Zoh Shia Monster Guide for Monster Hunter Wilds

Zoh Shia is a brand new monster and is the final boss of low rank in Monster Hunter Wilds. She is a Construct which is another brand new monster classification, also known as a Guardian. Guardians are heavily tied to the plot of Monster Hunter Wilds. There is also Guardian Rathalos, Guardian Ebony Odogaron, Guardian Fulgur Anjanath, Guardian Arkveld and Guardian Doshaguma.

Zoh Shia original habitat is unknown according to the game's lore and quest description. She is a monster that you only fight once and that's it. Her fight cannot be repeated. She does not have any unique gear or weapons, but does drop Guardian materials that other Guardians do as well. It is speculated that her true form or rather second version will return in a future title update or the expansion, but that is currently unknown. She is also the largest monster in all of Monster Hunter Wilds for the time being and only comes in a single size of 4623.59. It's also worth noting that traps, stuns, flash pods and sonic bombs are completely ineffective on her.

Crown Sizes

• Small Crown - N/A
• Silver Crown - N/A
• Large Crown - 4623.59

For a full comprehensive video guide on Zoh Shia including tips, tricks and strategies, then check out the Zoh Shia video guide below:

This guide is for the one time low-rank story quest, the tips here can also be applied to high rank. Too see high-rank differences scroll down below this section

At the start of the battle, your best targets are Zoh Shia's face or front legs. Any time she begins waving or raising her arms in any way, immediately get away. She has multiple attacks that leave explosions on the floor, so it is always better to miss an attack and stay safe rather than risk taking damage, as these explosions deal significant damage. One of her attacks is a wide floor swipe, which she executes with one of her front arms, and it can swing either left or right. Avoid trying to block or counter it, as it is not a good idea. Another attack involves slamming both of her hands onto the floor, triggering a large explosion, and the same rule applies — staying safe is the priority.

Zoh Shia also performs regular swipes with her arms that do not create explosions. You can differentiate between the two by checking if the ground glows white—if it does, expect an explosion. In between these attacks, she takes brief moments to recover, and this is your best opportunity to deal damage. For positioning, it is best to stay near her face and front legs, as these are the easiest areas to hit. If you keep up the pressure, you will eventually break her mask. Additionally, Zoh Shia has large crystal fragments on her body, which can be broken completely, but since Guardians have regenerative abilities, they will eventually regrow. However, this is not an issue, as the overall damage still applies and helps progress the fight.

After a while Zoh Shia will lose her mask, revealing a black dragon head. She will then breathe fire beneath her, which spreads outward in a cone in front of her, so ensure that you are not standing in its path. She may also follow up by spitting out giant fireballs, so position yourself carefully and stay near her sides, allowing you to prepare for a counter-offensive.

When she raises her head high and pulls her body back, she is preparing to spit out a giant fireball, so avoid standing in front of her. Her previous arm slam attacks will continue in this phase, and while it is risky, you can attempt to land attacks on her head in between her moves to maximize damage. Repeat this strategy until she transitions into phase two.

You will know you have reached phase two when Zoh Shia flies to a specific area of the arena and begins causing havoc throughout the room. Do not stand on the white-colored floor. Eventually, multiple rock formations will emerge, and she will begin spreading fire throughout the area, while fireballs land on red-hot spots. Avoid standing on these red areas, and begin moving as far away as possible, as your health will gradually drain due to the elemental attacks. It may be necessary to use a potion or two to outheal the chip damage during this phase.

After this transition, Zoh Shia will gain a new set of exposed arms on top of her, as well as new fire-based abilities. Occasionally, she will slam down with these new arms, creating a fiery explosion that spreads forward like a shotgun blast. Do not make the same mistake I did by running directly into it. The strategy remains largely the same—stay near her sides, avoid her arm attacks, and watch for fire breath and explosions.

Any time she raises her arms, get away immediately and prepare to rush back in after her attack animations finish. However, be cautious, as she may chain this move with her fireball attacks, so ensure you are completely safe before re-engaging. If you manage to knock her down, focus all your damage on her exposed face, as it is the most vulnerable part of her body. Larger weapons, such as the Hammer or Great Sword, will find this especially easy to capitalize on due to her large hitbox.

She will also gain a new, devastating attack in this phase, where she slams four of her arms into the ground, creating a large white circular explosion that spreads outward. To avoid it, run in the opposite direction as soon as you see it forming. After the explosion, crystal formations will appear, and immediately after that, she will set the entire room on fire. Keep running until you reach the edge of the arena to avoid taking damage. This fire radius is not as large as the one during the initial transition phase, so you will be able to escape without harm this time around. Still, be prepared to use a potion just in case.

