There are plenty of kemono to fight in Wild Hearts. While some of these are pretty straightforward fights, such as the Ragetail, the difficulty can quickly ramp up. The first time you’re likely to run into a kemono that truly tests your patience is the Lavaback. This fire-fueled monkey is no joke and can wipe you out with ease. If you’re struggling with this fight, read on to find out how to defeat the Lavaback in Wild Hearts.
How to Defeat the Lavaback in Wild Hearts
The Lavaback is by far the toughest kemono you’ll face in the first chapter of Wild Hearts. There’s a reason this is the game’s first 3-star kemono. If you aren’t fully prepared for this battle, you’ll get absolutely wrecked. You’re going to want an armor set that offers excellent fire resistance and high defense.
One of the best choices for armor is the Roaming Bard set that uses materials from the Spineglider and Dreadclaw kemonos. It offers excellent fire resistance and boasts good defense. Grinding for the Roaming Bard armor set will also assist in creating the Freshet tree of weapons, which uses Spingeglider materials. This will be the only water-type weapon you’ll have access to by the time you’ve encountered the Lavaback. Regardless of which weapon you ultimately use, make sure it’s from the Freshet tree.
In terms of attack, the Lavaback is a beast. It has a widespread area-of-effect fire attack that erupts over the ground and will easily pummel you with rapid punches. While it usually relies on melee attacks, it also likes to throw boulders. It’s almost constantly on the move between attacks which means slower weapons like the Nodachi are at a severe disadvantage. Worse is that the only truly soft points on the Lavaback are its body and head, which you’re going to have a difficult time hitting. The Lavaback will gain an attack when enraged that allows it to stretch its arms across the battleground and fling itself down, which does a massive amount of damage. As an upside, its arms will become more vulnerable during this state.
The most reliable way to get through this fight is by using the Freshet Bow. This will let you keep a safe distance from the Lavaback while also being able to focus on its weakest spots. You should make use of the karakuri that you can pair with the Bow. Crates are great in particular as they allow you to perform a huge leap to aim mid-air. You should also make liberal use of springs to maneuver around the field quickly for healing. Make sure you have as much karakuri thread as possible for this battle.