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The Elder Dragon Kushala Daora is one tough customer to deal with. Like other Monster Hunter World endgame monsters, it hits hard and is armed with a few gimmicks that make fighting them somewhat complicated. Nevertheless, as the wise Dutch from Predator used to say, “If it bleeds, we can kill it,” and boy, we’ll need to kill it hard. Considering Kushala’s Ice weapon will be needed for its rival Elder Dragon, Teostra. Here are some general strategies that you can employ to exploit Kushala Daora’s weaknesses and finally defeat it in battle.
Monster Hunter World: Kushala Daora Weaknesses
In terms of Element and Status, Kushala Daora’s main weaknesses are:
- Thunder
- Blast
- Poison
Out of the three weaknesses, I suggest you use Blast or Thunder for Kushala Daora instead. Poison’s tick damage is pretty good for prolonged fights and will proc often against Kushala, but it doesn’t deal that much overtime damage. For weapons with high DPS like Dual Blade and Insect Glaive, Thunder is a good choice for the bonus Element damage. Meanwhile, slower ones like Great Sword and Hammer could use Blast instead because it deals flat bonus damage every time it procs.
In theory, weapons with high Dragon Element and Elderseal status could weaken Kushala’s wind aura and attacks. However, as the community finds out, Elder Dragons build up their aura through Rage too quickly even after being hit by Elderseal. This made the Elderseal mechanic practically a moot point and should be avoided unless the monster is really weak against Dragon.
With that in mind, Defender weapons are your best bet for Kushala Daora’s weakness, as always. But if you don’t want to take shortcuts and fight like a true Hunter, then here are some weapon trees you can use:
| Weapon Tree | Element/Status |
|---|---|
| Bazelgeuse | Blast |
| Bone | Thunder (Hammer) |
| Dante’s Devil Sword (Charge Blade) | Thunder |
| Dodogama | Blast |
| Hornetaur | Blast (Lance) |
| Kirin | Thunder |
| Teostra | Blast |
| Thunder Element | Thunder |
| Tobi-Kadachi | Thunder |
| Zorah Magdaros | Blast |
Monster Hunter World: General Strategies for Fighting Kushala Daora
Kushala Daora’s main weakness, like most Elder Dragons, is its head. Deal enough damage to the crown and you will get guaranteed knockdowns. For that reason, always try to aim at its cranium during the quest. The best way to do so is after it does its charging wind blast attack or after a wallbang with Clutch Claw.
Weapons with longer reach like Great Sword, Lance, Switch Axe, and Gunlance should be able to easily aim at its head. Bowguns can try using Sticky Ammos since aside from dealing bonus Partbreak, Sticky can also inflict KO/Stun damage as well.
The most annoying thing about Kushala Daora is it flies around often, but thankfully, its habit has a huge weakness. Once Kushala Daora starts to fly around, spam Flash Bombs to drop it down from the sky and blind it. If it flies after summoning a tornado, make sure to flash it after it gets away from the tornado. Otherwise, there’s a big chance that Kushala’s whole body is enveloped in the wind and you won’t be able to reach it.
However, once you get into Master Rank, Flash Bomb spam strategy on Kushala Daora is much less ineffective. Master Rank monsters will build up flash immunity and you’ll only be able to flash them three times every 5 minutes or so at best.
Once Kushala went to its nest, wait for it to sleep then drop some Mega Barrel Bombs on its head. A sleeping monster takes double damage from wake-up attacks; A Mega Barrel Bomb deals flat 225 damage, which means it inflicts 450 damage on wake-up. Of course, if you’re carrying weapons that can deal bigger damage like Great Sword’s True Charged Slash or Heavy Bowgun’s Wyversnipe, use them instead. Still, put the Barrel Bombs near Kushala instead, that way they will also explode alongside your wake-up attack!
Best Armor Skills for Countering Kushala
Exploit Kushala Daora’s weaknesses using these Armor Skills. If you’re having trouble, prioritize your defenses with max Health Boosts, max Divine Blessings, and Defense Boosts Level 5 first.
- Mind’s Eye: When in Rage, Kushala’s skin hardens and can make weapons easily bounce. Mind’s Eye prevents your attacks from bouncing.
- Special Ammo Boost: Increase Bowgun’s Special Ammo damage and Bow’s Dragon Piercer.
- Windproof: Helps counter pressure from some of Kushala’s winds and tornadoes. You will still take damage from them, though.
- Kushala Daora Flight: Counters Kushala’s special wind pressure. Obtained from 3 pieces of Kushala Daora set.
- Free Element: Unlocks the greyed-out Element in your weapon stats.
- Earplugs: Blocks monster’s roars. You need Level 5 for Elder Dragons.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
