Monster Hunter World — How to Unlock Kirin

Can't find this elder dragon while exploring Monster Hunter: World? The lightning-themed enemy is closer than you think!
Can't find this elder dragon while exploring Monster Hunter: World? The lightning-themed enemy is closer than you think!

It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that a game called Monster Hunter: World is all about quests to hunt down and slay a variety of magical beasts. While there are plenty of toothy creatures with wings and tails, a few of the monsters on display are a little more surprising, like the equine Kirin.

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Actually finding a Kirin to test your hunting ability has been a vexing prospect for new players, as it isn’t immediately clear how to unlock the Kirin quests in Monster Hunter: World. The unlock procedure is pretty simple once you know where to go, however.

Unlocking Kirin in MH World

Despite clearly being a lightning-infused unicorn, the Kirin is actually classified as an elder dragon, and is one of the earlier elder dragons you can come across in the game.

To unlock the quests to begin hunting Kirin, you have to talk to the biologists and clear out their capture quests. Kirin is found in the Coral Highlands area will be available to hunt after you complete the Odogaron quest.

When you finally get to go after Kirin, the monster has four separate carves — thunder horn, hide, mane, and tail — and can also drop light crystals as a reward for finishing the quest.

 Facing off against the Elder Dragon Kirin (thanks to RisingFunGaming for the screenshot)

Fighting Kirin in MH World

Kirin moves much differently than other creatures in Monster Hunter: World and bucks around wildly with a high rate of speed. Outrunning a Kirin isn’t really an option, so you are sort of in for the long haul once you land the first blow.

Kirin’s lightning attacks can paralyze your hunter, leaving you totally defenseless for a few seconds, so be sure to bring along some nullberries for this fight. To deal the most damage, attack the monster’s head and horn rather than the more heavily armored body segments that are protected by lightning.

As an elder dragon, Kirin is particularly susceptible to elder seal weapons. If you want to plan ahead with your weaponry, the Kirin ailment and elemental weaknesses are as follows (0 is immune and 3 is highly vulnerable): 

  • Paralysis 0/3
  • Poison 1/3
  • Stun 1/3
  • Blast 2/3
  • Sleep 2/3
  • Thunder 0/3
  • Dragon 1/3
  • Ice 2/3
  • Water 2/3
  • Fire 3/3

 Monster Hunter: World Kirin Weaknesses

Have any other tips for staying alive in a fight with the Kirin? Let us know in the comments section, and be sure to check out the rest of our Monster Hunter: World walkthroughs:

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Author
Ty Arthur
Ty splits his time between writing horror fiction and writing about video games. After 25 years of gaming, Ty can firmly say that gaming peaked with Planescape Torment, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a soft spot for games like Baldur's Gate, Fallout: New Vegas, Bioshock Infinite, and Horizon: Zero Dawn. He has previously written for GamerU and MetalUnderground. He also writes for PortalMonkey covering gaming laptops and peripherals.