Fatalis Moveset Guide

This guide contains info about all of Fatalis' attacks and then some extra. If there's a specific move you struggle with, feel free to take a look!

Guide in Video Format

If you prefer to watch instead of read, most of the topic is covered in the video below!
Sadly, I couldn't add a embedded video with time stamps under each attack description below. Next best solution was adding a link to the video and a GIF.

There's also a tiny video with some extra info.

Audio Cues

Audio cues are important signs to predict what attack Fatalis is going to do. A lot of attacks share the same audio cues in common. I've tried to put some into categories on whether they shared the same (or really similar) sounds. These include:

Charged Breath
• Flamethrower attacks, e.g. Flameshower, Zigzag Flame, Cone, and Fire Sweep.

Growl
• For other types of breath attacks. Includes Forward Flame, Fire Sweep on Platforms, and Charged Fireball.

Scream/Screech
• Things that make Fatalis mad, like Flinched Bodyslam and air Charge.

Grunt
• Physical attacks, like Small Slaps, Small Bites, and Charges.

Lift
• Physical attacks, like Tail Sweep, Tail Slam, Slow Bite, and the normal Bodyslam.

Other attacks have unique audio cues, like Fireballs, Line Explosion, Pin attack etc. The audio cues will be mentioned under “sign” in each description of attacks.

Feel free to watch the video below if you wanna hear the audio cues in action.

General Survival Tips

General tips for hunters new to the Fatalis fight. Every weapon have their own challenges when it comes to safety, but the following tips are general and applicable for all weapons. There are extra tips in each section describing Fatalis' moveset. Do note that bow/bowgunners take ~30% more dmg than melee users and should be extra careful of where to position themselves. They should also be more careful when running to safety from the nova, as they take increased dmg from the prenova flames and sometimes need to heal on the way to prevent carting.

1. Stay close to Fatalis and keep an eye on him
   Looking away from Fatalis while running away can be a death sentence, as you won't be able to react to any of his long range attacks. If you have to run away, stay near one of the broken pillars in case Fatalis does the Cone attack. Else be prepared to superman dive if he does the Sweeping Flame or 360 Flame/Triple Charged Fireball later in P3.
   
2. Do not overcommit with an attack
   This is applicable for every monster. It's important know which of Fatalis' attacks you have enough time to punish. This is especially true for weapon attacks with long recovery like Charge Blade's SAED, Great Sword's TCS, Gunlance's Wyrmstake etc. What opening is safe to commit on is best learned through experience, but this Moveset Guide was made to speed that process up ;)
   
3. Keep Fatalis primed with a Dragon Pod
   Fatalis will flinch at every 2nd dragon pod fired at him. You can prepare to flinch Fatalis in an emergency by always having shot him with 1 dragon pod. This is especially useful if you get kncoked down by his Bodyslam. You can then shot dragon pods at him while being immobile. Though be aware the dragon pod will not register until after Fatalis recovers from the Bodyslam animation (See video about Bodyslam for timing). But please don't spam the dragon pods, as it can break openings a lot of weapons rely on.
   
4. You have i-frames when blown away by an attack
   Most of Fatalis attacks will knock you away and give you some i-frames while recovering. When blown away and land on your back/belly, if you don't touch any buttons, you'll stay down for a few seconds before standing up again. Use this to your advantage and move away when there's an opening for it. Attacks doing this include Fireballs, Charged Fireball, and Fire Sweep. When you get blown away and land on your butt, there's also a small moment after landing where you'll be immune to dmg. The last part of the recovery animation can be canceled with a roll though, so be careful of panick rolling.
   
5. Health Boost is highly recommended
   Almost all attacks will one-shot you without Health Boost. Having Divine Blessing is also highly recommeded as it can potentially save you from some unlucky situations. Otherwise, Fire Resistance can be useful if you want to have Fire Blight immunity (at least 20 Fire resistance) for Felyne Moxie.
   
6. (Only melee users) Health Regen Augment will help a lot
   Health Regen augment on your weapon will heal a portion of the dmg dealt to the monster. This is especially useful in Phase 3, where embers on the ground will drain a lot of your health away over time. You need to be at least MR100 to get the materials needed for Health Regen augment in the Guiding Lands. The healing on bow/bowguns is sadly pretty bad and not worth it (with the exception of using Normal Ammo)
   
7. Consider getting Felyne Safeguard
   Safeguard gives an extra cart for the team. Felyne Insurance does the same (and stacks with Safeguard) but it is a daily skill that only appear by chance. Using Safeguard has the downside of not providing attack/defense boost or elemental resistance. Otherwise, you can go for Moxie. Other noteworthy skills are Felyne Bombardier (increases cannon/ballista dmg by 10%), Felyne Blackbelt (20% stamina reduction; stacks up to 50% with similar skills), Felyne Sharpshooter (bow only; increases normal arrow shot dmg by 10%), and Felyne Riser (you're invincible while spamming superman dive).

Here's a generic safe build for Fatalis. It uses Golden Rathian chest/waist, and Raging Brachydius for the rest. Using Golden Rathina armor is good for survivability as it gives Divine Blessing lv5. Raging Brachy armor offers good dmg as it gives weakness exploit and unlocks the Agitator cap. Golden Rathian is available at MR 70.



I purposely left some emtpy slots on the build so you can fill in with any decorations you have. Ideally, you want to upgrade the Challenger Charm to lv5 and get Critical Eye to lv6 for 100% affinity on weakpoints. I put 1 Fire Resistance deco into the build to reach Fire Blight immunity, but you can also get that by eating for Elemental Resistance at the canteen. If possible, slot in weapon/playstyle specific skills. These could be:

• All Light Weapons: Clutch Claw Boost (can be crafted at the Elder Melder)
  
• Great Sword: Focus
  
• Dual Blades: Stamina Surge, Marathon Runner
  
• Insect Glaive: Power Prolonger
  
• Hunting Horn: Horn Maestro
  
• Hammer: Focus
  
• Switch Axe: Power Prolonger, Tool Specialist
  
• Charge Blade: Focus, Power Prolonger, Capacity Boost, Guard Up, Guard
  
• Lance: Guard, Guard Up
  
• Gunlance: Artillery, Capacity Boost, Guard Up, Evade Extender
  
• Bow: Bow Charge Plus, Stamina Surge, Constitution, Spread Ammo Up, Normal Ammo Up
  
• Light/Heavy Bowgun: Depends on ammo type used

Long Sword and Sword & Shield do not have any highly specific skills needed. Fill the rest with any skill you like e.g., Evade Window, Evade Extender, Stun Resistance, Fortify, Speed Eating, Quick Sheath, Tool Specialist etc. Heavy Artillery is added to Temporal Mantle for the Roaming Ballista in Phase 2.

