Ecology

Like most elder dragons, not much is known about Nergigante. However, being a primary target of the Research Comission, we know considerably more about its behaviour than the likes of Alatreon and Xeno'jiiva.

Nergigante are apex predators that will attack anything that moves, though they prefer prey high in bio-energy and usually go after elder dragons and elder dragon level monsters. There are few targets they will not chase, with Nergigante being known to challenge monsters like Zorah Magdaros. Their voracious appetite is due to their incredible healing abilities; these abilities are so powerful that Nergigante have forgone sexual reproduction entirely and instead reproduce by shedding spines which then grow into new Nergigante. They also require insane amounts of bio-energy to keep up so much like Deviljho, Nergigante must consume any bioenergy they can get their claws on; though Nergigante are slightly pickier. Their appetite naturally makes them extremely dangerous- combined with their healing and spikes, they can easily decimate most hunters.

They are quite stealthy, as far as elder dragons go. There are few signs to a Nergigante being in the area unlike most dragons whose presence is marked by smog, ash, or storms. Nergigante, as non-elemental monsters, have no such signs. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately) for the hunter aspiring to slay a Nergigante, their frequently broken or shed spikes can be easily found scattered through the area in which a Nergigante is present.

Nergigante's variant, Ruiner Nergigante, is quite similar to the ordinary Nergigante in terms of behaviour, though they tend to go for more dangerous prey than the ordinary variety. Ruiners also have the unique ability to shoot their spikes out at their enemies at will, to the ire of many a monster hunter. They also seem to be somewhat more intelligent than ordinary Nergigante- Ruiner Nergigante have been reported "playing dead" to get hunters off their tail, even allowing them to carve parts from their body, only to come back when the hunter least expects it. In one case, a Ruiner waited until a hunter had brought another powerful elder dragon in the area, Shara Ishvalda, to the brink of death before flying in to eat it!

Hunting a Nergigante

Of course, Nergigante cannot simply be allowed to roam free unchecked. That is, of course, where monster hunters come in. However, given their immense power it's neccesary to know what you're doing- this is no Kulu Ya-Ku hunt that you can brute force your way through.

Preperations

As non-elemental monsters, there aren't terribly many special preperations that need to be done before hunting a Nergigante. An ordinary item set (with plenty of healing items, of course) will do. Make sure to bring Astera jerkey or sushifish if you're going up against Ruiner Nergigante, though, as their spike attacks can easily make you bleed out. Also, it's a good idea to take farcasters to any Nergigante hunt, if you ever get into a sticky situation or need to stock up on items. You can eat for most any skills you want before heading out, but I recommend you make sure to eat a meal that will increase your health to the maximum.

Again, Nergigante to not use any elemental attacks, so you can wear any armour set you like. Try to pick one that has high raw defense, though- Nergigante rarely let up. Armour skills such as Attack Up, and Vitality will come in handy. As for weapons, Nergigante are weakest to dragon elements and especially thunder element attacks. Fire, water and ice will be of little use to you. They also are equally weak to all ailments; Blast is always a good choice. Non-elemental weapons can also be good.

Element/Ailment	Thunder	Fire	Dragon	Water	Ice	Poison	Paralysis	Sleep	Blast	Stun	Bleed
Vulnerability	★★★	★	★★	★	★	★★	★★	★★	★★	★★	N/A
Afflicts	☓	☓	☓	☓	☓	☓	☓	☓	☓	☓	✓(Ruiner only)
Parts	Head	Wings	Forelimbs	Hindlimbs	Horns	Tail	Back	Belly	Chest	Wing Spikes	Back Spikes
Weak Spot	✓	☓	✓	☓	✓	☓	☓	☓	☓	☓	☓
Breakable	✓	☓	✓	☓	✓	✓	☓	☓	☓	✓	✓

Note that this table is only for the ordinary Nergigante- Ruiner Nergigante is weaker to dragon than thunder, is not weak to stun, and the ailment they are weakest to is blast.

Like all elder dragons, Nergigante is too powerful to be trapped or captured, so leave your traps behind and pack barrel bombs instead.

Tracking

After heading out into the field, the first step to hunting a monster, even the Eater of Elders Nergigante, is obviously tracking. After all, you can't hunt something if you don't even know where it is. However, while the environmental effects of most elder dragons make it beyond easy to figure out what area they're in, tracking Nergigante will not be so simple and will be more like tracking any other mosnter. So, it's important to know how to track it.

To start, you need to figure out what general area it's in. While you can't use use the obvious telltale signs other dragons have, it doesn't mean there are no indicators. After all, Nergigante wouldn't be an elder dragon without causing some serious environmental effects. First up; monster populations. If a Nergigante is in the area, chances are small monsters will have fled entirely and large monsters will have distorted population numbers, especially apex predators. If you're seeing less Rathalos, Anjanath and Aptonoth than you should, that area might be a good starting point. Next is elder dragons. As you already know Nergigante seek them out to prey out, so wherever other elder dragons and similarly powerful monsters are is also where there's quite likely to be a Nergigante.

Alternatively, just wait until the ecology division figures it out.

So you figured out roughly where it is- great! Now you need to figure out exactly where it is. As with regular monsters, you will need to seek out tracks and get your scoutflies to pick up a trail. One of Nergigante's most distinctive tracks are broken spikes, shown above. They can be easily identified, seeing as there aren't many monsters covered in huge spikes that regularly break off. Also, look out for claw marks and round footprints with four toes. You should be able to quickly know if a track you found belongs to a Nergigante or not because your scoutflies will glow blue instead of their ordinary green as they do with extremely powerful monsters, and there aren't typically many of those in one area.

