Guessing What Alatreon Is Like from the Music Alone..

[@jamarswope2341]

Alatreon, the Blazing Black Dragon. Elementally unstable, Alatreon cycles through elements spontaneously, raining down water and lightning, belching jets of flame and summoning chunks of ice. The Guild fears it almost as much as Fatalis, even going so far as to destroy all records of its existence. After all, if people knew of Alatreon’s existence, it might cause a mass panic.

[@ZZMonkeysUncleZZ]

Video: 1 hour ago Your comment: 2 weeks ago ???

[@wilforddraper3570]

@Steve Rill probably channel member or patreon thing

[@JM-nothing-more]

meanwhile, "jacked up velociraptor"

[@hago66]

Nah he's from the future like Marco secretly is.

[@chantrak5936]

And then after all that they use it as a hype up for the big bad with Fatalis dumpstering the poor thing without much effort

[@kitchengun1175]

I am speed anyways fun fact: Alatreon takes heavy influence from a myth that a dragon has a 'reverse' scale under its chin that if touched will incite said dragon's fury. All of Alatreon's scales are backwards. considering that his entire schtick in lore is "if you touch me or come close to me I WILL kill you", it's a nice touch

[@SneccTheSnake]

The "reverse scale" myth came from the idea of dragons maybe having an "egg scale" to break out of their shell the same way many birds do The different way cultures see dragons is always fascinating

[@william_sun]

Another fun fact: The monster drop localized as "plate" in English (due to length constraints) is called "reverse scale" in Japanese. For most monsters that have a drop with this name, this would be their Low-Rank rare drop (and High-Rank slightly-less-rare drop). However, because all of Alatreon's scales are reversed, it's naturally the name of Alatreon's High-Rank *common* drop instead of the name of its rare drop. Although no longer related to its reverse scales, G/Master-Rank Alatreon's common drops follow the theme by being called "mantle" and "pallium" (with the corresponding item names in Japanese, "heaven scale" and "heaven carapace"), which for other monsters would be the name of their G/Master-Rank rare drop.

[@baconberries8097]

Never noticed that. Pretty neat!

[@陳嘉宇-y4q]

@@william_sun Damn what a chad move from the mh team

[@Flubbadon]

I did not know that, incredibly cool

[@SeikerHikaru]

Alatreon is one of those rare monster portrayed as "evil" within MonHun. Not quite traditionally evil but rather a "natural" evil. It's a monster that can really ONLY exist in a blasted wasteland because everything around it just DIES because of how uncontrollable its elemental powers are. MonHun as a series rarely ever portrays its monsters as inherently malicious, at worst its putting down a predator that's making trouble in the local ecosystem... Elder Dragons tend to bork that trend due to how powerful they are, and Alatreon certainly does, being one of the few "Black Dragons" among the Elders. By sheer consequence of its existence alone, Alatreon is an "evil" of nature itself.

[@puddingsimon2626]

And then there’s dire miralis

[@SeikerHikaru]

@@puddingsimon2626 Yes indeed, the actual living volcano.

[@56safety]

That the trick with most elder dragons, their vibes are not based on creatures, they are based on natural disasters. Teostra is a living draught, kushala is a windstorm/tornado. In alatreons' case, all of the disasters at once

[@charlesj12345]

Actually alatreon has pretty good control over it’s elements and I really would call it evil in the sense that it is extremely intelligent and does everything it does out of hatred for its existence since it’s constantly in pain because of its reverse scales

[@SeikerHikaru]

@@charlesj12345 As I remember the lore being, Alatreon's elements are incredibly unstable and it can really only channel the power of whatever its scales are currently overloaded with. Just being in an area conjures up a storm from how chaotic its elemental production is.

[@Rageouz]

I love Alatreon's theme cause it's so much more different to the other black dragons like Fatalis and Dire miralis where they're more loud, bombastic and have vocals, Alatreon is quiet, unsettling and has no vocals that really sets it apart. Also the heroic part of the song is a homage to the main theme of Monster Hunter Tri, which was the game Alatreon first appeared in A cool design concept for Alatreon is that in legends across Asia is that all dragons have a single scale called a "reverse scale" that stick out unlike normal scales and touching it brings a dragon's wrath. Alatreon is covered in these scales symbolizing the incredible anger and wrath this dragon can bring

[@WisdomAkpan211]

False. Alatreon's old version of the theme was more chaotic and bombastic. World just dialed down the ante and made the theme more mute and sinister

[@Rageouz]

@@WisdomAkpan211 not really, it got loud in the chorus otherwise it was quiet, like in Iceborne, they just swapped out a guitar for a violin

[@WisdomAkpan211]

@@Rageouz if I remember correctly they also toned down the organ. Correct me if I'm wrong. But I think it was the loss of the electric guitar and a bit of the percussion that makes the new theme have less oomph.

[@Enneamorph]

You guys do know that the Tri theme was present in OG Alatreon’s theme, right?

[@Vayne_Solidor]

​@@Rageouz The organ alone makes the old theme much more bombastic.

[@ZZMonkeysUncleZZ]

Alatreon’s size is an interesting thing. While it remains quite large in Iceborne, it was actually significantly larger. As for the sense of fear in its music, Alatreon is omnicidal. It completely refuses to allow ANYTHING to live within its territory, and will perform regular cleansing of its habitat. This is why every location you fight it is completely barren.

[@Enneamorph]

Alatreon is the same size it was in Tri. The difference is that Alatreon now adopts Teostra’s battle-ready, low-head pose instead of constantly standing tall.

[@ZZMonkeysUncleZZ]

@@Enneamorph New World Alatreon IS smaller. You can look it up. It’s not as huge a difference as I thought, likely because of the change in stance, but there is a difference.

[@blazouille2453]

@@ZZMonkeysUncleZZ I think i've read somewhere that it was around 7m less in world, but not sure

[@tiagonogueira2567]

@@ZZMonkeysUncleZZ Is the same size, just the battle position changes

[@justryan664]

Lore wise the franchise explains this as all the monsters from each game are regional subspecies

[@theendmaster1178]

Fun fact that heroic section of Alatreon's theme is actually the main theme from monster hunter tri the game it was from

[@MarcoMeatball]

!!!

[@TheKnightDrag0n]

@@MarcoMeatball To one with life is the name of the song.

[@Speediermantis1]

That part at 4:30 stands out a lot because it is literally another song. It’s the main theme for Monster Hunter Tri, and my personal favorite of all the individual game themes that aren’t Proof of a Hero. Also if you haven’t, I would recommend checking out the original Alatreon theme from MHTri. It has an electric guitar in addition to the orchestral instruments so it sounds even more vicious.

