Found within the dunes of the Windward Plains, the Balahara is one of the only burrowing monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds. Balahara are particularly deadly within the dunes because they can cause quicksand to appear, while jumping out from the sand and climbing on rocks and other structures, firing nullifying mucus from their mouth.

This guide takes you through the Balahara’s Ecology, its key weaknesses, the rewards in low and high rank, and some tips to defeat it.

Balahara Ecology¶

Desert-dwelling leviathans that build carapaces out of the fulgurite formed by lightning strikes. They use their flexible skeletons and serpentine bodies to create quicksand for unwary prey. Inside their mouths are multiple eye-like sensory organs. The mucus they secrete contains luminous bacteria and is believed to aid visibility while they are submerged and other low-light conditions like sandstorms.

In addition to hunting Balahara in the open Windward Plains map, you can also accept the following quests to hunt one:

• Balahara of the Sandsea - 1 Star Assignment (Low Rank)
• Sand Sea Surges - 1 Star Optional Quest (Low Rank)
• The Desert Knows Not The Sea - 4 Star Optional Quest (High Rank)
• Balahara Investigation (High Rank)
• Tempered Balahara Investigation (High Rank)

There are several unlockable titles for the Balahara:

• Balahara - Finish hunt 20
• Roll - Finish hunt 30
• Antlion - Finish hunt 40
• Spiral - Finish hunt 50

Congalala Weaknesses and Breakable Parts¶

The Balahara is particularly weak to Thunder elemental attacks. Additionally, paralysis is by far the strongest status effect against the monster, reflecting its weakness to Thunder. The full breakdown is:

The higher the number of stars, the stronger and more effective the status effect is. Generally, Paralysis is the strongest effect in the game and the Balahara is particularly weak to it because it submerges itself in the ground so much.

You can also use a Shock Trap, Pitfall Trap, Sonic Bomb and Flash Pod to trap and blind the Congalala easily.

The key breakable part of a Balahara are its head with its tail also being severable if it takes enough damage. You can also target the weak spot on its mouth when it is recovering from firing shots. Damage to that upper body is also where your weapons will be most effective. The full breakdown is:

Balahara Materials & Rewards¶

There are eight different rewards you can obtain from the Balahara in Low Rank and High Rank, either by carving its corpse, breaking its skull and tail, or as a mission reward at the end of a hunt:

How to defeat Balahara¶

The Balahara can be an overwhelming monster for some players because of its behavior and how it dives into the sand. Additionally, it’s ranged attacks can be a big problem. However, a general strategy is to try to keep tucked by its forelegs or attacking its tail from the side. This protects you from most attacks, while giving you room to get out of anything that may hit you.

It has some lunges, but the majority of its attacks are ranged. Any charged attacks will track you, while faster attacks will either fire in a line in front of the Balahara or around its mouth. By being behind or to the side of the Balahara you can dodge those quick attacks. For the charged ones, so long as you keep moving laterally, you should be able to dodge any attacks.

The only attack to watch out for is where it curves its head almost 180 degrees. This usually happens when you have been attacking its rear torso or back legs for a while. It will spit an attack directly towards you along its body. The best way to avoid this is to roll away from the Balahara. You can roll underneath its tail too, but this is less consistent.

Additionally, keep an eye out for any tail swipes. These occur once you have been attacking it for a while. Generally, don’t stay in one position for too long. Switch between legs, sides of the body, and the tail every 3-8 seconds or between every couple of attacks to ensure you keep dodging the attacks.

If it burrows its head in the sand, it will create a small quicksand pool, which can be dodged by rolling out of it over and over again. Don’t focus on attacking as it will continuously pull you in, just roll away from its center.

The final main attack to worry about is where it burrows into the sand. During this it will track you or launch itself out right away. This is done in an arch, not from underneath you, so as long as you roll or run towards where the Balahara jumped from, you will avoid it.

Lastly, if it climbs on any of the pillars or structures that break off as it is on it, you can pull the pillar down to instantly knock the monster over and open it up for some attacks.

That covers the core tips to taking down the Balahara. Overall, it isn’t too tricky of a monster it just behaves and attacks in a unique way for this game.