The Easiest Way To Beat Silver Rathalos In Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
"Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak" introduced a handful of returning faces when it was released. Of the harder challenges available to Master Rank hunters, the Gold Rathian and Silver Rathalos easily rank near the top. The most challenging variants of the flagship wyverns descended into the game's expansion with much of their previous kit, alongside some new attacks. Seasoned "Monster Hunter" veterans and newcomers alike will want to watch out for these and strategize accordingly.
Silver Rathalos, in particular, returned with a set of insanely good armor. As shown by RageGamingVideos on YouTube, the skills for a full set of Silver armor heavily prioritized elemental damage and buffs to critical hits. In true "Monster Hunter" fashion, however, completing the full set will require most players to beat Silver Rathalos at least a few times — potentially more if players get unlucky with its rare drops (via Kiranico). Thankfully, experienced "Monster Hunter" players have posted highly effective strategies for defeating the fabled "Silver Sun." At a glance, the prime strategy appears to involve reliance on traps, flash bombs, and targeting the monster's wings and the tip of its tail.
Focusing its wings and tail tip
Default Rathalos takes more damage on its wings and tail compared to other parts of its body (per Game8). Similarly, the Silver variant also sustains more damage on its wings and the tip of its tail, a hitbox its red counterpart lacks. While regular Rathalos has its head as its primary weak spot, Silver is built different. The more powerful variant in "Monster Hunter" mythology developed a much thicker head, meaning attempts to KO the monster will not pay off as often. Hunters should avoid attacking the head for the most part (more on that later).
Silver Rathalos also shed its default form's immense weakness to dragon element. On the contrary, dragon element has no effect on Silver at all (per Kiranico). Hunters will want to wield a water weapon instead, the variant's primary weakness.
A water-elemental greatsword will lead to more damage per hit, but any water weapon can lead to striking results. One YouTuber handily beat Silver Rathalos in under 4 minutes with piercing water ammo from a light bowgun (via AngBata11). Depending on the skills a hunter has equipped, the damage potential from weapons can become lucrative.
YouTuber ELIXIR MH beat Silver Rathalos in less than three minutes using their Azure Blaze greatsword. Maxed-out skills prioritizing critical hits and damage multipliers made this impressive feat possible, with the hunter dealing over 3,400 damage to upwards of 4,800 damage with each charge-slash critical hit to the wings or tail tip.
Subduing Silver Rathalos
Hunters looking to farm Silver Rathalos parts quickly will want to rely on traps and endemic life to keep the wyvern restrained for free hits. ELIXIR MH demonstrated how to effectively chain traps and endemic life to prevent Silver Rathalos from sustaining any significant offense, taking opportunities where the monster was staggered or mid-attack to place a pitfall trap, sleep toad, and so on.
Or in the case of AngBata11, the light bowgun-user placed two traps consecutively, and simply lead Silver Rathalos from one into the other. The hunter also relied on flash bombs. Rathalos are notoriously susceptible to flash bomb stun when airborne (via Kiranico), making it an ideal anti-air.
Beyond waiting for opportunities to use traps, endemic life, or flash bombs, hunters should beware of Silver Rathalos' new rage state. Capcom designed the Incandescent State to power up Silver Rathalos and Gold Rathian with more devastating blue fire attacks (via Monster Hunter). But players can stun the monster out of this state with a powerful attack to the head. ELIXIR MH dealt over 6,600 damage to the wyvern with a greatsword crit while the Rathalos remained in its Incandescent State.
As a payoff for farming Silver Rathalos in the critically-received "Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak," players clad in its armor will find themselves delivering critical hits much harder and more often — particularly with elemental weapons (via RageGamingVideos).