The Fight

You found Nergigante! Time for the worst beatdown of your life.

I jest, of course, but Nergigante is definitely nothing to underestimate. If you are going to hunt Nergigante, be prepared not to make it out alive- especially if it's your first go. Nergigante are extrodinarily tough and fast fighters, especially the Ruiner variant.

Nergigante uses a lot of heavy hitting attacks. As their healing factor allows them to ignore the risk of self-inflicted bodily harm, they fight very roughly and can easily outpace an unprepared hunter who's now going to be remembered only as a red stain on a cliff face. Nergigante will wildly slam, smack and headbutt around, putting all their weight into every attack and the speed at which they do so makes it easy for one hit to turn into a fatal string of attacks. Move out of the way as soon as you see an attack coming. Nergigante's fighting style is one specially tuned to overpower the likes of Kushala Daora and Teostra, and it shows.

Try to keep their spikes broken. Though they grow back as you fight, they provide extra weak spots that will be undoubtably useful. It also prevents the Ruiner variant from using its spike based attacks. You can do this simply by hitting them over and over and over.

Be extra careful about their "dive bomb" attack. This is an attack in which the Nergigante will rise into the air and come crashing down faster than you can react, causing the quest failure or death of many a hunter. This attack will hit anything close to it and deals a ton of damage. Ruiner Nergigante only adds insult to injury (or perhaps, injury to more injury...) by firing out a round of spikes afterwards. Luckily, this attack is quite predictable as long as you know the signs. Before using this attack, Nergigante always roar, giving you a nice little sign to get the hell out of there. If you can't deal with the sound and find yourself hit anyway, try slotting Earplugs into your armour set.

The Ruiner variant is much like the ordinary Nergigante, just stronger, faster, and with harder spikes. Of course, there is also their spike attacks to worry about. Ruiner Nergigante will fire their spikes out at you, causing you to bleed out. These attacks aren't all bad, though- if they shoot out their spikes, they don't have spikes and have to wait for them to regrow giving you a good oppurtunity to get some good damage in on the parts that would usually make your weapons bounce right off. It's even more vital to take every chance you get with Ruiner so make the most of it. Also, be warned that Ruiner Nergigante will only grow more and more ruthless as you hunt it. Do not underestimate it just because it is easier than you expect when you begin fighting it; by the time one of you has been defeated you'll hardly even recognise its power.

I, personally, find that insect glaives are some of the best weapons for hunting Nergigante. Their high mobility makes it easier to avoid attacks and the air is usually a relatively safe place while you're hunting Nergigante. You can keep chipping away at its wings and avoid most attacks, giving you good damage. The kinsect also allows you to inflict extra elemental damage or ailments (blast is generally recommended for kinsects). Being able to outspeed Nergigante is very crucial, and that just happens to be half the point of the insect glaive. The high power of greatswords and hammers can also be useful, and the defensive capabilities of lances and gunlances are useful if you aren't confident in your evasive skills. As with any monster, you can choose any weapon you like.

Carves & Equipment

You'll be glad to hear that for your troubles hunting Nergigante, you get great carves. Indeed, the materials you'll carve from Nergigante can be used to forge very powerful equipment.

Carves

Nergigante

Material	Rarity	Value	Location
Immortal Dragonscale	7	2100z	Non-spiked areas
Nergigante Carapace	7	3200z	Parts of tail
Nergigante Tail	7	4300z	Severed tail
Nergigante Horn+	7	5000z	Head
Nergigante Talon	7	4500z	Feet
Nergigante Regrowth Plate	7	3400z	Sheddings
Nergigante Gem	8	12000z	Inside of body

Ruiner Nergigante

Material	Rarity	Value	Location
Immortal Shard	11	4380z	Non-spiked areas
Nergigante Cortex	11	6680z	Parts of tails
Nergigante Flail	11	8980z	Severed tail
Annihilating Greathorn	11	9340z	Head
Nergigante Hardclaw	11	9160z	Feet
Eternal Regrowth Plate	11	6860z	Sheddings
Large Elder Dragon Gem	12	21000z	Inside of body
Extinction Greathorn	11	6500z	Head (Guiding Lands individuals only)
Annihilating Temperhorn	11	9000z	Head (Tempered Guiding Lands individuals only)

Like most elder dragon materials, Nergigante materials sell for lots of zenny if you aren't interested in the equipment.

Equipment

Nergigante and Ruiner Nergigante's materials can be made into three different armour sets and weapons for all 14 weapon types.

Weapons

All of Nergigante and Ruiner Nergigante's weapons have dragon element, elderseal, and high raw damage, but no affinity. They are good weapon choices if you can get your hands on them. Nergigante's weapons can be upgraded into Ruiner Nergigante weapons.

Armour

Nergigante armour is quite powerful. Before upgrades, ordinary Nergigante armour sets have a total defense of 320, while the maximum defense possible is 420. Ruiner Nergigante armour has an initial defense of 830 and a maximum of 1020. This makes them both very good armour sets for high-rank and master-rank hunters respectively. Both Ruiner Nergigante and Nergigante armour sets have a total resistance to fire, water and ice of 5 but be careful when facing thunder or dragon using monsters in their armour sets as their resistance to thunder and dragon elements are rated at -15. However, the high raw defense means you'll be fine in most cases. The signature skills of Nergigante and Ruiner armour, called Nergigante Hunger and Nergigante Ambition speed up your recovery from injuries. They also come with other skills like Attack Boost, Maximum Might, and Stamina Surge which will allow you to maximise damage output while wearing them. Their armour is perfectly matched to their weapons.

Further Reading

If there is anything else you need to know, you can find more information at the following websites:

Nergigante Ruiner Nergigante