try to flash-pod it to the ground, but whenever I hear Legiana’s dying cry, the Monster Hunter fanfare rings a little hollow. Wouldn’t he world be better with this awesome dragon flying around?
Maybe, but Legiana crafts into one of the game’s prettiest armour sets. It’s kill or be worn in the world of Monster Hunter, and not even Britain’s most auspicious naturist can guilt me out of that. —Tom Senior
