Side Story Rudy is finally added to Monster Hunter Stories 3, and much like past Monster Hunter Stories DLCs, adds a few hours of content to the base game. The DLC, as its name suggests, revolves around the Royal Palico, Rudy, and his lineage of special Felynes. However, the DLC eventually introduces none other than Navirou himself.
Furthermore, in the final chapter of the DLC, we get to fight one of the best flagship Elder Dragons in the series, Nergigante, complete with its Arch-tempered dive bomb attack.
With all that said, here’s a comprehensive walkthrough for the Side Story Rudy and all its chapters in Monster Hunter Stories 3.
How to start Side Story Rudy in Monster Hunter Stories 3
Although the Side Story for Rudy is technically an endgame content, it can be started fairly early in Monster Hunter Stories 3. Much like other character side stories, Rudy’s story is divided into different chapters. However, to start these chapters, you need to have reached Galyad.
This essentially means you need to progress through the story until you defeat Yama Tsukami and make your way to Tarkuan. From there, you need to defeat the Feral Ajarakan, which leads you to Galyad.
In Galyad, you need to first talk to Ena and complete the initial part of the main story, which essentially boils down to talking to Ena and then visiting her in the Ministry of Eggs. After that, you will get access to the first 3 chapters of Rudy’s story.
It should be noted that Side Story Rudy is a paid DLC. And unless you purchased the Deluxe or Premium Editions of Monster Hunter Stories 3, you will have to buy the DLC separately.
There are a total of 4 chapters in Side Story Rudy:
- Legend
- Ring
- Navirou
- Kinship Lesson
Here’s a detailed breakdown of all the chapters in Side Story Rudy and how to complete them.
How to complete Side Story Rudy Chapter 1: Legend
The first chapter starts with Rudy talking to Gaul’s Felyne partners about his lineage of special Felynes. We get a brief cutscene in which Rudy shows a family tree, at the top of which sits the Royal Palico’s Forefather, who, unbeknownst to him, is none other than Navirou. However, the family tree depicts Navirou in a heroic avatar, wielding what appears to be a circular weapon.
Now, if you’ve played past Monster Hunter Stories games, you will immediately figure out that the circular object isn’t a weapon. Instead, it’s Navirou’s favorite snack, i.e., a donut.
After the cutscene, you’re informed about strange Egg Quartz that have been found across Tarkuan containing an unknown life-form. This is your cue to head out to Tarkuan and investigate. The investigation starts with you and Rudy surveying the land for Egg Quartz deposits.
You need to figure out the right Egg Quartz where the unknown life-form is reported to have been seen. There are roughly 7 Egg Quartz deposits across Tarkuan. However, you need to look for the one that’s in a spot that overlooks all the Lookout Points in the area.
The exact location of the Egg Quartz is northwest of Colossal Dragon’s Remains. You can locate this area by heading to the trade ship at the edge of Tarkuan. Once you reach the Egg Quartz, you will find Navirou crystalized alongside his Donut as well as a Deviljho. Unfortunately, as the Riders try to break the Egg Quartz, the Deviljho wakes up and attacks them.
Much like regular Deviljho, this is a Level 70 monster, and one that’s incredibly difficult to defeat if you’re not prepared. That said, if you’re fighting the Deviljho with an endgame Dragon elemental build, you can easily defeat it without breaking a sweat.
The easiest way to defeat the Deviljho is to use Dragon elemental weapons and Monsties. Furthermore, at the start of the fight, you want to use Power attacks. However, as soon as Deviljho gets enraged (telegraphed by a roar), you want to switch to Speed.
Once the Deviljho is defeated, you will get another cutscene where the Riders investigate Navirou trapped in the Egg Quartz. But since it’s too heavy to carry to Galyad, they leave the crytalized Felyne in Tarkuan and head back to the base to gather more information on him.
How to complete Side Story Rudy Chapter 2: Ring
The next chapter in Monster Hunter Stories 3 Side Story Rudy is rather straightforward and is mostly frontloaded with cutscenes. It’s yet another cooking-related quest where you’re asked by Eleanor to collect three ingredients, which she plans to use for cooking up a special dish. However, this time around, the dish happens to be Navirou’s favorite, the Donuts.
Now, to make the Donuts, you need to collect:
- Slagtoth Milk: This ingredient can be obtained by defeating a Slagtoth at Canalta Timberland.
- Prime Gargwa Egg: This ingredient can be obtained by hitting a Gargwa with a breath attack.
- Ancient Berry: This ingredient can be obtained from the tree near the Howlinyowl Forest campsite. Just use the wind current to fly up to the tree’s upper leaves and collect the Ancient Berry.
Once you have all the ingredients, return to Eleanor in Galyad. From this point onward, the entire quest comprises just cutscenes. The first set of cutscenes shows Eleanor trying to replicate the ancient Donut recipe. However, she ends up making the Donuts solid like crystal.
To get more details on the recipe and how to make the Donuts more “edible,” you and Rudy then talk to Ena, who gives you the Puff Powder. Using the Puff Powder, Eleanor makes a fresh batch of Donuts. And this time around, she gets it right, making the Donuts perfectly soft and fluffy with just enough sweetness to cleanse the palate.
How to complete Side Story Rudy Chapter 3: Navirou
After the Donut recipe is at hand, the Riders set out back in Tarkuan to retrieve the Egg Quartz containing Navirou. However, to their and Rudy’s surprise, the Egg Quartz is missing, with evidence suggesting it has been taken by a monster. Furthermore, with some more digging, the Riders conclude that the Egg Quartz is stolen by a Kulu Ya-Ku.