Fight Mechanics

Some general information about the fight.

Phases

Fatalis' fight is split up into 3 phases. Phase 2 starts after the 1st nova and Fatalis will gain some new attacks and have a few changes to old attacks. Phase 3 starts after the 2nd nova and hiding behind the gate. Fatalis will now be noticeably faster, deal more dmg with fire attacks, gain new moves, but also receive more dmg to his chest. Here, he'll do 3 more novas before the fight ends. The novas are triggered when Fatalis' HP goes below a specific threshold. These values are:

• Phase 1 - 78%
  
• Phase 2 - 50%
  
• Phase 3, nova 1 - 41%
  
• Phase 3, nova 2 - 26%
  
• Phase 3, nova 3 - 6%

Source: Data mining and in-game test with overlay. em013_00.thk, node_014 & node_017.

Leg & Aerial state

Fatalis can stand on either 2 or 4 legs. Some attacks are exclusively used on only 1 of the leg states, which is useful for predicting what attack Fatalis will do next.

After some time in Phase 1, Fatalis will always change to the other state either passively or as a part of an attack (Charged Fireball, Bodyslam)*. He can forced to go down on 4 legs by dealing enough dmg on his belly and activating the Flinched Bodyslam or bait the normal Bodyslam by clucting onto him. He can also be baited to stand on 2 legs by standing on the Cannon platform or by dealing enough dmg to his head.

From Phase 2, Fatalis will now frequently change between leg states. He will always change state after a Charge, Flameshower, and Charged Fireball. Aerial attacks will also be available, and like leg states in Phase 1, Fatalis will always go airborne after some time. He can do this passively or as a part of the Back Jump Fireball.**

*Under normal conditions, when Fatalis changes leg state depends on the number of attacks Fatty has done. After 7 attacks in P1, there's a 10% chance Fatalis will change state. After 15 attacks, he will always change leg state. From 4 -> 2 legs, Fatty will use the natural Bodyslam to change leg state if the target is close, or neutral leg state change if the target is far away. From 2 -> 4 legs, Fatty will instead use Charged Fireball if target is close, or neutral leg state chance if target is far away.
In P2 and P3, Fatalis will always change leg state after 7 attacks, but it has less effect because of his changed moveset. From 2 -> 4 legs, if target is close enough, there is a 65% Fatty will do natural Bodyslam and 35% he will do Flame Shower. If target is far away, Fatty will do the drag Charge. From 4 -> 2 legs, Fatty will do Charged Fireball if target is close, and slither Charge if target is far away. Source: em013_00.thk, node_012 & node_013.

**Similar to leg state transitions, Fatalis has a 10% chance to go into the air after 35 attacks. After 50 attacks, he will always go into the air. When aerial, there's a 15% chance Fatty will land after 3 attacks, and 100% chance after 7 attacks. Source: em013_00.thk, node_003.

Headbreak state & Phase 3

Fatalis' head can be broken up to 2 times. Before each headbreak, Fatalis will flinch and be forced on 2 legs for every time 1/3 of the total headbreak threshold has been reached. So he'll flinch twice before each headbreak from taking head dmg, and you can use this to track how close his head is to be broken.
His headbreak state is important for Phase 3. For each time the head is broken, the fire dmg will be significantly reduced. You'll have to brake the head twice for his dmg to be the same as before Phase 3.

Flinching & Partbreaks

Every part of Fatalis has a flinch threshold, but only a few of them can be broken. Reaching the flinch threshold will make Fatalis do a small flinch, while breaking a part will flinch him similar to shooting dragon pods at him. His chest has a special threshold when standing on 2 legs (seperate from the usual flinch thresholds), where he'll do a Flinched Bodyslam. Breaking his wing while he is in the air will force him on the ground and breaking both wings will make him less likely to fly and prevent him going aerial after a Charged Fireball. Breaking the head will reduce fire dmg in Phase 3 and topple him for 12s (9s for aerial headbreak). During the knockdown, dmg dealt to the head will counted towards the next headbreak.

If you want the exact values for the thresholds, you can get them here at MHW:IB Monster Data[robomeche.github.io]

Enrage

The state of enrage can be checked on the minimap. If the eye-con is red, Fatalis is enraged. When enraged, Fatalis will take 10% more dmg, but also deal 10% more dmg and be 5% faster. The speed multiplier affects all of Fatalis' animations, but not the durations of knockdowns or binder.

🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱🍋 🐱

🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱 🍋 🐱🍋 🐱

Beware of the giant Fatty!

PHASE 1

Moves on 2 legs (Part 1)

Fireballs (火球)

aka Single Fireball; Triple Fireballs, Consecutive Fireballs

Fatalis can shoot a single fireball or a quick succession of 3 fireballs. Both can be done on 2 and 4 legs.
The triple fireball will change when Fatalis is enraged. The 2nd and 3rd fireballs do increasingly more dmg and have a larger impact zone. The dmg is enough to one shot Gunners.
Standing at the chest area is the safest option. Note that the fireball has 2 hitboxes, one for the fireball itself and one for the impact when touching the ground/wall. They deal the same dmg, but you can only get hit by one of them.
Clutching on the head while he shoots fireballs deals a separate dmg from fireballs. These deal around half as much dmg as fireballs. But it is possible to get hit by both clutch dmg and the impact from the fireball when wearing Rocksteady mantle.
The head goes down during the shots making it possible to head snipe.