[@abysschef5078]

First time fighting him in iceborne I got emotional when I heard the callback to tri lol.

[@ShadowKaiserin]

Monster Hunter Tri's main theme, "To One With Life".

[@hijikili2656]

To one with escathon judgement

[@aberniteliner]

As someone who start his MH journey from Tri, hearing that song again after years legit put tears in my eyes.

[@WazMan]

@@abysschef5078honestly it’s like “welcome back”

[@lebirb9097]

The sharp changes in tone and meter of the music might also come from the fact that Alatreon is constantly outputting elemental magic at chaotically random intervals. Alatreon is always changing up it’s tactics and fighting style in the middle of battle, because it cannot control the shift of elements fully. Shifting from Fire, Ice, Dragon, Lightning, Water at random. In fact, it’s elemental magic is so powerful, yet so chaotic and uncontrollable (even for Alatreon) that it’s been said to be able to shift entire regions of their weather from it’s presence alone. Snow and ice could be falling in desserts, fire raining down into forests, lightning crackling in the mountains, all because he is a moving storm of elemental magic.

[@Lator_the_Gator]

It's not magic tho it's literally the elements themselves and it does seem that New World Alatreons have more control considering they can fully become a specific elemental mode like ice fire or dragon and is even able to combine all at once for the great Escaton Judgment (just wanted to clear lil stuff up great comment tho)

[@divinemagala5990]

Ah yes, the magic in monster hunters series :V.. Interesting.

[@lebirb9097]

@@divinemagala5990 Magic was the easiest way I could explain it, without getting into how Alatreon’s scales produce the elemental “magic” lol

[@aiden6559]

"Jacked-up Velociraptor" Love it XD (WARNING: There's a lot I have written here, read at your pace and discretion, just in case you don't want to read through it all) I think your description of Alatreon was right on the mark, though there some details I'd like to add on. As another person in the comments mentioned, Alatreon is elementally unstable; this is caused by the vibrations of the Dragon's unusual reversed scales. This elemental instability, while taxing on Alatreon's body, allows it to weaponize all of the elements, as Alatreon adapts to the constant weather and temperature changes while it's foes suffer. As a Hunter, facing this thing would be an absolute nightmare. One moment you'll feel as though your skin is going to melt of, the next you feel as though your going to freeze to death or at best lose a frozen limb. One moment you might get hit with a blast of pressurized water straight to the chest, and the next you could get struck by a bolt of lightning. Not to mention how physically bulky Alatreon is, making it's horn jabs and and body slams all the more dangerous. Which is made even more dangerous by Alatreons sporadic yet precise attack patterns, much like Shara Ishvalda. All of that creates an incredibly high level of tension, as you have to kill Alatreon within the limited time you have before it can kill you. Side note: The little heroic section of the theme you mentioned is a reference to the main theme of Monster Hunter Tri, the game Alatreon debuted in, called "To One With Life." The theme and the game it's from have strong themes of being in balance and coexisting with nature, which is ironic that it appears in the Alatreon theme as Alatreon could be considered a dark-reflection of those ideals. Alateron exists in a twisted harmony with the elements, not being able to control them but still adapting to the sudden changes to it's elemental arsenal. Also, Alatreon actively goes out of its way to isolate itself from other lifeforms, either by finding somewhere secluded or chasing out every other creature in the area it has decide to live in, not caring in the slightest for the living beings that have to die or be forced to abandon their homes because of Alatreons presence. Fun fact: Alatreon's Japanese name (Albatorion) is most likely a corrupted portmanteau of the Italian words alba, and trionfo, which mean Dawn and Triumph respectively, in case anyone here doesn't understand Italian. Thus, the Dragon's name/title is roughly means "Dawn's Triumph" or "The Triumph of Dawn." However, that title doesn't match with Alatreon's description and behavior. On the flip side, if we continue with the theming of Alatreon being a dark-reflection and thus an inversion of the norm, then we instead get something like "The End of Light" or "The Rise of Darkness." (Sorry if I rambled on, Alatreon is one my favorite Monsters in the series and I really wanted to get all my thoughts out)

[@kinsan89]

Never apologize for being passionate about something you love, this was a joy to read! ❤

[@aiden6559]

@@kinsan89 thank you, very much. 😊

[@velo4097]

One of Alatreon's quest in Iceborne is literally named "Dawn's Triumph" (I think it's the super nerfed version for the Fatalis unlock questline) so you're probably right on the mark, thank you for the insight because I had no idea about the basis for アルバトリオン

[@aiden6559]

@@velo4097 Your welcome, though I'm not the first to make that connection. I just gave my own thoughts on the naming. Granted there's more to be said, but I'll save that for another, more relevant time.

[@Evocatari]

Alatreon is one of the few monsters in MH that feels like more than just a wild animal, but a being capable of malice and hatred, and I think that's really one of the greatest ways the game sets monsters apart from others. An avatar of destruction, a creature deserving of the label "monster." You also hit the nail on the head with the mystery aspect, you feel like Alatreon knows that the Guild has erased all record of his existence. You feel like he's asking you himself, "I wield the flame, the frost, the stream, the storm, and the dragon; what am I?" Very good theme, and a great fight, one of few with an actual team wipe mechanic. Strongly recommend continuing Iceborne to enjoy for yourself.

[@lonelywolf6180]

I'm very impressed when I hear Marco describe a creature he haven't personally experienced or watched so accurately only from listening the music. He reads a persona just trough sounds.

[@MarcoMeatball]

:)

[@kelmirosue3251]

That is part of the composers job when making a boss theme

[@noivern1735]

​@@kelmirosue3251right, such as making fatalis' theme so concerning that you would think it was more of a demonic entity rather than a dragon.

[@bigchungus6827]

@@noivern1735 Well, it has been repeatedly described as a living apocalypse and the only monster in the series to hate all life... I don't think demonic entity is really that far off mark.

[@ryanschulte3742]

You must go back to beat iceborn, I beg of you. The location, monsters, music and fights are top-tier in there.

[@MarcoMeatball]

Riven tomorrow btw

[@MacMan77]

@@MarcoMeatball my man👍🏻

[@noahcaelum6796]

@@MarcoMeatballRiven…from destiny?

