For the first time in the history of Monster Hunter, we have opened up our world to welcome a major creature from another game series. For this special occasion, we have summoned none other than the fearsome Behemoth from Final Fantasy XIV!

Fearless hunters, take up arms, restock your item loadouts, and plan your finest teamwork tactics. The battle against the Behemoth calls upon you, and it requires new levels of coordination and strategies never before demanded in any Monster Hunter game.

Enmity, the wrathful gaze of the Behemoth determines its target, and its relentless attacks will put even the best defenses to the test. Only those prepared to tank these big hits should aim for the Behemoth’s head and draw enmity. I highly recommend weapon types with big shields for this role: Lance, Gunlance and Charge Blade, paired with the armor skills Guard, and Guard Up. Try activating those by wearing Uragaan armor pieces!

Absorbing a constant barrage of attacks will quickly chip away your health. For that, try assigning a teammate to a more support-focused role, much like the roles of a Final Fantasy XIV battle. The Sword & Shield, Light Bowgun and Hunting Horn weapon types are a great fit for this role, while still offering the potential for great damage output. Armor skills like Health Boost and Wide-Range are also very advantageous for all hunters in this quest; both skills can be found in the Lunastra armor set.

As for the offensive role, I trust that surviving all the dangers of the New World has been preparing you for this moment. Every weapon type offers tremendous potential, and there are no shortage of armor skill combinations to match every playstyle. From one hunter to another, I’d recommend sporting a weapon with a Health Regen augmentation, so you can shrug off smaller attacks, and try to match Behemoth’s elemental and status effect weaknesses to Water element and Paralysis. Just make sure you’re dealing enough damage to taken him down within the 35-minute time limit.

The one final note that applies to every hunter taking on this grand quest is Behemoth’s ultimate move: the Ecliptic Meteor. A direct hit from this game-changing ability will result in an instant faint! It also denies all possible escape routes and items (including the Farcaster); the only way to survive is to hide behind smaller fallen comets the Behemoth has summoned throughout the battle. So always be mindful of your surroundings and keep an eye out for this devastating attack.

The quest to hunt the Behemoth is available starting today, August 1, at 5PM Pacific in Monster Hunter: World so make sure you install the latest free title update and call up your Squad mates for this epic hunt!