Ultimate Guide to Defeating Invasive Monsters in Monster Hunter Stories 3

Restoring the environment is a central theme in Monster Hunter Stories 3, which involves driving out Invasive Monsters that have taken over the dens of rare Endangered Species.

Invasive Monsters are enhanced versions of their regular counterparts, equipped with unique abilities tied to their new habitats. Defeating them requires specific strategies, turning each encounter into a puzzle to solve.

Here’s how to tackle all nine Invasive Monsters in Monster Hunter Stories 3.

The first Invasive Monster you’ll face is Invasive Yian Garuga, found guarding a Rathian den on the eastern side of Azuria. The main story leads you right to it.

To defeat this Invasive Monster, focus on breaking its legs. You don’t need a specific weapon or element, but using a blunt weapon like a Hammer will simplify the fight. Remember, you don’t have to defeat the Yian Garuga immediately; just make it retreat to grab the Rathian egg. You can return later to take it down for good, as it’s a level 50 boss.

Next up is the optional Invasive Plesioth, which has settled in the den of an Endangered Lagiacrus at Mirror Lake. To reach it, swim through the narrow channel north of the Mirror Lake Catavan Stand.

To take down Invasive Plesioth, equip a fire weapon and a monstie with fire attacks, like Ratha. Exploit its fire weakness to break its head, where it stores water for its ultimate attack. If you fail to break its head, it will unleash a devastating move on your team. Once you break it, the Plesioth will flee, allowing you to snag the Lagiacrus egg. Raising the Lagiacrus rating to S in any Azuria region will complete a sidequest and trigger a mutation, so keep hunting for more eggs afterward.

The third Invasive Monster is Seregios, located in the northwestern corner of Azuria. Fast-travel to Mirror Lake, catch the updrafts with a flying monstie, and glide to the northwestern hill filled with glowing lizards and other endemic life.

Defeating Invasive Seregios requires a specific strategy. Use a hammer with an AOE ability like Perfect Strike to hit all parts of the monster. Survive its initial attacks, and it will eventually roar with a colorful aura. Pay attention to the color of the roar and counter with the appropriate attack type to win the Head-to-Head. For instance, if it roars blue, use a green technical attack. Winning this encounter will drive Seregios away, allowing you to claim the Astalos egg.

In the Canalta Timberland, an Invasive Shogun Ceanataur guards the egg of a popular monster. You can find it in a cave behind a waterfall in the northern part of the Frozen Grotto area.

This monster has razor-sharp claws that can take down any of your party members in a single hit. To drive the Invasive Shogun Ceanataur away, bolster your defenses to withstand its claws. Raise an ally’s defense level to L before it performs its Invasive attack. Some monsties have defense-boosting abilities, or you can use a Hunting Horn or Armorskin for extra protection. Once it realizes its claws can’t harm you, it will retreat, revealing a Mizutsune egg for your collection.

Next, you’ll encounter Invasive Nerscylla in the Canalta Timberland, patrolling the den of an Endangered Nargacuga in the eastern part of Blessing Hill. Use a flying monstie to glide over the river from the nearby Catavan Stand.

To defeat Invasive Nerscylla, you need a gunlance equipped with Wyvern Fire or Wyvern Blaze. Normal attacks won’t work since the Nerscylla is mostly invisible. Wait for it to target you with Invasive Death Scissors, then counter with Wyvern Fire or Wyvern Blaze. This will force Nerscylla to retreat, allowing you to safely grab the Nargacuga egg from the den. Releasing enough Nargacugas into the wild can unlock a subspecies, so keep an eye out for eggs in the area.

Invasive Arzuros appears during the main story in the Canalta Timberland. Defeating it will unlock a Canyne egg, one of the first ways to gain the Ground Dive ability for new exploration routes. You’ll find the den at the southern tip of the map.

Invasive Arzuros draws power from honey and summons other Arzuros for backup during the fight. To repel it, keep defeating its reinforcements until it runs out of honey. Once it realizes it’s alone, the Invasive Arzuros will retreat, allowing you to collect the Canyne egg.

An Invasive Odogaron has taken over an Endangered Zinogre den in Tarkuan. Fast-travel to the nearby Catavan Stand, catch the updrafts with a flying monstie, and glide to the cliff to the west. You’ll need a monstie that can climb walls to reach it.

To defeat Invasive Odogaron, you need two specific strategies. First, bring a monstie with the Mud Torrent ability. Almudron has this skill naturally, or you can transfer it to another monstie via the Rite of Channeling. You also need a bow or gunlance to break the Invasive Odogaron’s claws. Once you break the claws, use Mud Torrent to inflict Mudbogged. After doing both, the Odogaron will retreat, allowing you to grab the Zinogre egg.

The final Invasive Monster in Tarkuan is a troublesome Diablos located at the southern border of the map. You can find a small path leading behind the mountains or glide over them with a flying monstie.

To defeat it, you need a hammer with the Meteor Hammer ability. This powerful attack deals increased damage to monster parts, but it’s crucial here because the Invasive Diablos will burrow underground during the fight. You need to hit it with Meteor Hammer as it pops out of the ground.

The Invasive Diablos can emerge from one of three holes when it burrows, and it won’t come out of the same hole twice. Keep targeting the holes with Meteor Hammer until you get lucky. When you finally land a hit, it will retreat, rewarding you with a Tigrex egg.

The last Invasive Monster in Monster Hunter Stories 3 is a Khezu found in Serathis. It’s the only Invasive Monster in the area and easy to locate. Just hop across the glaciers to a hidden alcove in the northeast.

Invasive Khezu can paralyze your party, so ensure you have items to keep everyone safe. To defeat it, win as many Head-to-Heads as possible to fill your Kinship gauge and deal Wyvernsoul damage. The Invasive Khezu typically uses green technical attacks and will switch to red power attacks when enraged.

Eventually, the Khezu will use an ability called “Learning Complete” and prepare its ultimate Invasive attack. Use a Kinship skill to strike first and counter it. Embarrassed by the sneak attack, the Khezu will retreat, allowing you to claim the Barioth egg inside the den.