The Beautiful Simplicity of Monster Hunter's Fatalis

Fatalis is the final boss of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, and at a glance it looks...a bit simple. Despite this, Fatalis ends up feeling incredibly unique and ranks as one of the best monsters in the game-and in this video, we examine why.

[lyre]

Fatalis is like seeing a normal human sized boss in dark souls

[lucasfraczek]

Rule #1 of Elder Dragons; the closer it is to looking like a normal dragon, the more of a world-endingly strong threat it is.

[knightofarkronia]

Keep in mind that in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, when you go to confront Fatalis, you are told that you aren’t just fighting a monster, you’re fighting history itself.

[franciscoguinledebarros]

Ngl, the "no special mechanics, no flamboyant techniques, just you and me, one on one, plain and simple, fight me" type of enemy/boss fight needs to be more appreciated

[darthplagueis]

Another interesting factor is the lore. Generally speaking, monsters will attack because of one out of three reasons: Self Defence, Terrtorialism or Predation. In other words, exactly the same reasons why a wild animal might attack a person. Fatalis on the other hand is different. Fatalis' motivation is outright hatred for civilization as a whole, to a point where he wiped out the entire nation of Schrade. Other monsters and especially elder dragons have on occasion been responsible for wanton acts of destruction and manslaughter, but Fatalis has canonically committed genocide.

Other monsters probably see hunters as odd, stubborn little creatures who somehow hurt a lot more than their small size suggests. Fatalis might quite possibly be the only monster in the entire setting who knows and understands what hunters, what people in general are and he wants them all dead. Fatalis is the only creature in the setting that could be considered evil which is a stark contrast to the general narrative of the setting.

[drakeford]

What makes Fatalis feel epic is that he isn't _a dragon, _ he's _the dragon._

Fatalis is the archetype upon which all dragons are based, and the standard which even the other Black Dragons are measured against.

He's primal and pure in a way unlike any other monster in the game, and he stands out because of it.

[Digiking]

As I like to think, Elder dragons do not have to adapt to the environment... The environment adapts to them.

[plebxemooh]

Can't forget Fatalis' description from older mh games either, it's not an animal or a monster or even a dragon, it's literally described as a living, flying disaster which is more of a legend than anything since no one ever lived to tell the tale

[samuraispartan]

According to Plato, there is a realm of metaphysical “forms” in which the purest embodiments of objects and ideas reside. For me, Fatalis is the purest platonic “form” of a dragon. He looks like he belongs in almost any fantasy setting because he represents the very essence of fantasy itself. Some people might say that makes him generic, but to me, it makes him one of the best monsters in the series.

[justacatwithasadface]

Alatreon: "You suck, old-timer! I've got all the elements and you only have one!"

Fatalis: "It's not about the amount of elements you have, boy!"
*charges Schrade's Demise*
"It's how you USE it!"

[illogik]

Says Fatalis but gives in depth strategy guide on alatreon.

[freshlymemed]

What I love the most about Fatalis is the symbolism. Its the big evil dragon you hear about in fairytales. Emphasis on "evil" because it doesn't "hunt" or "defend" itself, no, its actively seeking and destroying humanity. Its the evil dragon the brave warrior must slay to save the day. Yet its fairytale like symbolism is sidelined by the fact that it is evil incarnate. Its said to melt down hunters to use as its own armor, a mockery of the humans it so hates that do the same. This juxtaposition in a world where all you're really doing is responsibly hunting megafauna, occasionally elder dragons because those freaks of nature cause harm around them just because of their nature, not their intentions.

[invaderzam]

A note should also be said for the stage. Fatalis is the only monster whose lair is man made. There are other man made stages but the monster you fight in those stages are usually attacking the town, it is not their natural environment. For Fatalis, it stays in Castle Schrade, a monument to the creatures it has conquered. It is the dragon in the palace that the knight must fight. The only thing missing is a princess to save.

[saljm]

My first fatalis kill gave me a bigger endorphin rush than any other game I’ve ever played.

At 10% hp remaining, with no carts(deaths) left, my game disconnected from the internet and my team vanished. Leaving me alone with an enraged fatalis and proof of a hero playing. I was on my last few rounds of ammo and hope seemed lost, I remember shouting in panic “no no no no” as my team disconnected. I managed to take the beast down with my last magazine in my bowgun before actually screaming in victory and leaping to my feet.

This was my greatest victory in monster hunter and maybe all video games I’ve ever played.

[toasterteostra]

What for me, as an old Wolrd Hunter, stood out in the Fatty fight, was the new Phases they gave him. At first, you have the classic fight with him in Schrade. A bit of fire breathing, the knee of death, his funny wiggling and of course the music. But then you did enough damage for him to make him show you his true power. The music changes to a world-ending track, and it´s the first time he demonstrates you the steel-melting flames that killed the entirety of Schrade kingdom. You see his glowing chest which contains the remnants of other hunters trying to defeat him, and his blue fire kills you on an instant if you´re not careful enough. He just wants to see you dead.
That had been absolutely mind-blowing for me, and makes World Fatalis one of my favourite Boss fights in the entire Franchise.

[omabang]

"When everyone's super, no one will be"
Fatalis : and i took that personally

[byakugan]

the fact that fatalis' design are very straightforward a dragon, is what makes it more contrast than the others who had bizzare designs

[thenerdbeast]

I think its the point that Fatalis is "just a dragon"; all the other enemies in the game are suped-up wildlife with all sorts of unique adaptations to make them special. They may be in "wyvern" categories, but they certainly aren't dragons. Fatalis is the ultimate life-form; a dragon, no gimmicks attached or needed.

[NaotoSaysNo]

Fatalis looks the way he does because he didn't evolve.






He didn't need to.

[nebulous]

There was a comment I read elsewhere that read "I love how Fatalis's 'gimmick' is just breathing fire, really, really well."

It's seriously hilarious to me that the most threatening Monster in the lore is just one that hyper-specialized into a single kind of attack. It's also funny because it has a sort of meta reflection of the players, too. Most of the time we just hard focus on doing one thing extremely well in order to take out our mark. We learn the optimal combos, we build weapons that compliment that combo, we find armor that best suits that one specific thing, and we slot gems to further improve its efficiency. Fatalis is genuinely just like the Hunters, in that regard.