Tenderize: Safe to tender belly when enraged for weapons going downwards.
Phase Changes: None.
Sign: Charged breath sound.
Guard Requirement: Guard Up & Guard Angle (not for the impact).



Fireball video example

Forward Flame (直線火炎放射)

aka Outward Breath, Flame Line, Line Breath

Fatalis shoots a fire beam straight forward along a line when standing near his belly. It’s possible to head snipe with certain weapons.

Phase Changes: None.
Sign: Leans slightly backwards while moving his head towards his belly. Does the growl audio cue.
Guard Requirements: None.



Forward Flame video example

Zigzag Flame (蛇行火炎放射)

High damage move that can one shot Gunners when enraged. The flame will spawn at his left side almost right away, but the sound cue can be used to predict and evade this.

Tenderize: Safe to tender head and chest for all weapons. Slow weapons might get hit before they recover.
Phase Changes: None.
Sign: Wobbles his body and especially his head from side to side while doing charged breath sound.
Guard Requirements: Guard Up & Guard Angle.



Zigzag Flame video example

Flame Shower (真下火炎放射)

aka Downspout

Fatalis will point downward with his head and prepare to give you a shower of fire. His belly will lift up a bit when the flames start. The fire deals tick dmg, so Temporal Mantle will not activate. Clutching anywhere on Fatalis will safe you from the dmg.

Tenderize: Safe to tender for all weapons. Can be dangerous for slow weapons. Weapons being thrown off can sometimes find themselves put into the Cone after landing.
Phase changes: From Phase 2, Fatalis will always transition to 4 legs after the end of the attack. This is a good opening for a wallbang.
Sign: Puts his head towards his belly with arms touching the floor. He does charged breath sound followed by a second of silence before giving you a shower.
Guard Requirement: Guard Up.



Flame Shower video example

Line Explosion (連続爆破 & ４足足元爆破)

aka Dust Explosion, Line of Explosive SaliLava

Fatalis creates a line of fire that explodes consecutively shortly after. The Line Explosion can be fired in front or along the sides of Fatalis. On 4 legs, the front Line Explosion is initiated by a fast backpedal.

Phase Changes: In Phase 2, Fatalis can now do Line explosions in front on 4 legs without backpedaling. The backpedal on 4 legs will always transition Fatalis to 2 legs.
Sign: Swings the neck around with some unique audio cues.
Guard Requirements: None



Line Explosion video example

Small & Wide Slaps (ひっかき & 薙ぎ払いひっかき)

aka Quick & Big/Slow Slaps

Fatalis will slap any that stands too close to his belly. He will go a bit backwards with the small slap, but stay the same place with the wide. Both slaps can be avoided by standing close to his crotch area. His head will lower down during the wide slap, where it’s possible to head snipe. The Small Slaps will not flinch you if having Super Armor.

Phase Changes: None.
Sign: Growl audio cue for Small Slap. Lean downwards while swinging his hand to the side with a wind up sound for Wide Slap.
Guard Requirements: Guard Angle.



Slaps video example

Moves on 2 Legs (Part 2)

Cone (広範囲火炎放射)

aka Fire Carpet

Fatalis will lower his head down and fire a cone shaped flame that covers a big area of the ground. He will only do this move if you stand at a medium/far distance away. A fire puddle will be left behind once he raises his head again that will explode shortly after. The Cone has 3 hitzones, with the center dealing most damage, and the sides dealing the least. Blue flame cone is able to one shot both Blademasters and Gunners with just 1 tick when standing at the center of the cone.
The cone gets blocked by the 2 broken pillars in the arena. If caught in the middle of it, the cone can be survived by continuously spamming Super Man dives or blocking. It can be blocked without Guard Up or any lvls of Guard, but make sure you're facing the attack. You will still take dmg between each Super Man dive, but having Felyne Riser will negate this dmg. It’s possible to jump above the flames with Insect Glaive, but only during peak height.

Tenderize: Safe for all weapons to tender head or belly. Note that slow weapons tenderizing downwards might have to delay the tender a bit to not get caught by the fire puddle
Phase Changes: None.
Sign: Camera zooms out. He steps back and does charged breath sound.
Guard Requirements: Guard Angle.



Cone video example

Tail Sweep (尻尾振り攻撃)

aka Tail Swipe

When standing behind Fatalis, he may raise his tail and slam it down before sweeping a big area. Beware that the whole tail is a hit box that will do the same damage from the tail tip to base.
Tenderize: Safe to tender head and chest for light weapons.

Phase Changes: None.
Sign: Looks behind and raises his tail.
Guard Requirements: None.



Tail Sweep video example

Charge (突進)

aka Slither, Dash

Fatalis uses charges to reposition, attack, and throw hunters off from clutch/mounting. There are 3 kinds of charges. On 4 legs, Fatalis will drag his wings on the ground while quickly dashing forward with his whole body being a hitbox. Getting hit by the wing deals half as much damage. On 4 legs, Fatalis will instead slither forward slowly and cover a larger area. While the hitbox covers his whole body, it’s only active when moving. The last variation is the aerial charge. Fatalis will do these when transitioning from air to ground or as a part of the Charged Fireball.

Phase Changes: From Phase 2, Charges on 2 legs will transition him to 4 legs and vice versa.
Sign: Growl audio cue.
Guard Requirements: Guard Angle (except Slither variation).



Charge video example

Bodyslam (倒れ込み攻撃)

aka Belly Flop, Fall; Forced Body Slam

One of the biggest carting moves exclusive to Fatalis’ 2 legged state. Fatalis will use his whole body weight to fall down and pin down any hunters hit. The hitbox covers almost his whole body: the chest, forearms, hindlegs, neck, head, wings, and root of the tail. He will actively rotate slightly to target a hunter while falling down.

There exists 2 types of Bodyslams: Bodyslam and Flinched Bodyslam. The normal bodyslam is a voluntary move that Fatalis does occasionally to transition from 2 to 4 legs or when clutched onto him. Fatalis will do the Flinched bodyslam when enough damage is dealt to his chest. This is easily distinguishable from the normal version by the distinct screech Fatalis lets out. He also takes more time to recover, making this move a good opening to punish.
There’s a variation to the Flinched Bodyslam, when someone activates the flinch far away. The bodyslam itself is gone and he will instead shoot a fireball towards the hunter.

