If you’ve spent any time exploring the craggy highland biomes of Monster Hunter Wilds, you’ve almost certainly had a run-in with monster hunter wilds gracio before. This serpentine thunder wyvern doesn’t wait for hunters to seek it out—it’ll dive from cloud cover to ambush anyone wandering too close to its nesting grounds, even if you’re just gathering mining nodes for your next weapon upgrade. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had my gathering run cut short by a well-timed lightning bolt from this aggressive beast, so I put together this guide to help you turn the tables when it strikes. We’ll cover everything from its core weaknesses to its most dangerous unblockable attacks, so you can farm it for its rare parts without wasting half your item pouch on potions.
Monster Hunter Wilds Gracio: Core Traits and Habitat
Gracio makes its home exclusively in the Highland Ascent biome, the jagged, wind-swept mountain region you unlock about two-thirds of the way through the main story. It only spawns during thunderstorms in the Highland Ascent biome, so if you’re looking to hunt it, you’ll want to check the weather forecast for the region before you head out on your quest. It spends most of its time gliding on high-altitude wind currents, scanning the ground below for intruders or small prey to snack on. Gracio’s core behavior is territorial above all else, so if you stay outside its 50-meter patrol range, it won’t bother you unless you land a hit on it first.
Most of monster hunter wilds gracio’s scales are infused with concentrated thunder energy, which it can discharge at will to stun prey or fend off attackers. From a distance, it’s easy to mistake it for a common bird wyvern, but the faint blue static crackling around its wing edges is an easy giveaway that you’re dealing with something far more dangerous. If you’re taking on the main story quest “Thunder from the Peaks”, you’ll face a tempered variant of Gracio that deals 30% more damage and has 20% more health, so don’t walk into that quest undergeared or you’ll be sent back to camp before you even get a hit in.
Gracio’s Weaknesses and Best Gear to Bring
Before you head out to hunt Gracio, you’ll want to make sure you’re prepared to counter its biggest strengths. Ice is Gracio’s biggest elemental weakness, followed by water. Thunder damage is completely ineffective against it, and fire only deals minimal damage, so leave your fire and thunder weapons at home for this hunt. When it comes to ailments, blast is the most effective, as its thunder-infused scales are prone to exploding when hit with repeated blast damage. Poison works decently well too, but stun and paralysis only last half as long as they do on other monsters, so they’re not worth building your set around.
There are a few non-negotiable items you’ll want to pack in your pouch before heading out, no matter what weapon type you main:
For armor, the Frostwolf set you get from farming the early-game ice wolf monster is the ideal pick, as it gives +2 ice attack and +3 thunder resist, which lines up perfectly for this fight. If you haven’t unlocked that set yet, the upgraded Kulu Ya Ku armor is a solid substitute, as it also has solid base thunder resist. I wouldn’t recommend bringing a ranged weapon unless you have a fully upgraded endgame bow build, because Gracio stays in the air for 60% of the fight, and you’ll waste most of your ammo waiting for it to land. Melee weapons with long reach like long sword or insect glaive work best, from my experience. I tried fighting it with a bow once early on, and I burned through 90 arrows before I even broke one of its wing scales, so save yourself the frustration unless you’re very confident in your aim.
Key Attack Patterns to Dodge During Your Hunt
Gracio has a small pool of attacks, but they hit hard and can catch you off guard if you don’t know what to look for. The most common one you’ll face is its dive bomb attack, where it flies high up, curls into a ball, and crashes down into the ground, sending lightning arcs in all directions. You can spot this attack 3 seconds before it hits by the bright blue glow building up around its body. If you see that glow, use your wirebug to dash sideways at least 15 meters away, don’t try to block it unless you have a Guard +5 skill, because it’ll break your guard and stun you anyway. Flash pods also work to knock it out of this attack mid-fall, which is a great way to create an opening for damage.
If you get hit by monster hunter wilds gracio’s electrified bite, you’ll be stunned for 2 seconds, which is more than enough time for it to follow up with a tail sweep that knocks you out. Always keep a nullberry hotkeyed so you can clear the stun instantly if you get hit. When it’s on the ground, its 180-degree tail sweep is another common attack that hits anyone standing behind it. If you see it start to lift its tail, dodge forward through the sweep instead of backward, because the tail has a much longer range than you’d expect. Its worst attack by far is its thunderstorm call, where it roars and summons random lightning bolts that strike the ground around you for 10 seconds straight. The easiest way to avoid this is to hide behind a large rock, since the bolts can’t pass through terrain. I learned that the hard way when I tried to outrun them and got hit twice in a row, fainting immediately.
How to Farm Gracio Parts Efficiently
Gracio’s parts make some of the best thunder elemental weapons in the game, plus its armor set gives a huge boost to thunder attack and wirebug recharge speed, so it’s worth farming even if you don’t need its parts for a specific quest. The most common drops are its Thunder Scales and Serpent Fangs, but the rare Gracio Core is the part most players struggle to get, with a base drop rate of only 7% for normal hunts. Breaking both of its wings doubles your chance of getting a Gracio Wing, which is needed for most of its weapons and armor pieces, so focus your attacks on the wings first when it lands, don’t go for the head right away.
Capturing Gracio instead of killing it gives you 2 extra reward rolls, which increases your chance of getting rare parts by around 30%. You’ll know it’s ready to capture when it starts limping and flies back to its nesting cave in the northern part of the Highland Ascent. Don’t use a pitfall trap to catch it, because its thunder scales let it break out of pitfall traps instantly, that’s one of the most common mistakes new hunters make when fighting it for the first time. Stick to shock traps, which work perfectly even with its thunder resistance.
If you’re specifically farming for the Gracio Core, prioritise investigation quests with gold reward boxes. These quests bump the drop rate of the core up to 18%, which makes the grind way faster. I ran 4 gold box investigation quests for Gracio last week, and I got 3 Cores, so it’s definitely worth taking the time to pick the right quest instead of spamming the normal hunt over and over. You can also eat a rarity boost dango before your quest to push the drop rate even higher, which never hurts.
Monster hunter wilds gracio might feel like an unbeatable wall the first few times you run into it, but once you learn its patterns and come prepared with the right gear, it becomes one of the most rewarding hunts in the game. Its thunder weapons are perfect for farming other endgame monsters like the fire-breathing Rathalos variant, so the time you put into learning this fight will pay off for the rest of your playthrough. Don’t get discouraged if you faint a few times while learning its moves, every hunter I know has had to restart that fight at least once. Next time you see that crackle of thunder in the highlands, you’ll be ready to take it on instead of running for cover.