Monster Hunter Stories 3 has dozens of Monsties to collect, but the rarest monsters can only be obtained through mutations. They’re by no means necessary to complete the story, but you’ll have a much easier time with them in your party because of their boosted stats and improved genes.
Mutations are a part of Monster Hunter Stories 3’s environment restoration system, which lets you release monsters to rejuvenate the local wild population. If you release a monster into the right environment with specific monsters present, you can end up with a powerful subspecies like Ivory Lagiacrus or Dreadqueen Rathian.
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Pink Rathian
(Image credit: Capcom)
To get the Pink Rathian mutation in Monster Hunter Stories 3, you must first recover the Endangered Rathian egg from its den in Azuria. After that, just raise Rathian’s Ecosystem Rank to B by hatching and releasing monsters. The Pink Rathian will appear as long as there’s room in the ecosystem!
Dreadqueen Rathian
(Image credit: Capcom)
Getting the Dreadqueen Rathian mutation takes a bit more work on your part. Not only do you need to have Rathian or Pink Rathian at an S Rank in your chosen ecosystem, but you also need to surround the monster with three or more poisonous monster species.
The easiest place to do this is Azuria’s Sunpetal Plains region. Gypceros is native to the area, so that’s one down. Rathian and Pink Rathian count as the other two, so you might even get this mutation by accident if you’ve been restoring the Rathian population in this part of the world!
Ivory Lagiacrus
(Image credit: Capcom)
Once you’ve saved the Endangered Lagiacrus in Azuria, you can mutate the species into the stronger Ivory Lagiacrus with little effort. All you have to do is raise the Lagiacrus Ecosystem Rank to A, which only requires a few hatched eggs.
Hellblade Glavenus
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To unlock the Hellblade Glavenus mutation, you need to surround Glavenus with a group of very specific monsters. After raising its Ecosystem Rank to S, it’s time to introduce monsters with razor-sharp appendages into the environment.
Shogun Ceanataur, Seregios, Great Izuchi, and Magnamalo all count for this, and you need at least four of these monsters in the Glavenus ecosystem to trigger the mutation. Magnamalo is a late-game monster, so you might have to wait until you get further in the game to get the Hellblade Glavenus mutation.
Deadeye Yian Garuga
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Deadeye Yian Garuga is a surprisingly strong subspecies that you can unlock early in Monster Hunter Stories 3. It appears in habitats filled with ferocious monsters, which is just a fancy way of saying you need to rank up the other monsters in the area in order to trigger the mutation.
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As long as Yian Garuga is accompanied by three or more monsters with an equal or greater Ecosystem Rank, you’ll unlock Deadeye Yian Garuga. These can be any monsters, so just hatch a bunch of eggs and release as many local monsters as you can.
Soulseer Mizutsune
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Soulseer Mizutsune is a much stronger version of the already-powerful Mizutsune, but you’ll have to jump through a few hoops to make it appear. First, you have to raise Mizutsune’s Ecosystem Rank to S anywhere in the world.
Then, you need to introduce Mizutsune’s rival: Zinogre. Adding a Zinogre to the region will immediately force the Soulseer Mizutsune mutation to show up. Zinogre is another Endangered monster, so you’ll have to track its den down and defeat the Invasive Monster guarding the area.
Stygian Zinogre
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An all-time Monster Hunter classic, Stygian Zinogre makes its return in Monster Hunter Stories 3. It’s also a super easy subspecies to unlock. Just get Zinogre’s Ecosystem Rank to A after rescuing the Endangered species from its den to trigger this mutation.
Thunderlord Zinogre
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Zinogre gets two unique subspecies in Monster Hunter Stories 3, and Thunderlord Zinogre is easily one of the strongest electric Monsties you can have on your team. Just rank up Zinogre or Stygian Zinogre to Ecosystem Rank S and then introduce a Mizutsune to the environment.
Zinogre and Mizutsune are bitter rivals, and having them both in the same place will unlock Thunderlord Zinogre and Soulseer Mizutsune. Make sure there’s room in the ecosystem for both!
Sand Barioth
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One of the final mutations you can unlock in Monster Hunter Stories 3, Sand Barioth is a decent non-elemental Monstie for your roster. All you have to do is raise Barioth’s Ecosystem Rank to A after you recover the Endangered egg in Serathis.
Green Nargacuga
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Unlocking Green Nargacuga is incredibly simple. Once you’ve recovered the Endangered Nargacuga egg from the Canalta Timberland, just raise its Ecosystem Rank to A. The mutation will trigger automatically afterward.
Silverwind Nargacuga
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This Nargacuga variant is much stronger than the other two, but it will only appear when surrounded by specific monsters. You also need to have Nargacuga or Green Nargacuga at an S Rank in your chosen environment.
Once you’ve reached S Rank, you need to introduce two or more wind-controlling monsters into the environment. Great Izuchi, Legiana, and Paolumu all fit this criteria. Legiana is a late-game monster, but Great Izuchi and Paolumu are easy to find.
Boltreaver Astalos
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If you’re in need of a strong electric Monstie for your team that’s not Zinogre, then look no further than Boltreaver Astalos. Astalos is an Endangered Monstie, so you’ll have to battle an Invasive Seregios to unlock it in the first place.
Afterward, raise its Ecosystem Rank to S and introduce three or more thunder monsters into Astalos’ environment. Any will do, and all three Zinogre variants count if you’ve already unlocked them.
Azure Rathalos
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Rathalos is already one of the strongest Monsties in the game, and Azure Rathalos is somehow even stronger. To get it, all you have to do is raise the Rathalos Ecosystem Rank to A. Rathalos only appears in the final area of the game and its eggs are quite rare, but it only takes a few to trigger the Azure mutation.
Dreadking Rathalos
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Easily one of the best Monsties in all of Monster Hunter Stories 3, Dreadking Rathalos can make quick work of even the toughest bosses. The first step to unlocking this subspecies is raising Rathalos’ or Azure Rathalos’ Ecosystem Rank to S.
Then, you need to introduce four or more Flying Wyverns into the environment to trigger the mutation. It’s best to do this in a place that has native Flying Wyverns, so you don’t fill up all the optional slots just for this mutation. Rathalos and Azure Rathalos both count, so you should already have two taken care of.
Brute Tigrex
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A fan-favorite subspecies, Brute Tigrex is incredibly powerful in Monster Hunter Stories 3. It’s also super easy to get. Once you’ve rescued the Endangered Tigrex, just raise its Environment Rank to A anywhere in the world. It’s a Flying Wyvern, so you can also use it to trigger the Dreadking Rathalos mutation!
Grimclaw Tigrex
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Grimclaw Tigrex is the strongest Tigrex variant in the game, but there are strict criteria you need to meet before you can trigger the mutation. First, you have to raise either Tigrex or Brute Tigrex to S Rank in your chosen environment.
Then, you need to fill the environment with four or more Power monsters. These are monsters that use red attacks. You can check a monster’s attack type next to their element in the Monsterpedia. Every Rathalos species is a Power monster, so it’s a good idea to use them for this Tigrex mutation.
Bloodbath Diablos
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Bloodbath Diablos is a deadlier version of the Monster Hunter staple that you can unlock pretty early in your adventure. Just raise the Diablos or Black Diablos Ecosystem Rank to S in the Bountiful Dunes region of Tarkuan. This mutation can only happen in the Bountiful Dunes, but you can move the monster elsewhere once you’ve unlocked it.