You can recover quicker from the knockdown by spamming some buttons. For controllers, roll your left joystick in circles as fast as possible. For keyboard, hold down key A and spam key D (or hold D and spam A).

If you find yourself knocked down by the Bodyslam, you can shoot Dragon Pods at Fatalis to flinch him. Fatalis will always flinch at every 2nd Dragon Pod. The Dragon Pods will only register once Fatalis recovers from the Bodyslam (watch video below for example). There usually won't be enough time to fire 2 Dragon Pods after Fatalis recovers, so I advise you to always keep Fatalis primed by hitting him with 1 Dragon Pod.
If a teammate is hit by the Bodyslam and you don't have any Dragon Pods, you can increase their survival chance by putting a Smoke Bomb at Fatalis' chest and moving away from your teammate. Putting the smoke at the belly increases the chance of Fatalis becoming idle and look around. Moving away will save your teammate from collateral dmg.
Insect Glaive have a special mechanic with Flinch Free. If having triple extract and Flinch Free lv3, the pin will be downgraded into a normal knockdown with i-frames.

Phase Changes: None
Sign: Leans back with a lift audio cue. The Flinched Bodyslam is easier to identify by the screech/bass he lets out.
Guard Requirements: No Guard Angle (except fireball) or Guard Up.



Bodyslam video example

Moves on 4 legs

Small & Big Bite (牽制かみつき & 中技火炎横かみつき)

aka Quick Bite, Short Bite; Slow Bite, Long Bite, Crescent Chomp

Fatalis often snaps with quick bites that knock hunters on their butt. Another version is the Big Bites, where he does a crescent shaped bite that also deals Fireblight when hit. Fatalis can initiate the Big Bite from both his left and right side. He will sometimes do a mix of these bites consecutively. Small bites won't flinch you when having Super Armor.

Small detail: There are 2 versions of Big Bite, the only difference being where Fatty puts the attack. If the target is around where Fatty's head is connected to his neck or closer, Fatty will do the Big Bite from the same position (or backstep a little). If the target is further away, Fatty will step forward and do his attack about a roll further ahead.

Phase Changes: None.
Sign: Growl sound for Small Bite. Lift sound for Slow Bite.
Guard Requirements: Guard Angle (Only Small Bite).



Bites video example

Tail Slam (尻尾叩きつけ)

Fatalis will slam down his tail at hunters positioned behind him. He will sometimes also do it when mid air while using the clutch claw.

Phase Changes: None
Sign: Looks back while lifting tail up.
Guard Requirements: No Guard Up or Guard Angle.



Tail Slam video example

Fire Sweep

aka Fire Hose
Fatalis will move forward or backwards while sweeping a big area of the floor in front of him with a fire beam. At the start of the move, Fatalis will let out a small fire breath in front of him that knocks hunters on their butt and inflicts them with Fireblight. If you get hit by the small fire breath, the safest option is to sheath and superman dive. Sometimes, there is time to roll to safety under Fatalis' head.

Tenderize: Safe to tender for weapons going downwards. It’s possible for weapons that get ejected into the fire beam, if they do it too early and are on the same side of the head where the fire beam is turning.
Phase Changes: None.
Sign: Will often do this when he backpedals as shown in the GIF. Does charged breath sound.
Guard Requirements: Guard Up and Guard Angle.



Fire Sweep video example

Charged Fireball (高出力ブレス)

aka Nuke, Shotgun Blast

Fatalis will charge a fireball directly under him that will usually one shot both Gunners and Blademasters. Fatalis will sometimes transition to 2 legs.
When enraged, he will also go into the air leaving behind a wind that will flinch nearby hunters. Shortly after, he will dive down and do an air charge targeting the hunter (See GIF). He will not go into the air and dive if both wings are broken.

The Fireball can be avoided by staying close to his crotch or clutching the belly/hindlegs. Clutching on him while he is enraged is not a good idea, as you will take dmg from the dive down. You can clutch onto him after the fireball to quickly follow his position (video below shows example).
You can avoid being flinched by the wind by rolling shortly after the fireball explodes. The large knockback from guarding the Charged Fireball can be canceled into a small knockdown by the air pressure. This is useful for Lance's counter claw.

Fatalis will let out a distinct audio cue before the explosion, but only if he doesn't dive or change leg state. It's a small growl-ish sound, same audio cue used when he turns around passively.

Phase Changes: In Phase 2, Fatalis will always transition from 4 to 2 legs when he isn’t enraged. In Phase 3, there's a 50% chance Fatalis will do air charge when not enraged. When enraged, the Charged Fireball will be replaced with Triple Charged Fireball.
Signs: Usually does this move after turning the whole body slowly while on 4 legs, or after a Bodyslam. Has a growl audio cue.
Guard Requirements: Guard Up (Charged Fireball) and Guard Angle (Air Pressure & Aerial Charge)



Charged Fireball video example

Cannon Platform (台)

The cannon platforms in phase 1 can be broken when receiving enough damage from Fatalis. When standing far away, Fatalis will charge towards the platform. Here he can use Fireballs, Charged Fireball, Single/Double Bites, or a Fire Sweep. These has the same stats as their normal counterparts.

When Fatalis targets someone on the platform, he will always transition to stand on 2 legs. This can be abused if you want to keep Fatalis on 2 legs. Similarly, clutching onto Fatalis while he is on 2 legs can cause Fattty to do a Bodyslam. Just be careful of getting hit!



Cannon Platform video example

Shelter

When you hide in the shelter at Phase 1, Fatalis will go to the opposite side of the map (as shown in the GIF below) and spam single fireballs or the enraged version of Triple Fireballs (despite not being enraged). He does this on both 2 and 4 legs.



Shelter video example

PHASE 2

Fatalis will start the second phase while being in the air. You can trick him to come down by using a Smoke Bomb or standing on the platform. It’s also possible to force him down with binders, mounting, artillery knockdowns, paralysis, sleep, breaking the wings/head, or by having all hunters leave the arena.