[@darthplagueis13]

Alatreon is a very interesting design visually. Whilst it's not the biggest monster in the game by a long shot, maybe a third of the size of Xeno'Jiva at most, it has a lot of design elements that make it appear taller. Everything on the dragon, from the horns (which arguably look a bit like a roman emperors laurels) and its tusks over the various spikes emerging from its back and joints all the way to the very scales that cover its body point upwards, contributing to a very intimidating and somehow arrogant look. Fatalis is a lot bigger than Alatreon, but at the same time, with Alatreon you get a much stronger sense of standing beneath it, barely worthy of its attention. The thing to consider here is that Alatreon was the final boss of the multiplayer back in Tri, so the way its designed like a challenge and an expression of dominance incarnate makes a lot of sense there. This wasn't just some angry lizard, it was THE angry lizard.

[@Nickuh88]

Only reason im standing beneath it is because the bastard keeps flying and I can't reach him. Get down here and fight like a man! LOL

[@savvivixen8490]

​@@Nickuh88

[@Nickuh88]

@@savvivixen8490 doesn't happen with DB I got mobility for days but my tiny hands can't reach anything above my forehead lol

[@danielaxc2900]

Your talent of extrapolating from the music to what story is being told in game mirrors what's actually happening very accurately! I know you probably hear it constantly but that is very awesome to see and helps to enjoy the music in a new light. Thank you, Marco.

[@MarcoMeatball]

Thanks for such a lovely comment. It means a lot.

[@cabba7681]

Around 4:29 is a reference of the main theme of Monster Tri, if you haven’t listened to it you should check it out, honestly one of the best main themes of a monster hunter game

[@RasenCore]

That heroic beautiful melody you mention is Monster Hunter Tri and 3U's main theme, To One With Life. It's an homage since Alatreon is from those games.

[@RicDreamlandAvalon]

The original Alatreon's theme also have that part

[@raditz1101]

The lore with Alatreon in World is it shows up in the Secluded Valley in search of Safijiva seeing it as a threat. Alatreon normally avoid most living things due to the face their presence alone basically brings the apocalypse due to it having an unstable amount of all the elements in it body. I would be very curious to have you listen to the Generations Ultimate version of the song cause it does have destinct differences to Worlds theme.

[@Reklov.66]

mh3 version* the one used in GU is the same one from Monster hunter Tri/3

[@raditz1101]

@@Reklov.66 Ah didnt know, haven't played Tri yet.

[@stygiandragon3865]

Or, Alatreon could be seeking aid from Safi. Since Safi has more control of energy than Alatreon with the elements. Like Chaotic Gore, those powers can't be comfortable to have raging inside the body. Maybe Alatreon feels the energy shift and believes that this can help adjusting?

[@raditz1101]

@@stygiandragon3865 No, it was confirmed in the Iceborne book in Japan that Alatreon was going to fight Safi

[@stygiandragon3865]

@@raditz1101 Huh, well this may be prove that Alatreon is nature's final trump card against beings that are too... perfect. Since the damage caused by Safi is to the point that it even got Alatreon, a Forbidden Monster(Yes, I know people calls them Black Dragons but I like Forbidden Monster to be more generic) to mobilize. Which could confirm that if the Xeno manages to transform into Safi, then not only will Alatreon head, may even wake Fatalis up as well.

[@grantowens7537]

This music really does embody the extremes of nature, just like Alatreon. Some segments sound almost like standing in front of a rampaging blaze, consuming all in its path in moments. Other sections sound like a desolate frozen waste, no evidence of any life whatsoever. Regardless of its elemental state however, both in terms of music and monster, that evil power is still present. The way you described it, “perverse majesty” really does some everything up about this dragon. It’s an dark incarnation of the harshest, most inhospitable parts of the natural world, in all its ruthless glory. And you, a mere human, are standing in its path. Like a refugee caught before a hurricane, with nowhere to hide.

[@desasterlord7108]

And then you take that Hurricane, and with the power of determination and oversized weapons, you put it in the damn ground where it belongs. Because thats the power of the unbreakable human Spirit.

[@WARGOD]

This is something I never knew I liked; analyzing and breaking down soundtracks like this. You earned yourself a sub and I hope many more.

[@MarcoMeatball]

thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@gamerkingdom1442]

ONLY 115 HOURS IN ICEBORNE!? This are baby numbers Marco! You definitely have to finish it! Go at it! DEFEAT FATALIS!!! And yeah, ALATREON has a banger of a song! This is one of the legendary BLACK DRAGONS of the series, along with FATALIS!! And yeah, this dragon is CONNIVING!! He manipulates ALL of the Elements, and use them in together!

[@savvivixen8490]

CHAAAAAAARGE!!!!

[@Reklov.66]

The part at 4:30 is actually the main theme from Monster hunter 3/Tri, the game where Alatreon first appeared in. Its a little throwback for all the hunters that faced this beast years ago.

[@RicDreamlandAvalon]

The original Alatreon's theme also have that part

[@ShadowKaiserin]

You've probably realized this by now, but if a section of a Monster's theme seems out of place in a World or Iceborne track, it's usually a leitmotif from the generation the Monster was introduced in. In this theme, the leitmotif is "To One With Life" the main theme from Monster Hunter Tri. You can also hear it in Deviljho's theme.

[@chaosdragon-fox1864]

Glad you got to this guy! his theme reminds me of his gameplay. All chaotic because of his unstable elements and of course his judgement of us!

[@jakenbake1020]

It is so fascinating that he is getting very close to describing Alatreon exactly by only listening to the music. It is both incredible that he can pick out those parts, but also that the music was orchestrated in such a way to make it possible to pick it out.

[@themeekwarrior]

I've never fought Alatreon myself, but you hit the nail on the head. So much chaotic and malevolent energy from this incredible beast few have lived to tell the tale of. I feel like you and Scruffy would make for a super fun collab video. I love learning how music theory is used to bring out emotions in people and set the mood, and it's just a different, more profound flavor when it's made for a videogame battle where it's an ongoing struggle between the player and the enemy instead of a scripted cinema fight. You can't say how it will end. The heroic part in the song is the theme from Monster Hunter Tri, "To One with Life", which in its original form seems to really showcase and celebrate the struggle for survival and the beauty of life's existence. It really fits for a franchise where you are constantly surrounded by wonder and violence.

[@MarcoMeatball]

I'll look scruffy up!

[@Jc88500]

I love how you perfectly described that ‘heroic part’ of the theme. It kinda gives us hunters the same energy that we get when Proof of a Hero plays during a quest. It gives us that musical boost that helps us strike back against this powerful beast. (Is this what it feels like to be buffed by a hunting horn?) It probably helps that that segment is MH3’s main theme - To One With Life. The theme for Arch Tempered Nergigante does the same thing with World’s theme. The tempo and style changes throughout Alatreon’s theme is also meant to represent his instability and ability to switch between elements. Which I think is an awesome touch.

