The elusive Gold Rathian in Monster Hunter: World only appears to players that enter the Guiding Lands. MHW doesn’t make this very clear, however, and the endgame zone doesn’t include many clues on its own. There are actually several conditions to discover the location of the MHW Gold Rathian. And we’ve got you covered with our latest Guiding Lands guide. Let’s take a look and lock down this fiery menace!
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First things first: you need to unlock the Guiding Lands. This occurs after you finish off the “final boss” of MHW in Iceborne. I’m talking about Shara Ishvalda (a.k.a. the Old Everwyrm). It’s the big, bug-eyed beast with creepy hands for wings that you battle after your first run-in with Ruiner Nergigante. If you’re not that far into Iceborne yet, just keep on playing! You’ll get there soon. Otherwise, if you have beaten the final boss, make sure to accept the mission that has you follow Ruiner Nergigante. It will take you to the Guiding lands. Only then can you unlock the MHW Gold Rathian… in one of several different ways.
There are another couple steps first, however. The Guiding Lands in MHW work on a system of levels. You need to fight monsters in each biome to raise those levels. This can also cause the level of other regions to go down, but it’s usually a paltry decrease by comparison. Raising different regions’ levels also improves the class of monsters that can appear there.
In MHW, Gold Rathian is located within the desert region (modeled after the Wildspire Waste). And it will only appear once you raise that zone to level six. That poses its own problem, however. When you first unlock them, the Guiding Lands regions are capped at level four. You literally cannot reach level six and release the Gold Rathian into the wild. So what gives?
Master Rank Cap – Gold Rathian MHW Unlock
Beyond just the Guiding Lands region ranks, the MHW Gold Rathian is also locked behind Master Rank. You need to grind Master Rank to certain “soft” caps in order to remove the cap on the Guiding Lands. That, in turn, requires you to complete special missions against tempered monsters. It’s… really a very involved process. But the reward is worth it. Gold Rathian and other subspecies found in the MHW endgame are key to upgrading several rank 12 weapons. If you haven’t fought Gold Rathian in MHW, or its cohorts, you can likely guess which weapons those include. Just look at your crafting trees. The weapons will show “???” in place of stats and required materials.
So how do you grind Master Rank in MHW? Some ways are easier than others. However, it’s still a bit of a slog no matter which course you take. Your best bet is to keep an eye out for MHW event quests that offer “bonus HR/MR” upon completion. Just check the event quests, read the descriptions, and go to town. However, these bonuses are still relative. Easier event quests for extra Master Rank will still give you less than harder ones. Fighting two Beotodus, for example, will not net you as much Master Rank farm as battling three Elder Dragons.
The Guiding Lands themselves are also a great source of Master Rank. Because they string together monster after monster, with minimal downtime for things like loading, you can rack up hunts very quickly. In the process, you will also grind up Guiding Lands regions and pave the way for Gold Rathian (and more). Just make sure to repeatedly report your progress to the Handler between every kill or capture. That will keep you from losing out on hunt rewards after an unlucky death.
To reach level six in the Guiding Lands, and unlock Gold Rathian in MHW, you must reach Master Rank 69. Then talk to the Field Team Leader in Seliana to get your next assignment. This will remove one more cap on your Master Rank, as well as allow you to hit level six in the Guiding Lands.
Gold Rathian MHW Location – Guiding Lands & Investigation
We’re still not quite done. Even when you raise the Guiding Lands’ desert area to the right level, the MHW Gold Rathian won’t magically appear right away. It takes time, patience, and luck to get the rare subspecies.
First make sure the desert region actually is at level six. Remember that leveling up other regions might lower its rank! After that, head to the Guiding Lands locale and get to investigating. By which I mean literally search around for monster tracks — thereby unlocking more Investigation quests back at base. There is a random chance that any of these tracks in the level six zone will be for a Gold Rathian.
Once you’ve had your fill, you can head back to headquarters and check your haul at the Research Commission. If you didn’t get lucky, just head back to the Guiding Lands and try again.
Or… You can just keep hunting. The MHW Gold Rathian has an equally random chance of spawning in the Guiding Lands naturally. You just need to do a hunt, return to base, and check the “Depart” option under Guiding Lands on your quest board. If you haven’t fought it before, the Gold Rathian will appear as a “???” target. That’s your cue to get out there and discover it for the first time!
Gold Rathian Tips – MHW Guiding Lands Guide
The Gold Rathian functions quite a lot like its counterparts. The major difference is that it can wreathe itself in “hellfire.” When ignited with this ominous ability, the Gold Rathian does more damage with fire breath attacks and swings wider with its tail. You need to break its (very hard) head to turn the Hellfire off. Weapons with natural Mind’s Eye (e.g. Hunting Horn, Long Sword) or purple sharpness are a big help. And like any Rathian, poison is a big issue. Bring Herbal Medicine and Antidotes along to counteract the effects.
Congrats on finding the Gold Rathian in MHW. There are plenty of other rare species to find in the Guiding Lands, however, so be sure to check for them all! Good luck out there.
