Kirin Weakness and Strategy Guide

Learn how to beat Kirin in the game Monster Hunter World (MHW)! This guide explains everything about Kirin'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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Kirin Weakness, Body Parts, and Resistances

Kirin Characteristics

Roar	Wind	Tremor	Blight	Status
None	None	None	Thunder	Paralysis
Breakable Parts
Horn

Locations and Areas Visited

Map	Starting Area	Visited Areas	Rest Spot
Coral Highlands	8	2 / 12 / 13 / 15	15

*The starting location may change depending on the Quest.

Weakness, Body Parts, Extracts

Head

Sever	Break	Bomb	Fire	Extract
55	55	45	25	Red
Water	Thunder	Ice	Dragon
20	0	20	5

Upper Body

Sever	Break	Bomb	Fire	Extract
31	31	22	20	Orange
Water	Thunder	Ice	Dragon
15	0	15	5

Upper Body [Electricity]

Sever	Break	Bomb	Fire	Extract
18	18	10	15	Orange
Water	Thunder	Ice	Dragon
10	0	10	5

Lower Body

Sever	Break	Bomb	Fire	Extract
29	29	20	20	White
Water	Thunder	Ice	Dragon
15	0	15	5

Lower Body [Electricity]

Sever	Break	Bomb	Fire	Extract
18	18	10	15	White
Water	Thunder	Ice	Dragon
10	0	10	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 Kirin

Recommended Weapon Element and Armor Skills

Recommended Weapon Element
Fire Weapon	Kirin is weakest against fire.
Recommended Armor Skills
Thunder Resistance	Thunder Resistance is highly recommended against Kirin. See a more elaborate explanation in the following section: How to Beat Kirin.
Blight Resistance	If you cannot get your Thunder Resistance to 20, it might be worth investing in Blight Resistance, since Thunderblight makes you more susceptible to getting stunned.
Stun Resistance	You can also invest in Stun Resistance if it is more accessible.
Mind's Eye/Ballistics	Your attacks will bounce off Kirin when he is enraged and has thunder armor.
Paralysis Resistance	Kirin can also paralyze you. Safeguard against this with Paralysis Resistance.

How to Beat Kirin

Things You Should Know in Advance

・Thunder Resistance is recommended
・Attacking with Mind's Eye is effective
・Release the Thunder Armor using Elderseal

Prioritize Thunder Resistance

Kirin's lightning attacks are extremely powerful. These attacks can kill you in one-shot if you have a low Thunder Resistance. Try to increase your Thunder Resistance to 20, this can significantly increase your survivability making the hunt a lot more easier.

However, if this is not possible with your current gears. It is recommended that you use vegetable meal sets to increase your elemental resist in general.

Low Thunder Resistance

Having less than 20 Thunder Resistance can cause Thunderblight if you get hit by Kirin's lightning attacks. Leaving the Thunderblight ailment can be dangerous if you get paralyzed while Kirin is attacking. It is best to cure it immediately using a Nullberry whenever it is present.

Max Health and Defense

Increasing your maximum health and your defense can make a big difference when fighting Kirin. Most of Kirin's attacks can kill instantly or take a huge chunk of your health. It is recommended that you focus on building your Health and Defense after you get enough Thunder Resistance.

Using Mind's Eye

When Kirin is enraged, most of his body will be covered in lightning and can deflect most of your attacks. Kirin moves extremely fast and it can be difficult to find an opening for an attack. Using Mind's Eye will allow you to hit Kirin anywhere without having your attacks deflected.

Status and Traps

Kirin is an elder dragon which makes him immune to traps. However, you can still set up a good Large Barrel Bomb explosion if you manage to get him to sleep. Using a weapon with a high Sleep effect can be useful in this situation.

Removing the Thunder Coat

Normal State	Thunder Coat

Kirin's body will be a lot tougher than the usual whenever he is covered in lightning. Using a weapon with an Elderseal can be useful in this hunt. If you managed to deal enough damage to Kirin using an Elderseal weapon, it will eventually remove Kirin's thunder coat.

Dodging the Lightning Strikes

Kirin's lightning strikes are quick and powerful. Try to avoid them at all times and prioritize on dodging them over attacking during the hunt. Be sure to move away whenever Kirin is casting his lightning attacks and be prepared to dodge. Stand at a distance while you wait for an opportunity to attack.

Lightning Strike Patterns

Vertical Lightning	Horizontal Lightning

Kirin's lightning attacks will always light up the ground before it strikes. This will give you an idea of where to move next as shown in the picture above.

Always be prepared to dodge quickly since there is only a short window of time before the lightning strikes.

Breaking the Horn

Throughout the fight, Kirin's head will always be the weakest part. Focus on attacking the head even if he enrages or covers himself with lightning especially if you are using an Elderseal. Dealing enough damage to the head can break his horn which will bring him down for a few seconds.

