Restoring the environment is a key theme of Monster Hunter Stories 3, and that includes driving away Invasive Monsters that have taken up residence in the dens of rare Endangered Species.
Invasive Monsters are powered-up versions of their standard counterparts, and their new environments have given them special abilities that require very specific tactics to defeat. You can’t just fight these guys normally. Instead, they’re like puzzles waiting to be solved.
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Invasive Yian Garuga
Invasive Yian Garuga is the first Invasive Monster you’ll encounter in Monster Hunter Stories 3. It’s guarding a Rathian den on the eastern side of Azuria. The main story takes you straight to it.
To beat this Invasive Monster, all you have to do is break its legs. You don’t have to use any specific weapon or element, but a blunt weapon like a Hammer will make the battle much easier.
Like all Invasive Monsters, you don’t have to slay the Yian Garuga right now. You just have to focus on making it retreat so you can grab the Rathian egg. You can come back later and challenge it again once you’ve powered up your team. Invasive Yian Garuga is a level 50 boss, so you’ll have to return much later to slay it for good.
Invasive Plesioth
Unlike Invasive Yian Garuga, the Invasive Plesioth residing in Azuria is completely optional. It has taken up residence in the den of an Endangered Lagiacrus in Mirror Lake. To reach it, swim through the thin channel north of the Mirror Lake Catavan Stand.
To beat Invasive Plesioth, bring a fire weapon and a monstie with fire attacks like Ratha. All you have to do is exploit the monster’s fire weakness to break its head. That’s where it stores the water for its ultimate Invasive attack.
If you don’t break the Plesioth’s head, it’ll unleash a devastating attack on your team. As soon as you break the head, it’ll flee so you can snag the Lagiacrus egg. Raising the Lagiacrus rating to S in any Azuria region will complete a sidequest and trigger a mutation, so go hunt down more eggs after the fact.
Invasive Seregios
Seregios is the third Invasive Monster you can find in Azuria. This one is located in the northwestern corner of the map. Fast-travel to Mirror Lake and catch the updrafts with a flying monstie, then glide to the northwestern hill with glowing lizards and other endemic life.
Defeating the Invasive Seregios requires a very specific game plan. You need a hammer with an AOE ability that hits every part of the monster, like Perfect Strike. Survive the first few attacks from the Seregios and it’ll eventually let out a roar accompanied by a colorful aura.
Pay attention to the color of the monster’s roar and then counter with the appropriate attack type to win the Head-to-Head. If the Seregios roars with a blue hue, for example, hit it with a green technical attack. Winning the Head-to-Head will drive the Seregios away so you can claim the Astalos egg.
Invasive Shogun Ceanataur
An Invasive Shogun Ceanatuar guards the egg of an incredibly popular monster in the Canalta Timberland. You can find it in a cave behind a waterfall in the northern part of the Frozen Grotto area.
This monster has razor-sharp claws that can kill any of your party members in a single strike. The key to driving the Invasive Shogun Ceanataur away is hardening your defenses so you can break those claws. All you need to do is raise an ally’s defense level all the way up to L before the monster performs its Invasive attack.
Some monsties have defense-boosting abilities, but you can also use a Hunting Horn or Armorskin to apply some extra protection. Once the Shogun Ceanataur realizes its claws can’t cut you down, it’ll abandon the nest and reveal a Mizutsune egg for your collection.
Invasive Nerscylla
Invasive Nerscylla is your next target in the Canalta Timberland. You can find it patrolling the den of an Endangered Nargacuga in the eastern part of Blessing Hill. Use a flying monstie to glide over the river from the nearby Catavan Stand.
Defeating the Invasive Nerscylla requires a very specific strategy. You need a gunlance with the Wyvern Fire or Wyvern Blaze. Nothing else will work. The Invasive Nerscylla is invisible for most of this fight, so normal attacks won’t work.
Wait until it targets you with Invasive Death Scissors, then use Wyvern Fire or Wyvern Blaze to counter the attack. This will immediately drive Nerscylla away since it realizes you can actually hurt it. Watch for a red line connecting you and the Nerscylla. That’s when it’s going to use Invasive Death Scissors, and that’s when you need to strike.
If you time it right, the Invasive Nerscylla will retreat and you can safely snag the Nargacuga egg from the den. Releasing enough Nargacugas into the wild can unlock a subspecies, so keep an eye out for eggs in the region.
Invasive Arzuros
Invasive Arzuros is encountered during the main story in the Canalta Timberland. Repelling it will unlock a Canyne egg, which is one of the first ways to get the Ground Dive ability that opens up new exploration routes. You’ll find the den at the southern tip of the map.
The Invasive Arzuros draws its power from honey and repeatedly summons other Arzuros as backup during the battle. To repel the monster, just keep killing its reinforcements until it runs out of honey. Once it realizes it’s on its own, the Invasive Arzuros will retreat so you can grab the Canyne egg.
Invasive Odogaron
An Invasive Odogaron has taken up residence in an Endangered Zinogre den in Tarkuan. To reach it, fast-travel to the nearby Catavan Stand and catch the updrafts with a flying monstie. Then, glide over to the cliff to the west. You’ll also need a monstie that can climb walls once you get up there.
Defeating the Invasive Odogaron requires two specific strategies on your part. First, you need to bring a monstie with the Mud Torrent ability. Almudron knows this skill naturally, but you can also transfer it to a monstie of your choice via the Rite of Channeling.
You also need a bow or gunlance to destroy the Invasive Odogaron’s claws. Break the claws, then use Mud Torrent to inflict the monster with Mudbogged. Once you’ve done both of these, the Odogaron will leave and you can grab the Zinogre egg.
Invasive Diablos
The third and final Invasive Monster in Tarkuan is a troublesome Diablos located at the southern border of the map. You can find a small path leading behind the mountains, or you can glide over them with a flying monstie.
To beat it, you need a hammer with the Meteor Hammer ability. This is a powerful attack that deals increased damage to monster parts, but that’s not why you need it here. The Invasive Diablos will burrow underground during the fight, and you need to smack it with Meteor Hammer as it pops out of the ground.
The Invasive Diablos can emerge from one of three holes when it burrows, and it won’t emerge from the same hole twice. Keep targeting holes with Meteor Hammer until you get lucky. When you finally bonk the bad boy, it’ll retreat. You’ll be rewarded with a Tigrex egg for your efforts.
Invasive Khezu
The final Invasive Monster in Monster Hunter Stories 3 is a Khezu located in Serathis. It’s the only Invasive Monster in the area, and it’s pretty easy to find. Just hop across the glaciers all the way to a hidden alcove in the northeast.
Invasive Khezu can paralyze your party, so make sure you have items to keep everyone safe. To beat it, win as many Head-to-Heads as you can to fill your Kinship gauge and deal Wyvernsoul damage. The Invasive Khezu does green technical attacks normally, and it’ll swap to red power attacks when enraged.
Eventually, the Khezu will use an ability called “Learning Complete” and start to prepare its ultimate Invasive attack. Use a Kinship skill to strike first and counter it. Embarrassed that you sucker-punched it, the Khezu will retreat and let you claim the Barioth egg inside the den.
_PG3QyDU.jpg?width=1200&height=630&fit=crop&enable=upscale&auto=webp&w=100&resize=100,100&ssl=1 "Time to pay your last respects to Microsoft’s “This is an Xbox” campaign, as it appears to have been killed off")