[@victorribeiro6772]

I love how Tri's theme plays in the "heroic" parts, a great homage for the third gen, where Alatreon first showed up. Also, love your videos! Especially these MH theme reactions, and I really enjoyed your video on Exoprimal!

[@MarcoMeatball]

aw man! thanks!!

[@scarletshinoa1588]

Awwww there it is my Alatreon Request :o Insane i love it

[@MajinMattPlays]

What's interesting to me, having not watched your Fatalis and Safi videos yet (Found you through this vid), Safi'Jiiva and Fatalis are likely more powerful monsters, but they're controlled, they are power incarnate and they channel it into their actions willingly and actively. Safi and Fatalis know what they're doing and they do it in careful and ruthless measure. Alatreon however, is chaos, its power is uncontrollable, and it lashes out with its full force against anything that stands within its domain. It's interesting to hear someone figure out things like this through simply the music, and it gives me another deeper appreciation for a series I adore.

[@deathclawproductions6723]

I agree, I like seeing him react to these music themes and seeing how he thinks the monster is like in character. And he’s pretty right on the money for the most part I must say.

[@Schweemf]

I really want to see him listen to some of the lower tier monster themes like Glavenus and Brachydios.

[@MarcoMeatball]

Hold tight

[@oofcall9115]

zinogre, astalos

[@Enneamorph]

I love, love, LOVE that Alatreon’s Iceborne theme has this combined air of sinister, mysterious, majestic, heroic, and very, very unsettling. It’s like before you even find it, you get goosebumps, and your danger senses are _screaming_ When you find it, you start sizing it up, trying to get a read on what it is you’re even _looking_ at, before it suddenly EXPLODES into a different element When it’s done with its “performance”, you get a good look at it and notice how, despite its violent actions, it’s definitely carrying itself highly, like a king… …Before immediately sending your danger senses spiraling again as it turns to face you. “Welcome to Hell,” it says.

[@Vayne_Solidor]

I like some changes but I REALLY miss the organ, I loved this in the OG.

[@Dres2000]

And here’s the thing The previous version of the song had a electric guitar in which we hear as a unstable monster taking flight as it prepares itself to kill the hunters. The new world version however lacks some of the previous instruments, but that’s the idea. The the new Alatreon is much in control of its powers despite its reputation of being a already dangerous and unstable elder dragon.

[@JameboHayabusa]

Just found this channel. This is my favorite theme in Worls, and it's crazy that you analyzed so much of the monster correctly just from the theme alone. I hope someone like you checks out the orchestral themes from blazblue one day.

[@VoidShyrok]

I can't be sure since it's been a while, but I think Alatreon goes out of its way to crush other monster eggs in its general area, just to limit its potential threats. In a world filled with walking natural disasters. Even with the elemental ruin it brings, there has to be a certain degree of malicious intent in an elder dragon for it to also be a black dragon. Great choice as always, marco.

[@mrfancypants3423]

really love your MH videos man! I'd love to hear your reactions to the chaos and savagery that is Nergigante's theme, or his Arch Tempered theme since that's amazing too

[@connorryan2715]

If you have the time, and I mean on your own time, I wouldn’t expect this to be a video, I highly recommend a KZbinr named Avell. He does an incredible job mixing the various versions of Monster Hunter themes there have been across the years. His Alatreon mix I recommend especially. the reason being, Alatreons original theme from MH Tri is very different in terms of its instrumentation. This one uses a big orchestra and feels a lot like an imposing evil, the original has some wild choices like guitars and organs, and occasional electronic effects on the instruments. It’s wild, and crazy and has a ton of personality but lacks the huge impacts that Icebornes theme has. He even blended some elements of a live performance of Alatreons theme which had EVEN more cool extra additions and weird additions here and there. His channel is excellent

[@middox239]

alatreon is where my friends group stopped playing, he was just such a jack-of-all-trades with massive damage on top and the fact that you have only a certain time limit to damage him enough before he just kills everyone, i managed to get him eventually solo (since he has much less health that way) but it was insane, and i stopped playing before beating fatalis, because that fight was just complete bullshit

[@EnderVoice]

The heroic part you refered to is actually a reference to the main theme of Monster Hunter Tri, the game that introduced Alatreon to the series. Also this theme is called "To Those Alive" and has not only this heroic vibe but a also a huge feeling of nature, and what nature is. I could suggest you to react to this short OST if you haven't already ! ☺

[@LoveBread07]

It’s always a treat hearing your thoughts on the mh music, you should definitely look into the lore of the monsters you listened to it’s really interesting

[@jonarhax3388]

Alatreon is deemed a black dragon because if I remember correctly, people thought he was fatalis come back reborn from the dead

[@Enneamorph]

Wrong one: That’s the reigning theory for Dire Miralis

[@revandiandro5437]

Hey its you

[@insaneblitz8947]

Bro I got shivers down my spine and I love that. They do such an amazing job with all the music in monster hunter games and it all fits with each monster

[@gojibbq]

This theme is so interesting in how it keeps you on your toes!! It feels deliberately confusing, just as chaotic as Alatreon's elemental shifts. Right when it introduces what feels like a "chorus", something to anchor you to a pattern or theme, it breaks away from it, and before you know it it's back to square one and we're building to that brief moment of face to face conflict again

[@Much_Ado]

I remember, the first time I soloed Alatreon, I felt the greatest sense of kinship with the Field Team Leader, cus the emotion in his reaction was near identical to mine when that bastard finally went down. *explosive outward breath after holding it in* "You dID IT!!"

[@khayceegretzpadua1842]

One of the best soundtracks in monhun that really conveys an apocalyptic monster is Dire Miralis' theme. The vocals are heralding the end of the world, just in the instruments you know it's a creature of epic strength and destroys everything in its way. Sinking islands as its past time. The very temperature it radiates boils the oceans until all life explodes. Dyeing the oceans red with blood as it calls down meteors. Making its theme have an apt name, The Vast Ocean Set Ablaze. Not to mention that the amazing vocals also sound like they're singing God is bleeding.

[@Chireiya]

I love Alatreon's theme, I love its design and I loved the fight. It really did keep you on your toes with how fast it switched elements and attack patterns. In fact, the frequent changes of speed and feeling in the theme represent its unstable nature (both of Alatreon's powers and its mind), according to a note displayed during the Monster Hunter live concert streamed a couple of years back.

