Malzeno is the last of the Three Lords and the "Final Boss" of Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak. You've faced many monsters and trials as you worked to protect Elgado and learn of the monsters' odd behavior. Now, what's been deduced as the problem--Malzeno and its Qurio--is in sight. Fiorayne, who was wounded by the Malzeno previously, will help assist you in ending it. This quest will also be at the Citadel.

Many players have had issues with defeating Malzeno in the Sunbreak Demo. If you're one of those players, surely you want revenge against the vampiric monster. Whichever camp you're in, this guide will help assure your victory against the Final Lord.

Malzeno's Attacks

A hunter facing the Malzeno monster in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, highlighting the bloodblight status effect at work.

As it was described in the Digital Event in May, Malzeno displays elegance and cruelty with its various attacks.

  • For starters, it can perform ranged attacks with the talons on its wings.
  • It also can perform a flip, slamming its tail into the ground, before thrusting it forward.
  • Malzeno can also use its wings to send powerful gusts of air toward a hunter.
  • It can also perform breath attacks that it can use in clever ways, like sending out multiple shockwaves, explosions, or performing one straight blast forward.
  • It commands the Qurio as well, often sending them at hunters in bunches of three. These attacks inflict a unique status condition called bloodblight, which will eat at your health unless you attack the Malzeno.

When Malzeno enrages (either over time or by pinning a hunter and stealing their life energy), it changes form and becomes much more violent; this state is called the Bloodening.

  • It'll begin teleporting to unleash some new attacks, like an earth-shattering attack that it'll perform right under it after flying in the air a bit.
  • Be wary of an attack where it will perform a quick turnaround, swinging its tail around itself.
  • It will also start doing a lot of the previously mentioned attacks twice in quick succession. When it's enraged, it's best to make sure you keep the rule of two in mind: assume most of its attacks will be done twice.

Malzeno's super-powerful move will have it fly high in the air before shooting quick lasers in a circle, drawing any hunters attacked by it under the monster, before it unleashes a massive ball of energy.

Malzeno's Strengths and Weaknesses

Malzeno's Physiology section of its Hunter Notes page in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak.

Malzeno is resistant to Water, Thunder, Poison, Paralysis, Sleep and Exhaust. It take less raw damage on its tail tip, wings, and hind legs. To get the most damage out of your attacks, make sure to focus on its head, forelegs, and the base of the tail when possible. When it's in the Bloodening form, you can topple it by repeatedly attacking its glowing areas and knocking it out of the form. The best elements to use against it are Fire, Dragon, and Blast--mostly Dragon. While it's more resistant to Ice, it also works for extra damage.

Weapon Type Advantages and Disadvantages

Malzeno resists projectile attacks the most, so you probably shouldn't use a Gunner weapon against it. If you do plan on using a Gunner weapon, make sure you avoid attacking the hind legs and wings, since the projectile attacks do negligible damage to those parts. For the most damage, you should use a severing weapon. It wins out or ties with blunt weapons in every area other than the Malzeno's head. The best weapons for it are ones with counters or shields. Without a doubt, Long Sword is the best weapon here. Dual Blades also work for extra mobility on top of that. On the shield side, try Sword and Shield or Gunlance.

Helpful Armor and Skills

Minayle the blacksmith at her workshop in Elgado.

The Malzeno's breath attacks can inflict the Dragonblight status, so on top of high physical defense, you should have an armor set that has decent Dragon resistance. It would also be beneficial to make sure you can heal up as much as possible from recoverable damage. In terms of Dango Skills other than Defender, try Dango Slugger if you plan to use Blunt attacks. You can also use Dango Driver or Dango Immunizer to help with the Bloodblight. Dango Fighter is also a great skill for this hunt--you might be blocking or evading a lot, and it'll help keep your stamina up.

When it comes to armor skills, try having the Guard Up or Guard skills if you're using the Sword and Shield. The Quick Sheathe skill will be useful all-around, especially for Long Sword's counter attacks. Skills like Resuscitate or Resentment will work wonders when paired with the Dango Driver skill. Also, you'll probably really need the Evade Extender skill because avoiding some of its attacks with the normal dodging distance is tricky. Beyond that, try to lean towards skills that compliment your playstyle or focus on dealing as much elemental damage as possible.

Malzeno's Location: The Citadel

A map of the Citadel with the player icon near the sub-camp, and the icons of the Snowbeetles revealed in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak.

If you haven't seen most of the Citadel before this point, you will by the end of this quest. While the Garangolm is mostly in the left areas, and Lunagaron is mostly in the top areas, Malzeno will usually be found on the right side of the map. The best beetle to hit it with is the Snowbeetle since Iceblight affects the Malzeno the longest. The Snowbeetles can be found on the ground in Area 8 and in the mountain between Area 5 and 6 (you can use the Great Wirebugs around Area 2 to get there faster). Alternatively, Lunagaron will also be on the field, so you can Wyvern Ride that instead.

The sub-camp for this area is a ways upward from where the Malzeno will be. Looking at the picture above, you can see exactly where it is, next to the player icon. If you'd like, you can go there in a different quest and unlock it to use during the Malzeno quest, perhaps to get to some Spiribirds quicker.

That's how you can defeat the Malzeno. With these tips, you can finally vanquish the final Lord and stop the Qurio from wreaking havoc on the kingdom and the world. Don't be reckless in your pursuit of revenge, and take extra precaution to not get hit by any of its breath attacks. Have fun!