Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is a huge expansion with enough content that it can almost be regarded as a full game on its own. With a wealth of new monsters to hunt and areas to explore, Iceborne also offers another level of challenge that is unrivaled in the base game.

The newest siege monster added to Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is Safi’jiiva, a massive dragon with multiple phases and some of the most deadly attacks in the game. Luckily, farming Safi’jiiva is not only fun, but provides some of the best materials and rewards available.

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The primary objective is to kill Safi’jiiva in under 20 minutes. This is nearly impossible to do to begin with because the monster drains energy to heal itself from three separate rooms before finally being cornered. However, as players continue to grind and complete various objectives, they will level up the siege. This makes each step of the quest easier until the final goal is within reach. With some expert Iceborne strategies, grinding out rewards will be a lot easier.

Preparation

There is always more to do after beating main missions in Monster Hunter, but the new content is ever more challenging. It pays to be prepared.

Partbreaker and Weakness Exploit are the most important skills to focus on because points and materials are earned by breaking parts. Tenderizing attacks with the clutch claw are vital because of Safi’jiiva’s high damage resistance.

Heat guard and blight resistance are handy to have, but any build can be effective. Teostra armor is a good choice because it comes with heat guard and improves both Weakness Exploit and sharpness.

Dragon weapons that do Elderseal damage are especially effective because they drain the monster of the energy it drains from each room, speeding up the hunt noticeably.

Other effective elements include status elements like poison and blast. These deal huge damage to Safi’jiiva, making the Rathian set bonus a viable choice.

Weapons with cutting damage should focus on the forearms, while hammers should focus on the hind legs instead of the perilous head area. Ranged weapons will need to focus on the wings, but aim for the structure of the wings rather than the webbing.

Monster Hunter World is best with a team, so having a trustworthy squad with good communication is a major benefit.

Lastly, the Felyne Open Road Platter gives Felyne Safeguard, which can save a cart for a defeated player. It stacks with Felyne Insurance, making fainting much less of a concern.

Phase One

In the first room, players should focus on luring Safi’jiiva into three different traps. There are two sets of boulders to drop on its head, and a vine pit to trap it in. Any of these will deal damage, gain points, and drain energy. The falling rocks will do full damage even if they only clip the edge of the monster.

Safi’jiiva does a beam attack in this phase that can only be avoided with very good timing. Running in one direction as the beam tracks a player, then quickly running the opposite way right before it fires will avoid all damage.

Phase Two

Light Bowgun in Monster Hunter World

Players who fought the Behemoth will be well prepared for phase two. The enmity mechanic from the Behemoth fight returns, causing the monster to focus on the player who has dealt the most damage. Keeping enmity active is important in order to drain Safi’jiiva’s energy and make its movements predictable.

Lance users are great for this role, but other players will need to constantly heal them up. Another option is to have a mobile DPS weapon user keep enmity while staying on the move. Dual blades and Hammers can easily use the slopes in the phase two arena for some extra damage.

During the second phase, Safi’jiiva will ultimately do the Sapphire of the Emperor attack. This is a massive explosion emanating from a single small jewel. Much like the Behemoth’s Ecliptic Meteor, this attack requires players to take cover behind jutting rocks. Players can easily tell that they are protected when flames stop rising over their character.

Phase Three

The third and final phase is the most dangerous of the challenges so far. The base camp supplies a Farcaster at the beginning of the mission, so this is the time to use it and restock.

There can be several Sapphire of the Emperor attacks in this phase, but there is not permanent cover. Rocks can be dropped if enough damage is done to the monster, and more will appear after each Sapphire attack.

After the first Sapphire attack, geysers will be formed in the arena. A player with enmity can kite the monster over a geyser and activate it with a slinger shot, dealing a huge amount of damage.

Safi’jiiva also has a supercritical mode in the third phase that causes increased aggression at the expense of removing damage absorption. This mode is the players’ chance to attack the chest, which provides some of the best rewards to be crafted into high-end armors.

The monster can also cause a huge explosion by body-slamming the ground. This move is very difficult to avoid, but can be blocked with a shield or dodged through with good timing. Sometimes the best approach is to simply run away if there is enough time.

There is also a pin attack that will target players attacking the front of the monster. Everyone on the team will need to be quick with healing items for anyone caught by it, as it leaves its target at 1 HP and on fire.

Once players have enough of Safi'jiiva's rewards, there are plenty of other major challenges in Iceborne to go after.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is available now for PS4 and Xbox One, with a PC version coming in 2020.

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