[@zizzi9806]

[@MarcoMeatball]

:)

[@miguelcabreracastro6968]

The heroic part is also present on deviljho theme on MH world, its a nostalgic touch, the main theme off monster hunter tri/3 ultimate, were they first apeared. Its like the MH world themes that have the stars at our backs bits or selianas theme, really cool to know their origins just with the music.

[@Suirioujin]

4:28 What you hear at this moment is the "Proof of a hero" of the game Alatreon is from ( which is one of the best soundtrack of the franchise ) And fun fact, the "quest clear" ost ( that is not here unfortunately ) you can hear after defeating the monster is the same "quest clear" theme as the game Alatreon's from Alatreon's design turns around reverse scales, it comes from Asian mythology, stating that EVERY dragon has a "reversed scale", that if it's just touched, will turn the dragon into an unstoppable rage that could last days Alatreon has hundreds of reversed scales ( on its torso, its head, wings, paws etc ) which make it a really unstable dragon, but it also helps it to easily switch between 4 elements, from the glacial ice to a very strong flame, but also raining lightnings It alos has the ability to combine 2 elements to create different effects It is one of the most dangerous monster of the world of Monster Hunter

[@Wyxill]

Alatreon? Tsk! What about his big (and more cool) brother? Disufiroa! Disufiroa! (Great video as always)

[@abjectpriority7303]

another great vid, you managed to convey what happens in the fight with changing elements and the chaotic nature of the beast. I’d love to see you cover Monster hunter 3’s Dire Miralis or the 3U theme for Alatreon. keep up the great work, love your content.

[@MarcoMeatball]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@the_ragingviking]

Strange, I never considered it to be said they way you pronounced it outside of "Ala-trea-on" instead of "A-lat-reon." Very interesting to hear other's interpretations of the beast's name. Given the state of my completion in the game thus far, it was definitely up there in terms of the hardest fights I've experienced so far in a Monster Hunter game. The various mechanics and the various elements behind the fight caters to teamwork rather than individual roles per weapon type. Hunters have to really focus on a number of key components to ensure the fight can end within the time limit. The music itself plays such a deep role to this fight in particular, especially when the fight changes so drastically and suddenly throughout the fight itself. While I had such a difficult time with fighting Alatreon, the music was surely a change from fighting the other larger and more difficult creatures towards what could be considered "end game" beasts. Thank you for the video!

[@phoenixtalon100]

This was gorgeous, I'd love to see more videos like this. So fascinating to see how the personalities of monsters comes through in their music. Might I suggest you give Nakarkos (Phase 1 and 2) a listen? Or Gore Magala?

[@MarcoMeatball]

those are all the vids on the channel!

[@dnlkr]

All of these tracks, in my opinion, should include the monster's roar at at least one point, just after the introductory movement, just like it happens in-game. The music starts, you spot the monster and land in front of them, and they roar as they recognize the threat of the hunter.

[@ahmadbugshan9603]

Fun fact: MH community calls alatreon theme the anthem of fainting due to its unbelievably high difficulty spike from the monsters before it

[@MarianaPall]

Hey Marco, great job with the videos! May I jugest you do something like this, but for fighting games(Ryu's theme, Soy sauce for Geese, The town inside me)? It is often overlooked, but fighting games have some really kick ass songs that do tell the fighters personalities! Also, maybe do the analisys with the main themes of the MGS series(Heavens divide/Snake eater/Never say goodbye to yesterday/etc) and how they relate to the themes of their respective games?

[@drsleepy3867]

i love how you nailed the personality of the monster from just its theme

[@saurianfan7102]

8:00 That is really fitting with Alatreon because he is constantly switching between the elements he uses during the fight. As one who has played Monster Hunter you might already know this, but there are five distinct elements that monsters use in this series. They are Fire, Water, Ice, Thunder, and Dragon. Most monsters use only one. A few are lucky enough to get two or even three. But Alatreon... ... *he uses ALL OF THEM* You'll get unholy combinations of them during the fight. Pillars of ice that explode with dragon energy when strikes them with thunder. Pools of water that ignite when struck with fire. One minute the air is freezing, the next a sudden heatwave. One person in the community, Oceaniz, said that the act of simply being near it is a struggle for survival. And then... there is its ultimate attack... I won't describe for the sake of not spoiling the fight too much... but its name is *ESCATON JUDGEMENT*

[@Seltika2007]

If I may be so bald, I’d heavily recommend you to listen to the Shantien themes 1-4! They are super epic, heroic, interesting and mystical. And phase 4 is my personal favorite MH theme currently. Check it out, you won‘t be disappointed!

[@Jc88500]

He actually listened to the phase 4 theme during the recent Housewarming stream

[@noahcaelum6796]

3:17 Brother chill! Save some ladies for the rest of us!

[@MarcoMeatball]

LMAOOOO

[@Cadmean_7]

It's funny how you mention the shifting direction on the theme here, the main thing about alatreon is shifting elements, foundamentally changing from the hunts we're used to

[@burstlight4559]

Ah i remember the first time i fought Alatreon, he completely demolished me, then i kept fighting him for several times to study his attack pattern and when i finally got used to his attacks and had somewhat the upper hand, he rushed to the center of the arena and pulled the "Nuke everything" card on me i was really surprised lol. Then i decided to go online and fight him with people, after several "Nukes" and tries i did it ! Really like how he uses all the elements of the game it's this game version of the Avatar ! Also i dunno why but it seems like he is angry all the time.

[@kunalpol9256]

this video has so many perfect potential out of context clips

[@yeltzingomez637]

Awesome video Marco! I didn't really remember much of Alatreon's theme until this vid, and I definitely don't remember liking it this much! In case you weren't aware, Alatreon debuted in Monster Hunter Tri as the final boss, and his theme has aspects of the Monster Hunter Tri's main theme too which is super cool. His whole thing is that he can control all of the elements that're in Monster Hunter Tri, but he can't really control them, at least not the ones we fight. BTW, have you done a video on Godfrey, First Elden Lord's theme? I'd love to see you react to that piece!

[@MarcoMeatball]

Oh! Thanks for the reminder

[@yeltzingomez637]

@@MarcoMeatball 😁😁😁

[@cryptidcanid]

I've been working on a MonHun theme teirlist with a friend for a while and Alatreon's World theme was an immediate S tier for me based on the co plexity and how you can just TELL this is a dangerous foe. If you haven't reacted to it already, I highly recommend Allmother Narwa's theme from Rise. Only theme that's made me cry based on listening to it alone, but the story behind it gives it so much more weight.

