Alatreon is an Elder Dragon introduced in Monster Hunter 3. It is a mysterious and powerful dragon that possesses a powerful but haphazard control over all the elements, allowing it to fire out elemental attacks of all types. Aggressive towards all life and feared as a living natural disaster, it is classified as a Black Dragon, a group of enigmatic monsters famed for their power and ominous black hue.
Appearance[]
The enormous quadrupedal dragon Alatreon has a more noticeable spiky patch on its breast and is entirely coated in razor-sharp black scales that face backwards. Its two massive, serrated horns on its head, its strong tail, beak-like mouth, and large wings are all necessary for it to be able to manage its elemental abilities. Alatreon's scales can glow in various hues depending on whatever elements it is presently utilizing, with the cores of its horns also displaying this when cut. Interestingly, Alatreon possesses eyes with red sclerae and a bluish ring around its irises. Like most Elder Dragons it has slit pupils.
Abilities[]
With dominion over the elements of Fire, Ice, Thunder, Water, and Dragon, Alatreon is an elementally unstable being. It has the ability to unleash flameblasts, breathe ice crystals and freezing air, call forth lightning bolts, discharge flammable fluid jets, secrete puddles of mysterious oil, and surround itself with draconic energies. Their razor scales continually leak elemental energy, allowing them to take on numerous qualities that may alter on their own, in addition to utilizing many elements at once. Since it seems that a large portion of its elemental control stems from its horns, shattering them or inflicting enough elemental damage on them individually can temporarily lessen its powers. These are available as Fire Active, Ice Active, Dragon Active, Ground Mode, and Flight Mode.
Although Alatreon is able to employ all five of its components simultaneously, it lacks precise control over them, which frequently results in its power seeping out of its body and wreaking havoc on its surrounds. It is claimed to possess the powers of every True Elder Dragon, though such a claim is incredibly dubious. Nevertheless, because of its elemental instability, it is unable to fully control that power. Interestingly, the Alatreon encountered in the New World displays a mastery over its elements, even being capable of utilising them in tandem. This implies that Alatreon are capable of training their normally haphazard usage of the elements to become truly destructive forces. Thus, Alatreon are regarded as living natural catastrophes due of their incontinence; they can produce storms wherever they go and ruin whatever region they choose to reside in. As such, records of this creature are often destroyed to prevent go-getter hunters from seeking the beast out and incurring its ire on the human race.
Elemental abilities aside, Alatreon is an incredibly agile flier, being able to navigate swiftly through its lair and even hover in place. It is also incredibly strong and durable, a trait which is complimented by its razor-sharp scales which can shred foes to pieces. Like other Elder Dragons, it is immune to paralysis or sleep inducing toxins and can also never tire out. Additionally, in the Fatalis special assignment, the Field Leader ponders why the Alatreon sighted there is "back so quickly", implying that this Alatreon was the one faced in an earlier quest. This implies that Alatreon might be intelligent enough to fake its own death like Ruiner Nergigante and Shara Ishvalda, or that it possesses lesser regenerative abilities that let it return from the brink of near-death, seeing as said Alatreon has a notably smaller HP pool. Wielders of Alatreon gear reportedly become dragon-like and savage in behaviour, but whether this is implied possession like Fatalis's armour or just the psychological effects of wearing such a powerful being's remains is unclear.
Behavior[]
Possessing a seething hatred for all other life forms, Alatreon are incredibly aggressive creatures that will attack anything they see, downing airships that cross its territory possibly due to seeing them as intruders. In turn, other living beings are terrified of it and will often leave its territory alone, hence the barren appearance of the Sacred Land. During its confrontation with the Hunter’s Guild’s commission, it displays its elemental abilities to the commission but still remains calm during the event, making it seem possible that it was attempting to intimidate the party. This act, coupled with its needless hostility towards other life, make the Guild believe Alatreon might actually be sentient, with its actions fulfilling its own, indecipherable agenda. Alatreon also seems to be remarkably intelligent in battle, frequently swapping elements to its advantage and utilising erratic physical attacks to throw hunters off guard.
Alatreon possesses a rivalry with Safi’jiva, being summoned to the New World along with Fatalis after its death. It has been noted to prematurely destroy Xeno’jiva cocoons before they hatch, an act which is described in the art books as a global turf war between the species. Interestingly, Alatreon overtakes Safi’jiva’s previous home, the Secluded Valley, as its own territory. If the theory of its sentience is to be believed, it’s possible that other than ensuring all the Xeno’jivas were killed, Alatreon took over this locale out of spite for its previous owner. This turf war seems to be turning against Alatreon however, as while unhatched Xeno'jiva are present in great numbers, Alatreons seem to live at increasingly low densities, though this could just be attributed to their habit of isolating themselves.
Other than this, Alatreon's ecology is completely unknown: its immediate surroundings are always devoid of life, making its prey of choice uncertain, while their solitary lifestyles make any interactions between the species' members unknown. Furthermore, a secret sect of Hunters Guild clients always demand for any records of Alatreon to be destroyed, meaning that any information about it is scarcely retained. Despite this, as Alatreon rarely venture outside of their home turf, they're not considered a huge threat to humanity so long as they're left alone. Thus, while undoubtedly powerful and incredibly dangerous, Alatreon may be considered guardians to humanity as civilisations that live near them such as Port Tanzia, repelling more aggressive Elder Dragons with their might.
Habitat[]
The Volcano's Sacred Land is where the Alatreon fight. When they search for food, they probably have access to any location inside the volcano, and occasionally they might even go outside of it. They may also be observed in the Isle of Man. Since the original occupant of the Secluded Valley has vanished, they have been observed in the New World. Remarkably, specimens discovered in the Sacred Land seem larger than those discovered in the New World.
While mostly terrestrial, some Alatreon are said to seclude themselves in oceanic trenches to avoid other life forms, indicating an amphibious lifestyle.
Trivia[]
- Alatreon's scales notably taper in the opposite direction compared to other Elder Dragons. This is a reference to how East Asian dragons are said to have a "reverse" scale on their throats that instantly aggravates them when touched. Thus, as Alatreon is completely covered in "reverse" scales, this symbolises its sheer aggression and murderous urges towards other life.
- In its debut generation, Alatreon lacked the ability to manipulate the Water element. However, it gained the ability to do so in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, manipulating it via the secretion of an enigmatic oil.
- According to certain myths, a subspecies of Alatreon exists known as the Shining Blue Dragon: an Alatreon covered in white scales that breathes blue fire. So far, this monster has never been seen in any of the franchise's series whatsoever, though this could refer to a relative of Alatreon found in the Monster Hunter Frontier series: Disufiora. That being said, the Frontier series is questionably canon to the main series, making it likely that the Shining Blue Dragon is a mere myth.
- Alatreon scored 10th place in the 20th Anniversary Hunters' Choice Poll for Best Monster.
- According to the official artbooks, Alatreon's name means "Dawn's Triumph" in the Wyverian language, referencing its blazing appearance contrasting its dark hide.
