Forum:Barroth Guide by Bonaparte (Great Sword)

Basic Info
Guide made by: Bonaparrte (with regards to Da Beast for general lance strategies)

Guide for: Barroth

Game: MH3

Rank: Village ★★★☆☆

Weapon Type
Great Sword: (Ludroth Bone Sword+). The water-based damage targets the Barroth's elemental weakness when it is covered in mud, which is most of the time. If you prefer raw physical damage, take the Giant Jawblade.

Armor
Rhenoplos Armor if you don't want to use any decorations. However I prefer the Ludroth Armor for the Constitution bonus and Divine Blessing, and decorate it with 5x Weather Jewel+ to avoid the Mud effect.

Additional Items

 * Supply Items (provided)
 * Well-Cooked Steaks
 * Mega Potions
 * Paintballs
 * When the Barroth is underground, it will not show up as a blip on the tracking radar. However, the area that it is in will be highlighted, so pay attention to that.
 * Cha-Cha's Fluffy Mask is useful for tracking the Barroth instead of paintballs. However, if you pay attention you can track the Barroth's direction when it leaves an area due to the dust clouds it stirs up.

Preparation

 * Before engaging the Barroth, max out your stamina. This is a lengthy fight, and you'll be doing a lot of running and dodging.
 * Whenever the Barroth changes areas, take the time to top up your health, stamina, and sharpen your weapon if necessary.

General Defense

 * Dodge after each attack. Standing still in one spot for too long is a sure-fire way to get yourself killed.
 * Run! Move! Your main form of avoiding damage is not going to be blocking, it's going to be not being in the line of fire in the first place.
 * Sheathe your weapon as soon as possible. Mobility (and not getting hit) is your number one priority, above dishing out damage.

General Offense

 * Your primary attack to defeat the Barroth is going to be to use the draw slash. It's the fastest attack, and since the Barroth moves around more than a weasel in a candy shop you will need that speed.  Another reason is that you will benefit from the faster movement speed with the sheathed weapon, allowing you to sprint in for a lightning-fast attack.
 * You will initially have very few chances at hitting the Barroth. Don't let this discourage you.
 * The Barroth's weakest area is its underside, but the draw slash is in a downward arc. Therefore you are better off targeting the tail.
 * It is not a bad idea to first aim to cut off the tail. It will shorten the area from which you can safely approach the Barroth and attack.  Plus you will get an extra carve.
 * Once/If the tail is cut off continue targeting the stump.

Reacting to Specific Attacks

 * Charge: This is the Barroth's most devastating attack, but also the most predictable. The monster will lower its head to the ground, then come barreling at you.
 * Dodge if your weapon is drawn. Otherwise you can sprint out of the way. You won't have much of a chance to counter-attack.
 * Tail Sweep: The Barroth will do a half turn twice, clockwise, and do a wide sweep with its tail. It will end up facing in the same direction that it started.
 * Stay out of reach until the second sweep. On the second sweep position yourself in such a way that you can perform a draw slash against the tail once the Barroth stops.
 * If enraged the Barroth will sometimes sweep its tail four or six times. It's best to stay away from the monster if it's performing the tail sweep while enraged.
 * Shake: The Barroth will shake like a dog, and chunks of mud will fall in a round area near the Barroth.
 * The targeted area does not fully encircle the Barroth. Instead, it is a circle that the Barroth usually targets either in front of itself, or right on top of itself. If you are confident that the mud area is targeted in front of the Barroth then this is a good time to attack the tail.
 * Head Smash: In this attack the monster will smash its head into the ground, spewing mud in front of itself.
 * If you're in close range then dodge away from it. Sprinting away is also an option, albeit somewhat more risky as you might get hit if you're not fast enough.
 * Roll: The monster will roll in mud to give itself a fresh coating.
 * This is one of the rare chances you will have to perform a charged slash. Stand at sword's length at tail's height to the left of where the Barroth is rolling, and charge your attack.  If timed right the slash will be released just as the Barroth is getting up, putting the tail right in the path of the middle section of your sword.  This way you not only get the charge bonus, but also the extra damage from using the sword's sweet spot.

Other

 * With most other weapons the insects and Jaggi can be troublesome. However, the great sword has the advantage in this field because the strategy laid out above gives you great mobility.
 * The great sword is the easiest way of getting a tail carve out of the Barroth.
 * You may believe that aiming to sever the Barroth's tail is a waste of time. However, you will find that once the tail is severed the Barroth dies surprisingly fast.