However, this Kulu Ya-Ku is a crafty monster. With the Egg Quartz in its claws, it deflects all of the Riders’ attacks, making it virtually impossible to defeat. Furthermore, the monster is also very fast, which makes it difficult to attack.
To reach the Kulu Ya-Ku, you need to use a breath attack to stagger it. However, you need to time your breath attack precisely to stagger it; otherwise, the monster simply deflects it. To stagger the Kulu Ya-Ku, use a breath attack on it right after it jumps to a new platform.
To make it easier, we highly recommend using the nearby wind current to glide in midair and then attack the Kulu Ya-Ku. Once the monster is staggered, get close to it and initiate a battle. Defeating the Kulu Ya-Ku is also a bit tricky, as it uses the Egg Quartz to block most incoming damage.
You need to time your powerful attacks right after the Kulu Ya-Ku uses the Egg Quartz to dish out a massive Lightning attack. In the opening few turns, we recommend simply buffing your and your party’s defenses (Defensive Ditty, Armorskin, etc.). Once the monster attacks, follow up with your Monstie’s most powerful attacks.
Once you defeat the Kulu Ya-Ku, the Riders will get back the Egg Quartz. However, with the constant battle and deflecting attacks, the Egg Quartz immediately cracks. But surprisingly, it doesn’t harm the talkative Felyne inside it. Instead, as soon as the Egg Quartz cracks, Navirous emerges out of it, completely intact with his memories and all.
How to complete Side Story Rudy Chapter 4: Kinship Lesson
The final chapter is also the longest, as it features multiple battles as well as the final boss of the Rudy DLC, Nergigante. However, before you can reach Nergigante, you need to make your way through the Ashen Pass. With Nergigante’s arrival in the ecosystem, the Ashen Pass seems to have come under disarray, with monsters from different regions invading the locale.
The opening sections of the Ashen Pass are now inhabited by packs of Ajarakan and Deviljho. Do note that these are all endgame-scaled monsters and should only be tackled once you have reached Level 60 or higher.
Furthermore, while these monsters do appear on the same path that you’re traversing to reach Nergigante, all these encounters are optional. That said, if you’re Level 60 or below, we recommend taking on these monsters as defeating them is an easy way to skyrocket your character level to Level 70.
Once you reach the end of the Ashen Pass, you will be tasked with collecting clues on Nergigante. The clues essentially give you information on the Elder Dragon’s weaknesses and abilities. Once you reach the shelf’s edge, i.e., the area where you fought the Magnamalo before setting out to Canalta Timberland, you will come face-to-face with Nergigante.
Much like any other Elder Dragon in Monster Hunter Stories 3, Nergigante is a force to be reckoned with. Furthermore, the Elder Dragon is a Level 70 monster, akin to endgame Malzeno, Arkveld, and Aenshin.
It also has regeneration capabilities, which also serve as its only weakness. Much like in Monster Hunter Stories 2, Nergigante can constantly regrow its spikes. And to defeat the monster and reduce the effectiveness of its dive-bomb attack, you need to break its spikes before they turn black.
Once you defeat Nergigante, you will get to witness the final cutscene of the DLC where Navirou opens up to Rudy and tells him to be himself instead of trying to imitate his Forefather. Furthermore, Navirou also sets out on an adventure of his own, in hopes of finding his past buddies, who he thinks might also be crystallized in some other part of the world.
How to defeat Nergigante in Monster Hunter Stories 3
Nergigante is an incredibly challenging Elder Dragon, even more difficult than the likes of Aenshin, Malzeno, and Arkveld. However, with the right strategy, you can easily defeat the Elder Dragon in less than 15 turns. Here are some tips that will help you easily defeat Nergigante in Monster Hunter Stories 3:
- The first phase of the battle against Nergigante is scripted, where the game simply teaches you the Elder Dragon’s moveset and weaknesses. As such, it’s impossible to avoid the first barrage of attacks.
- However, you can use Defense Up skills or consumables to shield yourself from the attack and avoid losing Hearts.
- Once Nergigante performs its dive-bomb attack, it loses all its spikes and becomes exposed. In this state, you need to use Power attacks to deal extra damage or perform H2H against the monster.
- Once Nergigante regrows its spikes, switch to Speed and focus on getting critical damage on the monster. (The Razewing Ratha and Deadeye Ratha Jewels come in extremely handy here).
- Once Nergigante’s spikes become black and it gets enraged, you need to use Technical attacks to do H2H against the monster.
- Much like Arkveld or Namielle, the battle against Nergigante is all about countering the monster’s attacks and punishing the openings it creates.
- Additionally, Non-elemental and Dragon weapons/Monsties are most effective against Nergigante.
Rewards for completing Side Story Rudy in Monster Hunter Stories 3
Here’s a list of rewards you get for completing all the chapters in Monster Hunter Stories 3’s Side Story Rudy:
- Legend: Deadeye Ratha Power (Jewel) – Makes Kinship Gauge fill faster on winning Head-to-Head and deal crit damage.
- Ring: Razewing Ratha Power (Jewel) – Increases attack and crit rate, but also reduces defense substantially.
- Navirou: Donut (consumable) – One-time use item that enrages Rudy to deal Lightning damage to opponents and makes it easier to break monster parts.
- Kinship Lesson: Navirou Day (outfit for Rudy) – Gives Rudy the appearance of Navirou, complete with his voice lines.
This concludes the Monster Hunter Stories 3 Side Story Rudy DLC and all of its chapters.
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Edited by Suman Biswas