[@bitlinkgame]

The game Alatreon first appeared in (MH 3 Ultimate) had some crazy good music design. So many times is the main theme, To One With Life, woven into other monster's themes. I really would love for you to explore those songs, cause there's just so much there musically to unravel and it's....more than I have the words to describe. And To One With Life is just a beautiful song

[@TheMonarchofDragons]

The way I look at Iceborne Alatreon and his music is kind of like a countdown. It starts out slow, quiet and intimidating, as the creature is eyeing you down, setting the entire arena ablaze. There's a boiling rage hidden just below the surface, and it is peeking out. We then get callbacks to his debut game of Tri with the arabian instruments (idk what it is; not a musical expert, feel free to clarify or correct) reminiscent of the desert city of Loc Lac, as well as the opening theme "To One With Life", before accelerating rapidly with each chime of that bell. That rage isn't just on display it is now bursting out, the energy and power within uncontainable for Alatreon until it finally explodes into his ultimate attack: the Escaton Judgement. And then... it shifts back into "To One With Life", urging hunters forward to quell the beast before resetting back to the start. This is awesome because the way Iceborne Alatreon works is that he has a timer mechanic behind him, requiring players to deal enough elemental damage to weaken the Escaton Judgement. It isn't a matter of if he'll do the Escaton Judgement, it is a matter of when. And if you don't clear the check, you all die; simple as that. But even if you weaken the Escaton, you still have to make sure that you break his horns before then, as throughout the fight he'll constantly shift modes and elemental weaknesses. So if you brought an ice weapon to counteract his fire form, you are basically rendered obsolete when he shifts into ice. It's a fight that requires full mastery of the game and monster to overcome, where every second on the clock counts as you march towards inevitable destruction, uncertain if you'll survive or not until you finally make it through. Rinse and repeat the cycle, until the creature is dead. That's why I really like this slower, more dramatic incarnation of Alatreon's theme. It perfectly captures the frantic nature of the fight and the inevitability of the Escaton: constantly shifting between all these different melodies and beats as the creature goes between ground and flight, switches up elemental modes, and rains down the full force of nature's fury upon you. Many monsters in the series have been described as walking ecological disasters, but Alatreon was one of the first times were I truly felt like I was against something that was unstoppable. Where no matter what I did, sooner or later I would either fade away in the flames and frost of judgement day, or live to fight another day. You can't stop a hurricane, the most you can do is prepare and deal with it as best you can.

[@akangpantunman]

Yup. I think the new theme is really fit IB Alatreon and the old theme fit tri/3U Alatreon

[@JoseCarlos-cs5vc]

Now we just need a reaction to Dire Miralis's theme.

[@peepoo2049]

Alatreons theme was never really a favourite of mine, the way Safijiiva's or fatalis's ones were. I dont know, it was just disturbing to listen to, like definitely not something i would play on a regular, like its theme is really just that disturbing. Curious to know, how many more monster themes do you plan to listen to? Any monster names you can give a hint? IS CRIMSON DEMON FATALIS ONE OF THEM? 🤩

[@MarcoMeatball]

I mean all!

[@peepoo2049]

@@MarcoMeatball oh dayum 😳

[@DS_DoggerX]

I absolutely LOVE Iceborne's soundtrack almost always taking the time to hit you with a wave of homely nostalgia in the middle of a fight. As many people pointed out, that was the theme of MHTri. But that's far from the only time. Nargacuga, a second gen monster, randomly hits you with the second gen village theme. Glavenus, a Bherna monster, suddenly hits you with the Bherna village theme. And so on, and so forth. This OST does this ALL THE TIME, and I think the reason is clear. World/Iceborne was a lot of players' first entry, but the threats we got late game? Those were all old rivals. They want the veterans to feel like that first fight all over again!

[@mh_celestial]

I love your reactions to the Monster Hunter themes. I love for you to react to Amatsu's theme song one day

[@jesterbrown90]

The worst part about Alatreon for me was the DPS check. He'll periodically fire off a nuke, and if you didn't hit him with enough opposing elemental damage before he decides to fire it, it wipes the party.

[@viperblitz11]

Genuinely hate that. Since not all weapons are very good at dealing elemental damage, one-trick players could find themselves basically locked out of completing it if their favorite weapon isn't up to par. It punishes you for not playing exactly as intended by walling off your progression until you do, something that flies in the face of MHW's earlier design philosophy (where all options may not be equal, but can still be made viable by skill and good prep).

[@Nickuh88]

RIGHT?! He says screw the timer in the game n makes his own. You get HALF of the actual allotted time and 3(or 4 if your smart) DPS checks. And if you can't make one then there's no point continuing to fight kuz you're only doing a fraction of the damage now...better to suicide and come back with new gear...

[@danielr5817]

A world ending black dragon much like Fatalis. creepy crawly strings and terrifying nature just like you described in both here and Fatalis theme. And just like you said in your description of the music jumping and shifting is how it shifts between Fire, Dragon, Ice. always shifting to Dragon between ice and fire shifts. The sound desgin of Alatreon is one of my favorites in the game with his powerful roar and ringing resonance. and his Eskaton Judgment when everything gets muffled and quiet as he charges a blast that will kill you if you havent done enough damage to him from the start of the fight. between me and my friends I call him "Spyro's Fucken Pissed" due to the fact that he shifts between elements like Spyro can in the Legend of Spyro series

[@zeroxide]

If you ever get the chance i recommend checking out Duremudira's themes from Monster hunter frontier g6. They are a bit old but they are some of the best themes imo

[@arthuralmeida6049]

I love how Monster Hunter OST is so diverse, you have all kind of songs because you have all kind of creatures too, my favorite franchise as both game and soundtrack, a lot of games have good music but few are so diverse, normally is always the same kind of music like in FromSoftware, Bethesda and CD RED for exemple. Plus: Alatreon is my top 2 fights, above world fatalis and beneath Ruiner Nergigante

[@WolfysEyes]

Got it in one with the music indicating shifting patterns; as others have likely already pointed out, Alatreon can change his elemental affinity at will during the fight, meaning you gotta stay on your toes. The fact that the theme leaned into that and paired it with this sense of psychotic malice is so smart.

