There’s just no stopping when it comes to hunting monsters in Monster Hunter World, hence the name. That said, you’re probably not going to meet a monster like Monster Hunter World Kirin, which resembles an extremely old unicorn with a beard, but is, in fact, an Elder Dragon that has the power and the patience to make the player’s life a living hell if it so chooses to.
For new players who haven’t heard of Kirin just yet or want to know what Kirin’s involvement is in the ‘Kirin The Myth’, our guide for the Monster Hunter World Event schedule will explain everything you need to know.
But for those who want to know more about Kirin’s location, their weakness, and strengths? Pull up a chair and get comfy, because it’s time to deep dive into some strategy and analysis.
Monster Hunter World Kirin: What is a Kirin?
As we’ve already said, Kirin really do resemble the grumpiest-looking unicorns. Unicorns that looks like they’re ready to crackle and strike at you any moment. Apart from that, there isn’t much known about Kirin that isn’t covered in the ‘Kirin the Myth’ quest and well, we don’t want to spoil anyone who hasn’t finished the quest just yet.
But what does the Monster Hunter Codex have to say about Kirin? Apparently “the Kirin are so rarely sighted that little is known of their ecology. It’s been said they envelop themselves in pure electricity when they are provoked.” It continues. “The lightning a Kirin cloaks itself with has been confirmed to toughen its skin. The key to hunting a Kirin lies in staggering it, using Elderseal weapons, and protecting yourself from and avoiding its lightning attacks.”
An Elder Dragon who looks like a horse/unicorn and uses its lightning to toughen its skin? Consider us shocked.
Monster Hunter World Kirin: Where Can I Find Kirin?
There are a number of ways you can find Kirin. As previously mentioned, Kirin has its very own quest, but it isn’t the only quest it has. It has been found to be a target in the quests ‘Gone In A Flash’, ‘Lightning Strikes Twice’, and ‘Thunderous Rumble in the Highlands’. These quests often have you going up against very high-leveled Kirins, so be sure to prepare as best as you’re able to.
Nonetheless, there is another location where Kirin can normally be found even without the use of quests: The Coral Highlands. The Coral Highlands area is vibrant and mysterious, with monsters large and small roaming around its area just waiting for you to pick on them and then kill them for no apparent reason. Kirin is no exception to this, though it isn’t known where their exact location is in this area.
Sadly there is currently a bug that causes Kirin not to show up in-game. As of now, there has not been a fix for it.
Monster Hunter World Kirin: What are the Kirin’s Strengths?
Kirin, much like the Bazelguese, is a highly reactive enemy that can knock you for six before you’ve even noticed what’s going around you. This makes it a highly exciting foe to face, but a frustrating one as well as you never know when it’s going to strike.
Because of Kirin’s lightning, we’d advise to perhaps not go running in with anything that would have you at a disadvantage which means that if you’ve got armor equipped that’s got a Water element, or even a Dragon element? Just turn straight back to camp, because trust us when we say it just isn’t worth fainting multiple times in the space of 10 minutes.
Another strength of Kirin’s that you’ll need to pay close attention to is it’s Thunder Strikes when it becomes enraged. Fortunately, you’ll quickly find out when that’s happening due to it calling lightning from the sky to fling at you and make you sorry for even trying to attack it.
Though if you think that’s bad, just wait until you find out that trying to kill it with your weapons while it’s unleashing this attack on you won’t do anything at all. Why? Because Kirin’s body will deflect the attack, leaving the long horn on its forehead as the only vulnerable spot which you can hit.
Kirins eh? A total nightmare.
Monster Hunter World Kirin: What are the Kirin’s Weaknesses?
So we’ve established that Kirin is a monster that you do not want to mess with. But what if you do? What if you’re tired of being pushed around by this monster and just want to show it who’s boss? If that’s the case then you’ll need to know its weaknesses, which are surprisingly lacking in comparison to its strengths.
The main weakness Kirin has is the Fire Element, which means that a few Barrel Bombs will surely get it limping sooner rather than later. When the Kirin starts limping, that’s when you know that you’ve got the advantage over the creature and should really hammer it into a paste with either fiery ammo and blunt or sharp damage.
Like every monster, Kirin has breakable part of its body that will help you in your battle against it. As long as it isn’t enraged, that weak point is its head, though if you’re terrible at aiming and just want the thing to die already then attacking its body won’t be considered completely useless. Of course, if it is enraged then getting to high ground and aiming at its horn is your best bet.
