Not to be confused with Frenzy Apex Monsters from Monster Hunter 4.
Apex (Japanese: ヌシ Nushi) Monsters are a type of monster introduced in Monster Hunter Rise. Apex Monsters lead hordes of monsters that attack Kamura Village's Red Stronghold during The Rampage and will appear during the third and final wave themselves to take down any remaining defenses in the stronghold.
The monsters that have developed Apex forms are Arzuros, Rathian, Mizutsune, Rathalos, Diablos and Zinogre.[1]
Overview[]
Apex Monsters are powerful monsters that have survived the powerful storm created by the Elder Dragon Wind Serpent Ibushi. Through countless battles for survival against both other monsters and Ibushi's storms, the Apex Monsters gained incredible power and extreme fury which lets them control a vast amount of territory. Despite their incredible power, the Apex Monsters are said to be in a constant state of rage and terror, and greatly fear Ibushi to the point where they are willing to destroy anything in their way in order to avoid the Wind Serpent, causing them to take part in the Rampage as its nominal "leaders"
These monsters are so strong, they are crowned as leaders of the horde, hence their title. Their roars make surrounding monsters feel their rage and desperation, driving them into a frenzy and keeping them riled up for the rest of the rampage.
All of the Apex Monsters are Elder Dragon-level threats in their own right due to their immense power and ability to lead the Rampage. Apex Monsters first started showing up after the return of the Rampage and death of Magnamalo, and they continued to exist even after the deaths of the Twin Serpents and end of the Rampage, although it can be assumed that new Apex Monsters cannot be created without the presence of Ibushi or Narwa. They also reappeared during the Qurio outbreak and return of Amatsu.
Appearance[]
Apex monsters are much larger than their normal counterparts and have different color palettes, which usually makes them darker in coloration, gives them glowing red eyes, (with the exception of Apex Mizutsune), and covers their bodies in glowing red scars that become more prominent when the monster is enraged. Their roars are also more guttural and have a metallic ringing sound.
Abilities and Behavior[]
Apex monsters are much stronger compared to their normal counterparts and have various new attacks. During Rampages an Apex will focus on destroying the gate first and will go after hunters when they are attacked. The Apex can occasionally call small hordes of monsters to aid it and an Apex's roar will enrage all other monsters. At certain points during the fight, Apexes will charge up an attack that deals severe damage to the final gate if not stopped (or the gate plus all the artillery installations in the case of Apex Zinogre).
Locations[]
The Apex Monster, specifically the Apex Arzuros, is first revealed during the first High Rank Rampage in the form of an Urgent Quest at the Red Stronghold. Afterwards, the Rampage quests featuring them as the major threat will randomly appear throughout the rest of the game. After the Title Updates, Apex Monsters can be encountered in 7★ Gathering Hub quests. These quest are unlocked through first increasing one's Hunter Rank, while also completing mandatory quests such as facing each Apex Monster once through the Rampage Quests.
Master Rank versions of Apex Monsters can appear as side targets in high-level Anomaly Investigation quests.
Battling the Apexes[]
Apex Monsters appear during the final hordes of the Rampage featuring them. Slaying them or letting the time expires will complete the quest.
When an Apex enters the area, it will unleash an attack that deals heavy damage to nearby barriers and destructible platforms. When they first appear in the Red Stronghold, they will immediately head to the gate and unleash the "mini" version of their devastating attack, instantly destroying if it's the front gate and head toward the second area.
Apex monster's attacks are so powerful they can instantly destroy breakable wooden platforms that station hunting installations.
Any roars of Apex monsters, except for their special attacks, will summon other monsters into the current area. These monsters act normally according to their role in the rampage.
After some time, Apex monsters will head to a specific location based on which monster they are and emit a long muffling roar. This will signal a dialogue from NPCs that the Apex is readying a huge attack. It is highly advised to stop the Apex with anyway possible. If successful, the attack will be stopped and calm down the Apex. If not successful, the Apex will unleash an attack that deals heavy damage to the final gate. However, if the final gate was not heavily damaged beforehand, the gate can stand up to about two heavy attacks.
List of Apex Monsters by Game[]
Monster Hunter Rise[]
Comparisons[]
Monster Hunter Rise[]
| Comparison | |
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| Arzuros | Apex Arzuros |
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| Diablos | Apex Diablos |
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| Mizutsune | Apex Mizutsune |
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| Rathalos | Apex Rathalos |
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| Rathian | Apex Rathian |
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| Zinogre | Apex Zinogre |
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- Apex Monsters initially appeared exclusively as Major Threats in High-Rank Rampage Quests until the Title Updates, which made Apex Monsters available as normal quests.
- Apex Monsters are completely immune to traps, thus they can not be captured.
- The Apex Monsters cannot be Wyvern Ridden, however, they are still staggered for a few seconds when the threshold is reached, with Wirebugs swarming around them before fleeing shortly after.
- While Apex Monsters initially did not appear in Master Rank quests in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, the first Title Update released on August 10, 2022 introduced them as side targets in Anomaly Investigation quests.
- Unlike other monsters from Rise, Apex Monsters do not gain any new moves or materials in Master Rank.
- Apex Arzuros and Apex Rathian were initially the only Apex Monsters that could be encountered in Anomaly Investigations starting from Title Update 1, however the third Title Update then added Apex Mizutsune and Apex Rathalos to that list. The fifth Title Update added the final two, Apex Diablos and Apex Zinogre.
- When facing the Apex Monsters in the Red Stronghold, Roaming Red Roar will play. When facing them outside of quest, they will use the Area's theme or their own signature theme in the case of Apex Mizutsune or Zinogre.
- Apex Arzuros and Rathian have an 8★ threat level, Apex Rathalos and Mizutsune have a 9★ threat level, and Apex Diablos and Zinogre have a 10★ threat level.
Trivia[]
- While the exact nature as to how a monster becomes an Apex was not clear upon the launch of Monster Hunter Rise, the 2.0 Title Update however changed the Apex monsters' Hunter's Notes descriptions, stating that the scars and wounds covering them make them look like they were caught in a storm, implying that a monster becomes an Apex by surviving an attack from Wind Serpent Ibushi and Thunder Serpent Narwa, which have been seen to create storms and are the direct causes of the Rampages where the Apex monsters primarily appear.
- An Apex monster is supposedly "crowned" as an Apex, although this is likely a euphemism for Ibushi's storm "crowning" them with new power.
- Apex Monsters are very similar to Deviant Monsters from Monster Hunter Generations/Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, as both are powerful monsters that have grown stronger and larger thanks to circumstances in their environment.
- Unlike the Deviants, the Apex Monsters do not have armor for Hunters to forge, instead its weapons to help clear Rampage Quests more easily.
- Each of the Apex monsters' appearance and moveset is based off of the respective monster's Deviant:
- Apex Arzuros: Redhelm Arzuros
- Apex Rathian: Dreadqueen Rathian
- Apex Rathalos: Dreadking Rathalos
- Apex Mizutsune: Soulseer Mizutsune
- Apex Diablos: Bloodbath Diablos
- Apex Zinogre: Thunderlord Zinogre
Sources[]
- Monster Hunter Rise
- Monster Hunter Rise Official Setting Documents Collection Hakuryu Disaster Secrets