How to beat Arkveld in Monster Hunter Wilds
Learn Arkveld's weaknesses, drop list, and more
Need help with how to beat Arkveld in Monster Hunter Wilds? Arkveld is a flying wyvern that will give you trouble regardless of whether you're fighting them for the first time or not. As the flagship monster for Monster Hunter Wilds, they've got a lot of power and fast moves to catch you off guard.
If you're fighting the Guardian Arkveld for the first time, this is the normal version but many of their attacks are still the same. Using our guide we'll help you learn how to beat Arkveld in Monster Hunter Wilds by going over their weaknesses, the best gear to use, tips and tricks, and the rewards you can get.
In this guide:
- How to beat Arkveld in Monster Hunter Wilds
- Where to find Arkveld
- Arkveld weaknesses
- Best weapon and armor to fight Arkveld
- Arkveld tips and strategy
- Arkveld rewards and drop list
How to beat Arkveld in Monster Hunter Wilds
We'll go into more detail on all of Arkveld's weaknesses further down and how to exploit them. For now, here are our top tips on how to beat Arkveld in Monster Hunter Wilds:
- Know when to play defensively and when to be aggressive.
- Don't underestimate superman dives and sprinting.
- Break Arkveld's chainblades.
- Use traps and environmental hazards.
- Use Flash Pods if Arkveld grabs you.
- Position behind Arkveld or to the side if you don't know their attacks well.
- Beware the glowing red enhanced state.
Skip ahead to our tips and strategy section for more details on each of these points!
Where to find Arkveld
Arkveld is a unique case of a Monster Hunter Wilds monster that can be found in every region. This includes the Windward Plains, Scarlet Forest, Oilwell Basin, Iceward Cliffs, and the Ruins of Wyveria. However, the first time you'll find Arkveld is as their guardian variant in Chapter 3-1.
After this point, you will need to reach the very last mission in Chapter 6 before you can fight Arkveld again. After this point, it will begin to appear randomly in any region, just like a regular monster - and can even appear in Tempered variants which will give you special rewards like Hunter Symbols and Artian Materials.
Arkveld weaknesses
Arkveld's weak points are their chainblades. You can typically hit Arkveld's chainblades by attacking the side of their body or where their arms are. Otherwise, they're occasionally vulnerable after an attack where Arkveld whips their chainblades forward.
While their chainblades are a weak point, you won't benefit from targeting them with elemental damage. Based on Arkveld's weaknesses, their chainblades are only vulnerable to physical damage. And after dealing enough damage, you'll break them.
The best element to use against Arkveld when not targeting their chainblades is Dragon. Other elements are similarly effective. As far as the best status effect to inflict, each of them has medium effectiveness. I recommend Exhaust if you can build it.
Best weapon and armor to fight Arkveld
Using a Dragon element weapon will help you deal more damage to Arkveld. Regardless of which weapon type you use, it's only a matter of what body parts you focus on to deal more damage. For example, projectile attacks are great against chainblades but not as strong against Arkveld's wings.
With that said, slower weapons will always be tougher since you need to know when it's safe to use a delayed attack. But, that doesn't make them worse, it merely means you need to know the monster well.
The best armor you can wear against Arkveld is anything with Dragon Resistance. However, this can be difficult when you're also trying to increase your overall defense. I like to balance my build by equipping decorations that give me resistance to an element I'm low in. Otherwise, you can use armor like Dober, Artian, or Guild Ace for Dragon Resistance.
If you want to go a step further, you can build certain skills to counter Arkveld as well. Such as Blight Resistance, Windproof, and Earplugs. These will help with Arkveld's Dragonblight, Minor Wind Pressure, and Weak Roar.
Arkveld tips and strategy
Below we'll further detail the main tips and overall strategy you need to beat Arkveld. These tips take advantage of their weaknesses while helping you survive the tough enraged state of Arkveld.
1. Know when to play defensively and when to be aggressive
An energetic Arkveld is a deadly one where you're better off playing evasively. I like to create a gap between Arkveld and me while circling so I can easily dodge incoming attacks. They'll close the gap frequently but their attacks will take longer to hit if you're farther away. And if you see them coming, that makes them easier to follow up on.
If Arkveld is enraged, you may want to wait for them to become exhausted. This gives you an opening to play aggressively because their attacks become infrequent and much slower. However, if your quest has a low amount of time to complete, you may have to play more riskily. Or you can build the Stamina Thief skill to exhaust Arkveld quickly. But, this won't work on the guardian variant since they're resistant to Exhaust.
