Monster Hunter Wilds: Where to find Grand Escunite
The best place to find a Grand Escunite for the Razzle Dazzle side quest
Looking for a Grand Escunite in Monster Hunter Wilds? Escunites are a type of aquatic life in Monster Hunter Wilds which you can catch either using your Fishing Rod or your Capture Net. They're shelled mollusc-like creatures which you don't often see many of to begin with - and the larger Grand Escunite is an even rarer variant of the regular Escunite. So how do you find one?
You need to catch a Grand Escunite in order to complete Kanya's final fishing side quest, "Razzle Dazzle". But unless you know exactly where to look, you may end up searching a very long time for these ultra-rare creatures. In this guide, we'll walk you through exactly where to go to find Grand Escunites in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Where to find Grand Escunite
Grand Escunites, like their regular Escunite kin, can only be found inside the Scarlet Forest region of Monster Hunter Wilds. Aside from this fact, the only tip you're given for finding a Grand Escunite is if you speak to Kanya again after accepting the quest. She'll say:
"Hmm... I suppose your best bet is to hit places Escunites favor. Fishing holes in caverns and such."
The two best places to find Grand Escunites are in the two cave fishing holes behind the waterfalls in Area 8 and Area 12 of the Scarlet Forest. The first is found to the north of Area 8, while the second is located next to the big lake right beneath the Wudwud Hideout in Area 12. Head through these waterfalls and you'll find two different hidden cave areas, both of which have much higher chance of spawning Escunites (and therefore Grand Escunites) than anywhere else in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Finding a Grand Escunite takes time, because they are very rare. So to farm Grand Escunites, the best strategy is to repeatedly fast travel between the two caves using the nearby Pop-Up Camp locations. The Area 8 cave is considerably smaller, so it will take you less time to comb for Escunites. The Area 12 cave has a large underwater portion which you can swim through, giving you a great view of everything swimming about in the depths.
The key thing to remember is that you can use your Capture Net while swimming underwater. You can't change direction while you swim - you're on a set path. But if you hold down LT or Right-Click to aim your Capture Net, then your swim speed will drastically slow, allowing you to stay underwater for longer. There's no oxygen meter for you to worry about; you can stay down there as long as you're physically able, firing off your Capture Net at any fish that approaches if you wish.
Grand Escunites are significantly larger and more shiny and pearlescent than regular Escunites. If they're too far out of reach for you to grab with your Capture Net, then you'll have to use your Fishing Rod. If so, make sure you use the special Tentacle Jig bait that Kanya gives you, because this works very well on Escunites and Grand Escunites.
Once you've caught a Grand Escunite at last, you can return to Kanya at the Scarlet Forest base camp, and speak with her to complete her final fishing side quest. Huzzah!
Hopefully this quick guide has given you a much stronger likelihood of finding and catching a precious Grand Escunite in Monster Hunter Wilds. If you need more help with MHWilds, check out our walkthrough along with our lists of all the weapons you can get and all the monsters you can encounter. We've also got a page that explains how long it takes to beat Capcom's epic RPG, along with a guide on how to capture monsters.