Kirin Attack Patterns

Attack	Attack Power	Guardable	Exhaustion
Headbutt	30	◯	20
Rush	50	◯	40
Back Kick	50	◯	60
Lightning Step	80	◯	40
Lightning Strike	80	◯	40
Large Lightning Strike	130	◯	60
Lightning Bolt	80	◯	40
Large Lightning Bolt	130	◯	60

Kirin Carves and Rewards

Carvings and Hunt Rewards

	Obtain Rate (%)
LR	Kirin Hide / Body 36 Kirin Tail / Body 28 Kirin Mane / Body 21 Kirin Thunderhorn / Body 15
HR	Kirin Hide+ / Body 36 Kirin Mane / Body 21 Kirin Azure Horn / Body 15 Kirin Thundertail /
MR	Kirin Finehide / 36 Kirin Thundertail+ / 28 Kirin Silvermane / 21 Kirin Azure Horn+ / 15

Rewards for Each Body Part

	Obtain Rate (%)
LR	Kirin Thunderhorn / Horn 100
HR	Kirin Azure Horn / Horn 80 Kirin Thunderhorn / Horn 20
MR	Kirin Azure Horn+ / 80 Kirin Azure Horn / 20

Breakable Body Parts

-	Defense Value	How to Break
Horn	200	Set durability to 0, once.

Shiny Drops

	Obtain Rate (%)
LR Drops	Old Dragon Treasure / 9 Kirin Mane / 68 Kirin Hide / 23
HR Drops	Kirin Hide+ / 50 Kirin Mane / 28 Old Dragon Treasure / 22
MR Drops	Kirin Finehide / 50 Kirin Silvermane / 28 Old Dragon Treasure / 22

Quest Clear & Investigation Rewards

	Obtain Rate (%)
LR Quest	Lightcrystal / 9 Kirin Mane / 35 Kirin Tail / 20 Kirin Hide / 20 Kirin Thunderhorn / 16
LR Silver	Kirin Tail / 28 Kirin Thunderhorn / 22 Kirin Mane / 18 Lightcrystal / 18 Kirin Hide / 14
LR Gold	Kirin Tail / 30 Kirin Thunderhorn / 24 Kirin Mane / 14 Lightcrystal / 10 Kirin Hide / 10
HR Quest	Novacrystal / 9 Kirin Mane / 28 Kirin Hide+ / 21 Elder Dragon Blood / 16 Elder Dragon Bone / 13 Kirin Thundertail / 13
HR Silver	Elder Dragon Bone / 8 Kirin Thundertail / 28 Kirin Azure Horn / 22 Novacrystal / 18 Kirin Hide+ / 12 Elder Dragon Blood / 12
HR Gold	Elder Dragon Bone / 8 Kirin Azure Horn / 26 Kirin Thundertail / 20 Kirin Hide+ / 12 Elder Dragon Blood / 12
MR Quest	Purecrystal / 9 Kirin Silvermane / 28 Kirin Finehide / 21 Pure Dragon Blood / 16 Kirin Thundertail+ / 13 Large Elder Dragon Bone / 13
MR Silver	Elder Dragon Bone / 8 Kirin Thundertail / 28 Kirin Azure Horn / 22 Novacrystal / 18 Elder Dragon Blood / 12 Kirin Hide+ / 12
MR Gold	Elder Dragon Bone / 8 Novacrystal / 26 Kirin Azure Horn / 22 Kirin Thundertail / 20 Kirin Hide+ / 12 Elder Dragon Blood / 12

Plunderblade Rewards

Plunderblade

	Obtain Rate (%)
LR	Kirin Hide / 43 Kirin Tail / 34 Kirin Mane / 22 Lightcrystal / 1
HR	Kirin Hide+ / 43 Kirin Thundertail / 34 Kirin Mane / 22 Novacrystal / 1
MR	Kirin Hide+ / 43 Kirin Thundertail / 34 Kirin Mane / 22 Novacrystal / 1

Quests Where Kirin Appears

Type	Quest Name
Optional	★5 - Gone In A Flash
Optional	★9 - Thunderous Rumbles in the Highlands
Event	★5 - Kirin the Myth
Optional	★8 - Lightning Strikes Twice
Optional	M★6 - Divine Surge
Event	M★5 - We Three Kings
Optional	M★5 - Lightning Crashes
Special Assignment	M★6 - Sterling Pride

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Related Links

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List of All Base Game Monsters

MHW (Base Game) Monsters

Anjanath	Barroth	Bazelgeuse	Behemoth
Deviljho	Diablos	Dodogama	Great Girros
Great Jagras	Jyuratodus	Kirin	Kulu-Ya-Ku
Kulve Taroth	Kushala Daora	Lavasioth	Legiana
Leshen	Lunastra	Nergigante	Odogaron
Paolumu	Pukei-Pukei	Radobaan	Rathalos
Rathian	Teostra	Tobi-Kadachi	Tzitzi-Ya-Ku
Uragaan	Vaal Hazak	Xeno'jiiva	Zorah Magdaros

Colored Variants

Ancient Leshen	Azure Rathalos	Black Diablos	Pink Rathian

Arch-Tempered Elder Dragons

Arch-Tempered Great Jagras	Arch-Tempered Kirin	Arch-Tempered Kulve Taroth	Arch-Tempered Kushala Daora
Arch-Tempered Lunastra	Arch-Tempered Nergigante	Arch-Tempered Teostra	Arch-Tempered Vaal Hazak
Arch-Tempered Xeno'jiiva	Arch-Tempered Zorah Magdaros

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