Zoh Shia weakness, location, and strategy in Monster Hunter Wilds

The culmination of Monster Hunter Wilds is at the hands of Zoh Shia. This monster is the definition of a final boss, and a fitting end to the Low Rank section of Capcom’s latest entry in the hunting series. It’s a spectacle that towers over the likes of Jin Dahaad in scale, and one you should prepare yourself for accordingly.

If you’re stuck at the very end of the first half of the campaign, don’t fret. This guide covers the Zoh Shia weaknesses and resistances so you can prepare accordingly, where to find it, and the best strategy to defeat it.

You’ll first encounter Zoh Shia in Chapter 3, during the “Monster Hunter” main mission. That’s the very last mission before you reach the end credits and hit High Rank. As such, all you need to do to unlock the monster is progress through the main questline.

At the time of publication, Zoh Shia is only available during that mission. There’s no High Rank version, nor the option to repeat the Low Rank encounter. There are no specific monster parts as drops, either. It literally is a one-time thing, at least for now.

How to prepare for Zoh Shia

Zoh Shia 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. 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 Zoh Shia 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.

Carrying a few Dragon Pods will be beneficial — if you have a ranged weapon with Dragon Ammo, even better.

Zoh Shia’s recommended elemental attack is Dragon. This encompasses Dragon Ammo, Dragon Pod, Dragon Attack, Critical Element, and Charge Master, all in addition to your own weapon’s properties.

You can find a breakdown of Zoh Shia’s elemental weaknesses and resistances below:

As for the monster’s weak points and breakable parts, Zoh Shia has no weak points. Its Head, Wings (x2) and Forelegs (x2) can be broken, and its Tail can be severed.

Before diving deep into combat strategy, here’s the breakdown of Zoh Shia’s vulnerable limbs:

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

Zoh Shia attacks and strategy

The fight is somewhat similar to Jin Dahaad’s in the vein that Zoh Shia’s body has a protective layer — ice in this case — that you’ll have to progressively break down. The key factor here is that the crystals regenerate over time, so you need to punish the exposed area as promptly as possible.

Whenever the head is exposed, brace yourself for a plethora of fire attacks. These are easy to prepare for, as you’ll see the red glow coming from a mile away. Keep in mind that Zoh will continue to use ice attacks with its hands, though, so that’s two elements to keep an eye out for. That said, the head will be exposed to greater damage than usual, so try to reciprocate when you have the chance.

Elsewhere, Zoh Shia will constantly make use of the terrain to attack in large areas. A move you’ll see often is one telegraphed by the creature lifting one of its hands, and then placing it on the ground, causing a path of ice toward your direction that explodes after a brief pause. There’s a variation in which it uses both hands, and then drags them to its sides to cover a larger area.

Zoh Shia has a plethora of special attacks. As per usual with monsters of its size, you’ll do well to carry earplugs to prevent the strong roar attack from immobilizing you. The same applies to dragon wind pressure, which can be countered with the windproof skill.

That’s not all. There are certain phases during the fight when the whole arena will be affected by powerful moves. The first has Zoh Shia flying and taking a stance far from you, creating cracks on the ground that can deal damage if you don’t dodge in time. Then, multiple rocks will appear, and all the while, the monster will spit fireballs. In this instance, take cover behind any of these structures and point upward with the camera to see if there’s any upcoming projectile. Once you know you’re safe, hop on your mount and head to the opposite side of Zoh Shia, in an area that’s just outside of the main arena ground, as the ground is about to become covered by molten lava.

Eventually, Zoh Shia will lose its protective layer to introduce its latter phase, in which it’ll also produce lightning strikes on top of fire and ice attacks. As daunting as the prospect is, you will already know what to expect by this point in terms of general movements. It’s always best to go around Zoh Shia when it’s attacking to try and sneak in a few attacks while it’s stuck in an animation.

Throughout the fight, it’s key to focus on weak points as much as possible. Technically, the monster has none, but remember that its Head, Wings, and Forelegs can be broken. It’s unlikely that you’ll get the time to sever its tail, so I’d recommend focusing on the forelegs and wings primarily.

In terms of elemental attacks, you’ll have to watch out for fireblight, which temporarily causes your health to deplete, and thunderblight, which temporarily makes you easier to stun. Evading repeatedly will remove either condition, or you can use a nulberry. In terms of skills, you can counter fireblight with fire resistance and blight resistance, and both thunder resistance and blight resistance will be of help around thunderblight.

Alongside the usual wound control and dodging fire as much as possible, you won’t be able to use traps during this fight, as none of them will have an effect on Zoh Shia. Good luck!

As it stands, Zoh Shia doesn’t have an armor set or weapon, so you won’t be seeing monster-specific parts as drops. Rather, the drops are Guardian-related.

If you’re wondering what the Zoh Shia 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, Gore Magala, Lala Barina, Jin Dahaad, Nu Udra, Rey Dau, Guardian Arkveld, and Ajarakan.