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Monster Hunter: World Kulu-Ya-Ku: what is its weakness and how to kill it

Big bird's gone feral

Each of the large monsters in Monster Hunter: World come in all sorts of weird shapes and sizes. Few are weirder than this mischievous dodo-like creature known as the Kulu-Ya-Ku. It's a little bit faster than the other big monster you'll have encountered thus far. This guide will detail what its weaknesses is, how to kill it, and what to do when it picks up a rock.

Monster Hunter: World Kulu-Ya-Ku guide

This big bird is found in both the Ancient Forest and the Wildspire Waste, and is the second monster you'll encounter on your journey. New players should take a look at our Monster Hunter World guide for tips on combat and what to take out on a hunt.

If you are looking for specifically Monster Hunter World Iceborne guides, then we have created a separate guide hub for just expansion stuff. Head over to our Monster Hunter World Iceborne guide to make your start.

Kulu-Ya-Ku entry in monster field guide.

Kulu-Ya-Ku weaknesses and resistances

Kulu-Ya-Ku's main weakness is water, though this is the only element that has a slightly higher boost as it's relatively susceptible to all the other elements, as well as all the ailments. You can't really make a bad choice when it comes to exploiting weaknesses in this case.

To make up for a lack of resistances, the only weak point it has is in its head. All three weapon groups can deal lots of damage to it, so again there's no bad choice here. The front claws can also be broken, but this is not a weak point so will take longer to break. It's a bit faster than the Great Jagras, but really any weapon will do the job nicely.

Player fighting Kulu-ya-ku which is now picking up a rock.

How to fight the Kulu-Ya-Ku

The Kulu-Ya-Ku makes up for its rather embarrassing lack of resistances by being able to defend itself. As you attack it, it will run off and pick up large items such as boulders in order to defend itself. This can make breaking its head a bit of a challenge, so you'll need to time your attacks carefully. If you have the Switch Axe equipped, its sword form can penetrate the rocks it defends itself with.

Its attacks include being able to throw those boulders at enemies, as well as a few leaping attacks, so be aware of whether or not it has equipped itself with a random rock if you're taking it on at range. Aside from this, it can only attack from up close and is relatively easy to dodge. This is another monster with a hideout for when it needs to rest, so be sure to exploit that when the time comes.

One thing of note is that Kulu-Ya-Ku is a bit of a hooligan. Should it encounter a Rathian nearby, it will attempt to steal any nearby eggs, prompting a guarding Rathian to attack it. Just be sure that you don't provoke the much scarier wyvern if your equipment is of a lower grade.

What materials can I get from the Kulu-Ya-Ku?

This is another early game monster, so the loot you gain for simply defeating it is relatively consistent. Some items are more likely to appear once you've captured this monster, more on that in our Monster Hunter: World capture guide. For more on how to use these items, you can either check out our Monster Hunter: World combat guide or our Monster Hunter: World armour guide. In the list below, the stars indicate the frequency in which the item in question will drop, as well as details on whether some items are obtained by breaking a specific part of the monster.

Item nameRarity of materials gained from carvingCombat and carving notesRarity of materials gained as rewardsReward notes
Kulu-Ya-Ku Scale*********
Kulu-Ya-Ku Hide*********
Kulu-Ya-Ku Plume***Obtained for breaking its forelegs. Can also be dropped.***
Kulu-Ya-Ku Beak****Obtained for breaking its head.**
Monster Bone SN/A****

Item nameRarity of materials gained from carvingCombat and carving notesRarity of materials gained as rewardsReward notes
Kulu-Ya-Ku Scale +*********
Kulu-Ya-Ku Hide +*********
Kulu-Ya-Ku Plume +***Obtained for breaking its forelegs. Can also be dropped.***
Kulu-Ya-Ku Beak +****Obtained for breaking its head.***
Monster Bone +N/A***
Bird Wyvern GemN/A*

That concludes the guide on the Kulu-Ya-Ku but there are plenty more monsters in Monster Hunter: World to go out and hunt. For those looking for the previous monster, check out our Monster Hunter: World Great Jagras guide, while your next likely large hunt will be the one found in our Monster Hunter: World Pukei-Pukei guide, so have a look there to see how to not get poisoned by this weird creature.

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