[@lilburd8715]

That heroic part you were talking about is actually monster hunter 3's main theme to one with life its also plays 3's hunt completion theme when you slay him which is a nice touch fatalis also plays the original monster hunters victory theme when you slay him aswell

[@wifiscratch3736]

I was part of the group that thought this mon was broken but then learned it wasn’t and this music is kicking in my ptsd of the fight

[@oeeo6thealatreon118]

Alatreon is my favorite monster for a very big reason It made me realize why I love mh It’s a monster that hates all life, a monster that the second it sees something it will immediately try to kill it Mh is a game that tries to make its monsters feel like creatures, something that might be possible if our world was just a little more crazy Alatreon is the direct opposite of natural But at the same time it isn’t It uses all the elements, making it basically nature itself as a dragon Breathing fire towards you, summoning lightning from the sky, shooting water towards you and even burning this “water” (its liquid from its fire sac), it can also freeze the ground around it and shoot massive ice spikes towards you, even generating dragon energy and making it go out of it as an attack When you walk into the area and see THIS, a dragon that uses all the elements, the first thing that comes to mind is fear, at this point you’ve fought monsters that ruled over an element, like teostra and his command of fire or velkhana and it’s command of ice But Alatreon is as unnatural as you can get while still looking familiar It’s the power of nature in a body of death The scariest thing about it for me is the fact that, it doesn’t fight you for safety (at least that’s not the main reason) or fighting you for food No It simply fights you because it wants you dead, no other motive, it just simply wants everyone and everything around it dead A monster that will shoot fire, and suddenly summoning ice from the sky, before finishing you off but unleashing a force of dragon energy And then his amazing ultimate, the power of the attack just reminding you even more how powerful this monster is A monster that nothing else could ever beat (except fatalis) a monster that is just a natural force of nature I love his theme as well, the calm and intimating nature of the beginning, the intense and scare part showing you that this monster isn’t something to mess around with And then the heroic part plays, the main theme of mh tri, giving nostalgia to anyone who ever plays tri/3u and giving you a sense that you can do this, you can win, And then the end of it, reminding you that while you can do this, it’s still a very dangerous monster It’s fight is my favorite fight in all of mh (I’m speaking Iceborne), I love the feeling of being able to fight this creature that could randomly just destroy the world around it by accident, a monster still challenging after so long (i have 100 kills, and I still die to him a lot) Anyway sorry for the long comment but I really do love this monster (loved this video)

[@NanoUchia]

Man i haven't fought this monster in so long yet alone listen to his iceborne theme. Listening to it again, so many nostalgic memories flowing in. Such a fun fight

[@CodenameRune]

People already talked about Alatreon being terrible enough to be completely erased from all records. In Iceborne specifically, after a few minutes of the fight he winds up an attack, called "Eschaton Judgement" - Eschaton in this case refers to "expectations of the end of the present age, human history, or of the world itself." The world itself ends, and he is the one at the gate, the one bringing down the axe. You cannot survive it. But to him, it is just an attack to get rid of pesky bugs. He can do it as often as he wants. That's how fucked up dangerous Alatreon is.

[@matasa7463]

Can you imagine if he went into a city and unleashed a full power Eschaton Judgment? The game would suddenly get a lot darker as the body count racks up.

[@wayzord9903]

The Alatreon is one of the three "black dragons", the most dangerous creatures in the monster hunter universe. Fatalis is one of them too. Alatreon is so unstable that it doesnt belong in any ecosystem, it destroys any it crosses. Fatalis is a real threat for humanity and Alatreon for any living things but black dragons. I remember playing the game, Alatreon was the most difficult monster to beat. It has so many moves and attacks and you have to be aggresive or it just kills the whole party in one attack after a few minutes. Gotta admit, we carted a lot on that beast!

[@EnderVoice]

Also, that just might be me, never heard anyone else talk about this but, some of these intruments used in this theme that sound more oriental-ish make me think of Loc Lac city in the same Monster Hunter Tri game. It was an isolated city full of hunters in the great desert. Back then it used to be the multiplayer hub that you take off from to go and try to defeat Alatreon, who used to be an online only monster. Very cool stuff !

[@Masterofhammers]

Alatreon..... The theme basically put you up against the avatar. It's lore describes it as a force of nature that most people refuse to believe even exist. They burned most records if this monster. Saying some things are better left unanswered. Which emphasizes the feeling here: its mysterious and ominous. It's still chaotic but in a more natural way. Then the old theme however.... Disaster incarnate. It's all about percussion and you fight a God amongst monsters. The instruments represent the elements it's using while Fatalis and Safi have the vibes and choir of Armageddon.

[@darthplagueis13]

"Is that how you pronounce that?" is the epitome of western monster hunter pronunciation. Because the thing is, most monster names as we know them are localized from a japanese version. For instance, Rathalos in japanese is Rioreusu, which would be pronounced as Leoleus, and Astalos is Raizekusu/Raizex. Afaik it's often done when the japanese version contains some sort of play on words, but I could be mistaken. But the thing is, whilst there are localized names, they are generally localized for the western world at large, rather than for each individual language, resulting in each monster having one japanese and one "western" name. But because the localized names aren't explicitly localized to one specific language, pronunciation will vary on your native language. One name people commonly argue about is Tigrex, which may be either pronounced as tie-grex or tea-grex, which has spawn a few memes on different versions of the monster, either in business attire or sitting comfortably at home with a cuppa.

[@metroid1859]

It's interesting you mention the se change in tone leaving the hunters question what is this, those musical shifts are between its two active elemental phases of ice and fire with fire being the more vicious pronounced phase of the two

[@pommedeter7407]

The music is constantly changing, baiting and switching between vibes and rhythms, to signify the unstable and chaotic nature of the monster

[@TheHylainKnight]

Alatreon was such a pain, more than Fatalis and that dragon's suppose to be the end of the road for MH:World. No amount of regality or mystery comes close to the rage of being a dual blade against this thing, how am I suppose to break the horns if I'm all the way down here. Also I don't remember where you said leave these, but mayhaps I can entice you into some Code Vein. Specifically "Requiem, Light, and Tranquility" or "Your Everything". Think the second is the actual title and the first was just what someone made up.

[@hoarauthomas1006]

4:29 that moment when mh tri ultimate theme kicks in ! wow I could feel in my bones !

[@TheDevilDucker]

Ala-TRAY-on That's how the devs pronounced his name in English Alatreon is one of the black dragons of MH, just like Fatalis Alatreon is called "The Blazing Black Dragon." And has control over all the elements, but he's "Elementally Unstable." At the same Time, his debut was in the online hub from Monster Hunter Tri There's a popular myth about dragons having a "Reverse Scale." On their bodies that, if it's touched, this Will enrage the creature and turn him into a pure rage state. And actually, this Is what the mantles that you can receive from monsters as their most rare material actually Is; A Reverse Scale All of Alatreon's scales are reversed scales, and the most basic material you can get from Alatreon is the Alatreon's Mantle This Monster Is the Icon of destruction, and even after it's second coming in the series after MHTri (Without including Generations), guild members were afraid to the point of destroying all info about this Monster because "Something like that creature can't be real."

