Monster Hunter: World - 10 Hardest Monsters (And How To Beat Them)
6. Kirin
How difficult you find the mandatory encounter with Kirin in endgame will come down to whether you completed a specific series of side quests early on. Without the Thunderproof Mantle awarded for its completion, merely getting in close enough for an attack will be near-to-impossible when it comes time to tackle it in High Rank and beyond.
As is the case with all Elder Dragons, Elder Seal weapons are particularly potent, but only here are they borderline mandatory. In its enraged state, the wingless drake's mane will flare up to form a rock-solid shield around it that will not only deflect your advances but inflict the immobilizing Thunderblight status effect merely by contact.
Bashing it around the chops with an Elder Seal weapon will prevent Kirin from entering this supercharged state, but not from going into Zeus mode to call down an orbital strike of lightning bolts on your position
If you haven't already, fetch that Mantle from Astera's biologist and drape it over your noggin. Only then will you be safe in the knowledge that no matter how many times lightning strikes the same place, your brain will be safe from being deep fried.