| “ | Those who let themselves be lured into the trap... Will be whisked away by a swift gale, the embodiment of darkness. A darkness that does not let its victims go. As they are slowly drained of their life... The servants keep providing their master with vital essence. And once the time is ripe, the darkness will show itself, basking in moonlight. |
„ | |
| - Malzeno, Scarlet Feast | |||
Malzeno is an Elder Dragon first introduced in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak.
Physiology
Malzeno has a body shape reminiscent of a European dragon, similar to Velkhana, with dark scales covering its body along with swarms of small, flying leech-like creatures called Qurio on its neck, chest, and front legs. Its wings, while being dull grey when looked at from above, have a red underside. The wing membrane connects "separately" to the wing fingers, and each wing possesses a single, giant talon. There is also a pair of smaller fins, similar in coloration to the wings at the base of its tail. Three of the fingers on its front legs end in a curved, giant claw. It has two large, golden horns, as well as frills extending from both sides of its neck that resemble a cowl. Its tail ends in three large, movable prongs that can be used to grab small prey. It can cover its body with its wings like a cape.
Upon draining enough life energy, Malzeno's appearances changes; its eyes begin to glow, its neck frills and wings begin emitting a pulsating light, its chest, front legs, and tail become covered in a dark red energy, the Qurio on its body begin glowing, and its body takes on a darker hue.
Abilities
Malzeno has a symbiotic relationship with the Qurio, allowing it to control them to drain life force from enemies and prey, as well as attack directly by firing clusters made of their energy. The influence of the Qurio causes many of Malzeno's physical attacks to inflict Bloodblight, which can greatly weaken a target and drain their vitality. They are also capable of breathing dragon energy, which they will utilize in the form of beams and shockwaves that cause explosive eruptions.
In melee combat, Malzeno relies on fast and powerful physical blows with its limbs, primarily the hook-like spikes on their wingtips and their clawed tail, the latter of which is dextrous enough to grab and pin down foes. Because of its thin frame, it is incredibly acrobatic and will frequently spin around or do barrel rolls to reposition or attack. However, in spite of said thin frame, its attacks carry a deceptive amount of brute force, as its physical strikes commonly shatter the ground and create shockwaves, and its tail is strong enough to easily pick up and throw a large monster like a Lunagaron.
When Malzeno drains enough life force, it enters a powered-up state known as the "Bloodening"; in this form, it becomes extremely agile, using bursts of the Qurio's energy to propel it so fast that it appears as if it is teleporting. Its attacks are also enhanced, creating massive explosions and black/red aftershocks while sending debris flying through the air, and it can combo multiple strong attacks in a row. However, during this state, its glowing body parts and its tail will become weaker, and dealing enough damage to these parts will knock Malzeno out of the Bloodening and cause it to topple over. Failure to do so will eventually result in Malzeno focusing all the energy from its transformation into a devastating attack, before reverting to its normal state after it finishes.
Behavior
Malzeno is an extremely powerful and aggressive Elder Dragon that will attack anything in its path by using the Qurio to drain their life and blood. If they survive, it will use the Qurio to afflict them with Bloodblight. Because of this, Malzeno is highly feared within the kingdom for the destruction it can cause to the ecosystem along with Qurio. It was believed to be the legendary monster that nearly destroyed the Kingdom in the past, until the discovery of the Qurio's true master, the Gaismagorm.
Malzeno was once a peaceful monster coexisting with humans along with many other monsters within the Citadel, known as a Variant called Primordial Malzeno. However, after a fight for dominance with the Archedemon of the Abyss, it was forced into symbiosis with the Qurio that afflicted it. As a side effect, it went through a morphological change over the next 50 years, transforming it into the violent monster that it is today.[1]
Habitat
Malzeno is mainly found in the ruins of the Citadel, but can also be found in the Shrine Ruins and Lava Caverns of Kamura.
Game Appearances
- Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak (Introduced)
In-Game Description
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Hunting Tips
| “ | Certain attacks will cause Bloodblight, causing your life to continously drain but your attacks also to heal you; keep the pressure on. The Bloodening will occur after a certain amount of time, leading to raging attacks; end it and get a knock down by hitting the red flashing areas on the arms and neck. | „ | |
Notes
General Notes
- Malzeno is based on classical myths of vampires, reflected in its gothic appearance and life-draining ability.[2]
- Malzeno’s design was incorporated with elements of aristocracy, nobility, grandeur, and cunningness.[3]
- Malzeno is considered one of the "Three Lords" of The Kingdom, alongside Garangolm and Lunagaron.
- Due to the Malzeno fought in-game having gained its Qurio-based powers from its encounter with Gaismagorm, it was initially unknown whether their symbiosis with the Qurio is a species-wide trait or a specific change in that individual. The introduction of Primordial Malzeno reveals that the symbiosis is not natural.
- According to the HAUNTING OF THE SUN Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Official Setting Materials Collection, the majority of the Malzeno species taken over by Qurio is a normal occurrence, transforming from Primordial Malzeno into Malzeno. The only expcetion is the Primordial Malzeno first encountered by the Kingdom.
- As Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak's flasgship, Malzeno was also the first monster to be introduced in the game, while its Variant was the very last monster to be in the game.
- Malzeno was voted 38th place in the Hunters' Choice for Top Monster during Monster Hunter's 20th Anniversary.[4]
Monster Hunter Rise
References
