User blog comment:Lord Loss/Monster Appreciation Week: Brachydios/@comment-5020152-20130812191729

Brachydios! The big blue brutish and boisterous Brute Wyvern! Order now and receive a free shipment of explosive fungus! Only 1200 zenny plus TST (Tanzian Sales Tax)!

In all seriousness, this guy is my third favorite of the Brute Wyverns, right after Duramboros and Barroth. Brachydios is a really neat monster, right down to that bright blue hue that seems to be the subject of much controversy. I personally love the way the blue goes with the bright green, and then clashes dramatically with the yellow when he gets enraged. Those dramatic colors are warning you that this monster is NOT to be trifled with.

My favorite feature of this monster is his model. It uses Barroth's model instead of Uragaan's (which Duramboros and Deviljho use). The Barroth model, in my opinion, seems to be a lot more graceful than the Uragaan model, taking long, loping strides instead of clumsy, lurching steps. The design itself is really cool - the lines and ridges all along Brachydios' hide makes him look fiercer and more streamlined.

The Slime mechanic has to be the best gimmick, though. I've already fought Brachy in the downloadable Arena quest, and I can say firsthand that you really have to watch out for that slime. When he gets enraged, the slime becomes much more unstable and begins exploding with every strike of his fist. Even when his horn is broken, he can release dramatic explosions all over the area, although I have noticed that it takes him longer to do so.

As far as attacks go, I love the Leaping Pounce as well as the Explosive Horn Thrust attacks. Both have very noticeable startup animations, and both deal a lot of damage, so when you see him back up while licking his fists or rearing back to thrust his horn into the earth, you know that you have to get the hell out of there.

Brachydios is a great monster, and I hope he eventually gets a subspecies. Double thumbs-up to you, Brachy. And a moment of silence for the Agnaktor that gets slaughtered in your ecology video.