Somnacanth serves as Monster Hunter’s interpretation of a mermaid, and like the sirens of legends it has a sweet enchanting voice to lull hunters straight to sleep.
What to Expect
Somnacanth can be found in bodies of water in the Flooded Forest area, which it uses to its advantage; the creature is much faster and more dangerous in its element. Using a combination of dive attacks, swiping attacks, and even attacking with a shell, Somnacanth is a deadly monster when provoked. You should use a Stinkmink to lure Somncanth away from the water and onto dry land, so as to disable some of its attacks completely.
Weakness
When targeting Somnacanth, you should bring along an Electric type weapon in order to take advantage of Somnacanth’s greatest weakness. While ire is an acceptable substitute, all other elements have no effect on Somnacanth. The creature is also affected by Thunderblight and Blast, though Somnacanth only has a two star level of weakness to these ailments. Given the limited effectiveness of the aforementioned ailments, it is recommended that you stick to relying on elemental weaknesses.
Attacks
Sleep Attacks
Somnacanth will unleash a breath attack that will make your hunter drowsy and unable to use any items, save for the Energy Drink. Somnacanth will shoot this sleep cloud in a few different patterns: in a straight line towards the hunter, in a wide sweep from left to right, as a cloud expelled around itself, or as a trail of powder left behind itself while slithering on its belly.
All of these attack patterns can be dodged by either rolling out of the area of effect or launching yourself into the air with a Wirebug. When fighting Somnacanth, it would be wise for you to set the Energy Drink to a shortcut bar, as this will drastically decrease the time it takes to manually select the item.
Dive Attack
Similar to its sleep attack patterns, Somnacanth has two forms of its dive move. The first is a simple rush towards you while it is on all fours, which can cause you to be staggered and stunned if it hits. Much like other monsters’ charge moves, a side roll will be enough to get you out of harm’s way.
The second form sees Somnacanth beating on its chest before performing a jumping lunge that will arch towards you. Your best options for dodging this strike are to either roll underneath Somnacanth or wire dash off to the side.
Shell Attack
On occasion Somnacanth will backstroke while holding a red or yellow shell. The beast will try to crack this shell to set off a different effect; the yellow shell flashes and stuns you, while the red shell releases a small blast that throws you backwards. You can attempt to stun Somnacanth by breaking parts or setting traps, which will allow you to evade this move.
Range VS Melee
Range players will need to be careful of Somnacanth’s speed in the water, as it can cover vast distances in the blink of an eye. Aim for Somnacanth’s head and four legs to deal the most damage and break parts off, thereby giving yourself an advantage during the fight.
Melee hunters will be in danger of succumbing to Somnacanth’s sleep clouds. You should keep a healthy stock of Energy Drinks at the ready, so that you are able to consume one when necessary. If playing with friends, remember that if you fall asleep any weapon hit can wake you up immediately.