P2 New Moves

Fire Puddle (爆破)

aka Flame Puddle, Explosive Puddle, Lava Burst, Explosive Salilava, Fire Puke

Fatalis will spit out a big pool of saliva that will explode shortly after. This move is dangerous because it forces hunters out of position for more devastating attacks like the Side Flames. The Fire Puddle will emit 1 or 2 flames above it when it is about to explode. This can be used as a sign for when to evade. Another sign is to evade shortly after Fatty starts a new attack.

Timing: The puddle will explode a second after a small flame moves above it.
Phase Changes: None
Sign: None.
Guard Requirement: No Guard Up or Guard Angle.



Fire Puddle video example

Back Jump Fireball (バックジャンプブレス)

A fast move on 2 legs where Fatalis transitions into the air by jumping backwards while firing a fireball into the ground. The let off releases air pressure that flinches anyone close, similar to the start of novas. He will only do this if you are close by, or else he will fly up normally. Note that the fireball can one shot gunners in Phase 3 unless the head has been broken twice.

Phase Changes: None.
Sign: No audio cue. Pulls wings back and leans slightly backwards.
Guard Requirement: Guard Up and Guard Angle.



Backjump Fireball video example

Aerial Attacks (空中)

Aerial Attacks become available from Phase 2. They borrow a lot of moves from Fatalis’ 2 legged stance. These attacks include, Single Fireballs, Triple Fireballs, Forward Flame, Flame Shower, Zigzag Flame, and Charge. He can be forced out of the air by using smoke bombs, inflicting paralysis/sleep, mounting, breaking the head/wings, hitting the Dragonator, or clutching onto his belly/hindlegs.

When standing on the Dragonator platform, Fatalis' moveset is changed slightly. He will now only do Single Fireball, Triple Fireball, Forward Flame, and land passively. Standing on the platform gives a higher chance for Fatalis to land compared to the ground.



Aerial Attacks video example

Dragonator Platform (高台)

The same as the cannon platform but with Triple Charged Fireballs and no bites. The Firesweep here is unblockable (see GIF).
The small cannon platform is unbreakable and Fatalis uses the same moves as on the dragonator platform. Note that you do take dmg from the cone when standing on this platform near the edge.



Dragonator Platform video example

PHASE 3

After the gate melts down, Fatalis will fly down and do a super charged roar that flinches hunters. The roar can be evaded. Roll shortly after you hear the sound wave of Fatalis’ transformation.



It is fairly common for the one using roaming ballista in Phase 2, to have grabbed the binder and use it after the roar. If you don't have the binder, there's still time to grab the binder on the platform before Fatalis begins attacking. Dodge the roar and immediatly grab and shoot the binder.
Note that you have to wait for the roar animation to end before you can shoot the binder. Else it will fail.

New moves are added in Phase 3 and older moves are noticeably faster (~10% increase). The chest glows and takes more damage, especially for melee (but NOT the forearms!). Fire attacks will now also leave embers on the ground. Embers deal fixed dmg over time when stepped on. The dmg can be prevented with the skill Heat Guard or Fireproof Mantle.

P3 New Moves

Triple Charged Fireballs (二足連続ブレス初段)

aka Triple Nuke, Triple Shotgun Blast

A variation of the single Charged Fireball. He will only do this attack when enraged. It replaces Charged Fireball on 4 legs and Triple Fireball on 2 legs. When on 2 legs, it’s safe to be under his belly and leaves plenty of time to punish. Beware that the third fireball will be fired out quickly. When on 4 legs, Fatalis will start out just like the single Charged Fireball that covers a bigger area under him. He will then proceed to stand on 2 legs and continue to fire. This move can be distinguished from the single Charged Fireball as Fatalis will not screech while charging the fireball.

Weapons with shields can block away from Fatalis to be pushed closer to his belly.

Tender: Safe to tender chest for weapons going downwards.
Sign: Big glow from his mouth with no screech sound.
Guard Requirements: Guard Up.



Triple Charged Fireball video example

Pin Attack (拘束攻撃)

Fatalis will do a jump and any hunters hit by him will be stuck on his chest, taking constant damage over time. After some time, Fatalis will bite and throw you out, dealing a good amount of damage. If playing solo, Fatalis will also roar before throwing you off.

A teammate can be saved by flinching Fatalis or healing them so they can survive the throw. The pin can be avoided by rolling towards him or running to the sides. Hunters clutching on his head will not be pinned.Tick damage and throw off deal fixed damage. The throw off deals 100 HP, so make sure the grabbed teammate has at least half max HP before that.

Sign: Does a funny posture before jumping while doing a small screech.
Guard Requirements: Unblockable.



Pin Attack video example

Side Flame (バックステップブレス)

aka Double Side Flamethrower, Side-to-side Breath

Fatalis will turn his head to the side and prepare to cover his sides with beams of flames that are able to one shot Gunners. He will back away while shooting the flames and the hitbox will linger for a while, making it hard to evade the attack while being inside its area. It’s safe to stand under his belly or directly behind him.

Tender: Safe to tender chest for all weapons. Weapons thrown off when tenderizing should be careful not to be thrown into the flames.
Sign: No notable audio cue. He will bring his head to one of his sides while doing a quiet charge sound.
Guard Requirements: Guard Up and Guard Angle (No Guard Angle for ground hitbox).



Side Flame video example

360 Fire Sweep (360度薙ぎ払いブレス)

aka 360 Flame
Fatalis will turn his neck to one of his sides and shortly after sweep the entire area with a fire beam while turning his whole body. It’s safe to be at the opposite side of where the head starts to initiate the flames (see GIF). You can also clutch his head and not get hit. Though you may if you try to tender. Note that Fatalis will sometimes spam this move continuously, so be prepared to run to the opposite side of his belly.

Tenderize: Chest at the safe side and (for some weapons) the side of the head facing away from the body. Note that sometimes clutch claw is a bit clunky and will put you on the unsafe side of the belly.
Sign: He will bring his neck and head really close to one of his sides. Has a unique charged breath sound.
Guard Requirements: Guard Up.



