Thanks to its massive lore dump during the main story missions, Monster Hunter Wilds continue to spark major discussions. This time, it’s all about the eyes of one of its most terrifying monster. Fans have noticed a striking resemblance between the yellow eyes of Monster Hunter Wilds‘ final boss and those of a particular feared Elder Dragon. This blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cue is fueling speculation that the penultimate boss of the story could be setting the stage for even more threats in future updates.
Warning, massive spoiler for Monster Hunter Wilds Low Rank Final Boss ahead!
Once you defeat Guardian Arkveld, it’s revealed that another giant bioengineered monster is behind Dragontorch’s corruption, causing Incelemencies all over the Forbidden Lands. The Hunter then decides to take down this so-called Zoh Shia Guardian monster to restore everything back to normal.
During the fight, Zoh Shia showcases some eye-raising abilities that resembles powers of Elder Dragons of old. Then, during the second phase of the fight, after its Wylk’s shells fell off with each attack, eagle-eyed Hunters noticed something interesting. Its eyes turn a piercing yellow with a black, diamond-shaped slit — almost identical to Fatalis.
This discovery, highlighted by Reddit user JackNewbie555, has led to rampant speculation within the Monster Hunter community. “Some rather disturbing implications have emerged from closer examination of the eyes of the Final Boss of MH Wilds,” JackNewbie555 wrote as the thread’s title.
Fatalis is one of the most iconic and powerful Elder Dragons in the series. Known for its ability to devastate entire kingdoms, Fatalis has always been presented as an apex threat. It and its variants always appear as secret bosses and were last seen in Monster Hunter World Iceborne. There, Fatalis served as the final boss and the toughest fight of all major updates.
Some players believe this connection all but confirms the Black Dragon’s presence in Wilds. While others theorize Zoh Shia is a Guardian created using Fatalis’ DNA.
Beyond its eyes, as mentioned before, Zoh Shia’s combat style further fuels these theories. Players have pointed out that many of its attacks are near-identical to moves from multiple versions of Fatalis, including the Crimson and White variants. Most notably is its attacks that are accompanied by White Fatalis’ red thunderbolts.
Some have also noted similarities to other powerful Elder Dragons including Safi’jiiva, Alatreon, and Gaismagorm. This has led to two main theories:
- Zoh Shia is a Fatalis-inspired Guardian, created to counter an even greater threat.
- Zoh Shia is a hybrid of multiple monsters, incorporating Fatalis’ power with traits from other fearsome creatures.
Nevertheless, Reddit user Dycon67 in the same thread pointed out that Safi’jiiva also has similar eyes to both Fatalis and Zoh Shia. This strengthens the theory that Zoh Shia wasn’t simply created as an artificial Fatalis but may instead be an amalgamation of powerful, world-ending Black Dragons.
Regardless of which final boss eyes theory holds true, Monster Hunter Wilds is shaping up to be the most lore-heavy entry in the franchise. The game has already deepened the series’ worldbuilding, from the role of the Guardians to the long-lost Wyverian civilization that created them.
If Zoh Shia truly hints at Fatalis, then we may have only scratched the surface of future Title Updates and the Master Rank expansion content.
