User blog comment:BannedLagiacrus/Monster Appreciation Week: Seltas/@comment-5020152-20150309210837

Seltas

Concept: This is the first boss Neopteron we've had since Vespoid Queen, and thank goodness, he is much more inspired. His aerial maneuverability and wide range of attacks is also a refreshing change from Vespoid Queen's "sting-spray acid-unfair tackle-repeat" tactics. 8/10

Design: Like I said, Seltas is a very inspired monster. He exhibits traits from a variety of insects, including beetles, wasps, and even mantids. His most obvious feature is the giant canopy over top of his head, which makes him look more like an aircraft than an insect, which is a unique twist that begins to make sense when you face him in battle. Seltas also has a pair of bright orange raptorial forelegs that are his main weapons, which he flaunts constantly as a threatening display. Seltas' range of colors are well chosen, as well - an iridescent greenish-blue, to which the orange forelegs and yellow eyes provide a stark contrast. All of these features combine to make Seltas a very unique addition to the Monster Hunter franchise. 8/10

Sound: Seltas sounds... well, a mix between average and fantastic. Unlike most monsters, Seltas doesn't have a distinctive roar or other noise that he makes to express his anger. Instead, he produces a noise that can be best described as a hissing screech that sounds totally insectoid. Besides that, Seltas communicates through clicks and sharp hisses, often punctuated by a strike from his claws. From a musical standpoint, Seltas shares his theme with Great Jaggi, but the music suits him magnificently, in a very unusual sort of way. 7/10

Gameplay: Monster Hunter hasn't seen anything quite like the Seltas before, so it makes sense that the battle is something completely foreign to old players. Seltas mainly strikes from the air, often buzzing around and performing complicated maneuvers to outflank you before going in for an attack. To mix things up a bit, Seltas can also spew Qurupeco-like mucus that will lower your defenses, making your measly beginner armor obsolete. He's an easy boss, but still presents a bit of a challenge at the beginning of the game, regardless of whether that's due to inexperience with the game or due to not having fought such a maneuverable foe in the past. 8/10

New Stuff: N/A

Equipment: Unlike Great Jaggi, whose gear is only really good in the early stages of 4U, Seltas materials can be crafted to make equipment that is useful throughout the entire game, from Low-Rank to G-Rank (probably due to the fact that Seltas AND Seltas Queen materials are needed to make them). The armor gives great offensive and defensive skills, and the weapons have good Sharpness as well as Water damage. The whole theme with Seltas weapons and armor is how technological they look - the Hammer and Dual Blades are mechanized drills, the male armor set looks like a Transformer, and even the Palico armor makes your cat look hilariously like a robot! I have nothing bad to say about Seltas gear. 10/10

Cutscene: The Seltas ambushes the hunter with nothing but a whirring buzz to mark his presence. He swoops and dives, confounding the hunter with his speed, then finally settles at the top of a cliff, which the hunter must climb up before initiating the fight. Seltas' intro really makes his unfamiliarity known, as well as the new climbing mechanic. Other than that, there's nothing noteworthy about it. 7/10

Summary: Seltas is a monster that both newbies and experienced players will have trouble with. Everything about him is brand-spanking-new, and a step up from the boring Vespoid Queen. He has a great design, oddly-good music, and unique attacks that make good use of his unique features. On top of that, he's a fun monster to hunt - hard at first, until that rewarding feeling of having learned how to fight a previously-unfamiliar foe kicks in. Overall 8/10