360 Fire Sweeo video example

-----------EXTRA-----------

OTHER STUFF

Phase 3 Nova: Surviving

Last 3 novas can be survivable by different methods. Most common is repeatedly spam Superman dive to mitigate the prenova flames. Another popular method is using a Max Potion right before getting hit by the nova. This has the advantage of having time to sharpen the weapon with a Whetfish Fin+ before the nova hits.
For the 2nd headbreak, the healing from Health Booster/Mega Potion is also enough to outheal the prenova damage.



Gunners take more damage from the prenova flames, which means it can kill them before the nova arrives. Gunners therefore have to heal while running to the safe zone if standing far away. Depending on your defense, healing with Mega Potions and Health Booster only works with 2 headbreaks and full 200 HP. And then only barely.

If you are unsure if a teammate doesn’t know about these facts and is too far away to run to a safespot, you can save them by using Dust of Life. Use 1 right as the prenova flames begin and another 1 right after. This only works if they have full HP with Health Boost, are melee users, and have enough defense.

Video explanation of surviving the P3 Novas

Phase 3 Nova: Opening & Position

Small note: Novas are affected by the speed multiplier of enrage. It's only 5% so it won't matter much.

Fatalis will land at 3 different sides of the map depending on where you are. We will call these sides: Railside, Campside, and Gateside. Fatalis will always land the same length forward, but will be slightly to the right or left depending on where he took off. Predicting where his head will land will enable you to do massive damage to his head or chest with attacks like GS’s True Charge Slash, or GL’s Wyrmstake Cannon.

We will use 2 reference points to predict where his head will land. Because Fatalis always lands the same length forward, we can use landmarks on the map to accommodate for this. These landmarks are the following:

Railside:



You can use the rails as the landmark. His head will roughly land on the rails and a bit further, indicated by the red arrow.

Other picture for reference. The picture represent the extremeties Fatalis can go to the right or left. But don't worry, he's usually in the middle.



Campside:



You can use either the squared binder holder (blue arrow) or the ledge (also blue arrow). Fatalis’ head will go a bit further beyond these landmarks, indicated by the red arrow.

Other picture for reference:



Gateside:



You can use the crack on the ground to see where the head will land. Use the first half of the crack indicated by the red arrow.

Other pictures for reference:



Disclaimer: The following reference point method is hard to make work and perhaps not that reliable. In most cases, it would just be better to note where Fatalis left off before the nova and adjust accordingly.

The second reference point is more tricky, because his head will land slightly more to the right or left depending on where he took off (Purple arrow in picture below). One way is to look at if Fatalis' face and body aligns with the camera. Another way is to look at cone shaped flame as seen in the below picture indicated with a blue dashed line:



Using this cone, you can make out another line to predict where the head will land (Green dashed arrow). This method can be hard to achieve, but is doable.

I've not included position for chest in here because I couldn't get good enough pictures for it. Please watch the video below if you are interested in that.

Video example can be helpful

Roars

Dodging roars can give good openings to deal damage for all weapons, specifically when Fatalis is on 4 legs. When Fatalis is about to roar, his head will linger a bit downwards before going straight up for the roar. This can be used as an indicator to dodge it. Roars on 2 legs or in the air give less time to react and he recovers faster.



Video explanation of Roars

His head can move slighty more to the right or left depending on where the targeted hunter is. This can make the opening a bit inconsistent for weapons using it as a punish.

Smoke Bombs

When Fatalis loses track of the hunters, he will do a special animation where he looks around for 9s. This is a great opening for punishment and head sniping for certain weapons.
Smoke Bombs work under the following conditions:

1. Smoke is placed before the end of Fatalis' attack/move
   
2. Either the targeted hunter or Fatalis is covered in the smoke
   
3. It has been at least 15-20s since the last successful smoke

Smoke Bombs are most commonly used to force Fatalis out of the air. Other situations include after Phase 3 novas, wallbangs, knockdowns, Bodyslam, and Pin Attack.

If the targeted hunter or Fatalis stays in the smoke for too long, Fatalis will instead by actively looking and reacting to any attack. If he spots the hunter, he will roar and continue as normal. This state is termed “Purple Smoke” because the border of the minimap turns purple. This is mostly used in a speedrun setting.

If you want a visual explanation of how Smoke Bombs work, feel free to watch this video by Tatsu Brightshade.




Video explanation of Smoke Bombs

Heavy Artillery

Cannons, ballistas, and the roaming ballista all do artillery dmg, which contribute the Artillery Knockdown. Fatalis can get up to 2 Artillery Knockdowns, but most only go for the first one. Artillery dmg can only be increased with the armor skill Heavy Artillery and the food buff Felyne Bombardier. Ballistas are also affected by hitzones on the monster. Thus, shooting at tenderized chest will deal the most dmg.

A common strategy to get the Artillery knockdown is using the roaming ballista at the start of Phase 2. Ideally, you want to have the head tenderized and Fatalis enraged before the knockdown.
It usually goes in these steps:

1. Grab binder and go to the roaming ballista
   
2. Put a smoke down and put a mantle on (if you have Heavy Artillery on the mantle)
   
3. Pour every shot into his belly

If the chest is not tenderized, you can still get the knockdown if you get all hits on the chest. If you're going for headbreak, you can also shoot the head while Fatalis is looking around, given the head is tenderized. The binder is typically used at start Phase 3. Read section "PHASE 3" if you wanna know more.

Note that during certain animation the artillery threshold will be stuck at 1 point and will not trigger the knockdown. These include Novas, flinches from partbreaks/Dragon Pods, wallbangs, Flinched Bodyslams, Pin grab, binders, and other types of knockdowns. Artillery dmg doesn't decay over time either. This means that if you broke Fatalis' head with the roaming ballista at start Phase 2 and unloaded all the ammo, you could trigger the artillery knockdown anytime later with just one ballista shot.

The artillery threshold is the same in solo and multiplayer. You can get up to 3 artillery knockdowns. With Heavy Artillery lv3, it will take around 7 cannon balls or all the Roaming Ballista ammo for the first knockdown. Twice as hard for the 2nd. See table below if you want the exact details.


