How to Find and Beat Arkveld in Monster Hunter Wilds

The final challenge of the High Rank storyline in Monster Hunter Wilds is the game’s flagship monster, the White Wraith Arkveld. This isn’t to be confused with the Guardian Arkveld fight earlier in the campaign. The hunt with this beast is perilous. Its deadly moves use its chain-like appendages as whips infused with dragon-element energy. However, there are ways for hunters both experienced and fresh to the game to deal with the Arkveld’s vicious assault.

Where do I find the Arkveld in Monster Hunter Wilds?

In order to even encounter Arkveld at High Rank, Hunters need to first reach Hunter Rank 40. Your HR will be locked at this point, and you will need to hunt the Arkveld to advance. After HR 31 level, you will be assigned story related quests about the apex predator monsters of each region that lead to the fight with Arkveld.

Upon reaching HR 40, Alma and Nata will take you to the Windward Plains for a showdown with the Arkveld after it fights and kills a Rey Dau. This happens in the Chapter 5 Assignment Quest called “Awaking from a Dream.” This quest will take you through the Windswept Plains to Area 17, beneath the Wind’s Gasp, where Rey Dau normally resides.

Once you complete the quest, Arkveld will periodically appear in each of the biomes in the game. This will offer you more chances to hunt or capture the dragon. It can also appear as a Tempered Monster, granting Artian Weapon parts and strong decorations, along with the coveted Hunter Symbol III used for many of the final weapon upgrades.

How do I beat Arkveld?

The first time you fight Arkveld in Monster Hunter Wilds, there will be no option to capture it. You must fight the dragon to the death. The keys to successfully dueling it lie in its chief weak points. These are the chain appendages, its head, and its tail. During the hunt, when enraged, Arkveld will channel energy into its chains. They will expand, enlarging the range of its attacks, changing the rhythm of many of its moves, and also enabling it to perform more and harder hitting attacks.

This is both a strength and weakness for the Arkveld. If Hunters are able to hit the chains often enough, Arkveld will be stunned, the chains will retract, and we can strike back. If you manage to dodge the stronger chain-blade dragon element attacks, the monster will also be open to a special weak point Focus Strike, letting you dish out a lot of damage and a stun if your timing is right. Hitting the chains can also break them, rewarding hunters with pieces like the Arkveld Calloushell. That is necessary to craft its armor and weapons. Some of the Arkveld’s most threatening moves also inflict Dragonblight. This will seal away elemental damage on your weapons unless you bring along Nulberries to cleanse the debuff.

Avoiding these attacks will be easier if you stick to its sides and back, though be careful. Arkveld’s tail can also perform attacks similar to its whips and extend to strike at anyone behind it. The different cadences of its whip strikes and its grapple attacks can be the trickiest part of the fight, so watch to see how Arkveld moves its arms and threatens to strike. Ideally, I recommend dodging towards the opposite limb of the one attacking, especially when the beast is in its powered-up state.

A good weapon-specific strategies is to lean into the perfect guards offered with weapons like Lance, Gunlance, Charge Blade, Sword and Shield, and Greatsword. This lets you keep the aggression up and minimize the danger from his more vicious combos. With good timing, weapons that let you dodge can help you stay out of its range. Bringing Dragon elemental weapons and ammo is highly recommended, while statuses like Poison and Paralysis will get you the most bang for your buck in this battle.

What are the Rewards and Drops from Arkveld

Once you have beaten Arkveld, you will receive a number of monster parts, some of which are components for the strongest weapons and armor in the game so far. You can take a look at the list of possible items below:

• Arkveld Armorplate
• Arkveld Calloushell – from breaking the left and right chainblades
• Arkveld Certificate S
• Arkveld Gem – can be carved from the tail
• Arkveld Horn+ – from breaking the horns on the head
• Arkveld Scale+
• Arkveld Tail – from severing the tail
• Monster Hardbone
• White Arkveld Pelt

Hunting this monster and the Tempered versions will also reward you with the following:

• Ancient Orb – Armor
• Ancient Orb – Sword
• Ancient Weapon Fragment
• Hard Armor Sphere
• Heavy Armor Sphere
• Hunter Symbol III

The Ancient Weapon Fragments from Tempered Arkveld will be Rarity 8, so they are especially valuable for Hunters looking to craft stronger Artian weapons. Players looking to craft the Arkveld weapons and armor should take special care to watch their location information on the map and take advantage of the SOS signal search to do consistent battle with the beast.

Monster Hunter Wilds is available now on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.