Another ability she gains is a charge attack, where she sprints forward in a straight line. The strategy here is obvious—move to the side to avoid it. Rinse and repeat until you transition into phase three. You will know you have entered phase three when Zoh Shia starts to change elements, and your hunter will trigger quest dialogue. In this phase, she will summon icy rock formations and attack with lightning strikes, instead of summoning random fire meteors. This transition is much easier to handle—simply run toward the safe zones and avoid standing near frozen rocks, as they will explode and deal damage.

At this point, her entire body becomes an exposed weak point, meaning you can target any part of her for increased damage. While she now gains lightning-based attacks, the same rules from the previous phases still apply—stay mobile, avoid standing in hazardous areas, and strike when the opportunity presents itself.

When she lunges forward and twists her head, she is about to cast a lightning attack somewhere in the room. Lightning strike markers will appear on the floor, making them very easy to dodge—simply move out of the affected area. Additionally, she retains her fire abilities, so you will still need to stay alert for those.

If there are any lingering wounds on her body, pop them all for easy free damage and staggers. Also, do not forget to mount her at least once—it is extremely easy to do by using your Seikret. This will grant you a free knockdown and massive damage to her head. However, I recommend mounting her when her face is fully exposed, rather than when she is still covered in her white armor, to maximize damage output.

At this point, you already know the mechanics and the flow of battle, so all that remains is repeating the strategy until she is finally defeated. Personally, I think she is a fantastic boss fight, though I do wish she was repeatable and had her own gear and armor. Given that she does not, I suspect that Capcom is saving her for a future title update or expansion, as it feels like there is more to her character that has yet to be revealed. If you really are struggling for some odd reason, just bring some max level health potions and get some more defensive buffs from the food if you have problems staying alive. And with that, you now have everything you need to hunt and defeat Zoh Shia. I hope this guide has been helpful. Congratulations, you have officially beaten low-rank of Monster Hunter Wilds!

Zho Shia makes her return in a main story quest during Chapter 6, introduced in the first title update released on April 4th, 2025. The core of the fight remains the same as before, but with some notable additions and increased difficulty. She becomes accessible in high-rank once you reach Hunter Rank 50. After hitting that milestone, you’ll need to speak to Werner in Suja to begin her questline, and then talk to Alma at the base camp to start the actual hunt.

In her high-rank version, Zho Shia retains all the moves from her low-rank encounter but now combos them together much more frequently. She also hits significantly harder this time around, making her a proper next step up in difficulty. One of the major new elements introduced in this version of the fight is the appearance of Wylk Crystals throughout the arena. Zho Shia will attempt to ignite them during combat, so you’ll need to actively destroy them with your weapon before they explode.

The phases in high-rank now progress more naturally—there’s no dialogue or scripted breaks like before. Instead, she’ll unleash her big phase attacks progressively throughout the battle. This time around, make sure to prioritize breaking her tail, as she now has her own unique weapons and armor. For more information on that gear, check the armor section.

One major attack you’ll want to keep an eye on is when she slams both of her frontal arms into the ground. Once she does, you’ll see a white light spreading outward across the ground like a shotgun blast. This will explode after a short delay, so get away from it fast. She’ll then repeat this move once more. After the second slam, she’ll remain idle for a short time—this is your opportunity to go all-in on the offensive. Aim for her head if you want raw damage or her tail if you’re trying to cut it and gather materials. Her tail is especially long, making it surprisingly easy to hit.

Another one of her dangerous attacks is the fireballs she spits from her mouth. When they land, they cause a large area-of-effect explosion that can deal serious damage if you're caught in it. Sometimes, she’ll even fire off three of them in a row, which makes the situation even more dangerous. And yes—if you linger under her face for too long, she will still perform her signature downward fire-breathing attack, so make sure to reposition before she does.

As the fight progresses and more of her body becomes exposed, you’ll know you’re getting close to victory. However, be warned—her aggression ramps up the more exposed she is. This is especially true in high-rank, where she likes to chain her charging attacks back to back, and they hit very hard.

To gain an extra edge, try leading her beneath the Shrine Fragments hanging from the ceiling. Triggering them will deal heavy damage, knock her down, and open another window for a sustained offensive. One thing worth noting is that her wounds won’t be as visually apparent in high-rank as they were in story mode. The game now expects you to dish out more natural damage using your weapons.

All in all, that’s about it for her high-rank version. While there are some differences, if you had no trouble taking her down in low-rank, you shouldn’t struggle too much here either. Most of the same strategies still apply—you just need to survive longer and come in better prepared with upgraded armor and stronger weapons. Rinse and repeat the tactics from before, and Zho Shia will fall back into her slumber… at least until you decide to wake her up again for those glorious crafting materials.