[@TheDevilDucker]

Also, the section around 4:30 has the motif from MHTri's main Theme; To One with Life I would love to see your opinion of this "Heroic" Theme after hearing this Theme!

[@joehutchcraft1675]

Alatreon is such a good fight, you need to experience it. They really vamped up the danger factor, I mean, a wide area "get bent! Your DPS is sh*t!" attack is perfect.

[@Alatyreon]

I love your videos especially your monster hunter and genshin ones. Alatreon in particular is my favorite monster but I think I love safi and fatalis theme more. I'm interested in what you think about velkhana and arch-tempered velkhana theme which is the flagship of iceborne.

[@Attaxalotl]

the Valstrax theme is really good, and I'd love to see it on here!

[@Eadragonixius]

Marco, here some interesting information You see after the first high action symphony, the melodic part after it is actually a throwback to Monster Hunter Tri, a game where you learn to be in touch with the natural world of MH

[@grimreefer213]

There seems to be a theme in MH soundtracks where part of the song is more like the monsters theme and other parts of the song are more heroic kind of like the hunters theme or the heroic confrontation with the monster. Some parts of the music could be brutish, violent, disturbing or imposing, but then you get these heroic moments woven into the soundtrack as the hunter confronts the monster. It is definitely apparent in the Fatalis theme, much of the soundtrack is wicked and disturbing, but at the same time the track is also heroic and triumphant, it’s an interesting contrast. Alatreon is a masterpiece, he really forces you to get good at the game on a deep level, but it’s really well designed. It’s a great soundtrack and great fight. Alatreon’s soundtrack is full of tension but it also has a beauty and majesty to it which I really like.

[@paorousama]

the sharp meter changes you've noticed are tied pretty well to its mechanics (at least in iceborne). it changes elements, which can ruin your game depending on your equipment, and you have to prepare for a special attack during the phase change that can wipe out your party if you dont meet the requirements/ set up to survive that attack.

[@itsturniptime3699]

4:28 or 4:29 This is a call back to the main theme of Monster Hunter Tri and or Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, the song “To one with Life.” This is the game that Alatreon originated from and so this track is represented here as it was the final big bad of Tri originally. This song is also referenced in Deviljho’s theme briefly, a monster that also originated from the third generation. This song is almost like a story of a Hunter fighting against the living incarnation of chaos itself, a being that embodies the elements and is in of itself a natural disaster on wings. Many MH themes contain small portions where it feels like the Hunter is fighting back triumphantly and I think that’s super neat. If you aren’t taking music suggestions from the comments, ignore no below and I apologize sincerely If you’re taking suggestions, I recommend *Valstrax’s theme from Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate* or if you’re so inclined *Valstrax’s theme from Minster Hunter Generations Ultimate* and *Crimson Glow Valstrax’s theme from Monster Hunter Rise.* They are the same theme but with very different vibes and theming undertones, the first one being more exciting while the second tells a story off of the first.

[@ZectorV1]

Im not sure if anyone has mentioned this but Alatreon is originally from monster hunter 3 as the final boss, he was a very big deal as a black dragon, a title only a rare handful of monsters share. The little bit of heroic parts of his theme here are from the main theme of monster hunter 3. My little bit ive always taken from this theme though was that Alatreon was meant to represent the game it debuted in, which was a monster hunter game focusing on the ocean. Alatreon being "primordial" in the sense of being one of those black dragons makes sense in that context as even though it is not a sea fairing monster in itself, the sea is seen as the birth of everything. Additionally I feel it matches the musical themes you could give to an ocean, all at once mysterious terrifying and inspiring depending on however the waves are feeling at that particular time, changing in seconds unpredictably. Ironically though (or perhaps very fitting?) the only element Alatreon did not control in his original game was water.

[@yetravellingsonc8372]

Something worth noting is that the version of the track from Tri, 3 Ultimate, and Generations (ultimate) has a much more visceral start. It isn't like this one where it sort of 'creeps up' to the listener, no, the second you drop into the arena you get a loud echoing bell followed by blaring church organs and horns. Also there's an electric guitar during that part you described as it charging headfirst. In other words, while it's portrayed as majestically chaotic here, in its original form it was treated as pure visceral malice. It was meant to invoke panic as you go into battle with one of the strongest and most unpredictable monsters in the entire series. Lore-wise, Alatreon is an elementally unstable Elder Dragon commonly classed as one of the 'Black Dragons' alongside other elders like Fatalis; likewise, all records of it were destroyed as a precaution. It shifts elements constantly, and can cause entire regions to abruptly shift climates at random. It's also inspired by Asian myths of dragons having a single reversed scale that, when touched, invokes the dragon's wrath; and what do you know, Alatreon is composed of entirely reversed scales. It is extremely territorial and prefers to live alone, sometimes even at the bottom of the ocean if necessary.

[@shahs1221]

Alatreon was the first true monster in MHW that made me sit up and try super hard. I actually studied a text guide of its movesets and then relayed what I learned to my friend group when we fought him. Let me tell you, even after researching his moves and having the knowledge, it's a whole different thing having to fight and beat him. Not only do you need the top of the line gear (due to it being weak to certain elements DEPENDING on its many states), you need to constantly be on his ass doing as much damage as possible to break through his threshold before his big phase otherwise that's it for you. Waste time running around and not getting hits in, and you might as well restart the battle (which would be fine, if his AI would stop constantly moving). He hits hard, he has a gazillion moves, and many states to keep track of ON TOP OF the mandatory damage check you have to pass. It was also the first monster that made my one friend who typically plays the game in a very casual sense to actually try hard. After two weeks of trying (sometimes with random lobbies with just the two of us due to the others being busy), one day after attempting Alatreon for 4 hours, I was about to call it a day, until my friend suggested to keep going. For context, she's typically the first one to get easily tired and calls in early compared to the rest of us. We were THAT invested. The both of us finally defeated it with the help of a random lobby and it was one of the most elated feelings in the world! And of course, we had to not only beat it again with our other friends this time, but we had to farm it's weapons for the next (and most) difficult battle of the game, Fatalis. Alatreon is a tough fight with a team, but God it's even harder solo. I've attempted to twice with the hunting horn, and MAN it's a nightmare!

[@exile650]

Monster Hunter Tri was the first one I really sunk my teeth into so the original Alatreon theme is seared into my brain. I really like the buildup on the World version though.

[@benjaminbassi9928]

Will you keep doing analysis of octopath 2 themes? Every song in that game is a banger!

[@MarcoMeatball]

Yea