Monster Hunter World (MHW)

Nargacuga Weakness and Strategy Guide

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Learn how to beat Nargacuga in the Iceborne expansion for Monster Hunter World (MHW)! This guide explains everything about Nargacuga's weakness, carves, rewards, and a complete strategy guide for beating and capturing it. Find out what parts are breakable and severable, and what drops and Monster materials are available.

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Nargacuga Weakness, Body Parts, and Resistances

Nargacuga Characteristics

Monster Hunter World Nargacuga
Roar Wind Tremor Blight Status
Big High None None Bleeding
Breakable Parts
Head, Left Wing, Right Wing, Tail

Locations and Areas Visited

Map Starting Area Visited Areas Rest Spot
Ancient Forest ImageAncient Forest 9 1 / 4 / 5 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 12 / 14 14
Coral Highlands ImageCoral Highlands 2 1 / 2 / 3 / 5 / 6 / 7 7

*The starting location may change depending on the Quest.

Weakness, Body Parts, Extracts

Head

Sever Break Bomb Fire Extract
65 70 40 20 Red
Water Thunder Ice Dragon
0 30 10 10

Back

Sever Break Bomb Fire Extract
30 30 35 10 Orange
Water Thunder Ice Dragon
0 15 5 5

Stomach

Sever Break Bomb Fire Extract
40 40 30 10 Orange
Water Thunder Ice Dragon
0 20 5 5

Hindlegs

Sever Break Bomb Fire Extract
21(43) 21(43) 15(35) 10 White
Water Thunder Ice Dragon
0 15(20) 5 5

Forelegs

Sever Break Bomb Fire Extract
30 30 25 10 White
Water Thunder Ice Dragon
0 15 5 5

Tail

Sever Break Bomb Fire Extract
46 40 45 10 Orange
Water Thunder Ice Dragon
0 25 5 5

Higher values indicate higher damage.

Vulnerability to Status Effects and Items

Poison Flash ★★
Paral Shock ★★
Sleep Pitfall ★★
Stun ★★ Ivy ★★
Blast ★★ Dung ★★
Exhaust Meat ★★
Mount Screamer ★★

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Countermeasures against Nargacuga

Recommended Weapon Element and Armor Skills

Recommended Weapon Element
Thunder Weapon Nargacuga is weakest against thunder.
Guard Weapon Weapons that can guard (lance, gunlance, etc.) will make the fight against Nargacuga easier, since all of his attacks can be blocked.
Recommended Armor Skills
Bleed Resistance Eating meat or crouching in the corner while trying to dodge Nargacuga's attacks can be a bit troublesome. Getting Bleed Resistance to Lvl 3 will get rid of this problem.
Stun Resistance Since Nargacuga is quick, getting stunned (and you will probably get stunned) will often be deadly. Negate it completely with Stun Resistance Lvl 3.
Evade Window Against an agile monster like Nargacuga, timing your rolls is more important than ever. Make it a little easier with Evade Window.
Earplugs Nargacuga has a big roar, so getting Earplugs to Lvl 5 will be helpful.
Health Boost Nothing beats having a bigger health pool.
Clutch Claw Boost Since Nargacuga is very agile, every attack you hit counts. Keep his parts nice and tender so you can get more out of every hit!

How to Beat Nargacuga

Avoiding the Tail

How to Beat - Nargacuga 1.png
Avoid touching the tail as much as possible to avoid taking serious damage. Nargacuga's tail should be avoided at all times, even if Nargacuga is just moving around.

Also, the tail slam attack will sometimes hit twice in a row. Always check if there will be a follow up before you start engaging again.

Tail Sweep

How to Beat - Nargacuga 2.png
Nargacuga will sometimes attack with its tail after jumping towards a hunter. This attack will always come from the right side and it can easily be avoided by simply rolling left. However, if you are too close to Nargacuga after he jumps, it is better to move away first before rolling left.

In addition, if Nargacuga is sweeping its tail left and right while walking. It is recommended that you focus your attacks on the head instead of the rear.

Carrying an Astera Jerky

How to Beat - Nargacuga 3.png
Nargacuga can attack you from afar by shooting projectiles from its tail. These feather projectiles can inflict bleeding if you get hit. Be sure to use an Astera Jerky immediately to remove the status.

