Monster Hunter Wilds: How to beat Quematrice

Need tips on how to beat the Quematrice in Monster Hunter Wilds? The Quematrice of Monster Hunter Wilds is essentially a cockatrice - a giant chicken/wyvern hybrid capable of roasting anyone who gets to close with a blazing dose of flame. Unlike most mythological cockatrices, though, the Quematrice doesn't unleash its flames from its mouth. Rather, it emits a flammable vapour with its tail, then ignites this vapour with a big tail slap. Keep an eye on this monster's backside, in other words!

Chasing the Quematrice and getting used to its fire-emitting movements is good practice at recognising monster patterns for beginning hunters, who will run into this beast in the first Chapter of Monster Hunter Wilds. In this guide, we'll explain how to beat the Quematrice, revealing useful intel including the monster's weaknesses, the best gear to use against it, combat tips and tricks, and post-fight rewards.

In this guide:

• How to beat Quematrice
• Where to find Quematrice
• Quematrice weaknesses
• Best weapon and armor to fight Quematrice
• Quematrice tips and strategy
• Quematrice rewards and drop list

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How to beat Quematrice

We'll go into more detail on all the Quematrice's weaknesses below and how to exploit them. For now, here are our top tips on how to beat the Quematrice in Monster Hunter Wilds.

1. Attack the head, but watch out for Quematrice's beak strikes.
2. When the Quematrice starts wagging its tail, get out of the way!
3. If you contract the Fireblight condition, pop a Nulberry or evade repeatedly.
4. Paratoads and Vine Traps are useful for staggering the Quematrice.
5. Focus on severing the tail to end the fire effect.

Skip ahead to our tips and strategy section for more details on each of these points!

Where to find Quematrice

The Quematrice is found in the Plains region of Monster Hunter Wilds, usually roaming around bodies of water. The first time you'll run into the Quematrice is during the Chapter 1-2 main quest "Village of Whispering Winds". I found this Quematrice wandering around Areas 8 and 9 of the Plains, very close to the lair of a Doshaguma.

Quematrice weaknesses

The Quematrice's weak points are its head/neck and tail. The head is breakable, letting you focus on the weak neck below, and the tail is also severable. Focus on dealing physical damage to these areas. If you're unable to target these weak points, aiming for the torso and legs is also a decent way to create wounds, as long as you use a weapon that deals Cut Damage.

The element that the Quematrice is weakest to is Water, as long as you target the head and tail. Elemental damage in general isn't a top priority for this monster, which is extremely resistant to Fire.

If you're going to use status effects against the Quematrice, Poison and Paralysis work best. When it comes to traps, Flash Pods, Shock Traps, and Pitfall Traps are effective.

Best weapon and armor to fight Quematrice

Severing the Quematrice is generally the most effective way to kill this monster, so any weapon that deals Cut Damage will do the job. Since swift evasion is necessary during this fight to avoid getting roasted, you might want to go with a highly mobile option like the Dual Blades or even the Insect Glaive, but you can get by fine with a traditional go-to like the Sword and Shield or Long Sword.

Since the Quematrice is encountered very early on, chances are you'll still be rocking a weapon carved from the Expedition Tree. I used the Hope Daggers II just fine, but if you've invested in the Bone Tree at all, a weapon like the Bone Blade I would be useful for more impressive physical damage.

As for armor, wearing anything with additional Fire resistance is advised. Both the Leather and Bone sets do the job.

Quematrice tips and strategy

Below, we'll go in-depth with the main tips and overall strategy you need to beat the Quematrice. Follow these hints closely to win the fight and claim the spoils of war with ease.

1. Attack the head, but watch out for Quematrice's beak strikes

You'll want to target the head and tail as much as possible in this fight, or the legs if you can't access those. While the Quematrice's tail is definitely the most dangerous body part to familiarise yourself with, don't ignore the sharp pecks that this angry chicken can deliver from its front. If you're using melee weapons, you'll be up close for most of this fight, and a swat from the Quematrice's beak will send you sprawling. Keep an eye on the monster's movements and evade when its head lurches forward or when it looks ready to charge.

2. When the Quematrice starts wagging its tail, get out of the way

In many ways, the Quematrice fight serves as a tutorial to help you learn the telltale signs of monster attacks. Periodically throughout the fight, this big chicken will swish its tail back and forth and flames will begin to emerge, spreading quickly throughout nearby foliage. Duck and roll out of the way. At other occasions, the Quematrice will either raise its tail high in the air before slamming it down on the ground, or will sometimes swish it from side to side. All are telltale signs to dodge.

3. If you contract the Fireblight condition, pop a Nulberry or evade repeatedly

Chances are you'll probably get hit by that tail at least once over the course of this combat. If you do, check to see if your hunter has flames swirling around them, or if their health bar is rapidly depleting. If this is the case, you've got the Fireblight status, and your health will continue to topple. If you have Nulberries, use them to remove this status effect. If you don't, start rolling as much as your stamina will let you to smother the flames.

4. Paratoads and Vine Traps are useful for staggering the Quematrice

If you've captured a Paratoad, the paralysis gas released by these funky frogs will go a long way towards immobilising the Quematrice. Vine Traps are even easier to use, as they can be found atop many trees across the Plains, and the Quematrice will often run under them while switching up its locale in the midst of a fight. Whenever this happens, try to get up on the monster's back, or goad it into attacking the tree. The vine will fall, temporarily immobilising it.

On that note, when it comes to other environmental events during this fight, there's a good chance that the Quematrice will stumble its way into the Doshaguma lair in Area 9 of your map, activating a turf war. This might be the first turf war you'll witness in Monster Hunter Wilds, so feel free to observe, but beware of antagonising the Doshaguma too much.

5. Focus on severing the tail to end the fire effect

The Quematrice's strength will be greatly dampened if you manage to sever the tail, which removes the danger of contracting Fireblight and turns this battle into a relatively easy affair. Once the tail falls, concentrate your efforts on the head and neck region for maximum damage, and the Quematrice should go down before long. Don't forget to go back and harvest the tail once you've won the fight!

Quematrice rewards and drop list

Here are all the rewards and drops you can get from Quematrice and its broken parts.

Low-Rank Materials:

High-Rank Materials:

In addition, if you break the following Quematrice parts during the fight, you'll get these rewards for carving them:

Low-Rank Materials:

• Broken Head: 1x Quematrice Crest
• Severed Tail: 1x Quematrice Tail

High-Rank Materials:

• Broken Head: 1x Quematrice Crest+
• Severed Tail: 93% 1x Quematrice Tail, 7% 1x Wyvern Gem

That wraps up our strategy guide on how to beat the Quematrice in Monster Hunter Wilds. For more help, head to our Monster Hunter Wilds walkthrough and our expansive list of all monsters in the game! Alternatively, if you want to know more about the weapons we recommend using against Quematrice, head to our primers on the Dual Blades, Insect Glaive, Sword and Shield and Long Sword