The Great Hunt (Extreme) Guide – Rathalos EX Mechanics

Encounter Overview

The Great Hunt (Extreme) is the high-end version of the Rathalos crossover trial introduced in Stormblood. Unlike standard Final Fantasy XIV encounters, Rathalos ignores enmity, cannot be traditionally tanked, and relies heavily on animation-based attacks rather than clear telegraphs.

This version is fought with a light party instead of a full party and uses a three-cart failure rule. If the party suffers three total KOs, the duty immediately ends in a mission failure. The encounter is split into three phases: a grounded phase, an add phase, and a flying phase, with the final phase centered around knockdowns, tail damage, and personal survival through limited healing.

Arena Overview

The battle takes place in a circular arena with open edges. Positioning matters throughout the fight because many of Rathalos’s attacks involve charges, tail sweeps, frontal fire, knockbacks, and persistent flame puddles.

During the final phase, the arena becomes even more dangerous as players gain Scalebound, removing conventional healing and forcing reliance on Mega Potions, mitigation, and clean dodging.

Mechanic Archive

Three-Cart Failure

Extreme mode uses a light-party style failure rule. If the group suffers three total KOs at any point during the encounter, the fight immediately resets. Players who die should usually respawn immediately rather than wait for a raise, since respawning does not apply Weakness.

Mega Potions

Each player has access to limited self-healing through Mega Potions. These are especially important in the final phase when normal healing no longer works.

No Enmity

Rathalos cannot be tanked and does not follow standard aggro rules. Every player must watch his facing and react to his attack wind-ups individually.

Grounded Roar

Rathalos uses a raidwide roar at the start of the fight and periodically during the grounded phases. This unavoidable damage makes HP management important, especially for non-tanks.

Whipping Bite

A close-range attack hitting directly in front of Rathalos and behind him at the same time. The safest positions are on his flanks.

Tail Swipe

A two-part counterclockwise tail sweep with strong knockback and possible stun. Players should move to Rathalos’s left flank or leave melee range entirely during the wind-up.

Charging Bite

A rush attack aimed at a random player. Rathalos briefly faces the target before lunging in a straight line. Sidestepping is the safest response.

Fireball

In the grounded phases, Fireball targets one player with an overhead marker and deals splash damage plus a dispellable burn. The marked player should move away from the group.

Evasive Breath

Rathalos turns toward a player, lowers his body, then leaps backward while breathing fire in front of him. This attack is fast and dangerous, especially for melee.

Add Pack

Various monsters appear during the second phase and can be tanked normally. Grouping them near Rathalos lets both sides damage each other, though the Coeurl remains the most dangerous due to its large conal attack.

Garula

A large add that enters late in the add phase and must be tanked immediately. It hits extremely hard and uses a dangerous frontal cleave, so it should always be faced away from the party.

Mount Mechanic

One player mounts Rathalos and performs an active time sequence while taking continuous damage. The mounted player must survive and complete the sequence or the party wipes to the next mechanic.

King of the Skies

A massive wipe attack following the mount sequence. The party must hide behind the Garula’s corpse to survive it.

Scalebound

A debuff applied in the final phase that reduces all healing received to zero, except from Mega Potions. Shields and cleansing effects still function.

Down Counter

A special gauge that fills when players hit Rathalos with global cooldown actions during the flying phase. When it fills, Rathalos is knocked down, becoming highly vulnerable for a short time.

Tail Break

When Rathalos is grounded in the final phase, the party can damage and eventually break his tail. Breaking the tail instantly removes a large portion of Rathalos’s HP, but it also ends the knockdown window immediately.

Claw Swipe

A fast aerial charge attack that inflicts damage, poison, stun, and knockback. It is avoided the same way as Charging Bite: by sidestepping quickly.

Mangle

A frontal cone attack used in the air phase. Players should move to Rathalos’s sides or behind him.

Sweeping Flames

Another frontal cone attack during the flying phase. Like Mangle, it is avoided by moving behind Rathalos or fully out of range.

Fireball Trio

In the final phase, Fireball becomes a shared stack marker that happens three times in succession. Each fireball leaves a burning puddle behind, so players must stack, survive, and then move before the next impact.

Encounter Flow

Phase 1 – Grounded

The fight begins with Rathalos grounded and immediately using his roar. From there, he cycles through his grounded moveset, including Whipping Bite, Tail Swipe, Charging Bite, Fireball, and Evasive Breath.

Because the fight uses a three-cart rule, the main goal here is consistency. Avoid reckless damage, preserve Mega Potions, and stay healthy enough to survive the periodic roar. Once Rathalos is reduced to roughly 80% HP, the add phase begins.

Phase 2 – Adds

Like the normal version, several local monsters enter the arena and initially attack Rathalos. Tanks can gather these adds near Rathalos so both sides damage each other, though the Coeurl should be watched carefully because of its large cleave.

At roughly 70% HP, Rathalos triggers the mount sequence. A Garula enters from the east and must be picked up immediately by a tank, while one player mounts Rathalos and completes the active time event. This serves as the phase’s DPS check.

If the Garula dies in time and the mount succeeds, Rathalos prepares King of the Skies. The party must hide behind the Garula corpse to survive and move into the final phase.

Phase 3 – Flying

Rathalos takes to the air and the party gains Scalebound, removing standard healing. From here on, each player must manage their own HP with Mega Potions while continuing to dodge randomly targeted attacks.

The raid should focus on filling the Down Counter with GCD attacks so Rathalos can be knocked down. While airborne, he is much more durable, but once grounded he becomes vulnerable and his tail can be broken for a large chunk of bonus damage.

During this phase Rathalos uses Claw Swipe, Mangle, Sweeping Flames, and a new triple Fireball stack sequence. The party must share those fireballs carefully, avoid the resulting flame puddles, and recover with Mega Potions as needed.

The fight repeats this pattern until Rathalos is defeated. If the battle drags on too long, he eventually becomes untargetable and wipes the party with King of the Skies.

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