Source: Monster Hunter Hub Discord

Knockdowns

Artillery/Mount and headbreak knockdowns will leave Fatalis lying on the side. He will always lie on his left side with a headbreak. It can be either side for Mount/Artillery knockdowns. Fatty will slightly tilt and jerk his chest and head towards the side he is gonna land on. Looking at the chest is especially helpful when looking at Fatty from the side.

When fatalis’ head breaks, he will become immobile for 12s. The artillery knockdown is slightly shorter at 10s. While knocked down, Fatalis will breath loudly. Counting the breaths can be used as an indicator for when Fatalis will recover. He will take 5 breaths for headbreak, but 4 breaths for artillery and mount knockdowns. Knockdown duration is slightly shorter when entering P3 (less than 1s shorter).
Video by Pongga shows an example of breath counting



Aerial knockdowns by reaching the artillery topple or breaking the head will leave Fatalis in a straight position while moving slightly, see GIF below. These knockdowns are less ideal as they have a duration of 9s. Fatalis does 5 breaths.
Paralysis brings Fatalis in a similar position but without moving. This also lasts 9s, and he takes 3 breaths.
Hitting Dragonator while Fatalis is grounded knocks him down in the same position as headbreaks, but he recovers after 7s. Aerial Dragonator knockdown is slightly longer at 8s.



When Fatalis recovers from knockdowns, his head can move hunters. But it depends on your state. If your weapon is sheathed, the direction you face matters. If you have your back against his head, you'll just clip through it. Facing towards his head will push you with it.
This is different when having your weapon unsheathed while being passive, and you'll clip through his head no mater what direction you face. But as soon as you start attacking, you'll get pushed instead. This is useful for a lot of weapons. Below GIF shows helmbreaker with LS with the head moving me while mid animation.



Interestingly, charge attacks tend to make you make clip through his head. Examples include all Great Sword charges, Bow's charge, Dual Blade's Demon Mode (while not attacking), and Gunlance's Wyvern's Fire. However, the Hammer's charge will NOT make you clip.
This is mostly used to get 2 TCS for Great Sword after a headbreak knockdown, see GIF below.


Video explanation of Knockdowns

Ailments

When a threshold of status dmg has been reached, the given status will activate. Paralysis, Sleep, and Poison have the same thresholds.
The first threshold is the same for solo or multiplayer. It will take around 12x Paralysis Ammo 2 to trigger the knockdown, or twice as many Para Ammo 1. I will not mention how long it takes for melee weapons to reach the threshold here, as it is more complicated. Same for bow coatings.

The first status threshold is the same both for solo and in multiplayer. After the first status proc, the next threshold will be a lot harder to get. ~5x harder for multiplayer, and ~3x harder for solo.



Video explanation of Paralysis and Sleep

Binder

The binder lasts for around 13s. Binder from ground or air doesn’t make any difference. Fatalis will loop through the same animation a couple of times. His head will “boop” to his left 3 times before he recovers. It is these boops that cause a lot of weapons to miss the head. *Cries in missed TCS*



Using the binder during certain animations will not work. This includes novas, most types of flinches, Phase 3 roar, and recovery from wallbang. However, it does work on all knockdowns and status procs.

Note the binder animation is affected by the speed multiplier when Fatalis is enraged and from entering Phase 3. The binder duration is the same, but Fatalis will recover at a different point in his animation. GIF below shows the 4 different speeds of the binder animation.


GIF contains a small typo. "P1 normal" should be "P2 normal".

Video example showing animation loop

Mounting

Fatalis will exclusively use attacks on 2 legs to shake the mounter off. These include the Tail Sweep, Forward Flame, Charge, and an exclusive mount move where he turns around in all directions (dubbed Mount Struggle). This move has a wide range and can easily cart teammates caught off guard. He will actively try to target teammates with any of the attacks.
It’s possible to mount Fatalis up to 5 times, but most only get the 1st one.

Here's the mount tactic: Jump to another part if Fatalis does any attack and continue stabbing. BUT if he does a grunt signifying a Charge attack, immediatly grab on to not loose stamina. If you don't know what that sounds like, feel free to see the video about Audio Cues at the start of the guide (or any video involving the Charge attack). Stabbing the back is quicker than the head or tail.

The progression of the mount can be seen from the minimap or from the amount of flinches Fatalis does. The mount finisher can be done after the 2nd flinch.



You can use Dragon Pods while mounting to flinch Fatalis and skip a stage. It's also possible to clutch his head after the mount while in the air. Useful to tender the head or quick reposition.



Insect Glaive has an advantage, as IG mount does damages while moving and cancels Fatalis' attacks when done correctly. This makes for a much faster knockdown, and enables an almost complete flinch lock on Fatalis.
Usually, the strategy (which applies to a lot of others monsters too) is to move between head and chest as soon as the mount begins (typically 2 moves for elders and 3 for regulars). Try to end with the mount finisher on the head.
[Thanks Nep for the addition!]

SnS also have a specific mechanic, where the 3rd hit of the mount finisher can be canceled with a grab, so you can do the mount finisher over again. This can be done a total of 3 times before Fatalis roars and the mount fails.



If a teammate mounts, you can help them by flinching Fatalis with Dragon Pods. But flinching him twice will cancel the mount finisher.

Mounting works just like status effects. You reach a certian threshold by doing mount dmg, and you'll get the mount. Glider Mantle, Rider Charm, and Felyne Rider all stack together to increase mount dmg (up to 67% increase).

Video explanation of Mounting

Dragonator

The Dragonator will spawn about 5 minutes after Fatalis roars at the start of Phase 3. It deals a fixed amount of damage, with each drill dealing 5% of Fatalis max HP. It is independent of what body part it hits on Fatalis. One of the drills of the Dragonator will deal double damage if Fatalis is sleeping. The hitbox for the Dragonator is wide and can even hit Fatalis in the air.

You can also hit Fatalis during his landing after a nova, but this will not cause him to be knocked down. Fatalis cannot be slayed during his landing animation, so using Dragonator while his health is low will leave him at 1 HP. Then, even a slinger can kill him.