2. Don't underestimate Superman dives and sprinting
Sprinting away from a monster and dodging with your weapon sheathed is commonly known as a Superman dive. It makes you temporarily invulnerable and is a great way to survive dangerous attacks. Between Superman dives and sprinting with your weapon sheathed, you can avoid many attacks. Sometimes I'll sprint while circling Arkveld to dodge an attack and move in on a vulnerability.
3. Break Arkveld's chainblades
Aside from Arkveld's chainblades being a weak point, it's worth breaking them. Breaking certain monster parts can make a monster weaker and thus easier to fight. Plus, breaking a chainblade drops one Crushing Chainblade Shard. This becomes a Heavy Slicing Pod upon picking it up. It's another quick chunk of damage that doesn't require you to do much.
4. Use traps and environmental hazards
Arkveld is vulnerable to both trap types so you'll want to take full advantage of using them. However, if you're trying to capture them, make sure you keep a trap on you. I recommend using traps if you're struggling with an enraged state or to try and open wounds early on. The beginning of an Arkveld hunt is tough because they're full of energy.
Since Arkveld can appear in any region, you'll have a variety of environmental hazards to use. This includes everything from Vine Traps hanging in a tree to Paratoads for stunning monsters. Always watch for anything you can use to make your hunt easier.
5. Use Flash Pods if Arkveld grabs you
It's terrifying any time a monster grabs you and even worse if you don't know what to do. If Arkveld grabs you, you can use Flash Pods and certain slinger ammo types to break their grip. And if you're playing with other people, they can do the same thing to help you. Fortunately, if your defense is high enough, this isn't a one-hit attack even though it may scare you into thinking it is.
6. Position behind Arkveld or to the side if you don't know their attacks well
Knowing the right spot to be when fighting any monster can be tricky and unfortunately, it especially is with Arkveld. This is because they have enough attacks that they can hit you regardless of where you are. However, a big part of Arkveld's kit is using chainblades to attack forward or create massive explosions in front of them. If you position yourself to their side or behind, you won't have to worry about as many attacks.
But it is important to mention that you're still far from safe in those places. Arkveld can still poke you with their tail, do a full spin attack, and a few other tricks to keep you on your toes.
7. Beware the glowing red enhanced state
Arkveld's whole shtick is that they drain energy from other monsters to enter a stronger enhanced state. If their chainblades and body start to glow red, this is because they're now infused with the Dragon element, which - aside from dealing more damage - allows them to generate a massive explosion attack in front of them that continues to extend forward.
There are a few tricks to survive that giant explosion depending on your position. If you're right in front of Arkveld, you can run underneath them and attack while the explosion continues. If you're far away, you'll need to run to the side since it continues forward. Or you can try your luck at doing a Superman dive if you have the timing right.
According to a hint in-game, there is a trick to breaking Arkveld out of this enhanced state. You can hit them repeatedly with elemental attacks to overload them. Whereas if you want to prevent it altogether, you can attack their wings to drain their energy.
Arkveld rewards and drop list
Here are all the rewards and drops you can get from Arkveld and its broken parts.
| Materials | Frequency | Value | Target Reward | Carving Reward | Wound Destroyed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arveld Calloushell | 5 Star | 6000z | -- | -- | -- |
| Arkveld Scale+ | 3 Star | 3000z | 20% | 30% | 45% |
| Arkveld Horn+ | 3 Star | 6600z | 8% | 13% | -- |
| Arkveld Tail | 3 Star | 6000z | 8% | 11% | -- |
| Arkveld Armorplate | 2 Star | 4500z | 20% | 23% | 43% |
| White Arkveld Pelt | 2 Star | 5400z | 15% | 18% | 12% |
| Monster Hardbone | 2 Star | 1200z | 18% | -- | -- |
| Arkveld Certificate S | 1 Star | 3000z | 8% | -- | -- |
| Arkveld Gem | 1 Star | 18000z | 3% | 5% | -- |
In addition, if you break the following Arkveld parts during the fight, you may get these rewards immediately or upon carving:
- Broken Left Chainblade: 1x Arkveld Calloushell
- Broken Right Chainblade: 1x Arkveld Calloushell
- Broken Head: 1x Arkveld Horn+
- Severed Tail: 1x Arkveld Tail
- Severed Tail: 1x Arkveld Gem
That wraps up our strategy guide on how to beat Arkveld in Monster Hunter Wilds. To help prepare yourself against the mighty White Wraith, be sure to consult our Monster Hunter Wilds weapons guide, along with our primers on the best starting weapons and best solo weapons in the game. You can also read up on how to capture monsters and how to craft Tranq Bombs if needed. And for everything else, look no further than our Monster Hunter Wilds walkthrough!