Best Monsters in Monster Hunter: World
Basic premise; you hunt monsters, do expeditions and be a total badass slaying/hunting monsters. Also, it's Capcom's best-selling game of all time and helped to bring the Monster Hunter franchise to a wider audience. This list is just stating which monsters in the game stood out the most. Reasons can vary from challenge, appearance, impression and how their severed parts can benefit in weapons and armor.
Spiky Boi is definitely a contender for being one of the best Elder Dragons in the franchise and is easily the best one featured in the game. His appearance screams badass, and his presentation is spectacular. And then there's actually trying to kill the thing - good luck with that. Nergigante is brutal and relentless. His attacks are erratic, fast, and hard-hitting, plus his spikes offer good defense. Furthermore, his spikes harden until they turn black. When covered in these, Nergigante uses his ultimate attack: a divebomb that instantly knocks you out, costing you a try. He will constantly use these attacks once he's low on health. His spikes can also break, allowing for additional damage.
The equipment and weapons that can be crafted from him are not only cool-looking but also very practical for hunting.

A living, breathing B-52 bomber plane, Bazelgeuse is a monster that invades different areas whenever it likes and trounces most monsters in a Turf War. Bazelgeuse can fly, like most Flying Wyverns, and has attacks such as ramming and tail whipping. What makes it stand out, however, is its methodical fighting style, which makes it a rather difficult monster to deal with. Bazelgeuse drops scales from its body over time, which remain on the ground until the beast attacks nearby, causing the scales to explode and inflict heavy damage. Bazelgeuse uses this tactic to great effect and will also drop bombs unexpectedly at times. Its orthodox fighting style sets up a unique, interesting, and tough fight.


The Giant Angry Pickle, and the bane of any players who are trying to hunt another monster. Deviljho was added to the game via free DLC/patch, and it doesn't disappoint in any aspect. It is easily one of the most erratic and punishing monsters, let alone Brute Wyverns, in the entire game. It beats out other monsters during Turf Wars (except Bazelgeuse, and even then, it can only manage a draw) and is incredibly resilient and persistent, even for a High-Rank monster. This is made worse by the fact that it is an invasive monster, roaming through different maps one after another.
With jump attacks, bites, rams, and breath attacks that cause Dragonblight status effects, there is a reason why Deviljho is considered one of the hardest monsters to hunt that isn't an Elder Dragon. It also has established lore about its high metabolism and extreme hunger, defining its nomadic nature. Oh, and The Pickle can pick up smaller monsters and use them as a hammer of sorts.
Successfully hunting (either slaying or capturing) a Deviljho is worth it, considering how its parts can be used to craft great armor and weapons for the later stages of the game.
As the apex of the Elder's Recess, Brachydios lives up to its reputation with incredible power. Its attacks are unique in many ways and, despite performing poorly in Turf Wars, it puts up a fight against hunters.

One of the most savage and relentless monsters to appear in the Monster Hunter franchise, Odogaron is a beast you will find very difficult to face. It's incredibly fast for its size and can inflict "Bleed" damage, prompting you to retreat and hide to stop this status effect before you're knocked out. Odogaron also has a rather unique design. It's a canine/reptilian Fanged Wyvern with a bold red color and a brutish, yet streamlined, appearance.


A debuting Elder Dragon, Vaal Hazak is unique in that it looks like something out of a horror franchise, both in appearance and concept. It also emits a poisonous vapor around its body for extra offense and defense, making for a rather tough and grueling fight. Vaal Hazak also has the ability to zombify dead endemic animals to fight for it and has a high attack power, which is expected for an Elder Dragon.
A new Flying Wyvern, Legiana is a worthwhile challenge that presents an air of elegance and intensity. It is the Apex Monster of the Coral Highlands and a strong beast in its own right. It fights like a dragon, but it has its own unique ability to create waves of ice that hamper your stamina and time. Its design is also sleek and attractive. Legiana is set to play some kind of major role in the expansion pack, Iceborne.

The Newcomers

Easily one of the weirdest and goofiest monsters in the game, this Oviraptor-like foe is a Bird Wyvern, taking on a maniraptorian shape for speed and agility. It's a fairly easy monster to hunt, though Kulu-Ya-Ku is pretty interesting in that it is able to utilize tools, such as a boulder or something similar, which it carries in its arms. This grants it a unique fighting style and good defense. Though not exactly strong, Kulu-Ya-Ku is a fun monster to go up against, and its appearance is rather interesting, to say the least.
The insect glaive can dodge its poison pretty well. It's a good fight but kind of frustrating.
A relatively new addition introduced in Generation 4, Glavenus is the apex of the Wildspire Waste along with Diablos. It has a connection with Rathian, as shown in its ecology intro where it cuts off Rathian's wing spikes.

Insane fight. It really helps you get better at the game.

Dodogama has a really neat design. It looks oddly cute and has a pretty interesting attack pattern. It's also a fairly accessible beast to face, considering that by that point, you'd be tackling much harder difficulty levels, so it's good target practice. Though easier than many higher-tier monsters, Dodogama is a fun challenge. Also, its appearance is too good to exclude.

The Apex Monster of the Ancient Forest and a classic staple for the franchise, you can't really have a Monster Hunter game without Rathalos (and Rathian) being there. Although it looks like what you'd expect for a Flying Wyvern, Rathalos is a tough challenge, preferring to stay airborne during battles. Aside from the usual dragon tropes like roaring and fire-breathing, he can also use poison via his claws or ground pounds and will often try to run at you. It is one of the toughest monsters to fight for a good reason, and the gear that can be crafted from it is cool and has high-status benefits. There is also the "Azure Rathalos" subspecies, which presents a much tougher challenge.

While Brute Wyverns tend to base their body structure on Tyrannosaurus rex, none have a greater resemblance to it than Anjanath, or "Fire Chompy Boi." Anjanath is the first really serious threat you encounter in Monster Hunter, and it is rather ruthless in its fighting style. It is deceptively fast, hits hard, and can breathe fire for extra damage. Additionally, it is a very territorial creature, going as far as to chase you if you start running away. Its design is also pretty neat, with a balance of bright and dark shades, plus an interesting feather coating to top it off.
Anjanath is where Monster Hunter: World starts to become a more challenging experience, and the rewards you can get from slaying or capturing one are pretty good.

Nargacuga is just, all around, the best monster in the game. This bat-panther-manticore combination has everything: speed, agility, blade-wings, a spiny tail that it can launch spikes from or use as a whip, and, of course, its glowing red eyes. It is such an enjoyable monster to fight, and you can barely bring yourself to kill it because of how beautiful and majestic it is. All around, it makes for one of the most amazing and impressive creatures in this game.
Very similar fight to Kulu-Ya-Ku.