Monster Hunter Wilds Rey Dau weaknesses, tips and strategies
The Rey Dau dragon is the apex predator of the MH Wilds Beta
The Monster Hunter Wilds Rey Dau boss fight is one you'll definitely need to know the weaknesses for, as the giant electrical lightning dragon is easily the toughest monster we've seen in the game so far. An optional foe appearing on the Windward Plains in the Monster Hunter Wilds beta, Rey Dau is a cut above the other hunt targets, able to create beams of electricity and sweep through the sky, dragging its wings and tail along the ground when it flies to cut through ground-level hunters.
Still, despite its immense strength, the Rey Dau does have weaknesses and valid strategies that can work to bring it down, mainly focused on long-term play, evasion, and deactivating the electrical powers that Rey Dau uses to reduce its attack strength. Let's talk about how to go from a monster hunter to a dragon slayer, as we talk about the best way to beat Rey Dau in Monster Hunter Wilds.
How to beat Rey Dau in Monster Hunter Wilds beta
The Rey Dau is a three star difficulty hunt target in Monster Hunter Wilds, and the most difficult monster that you can fight in the Beta. To beat it, you'll need a mixture of speed, long-term survivability, and an understanding of how to de-power its electrical state in which it channels its most powerful attacks. Rey Dau represents the "final boss" of the beta, and a good way to truly test your skills against what looks to be one of the toughest creatures in Monster Hunter Wilds so far.
With that in mind, here's some tips, tricks and exploitable weaknesses to use against Rey Dau, so you can formulate a proper strategy.
- The main Rey Dau weakness is Grounding Pods. These can be found in the environment and serve as special Slinger Ammo - when you shoot an electrified section of Rey Dau's body with a Grounding Pod, it removes the electrical power and stops it from using its most effective attacks for a time.
- Play for time and survivability. The Rey Dau has a massive health pool, so you can't breeze in and deal with it quickly. Equip yourself with lots of health potions and prepare for a long fight. Have health rations and steak to replenish your max HP and stamina, and make a habit of using your slinger hook to grab resources along the way.
- Target the head and tail. No matter which of the many Monster Hunter Wilds weapons you have equipped, focus on the head and tail. The head takes extra damage, and the tail can cut off - not only providing more rewards when you carve it, but reducing the range of its tail attacks accordingly.
- If it charges energy around its mouth, run to the side! The Rey Dau's most powerful attack is a beam of electricity fired from its mouth that explodes in a large radius when it hits a target. If you're caught in it, you have to be close to full health to survive. For the best chance at avoiding it, strafe to the left or right to circle around the big wyvern and roll at the last second.
- Rey Dau is vulnerable to flash attacks. While these won't hurt it, use the brief period of stun to heal, sharpen your weapon, or prepare a high damage attack to the face.
- When in danger, stay underneath it. There's no section of the Rey Dau that's safe to be around, but the easier, weakest attacks are generally targeted at foes standing between its legs. Simple stomps and constant repositioning mean that standing underneath its groin is, sadly, the safest option.
- Thunderblight is a peril to take seriously. Rey Dau's attacks can inflict Thunderblight, which is cured either by a Nulberry, or rapidly evading until it wears off. Thunderblight leaves the player more vulnerable to being stunned - which is very dangerous in circumstances like these.
- Bring in friends! Rey Dau is a potent threat, so firing off an SOS Flare is a very good idea if you're having trouble. Whether you're working with random players or hooking up with friends in the Monster Hunter Wilds crossplay system, having allies distracting and impeding it is far more effective than going at it with a Palico sidekick.
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Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and raconteur with a Masters from Sussex University, none of which has actually equipped him for anything in real life. As a result he chooses to spend most of his time playing video games, reading old books and ingesting chemically-risky levels of caffeine. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at USgamer, Gfinity, Eurogamer and more besides.