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| “ | A leviathan that sits at the peak of the Iceshard Cliff's ecosystem. It surrounds its massive form in cold temperatures via ridge-like cooling organs across its body; the frost its limbs produce doubles as a potent weapon and a way to travel along walls and floating rocks. | „ |
| ~ Jin Dahaad's entry in the Hunters' Notes |
Jin Dahaad is a monster introduced in Monster Hunter Wilds. A colossal species of terrestrial Leviathan, it serves as the Apex of the Iceshard Cliffs, possessing an incredible degree of control over temperature which it uses to freeze prey solid. It is a voracious predator that tolerates no trespassers in its territory, making it highly feared.
Physiology[]
Jin Dahaad is a colossal, serpentine Leviathan that is covered in gray skin. It possesses large spines resembling thin copper plates that run along its body, forming shapes similar to ribs and vertebrae. These spines also form a two-pronged, rake-like end on its tail. Jin Dahaad possesses similar spines which form a bisected hood-like crest on its head and skull-like armour around its head. Its eyes are small and beady, while its lower jaw can split in two like Hirabami and Balahara. Jin Dahaad has these spines on its limbs too, with its forelimbs possessing an extra row of them above the wrists and ending in sharp claws. Its palms also have a small spike at their centre to assist with grip on the ice. The outline of its ribcage also seems to be fairly prominent. The tips of Jin Dahaad's back spines occasionally glow orange and emit rising steam, displaying the sheer heat contained within its body.
Abilities[]
As the apex predator of a frigid biome, Jin Dahaad appropriately possesses the ability to weaponise ice. Curiously, unlike most other Ice element monsters, Jin doesn't create ice by expelling supercooled chemicals from its body. Instead, the metallic armour covering its body acts as a heatsink for its external environment, sapping the warmth out of anything it touches and allowing frost to develop on its body and surroundings. In fact, Jin's body is so cold that its breath can freeze prey solid. This ability is also used outside of combat; unlike conventional Leviathans, Jin Dahaad cannot "swim" through any medium, seeing as it's too large to ride the Cliffs' currents, so it pursues prey by latching onto walls with its claws and securing them with ice. Furthermore, its control over ice is so powerful that it managed to cool the entire locale down significantly when driven into a frenzy by the Frenzy Virus, necessitating its demise.
Jin Dahaad can also utilise its control over temperature in reverse as when cornered, it can unleash a blast of heat so strong its body begins to glow orange, creating a shockwave from the rapid air expansion that decimates everything in the immediate vicinity. Fortunately, this attack can be interrupted by dropping debris on Jin's head or prevented altogether damaging its plates to the point of breaking.
Thanks to its humongous size, Jin Dahaad is an incredibly imposing monster in physical terms, being capable of collapsing rock walls with a charge forwards and causing huge plumes of snow to erupt with its bellyflops. Additionally, it is surprisingly speedy for its size, being capable of keeping up with Seikrets while climbing across the Cliffs' levitating boulders.
Behaviour[]
A powerful and territorial predator, Jin Dahaad is an incredibly hostile monster, seeing most creatures as food thanks to its sheer size. It will chase down prey with incredible tenacity, jaws agape and ready to swallow them. As such, most people tend to avoid venturing near its adobe when it's active, especially during the Frostwinds when its prey are vulnerable and easy to catch. Jin Dahaad's control over the Cliffs' weather is incredibly powerful, being capable of disrupting even the Dragontorch's power, making it an incredibly dangerous monster.
Habitat[]
Jin Dahaad has only been found in the Iceshard Cliffs thus far, where it reigns as apex predator. It mostly sticks to the more inclined portions of the locale, where it can scale the levitating rocks without worry about its size. It's mostly found in the very top of the Cliffs: the Rimechain Peak, where it makes its nest outside of the Frostwinds inclemency.
Trivia[]
- Jin Dahaad shares a title with Velkhana, being “Lord of Ice” which is the name of its theme.
- The first portion of Jin's name means "spirit" or "god" in Japanese, while the latter portion is a portmanteau of "だけ" (dake) with "पहाड"(pahād), both meaning "mountain" in Japanese and Nepali respectively.
- At 45.6m long, Jin Dahaad is the largest Leviathan ever recorded.
- Additionally, this makes it the longest non-Elder/Construct monster in the main series, outsizing several Elder Dragons as well.
- Jin Dahaad is unique compared to the other Apexes of Monster Hunter Wilds for various reasons:
- It is the only apex to have multiple phases and phase transitions for its theme.
- It does not have any turf wars or interactions with Arkveld.
- It is the only Apex to make its nest in a unique sub-area.
- It is the only Apex that can only be slain in High Rank.
- Unusually for a non-Elder Dragon, Jin Dahaad cannot be captured, likely due to its huge size. As such, it's unable to fall into Pitfall Traps, though Shock Traps still remain effective against it.
- Additionally, its body can be carved six times while its severed tail can be carved twice, similar to raid bosses such as Kulve Taroth.