Pitfall Traps

Pitfall Traps will only work when Nargacuga is enraged. This can be easily distinguished by checking if Nargacuga's eyes are glowing bright red.

Target Lock

Nargacuga can be tricky to hunt down since he can jump and move around quickly. To avoid losing sight of Nargacuga, it is highly recommended that you lock your camera on to Nargacuga as soon as you start the fight.

Nargacuga Attack Patterns

Attack Attack Power Guardable Exhaustion
Tail Slam 95 60
Jump Attack 80 50
Tail Sweep 60 45
Pounce 50 30
Bite (Airborne) 35 20
Tail Slam 45 30
Bite 40 30
Tail Air Attack 60 30
Continuous Bite 65 45
Feather Attack 60 40

Nargacuga Carves and Rewards

Carvings and Hunt Rewards

Obtain Rate (%)
MR Nargacuga Tailspear / Tail 35
Nargacuga Shard / Body 32
Nargacuga Blackfur+ / Body 24
Nargacuga Mantle / Body 2, Tail 3
Nargacuga Hardfang / Body 17
Nargacuga Lash / Body 11, Tail 62

Rewards for Each Body Part

Obtain Rate (%)
MR Nargacuga Cutwing+ / Hindlegs 85
Nargacuga Blackfur+ / Hindlegs 15
Nargacuga Hardfang / Head 66
Nargacuga Shard / Head 32
Nargacuga Mantle / Head 2

Breakable Body Parts

- Defense Value How to Break
Head 250 Set durability to 0, 4 times.
Right Wing 200 Set durability to 0, once.
Left Wing 200 Set durability to 0, once.
Tail 200 Reduce durability by 800 using cut damage.

Shiny Drops

Obtain Rate (%)
MR
Drops
Nargacuga Tailspear / 50
Nargacuga Blackfur+ / 28
Large Wyvern Tear / 22

Quest Clear & Investigation Rewards

Obtain Rate (%)
MR
Quest
Nargacuga Lash / 9
Nargacuga Blackfur+ / 28
Nargacuga Shard / 22
Nargacuga Hardfang / 16
Nargacuga Tailspear / 14
Nargacuga Cutwing+ / 11
MR
Silver
Nargacuga Mantle / 8
Nargacuga Hardfang / 22
Nargacuga Tailspear / 18
Nargacuga Blackfur+ / 14
Nargacuga Cutwing+ / 14
Nargacuga Shard / 12
Nargacuga Lash / 12
MR
Gold
Nargacuga Hardfang / 18
Nargacuga Cutwing+ / 16
Nargacuga Mantle / 16
Nargacuga Tailspear / 14
Nargacuga Lash / 14
Nargacuga Blackfur+ / 12
Nargacuga Shard / 10

Plunderblade Rewards

Plunderblade

Obtain Rate (%)
MR Nargacuga Shard / 41
Nargacuga Blackfur+ / 33
Nargacuga Hardfang / 25
Nargacuga Mantle / 1

Palarang

Obtain Rate (%)
MR Nargacuga Tailspear / 50
Nargacuga Blackfur+ / 28
Large Wyvern Tear / 22

Quests Where Nargacuga Appears

Type Quest Name
Assigned M★3 - Ever-present Shadow
Assigned M★4 - Bad Friends, Great Enemies
Optional M★2 - Nighty Night Nightshade
Optional M★3 - Swoop to a New Low
Optional M★3 - Nargacoulda, Should, Woulda
Optional M★3 - The Secret to a Good Slice
Optional M★3 - Red and Black Aces
Optional M★3 - The Black Wind
Optional M★3 - A Nasty Flesh Wound
Optional M★3 - Special Arena: MR Nargacuga
Optional M★4 - Misfortune in the Forest
Optional M★4 - A Shadowy Offender
Optional M★6 - We Run This Town
Event M★3 - Every Hunter's Dream III
Event M★6 - Yodeling in the Forest
Event M★3 - When the Swift Meets the Roar
Event M★5 - The Assassin
Arena Quest ★4 - Arena Quest Master Rank 3

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