Video explanation of Dragonator

Wallbang

A successful wallbang will deal 2% of his max HP. Wallbang can only be done when Fatalis is on 4 legs and when he isn’t enraged, indicated by a yellow eye-con. Doing a Flinch Shot while Fatalis is on 2 legs will force him on 4 legs and turn him 90° away from the side of his head where the slingshot was shot. The same applies when Fatalis is in the air. Fatalis can be turned 90° with a Claw Attack up to 3 times before he gets enraged. A failed flinch shot on 4 legs will instantly enrage him too. If Fatalis is on 2 legs, he can be flinch shot and put on 4 legs. He can then take up to 2 more Claw Attacks before getting enraged.

When doing the flinch shot, you will most of the time be shot backwards from the chosen side of the head. When Fatalis get shot into a wall, he will always turn 90° to the right. It is thus usful to do the flinch shot on Fatalis right side, so you land where Fatalis' head will be (See GIF below). This is mostly useful for weapons with big openings for head dmg like GS, LS, Hammer, and GL.

After doing a Flinch Shot from 2 legs or while in the air, Fatalis will be in a recovery animation where he won’t react to another Claw Attack or Flinch Shot. Because of this, you have to wait till this animation is finished before being able to wallbang Fatalis.

If you struggle by repeatedly getting knocked down from a clutch, using Temporal/Rocksteady Mantle can be a big help.

From Phase 2, there are a couple of changes to Fatalis' moveset you can take advantage of to do a wallbang. The Flame Shower will always make Fatalis stand from 2 to 4 legs. Clutch on his head beforehand, and turn/shoot as soon as he goes on 4 legs. Just note that this requires a lot of stamina, and it is preferable that you have max stamina ~200.



Video explanation Flame Shower Wallbang

The drag and slither Charges will now always change his leg state. So if Fatalis tries to do a slither Charge and go on 2 legs, you can stop it by flinching him with 2 Dragon Pods. And then wallbang him immediately after. The time to cluch on the head after the flinch can be pretty tight, so be prepared for it to fail if you don't use a mantle.



Video explanation Charge Wallbang

Other Guides

Want some weapon specific guides? Maybe some guides from other people? Here are the ones I found! I'll update the list as more guides are made.
Kiza has made vidoes for all melee weapons (called Melee cycle), where he comments his thought process while fighting Fatty. I recommend you watch those first, and then Openings if you wanna learn how to punish more openings.

General Guides

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2963015756
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2248772757
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2859840950
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3178046128
Smoke Bomb Guide by Tatsu Brightshade

Smoke Bomb Tactics (Japanese) by yokazeP

Item Pouch Loadout by Kiza

Fatalis Moveset Guide by SJ Gaming Experience

Great Sword

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3134881251
Melee Cycle by Kiza

GS Openings & Survival Tips by Kimmi

Quick GS vs. Fatalis Guide by mirabxreas.

GS Openings Guide (Japanese) by なろう

Opening Showcase 1, Opening Showcase 2, Opening Showcase 3 by Sazabi.

Opening Showcase by 동백꽃

Fatalis GS TA Wiki Rules, Phase 2 TCS Opening by ココロ.

Long Sword

Melee Cycle by Kiza

Helmbreaker Guide by Peter Cho

Counter and Helmbreaker Guide by chococake

Written Helmbreaker Guide[imgur.com] by Squirg#0780

Helmbreaker Guide (Japanese) by Ramny Channel

Helmbreaker and ISS Guide + whole run by 秋词程

ISS Showcase part 1, ISS Showcase part 2, ISS Showcase part 3 by Pongga

Helmbreaker Showcase by The Art Of Long Sword

Dual Blades

Melee Cycle by Kiza

Openings & Builds by vio

Insect Glaive

Melee Cycle by Kiza

Insect Glaive Guide by Alternum

Hunting Horn

Melee Cycle by Kiza

Support Horn Fatalis Guide For Easy Sub 6's by Laniakea

Hammer

Melee Cycle by Kiza

Beginner friendly Fatty vs. Hammer fight by Syn

Switch Axe

Melee Cycle by Kiza

Charge Blade

Melee Cycle (SAED style) by Kiza

Sword & Shield

Melee Cycle by Kiza

Lance

Melee Cycle by Kiza

Lance Guide by Bear

Gunlance

Melee Cycle by Kiza

Gunlance Guide by Mr. J03

Written Gunlance Guide[docs.google.com] by Mr. J03

Wyrmstake Cannon Opening Showcase by 闇風

Bow

Bow Guide by Tidus69

Bow Guide by iAkutoGamer

Headbreak Guide by iAkutoGamer

I haven't been able to find any other comprehensive guide for the rest of the weapons. You will probably be better off searching on youtube and watch any video that takes your interest.

Outro

That's it for this guide! Hope you learned something. Most of the data here was gained through experience or in game testing. If you find a mistake somewhere or feel something is missing, feel free to let me know :D

But before you go, here's one last Fatty picture:

[Amaryllis ;]

daamn, what a detail.

[SakitJiwa]

Thanks you dude

[10,000 Mosquitoes]

You deserve a PhD for this.

[Osmolskae]

This is a damn good guide, bravo! Also, GS is weirdly just REALLY GOOD against this guy? I tried for months w/ ls and failed, but killed him on my second attempt w/ gs, and basically identitcal build. and that's why i main both, now.

[Senchou]

Knowledge

[Flex]

What an Impressive piece of work you've put in this ! Very Usefull and very well made... Congrats

[Phamnamnam]

Yes, ja, oui!
Such gut info!
Such gut quality!
Such a very sehr gut guide!

[Nep-ko.]

my ig mount strats is now teached to others... but you could phrase the ig mount like this too:

Insect Glaive has an advantage, as IG mount does damages while moving and cancels attacks when done correctly, usually the strategy (which applies to a lot of others monsters too) is to move between head and chest to instantly get the finisher (usually 2 moves for elders and 3 for regulars, for fatty try to mount on head to have the finisher on head), this consumes little stamina, is completely safe and protects your team from usual big AoE attacks fatty does when being mounted while also giving a free fast knockdown

[Caitlyssa. ♥]

Amazing guide)) Found out lots of new stuff