Key Points
- You need to fight Large Monsters at night to spawn Elder Dragons.
- Elder Dragons only appear for a short time in each of the five regions.
- Once defeated, you can collect the Elder Dragon egg from the den nearby to hatch your own Elder Dragon.
Elder Dragons are an elusive breed of monsters that you can add to your roster in MHS3. You will find these dragons after following through with some of the game’s prerequisites. Also, the fight against them will be challenging, but the rewards are well worth the trouble.
Read More: Monster Hunter Stories 3 – How to Synchro Rush
How to Find Elder Dragons in MHS3
Elder Dragons spawn during the night across the five regions. But before that, head over to any camp to change the day and night cycle, then explore the map to find nighttime monsters and fight them. Keep defeating monsters until you get a unique cutscene that will introduce you to the Elder Dragons.
They will spawn in specific regions at night for a short time. Use fast travel points to get around before they disappear. Also, if the night turns to day or if you have run out of chances, then you can’t find the Elder Dragon until you wait for the next night to fall.
All Elder Dragons Explained
Wind Serpent Ibushi & Thunder Serpent Narwa
| Location | Mt. Canalta peak |
| Region | Canalta Timberlands |
| Elements | Thunder and Dragon |
| Resistance (Ibushi) | Poison, burn, thunder, blastblight, ice |
| Resistance (Narwa) | Burn, fire, sleep, thunder, bleed |
| Weakness (Ibushi) | Bleed, dragon, poison, fire |
| Weakness (Narwa) | Poison, ice, dragon |
How to Beat Wind Serpent Ibushi & Thunder Serpent Narwa
Since you will be up against two different dragons, you should be prepared to deal with two different attack types. Luckily, each dragon will alternate between Mind Connection state, rendering one of them unavailable. You have to deal with the other dragon and their attack type instead. Ibushi’s attacks lean more towards Dragon type, while Narwa uses Thunder.
The tactic here is to focus on the dragon under the influence of Mind Connect to stagger both of them. Deal Fire attacks when face to face with Ibushi, and focus on Ice attacks for Narwa. The Goss Harag armor with Thunder and Dragon defense boosts will take care of the alternating attack pattern of the dragons. Also, focus on weapons that will counter both these attacks, like the Ashen Wrath Bow or the Ice Icebrink Long Sword.
Yama Tsukami
| Location | Bountiful Dunes |
| Region | Tarkuan |
| Attack type | Non-elemental technical |
| Resistance | Burn, fire, paralysis, sleep, thunder, blastblight |
| Weakness | Poison, non-elemental, ice, bleed, dragon, darkness |
How to Beat Yama Tsukami
Yama Tsukami’s greatest weaknesses are Ice and Dragon attacks. The best part about dealing with this Elder Dragon is that their attacks are Normal, so most monsties are great to use here. The Gravios U and either the Malzeno’s Hunting Horn or the Deviljho are best options to equip for the fight.
While trying to tear down this Dragon, aim for the tentacles around its mouth and destroy them. Once that is done, aim for the mouth to deal enough damage. Rinse and repeat this step several times until the monster is down.
Namielle
| Location | Mirror Lake |
| Region | Azuria |
| Elements | Water and Thunder |
| Resistance (Abyssal Charge state) | Paralysis, water, sleep, thunder, bleed |
| Resistance (Exposed state) | Fire, paralysis, water, sleep, thunder, ice, bleed, dragon |
| Weakness (Abyssal Charge state) | Blastblight, ice, dragon, darkness, fire, burn, poison |
| Weakness (Exposed state) | Poison, non-elemental, burn, blasblight, darkness |
How to Beat Namielle
Since Namielle is introduced in the demo and the full version of the game, you get to test out your skills on this Elder Beast quite early. Namielle has three different states, and each state offers a buff on a skill. In their Water Mantle state, they will deal Technical Attacks.
To counter them, use Power attacks. Their Abyssal Charge attacks focus more on Speed, so switch to Technical attacks here. And finally, in their Water Depleted or Water Exposed state, their attacks focus on Power. Counter these with Speed.
As mentioned above, Nameilee’s primary weakness is Fire and Poison while they are in their Abyssal Charge state. In their Exposed state, Non-Technical and Poison attacks are sure to bring them down. Your goal for this fight is to increase your stamina regen and defense using decoration and consumables.
Velkhana
| Location | Glacial caps |
| Region | Serathis |
| Elements | Ice |
| Resistance (Exposed state) | Paralysis, water, sleep, ice, bleed |
| Resistance (Freezing Fog Mantle state) | Paralysis, water, sleep, ice, bleed |
| Weakness (Exposed state) | Poison, burn, fire, electric, blastblight, dragon, darkness |
| Weakness (Freezing Fog Mantle state) | Poison, non-elemental, burn, fire, blasblight, darkness, dragon |
How to Beat Velkhana
Like Namielle, Velkhana offers different states of attack. Their Normal and Explosed attacks deal Technical damage, so counter that with Power. Freezing Fog Mantle focuses on Power attacks, which is countered by Speed damage. And finally, Ice Mantle is mostly Speed focused, so use Technical damage here.
The Velkhana’s primary weakness is Fire, followed by Electric and Dragon. For your character, the Goss Harag set with additional defense and crit rate in the decoration slots will give you better buffs. Fire-type weapons like Glavenus, Brachydios, or Rathalos are great picks here.
If you are using Fire-type monsties, be sure to add Ice protection, as most of Velkhana’s attacks will deal ice attacks.
Read More: MHS3 – How To Unlock All Invasive Monsters
FAQs
What monster size do I need to beat to unlock Elder Dragons?
You need to find Large monsters and fight them at night to unlock Elder Dragons.
The Elder Dragon doesn’t spawn for me. What do I do?
Max out your Habitat Restoration and reach character Level 10 to encounter Elder Dragons.
Can I summon the Elder Dragon anytime?
No, Elder Dragons only spawn at night, so you need to fight monsters at night to spawn them. Also, if you are not fighting an Elder Dragon, then use this technique to respawn them on any other night. Once they are defeated, you cannot respawn an Elder Dragon.
