u/MagicArenaNoob

I have a policy of trying to defeat each new monster solo at least once without googling them the first time we meet so I feel like I truly earned the hunt and also learn more about it so I'm more effective in a party.

So far so good, but Holy shit this was intense! By far the most hair-raising hunt of my hunting career. I've of course finishrd hunts with minutes to spare, but seconds? That a first!

This guy was a beast. Well, literally. And figuratively. The first 3 MR monsters, which were disappointing reskins (except viper tobi Kadachi, feels like a different monster despite being a reskin), showed how much harder MR monsters would hit and had me on my toes, but still weren't much of a challenge despite my HR set-up. Except Viper Tobi Kadachi (again!), but he was still manageable, if annoying. I ran into him in the expedition quest, HR gear and all, completely unprepared for his poison-paralysis onslaught, and still came out on top after 35 minutes and only one faint. And lots of very near faints!

After Viper Kadachi I spent some time getting a MR Switch Axe and armor (my chest and headpiece are still HR though, don't want to give up weakness exploit and critical eye, don't have access to their MR equivalents yet), so I was much better prepared against Barioth. Plus, his description made it clear he was an ice beast so I knew to take iceproof mantle and get my ice resistance above twenty.

And still he was, by far, much harder than anything I fought in MR. I spent way too much time trying to cut his tail, which I eventually did, but my dps took a major hit for a long time and nearly cost me the hunt.

I managed to avoid fainting for most of the hunt, but when I realized how much time had already passed and how far from dead or captured he was, I got anxious and bam, two carts in 10 minutes. Then I took a full hit from his slam from the air, fainted again and failed the hunt... or so I thought, until my kittie ressurrected me with a bit of health, which I had forgotten was even a thing. Thanks, bud!

The fight goes one, it's very hard some good hits in, I start to lose hope I'll make in time, until, finally, I runs away the last time, didn't really look loke he was limping but his skull icon was flashing, so victory was assured at least... until I checked the time and had one minute and 20 seconds left, which suddenly made victory look kinda gone 😂

So I run after him like my life depends on it, take what feels forever to catch up, get there and the bastard isn't even sleeping. I ran up to him, set down the shock trap, and jesus effing Christ, I swear the sob FLIES a millisecond before it's up. My heart sank, but the gods had mercy and he promptly dove right into it. Phew!

And this, my friends, is the tale of how I hunted Barioth. Epic!