Jin Dahaad weakness, location, and strategy in Monster Hunter Wilds

Jin Dahaad is one of the biggest creatures in Monster Hunter Wilds, and possibly the most complicated fight of them all. The monster covers its body in ridges, which need to be broken before you can start dealing serious damage. This is, as expected, easier said than done.

If you’re scratching your head over this tricky fight, don’t fret, as there are a few things to keep in mind that will alleviate your frustration. This guide covers the Jin Dahaad weaknesses and resistances so you can prepare accordingly, where to find it, and the best strategy to defeat one of the new guardian variants in Monster Hunter Wilds.

You’ll first encounter Jin Dahaad in Chapter 3, during the “Nothing Frozen, Nothing Gained” main mission, but the definitive fight won’t take place until the Storm-cold Vortex mission in Chapter 5. As such, all you need to do to unlock the monster is progress through the main questline.

Jin Dahaad only roams around the Cliffs biome. The hunts for it are quite specific, appearing in the Environment Overview screen as special events. As such, you aren’t likely to just bump into it while you’re exploring.

How to prepare for Jin Dahaad

Jin Dahaad is part of the main story of Monster Hunter Wilds. As such, its encounter is likely to fit your Hunter Rank at that corresponding moment, both in Low Rank (to repel the beast) and High Rank (to fight properly). Since the encounter occurs during a main mission, you’ll be thrust into the fray after the introductory cutscene. As per usual, whenever you’re asked if you’re ready to depart, make sure that you’re carrying regular and mega potions with you. If you’re short on the latter, take a lap around the biome and loot any honey you come across.

In addition, don’t forget to eat — you can use the portable BBQ to grill a meal. Increasing your health and stamina is essential, as Jin Dahaad packs a punch. Investing in defense is a good strategy for this encounter, and you can find some recommendations in our list of best food buffs.

For later encounters, carrying a few Torch Pods will be beneficial — if either you or one of your teammates have a ranged weapon with Flaming Ammo, even better. In terms of armor, prioritize ice resistance whenever possible.

Jin Dahaad’s recommended elemental attack is Fire. This encompasses Flaming Ammo, Torch Pod, Fire Attack, Critical Element, and Charge Master, all in addition to your own weapon’s properties.

You can find a breakdown of Jin Dahaad’s elemental weaknesses and resistances below:

As for the creature’s weak points and breakable parts, the list is long. Jin Dahaad’s weak points are its Mouth and Chest. Its Cranial Iceplate, Foreleg (x2), Leg. Iceplate (Exposed), Hind Leg (x2), Abdominal Iceplate, and Tail Iceplate can be broken, and its Tail Iceplate can also be severed.

Before diving deep into combat strategy, here’s the breakdown of Jin Dahaad’s weak points:

For details about what to expect in terms of attacks and general behavior, the following section has you covered.

Jin Dahaad attacks and strategy

Trying to brute-force your way through an encounter against Jin Dahaad is a recipe for disaster. Unlike most hunts, the fight has a handful of significant steps to keep in mind if you don’t want the combat to last forever.

The first step is a continuous task. The monster’s body is covered in ridges, which have to be broken down in order to deal significant damage to the actual body. You should always be targeting them when you have the chance, and also be using focus mode often. The gist is that, sometimes, Jin Dahaad will be exposed to focus attacks across its body. These are the best opportunities to really hurt those ridges.

The second step happens on occasion, but it can be deadly. Toward the latter half of the fight, Jin has the chance of doing a fatal attack. This will be easy to notice, as it’ll cover itself in snow and prepare to implode. If you’re caught in the shockwave and you don’t have enough health, it’ll likely instantly eliminate you. Make sure to use one of the ice traps around the environment. There should be at least one around.

Try not to lose sight of the rumblings left by the environmental trap, as that will be your cover. Standing behind it should be enough, but you can also crouch for extra protection. It takes a while for the monster to actually implode, which should be enough time to relocate behind the surface. In the worst case scenario, call your mount and head as far from Jin as possible.

As you may expect, Jin Dahaad will use its colossal size against you. A common attack is a charge forward. This is usually signaled by a growl while tilting its head slightly. Depending on the area you’re in when it happens, it’ll likely go across it in its entirety, stopping right before a wall or any other surface on its way. It does a ton of damage, and it can also drag you on the spot, potentially dealing subsequent damage as its body continues to make its way to the other side.

You also need to keep an eye out for ice attacks. Jin’s go-to has it “absorbing” ice from the ground as it slowly lifts its head. When this happens, prepare to dodge, as it’ll quickly follow up by blowing ice toward you. For this and other ice attacks, keep in mind that Jin’s head will easily be exposed to a focus attack for a few seconds afterward. It won’t count as a wound attack, but it’s an opportunity that you shouldn’t miss if you’re close.

Remember that, despite the daunting scale, Jin Dahaad has not one but two weak points, its Mouth and Chest. Getting to them is the tricky part, but once they’re exposed, you should prioritize them to cause wounds and additional damage to the areas.

Get yourself some earplugs for the strong roar attack, which temporarily immobilizes you. You also need to watch out for iceblight, which temporarily increases stamina consumption. You can use a nulberry to counter this, or just evade repeatedly until you remove the condition. Skills like ice and blight resistance will come in handy as well.

There’s also frostblight, which temporarily immobilizes you. A cleanser or the bind resistance skill will help. Alternatively, you can move, press buttons, or take a hit to remove the condition, the latter being less than ideal in that situation.

Alongside the usual wound control and dodging ice as much as possible, remember to use traps. The key is to try and get the monster to ground as often as possible to make it easier to attack. If it’s spending a long time in the air, set up a trap and bait it toward you. If you can time a dodge just right, they’ll hit the trap instead.

If you’re wondering what the Jin Dahaad drops in Monster Hunter Wilds are, you can find a handy list below:

If you’re looking for other creatures to fight in Monster Hunter Wilds, our monster list provides a full rundown of every encounter, while we have specific guides for Doshaguma, Lala Barina, Gore Magala, Nu Udra, Rey Dau, Zoh Shia, Guardian Arkveld, and Ajarakan.