The hunt for gold crown monsters is part of the endgame of Monster Hunter: World. We have compiled some tips to make your search for these rare beasts easier. Here’s what you need to know about crowns and monster size in Monster Hunter World.
Gold crowns are badges that you receive after taking down the largest and smallest monsters of their kind, and they are needed to snag the two super-rare trophies.
Except for Zorah Magdaros and Xeno’jiiva, every monster has a “standard size” that usually can only deviate minimally upwards or downwards.
The large and small gold crown monsters deviate from this standard size by about 25% each.
This means if you don’t want to waste time fighting a monster without a crown, you need to somehow find out beforehand whether it is the right size.
The developers gave players in Monster Hunter World plenty of tools and aids for their hunt, but unfortunately, a measuring tape is not among them.
However, there are still some tricks to reliably determine whether a monster is large or small enough to yield a crown.
Big or small?
Necessity is the mother of invention, and this applies to players in Monster Hunter World as well. To successfully identify crown monsters, you have no other tools than yourself.
You have to compare your own character to the size of the monsters and look for features that distinguish large from small monsters.
A good reference point for size is the hind legs of the beasts. Usually, most monsters have legs, and you can easily position your character next to them for comparison.
Unfortunately, monsters rarely respond positively when you kindly ask them to hold still for a moment so you can gauge their size.
Therefore, you should craft as many Shock Traps as possible before a crown hunt. You will need them.
Now, there are elder dragons that do not get shocked. However, they often sit down for extended periods and do not attack even when you are not wearing a Ghillie Mantle.
This can be used to your advantage to compare sizes.
If you happen upon free-roaming monsters during an investigation, take the time to measure them as well. It is not unlikely they are also crown monsters, even if they are not part of the investigation.
You can check which gold crowns you have already obtained in the monster encyclopedia.
Find a reference point
A good example of a reference point is Lavasioth. Observant players have noticed that he has a bright orange spot on his left hind leg.
This spot is a wonderful “measuring stick”: If you stand next to it and the spot is above your head, then it is a large Lavasioth.
If it is below your head height, then it is a small one. However, if it is at about the same height, then it is a normal Lavasioth and you can leave the quest.
Many other monsters work according to the same pattern. Usually, it is about this part of the leg:
You orient yourself by the joint and how much higher or lower the “shin” is compared to your own head.
For monsters whose hind legs look different, you can use other body parts for orientation.
Kirin is one such monster, for example. Since it is also slightly hyperactive, it may take some time for it to stand still for a proper measurement.
If you can stand under it without your head touching its belly, then it is definitely large. For a small one, your character’s head will be almost at the same height as the blue line on its side.
For Nergigante, the base of the tail is a better comparison point than the hind legs.
When Nergigante briefly sits down to clean its wings, you can stand next to its tail base and see if it is large or small. The tail of a large Nergi is about as big as the player character at its base.
The pattern continues like this. Choose a body part as a comparison point and take some screenshots of it as a reference.
Here are some other features that can indicate the size of monsters:
- For the large Dodogama, its hind leg is about the same size as the player character.
- The hind shin of a large Teostra will be over a head taller than the player character, while a small Teostra will be about the same size. For a double-check, you can stand in Teostra’s mane after the fight. If it completely covers your character, then it is definitely a large Teo.
- For a large Vaal Hazak, the head of the character will be just below the shin. For a small Vaal, it will be at the same height.
- Kushala Daora’s hind leg will be about one and a half heads taller than the player character when large. The hind leg of a small Kush is about shoulder height.
- Uragaan has a red spot on its right leg. If this spot is about one and a half heads above the character, then it is a large Uragaan. The spot of a small Uragaan is approximately at shoulder height.
Proper investigations are important for farming gold crowns
Generally, it is random whether a quest or investigation will spawn a crown monster or not.
Investigations with many handicaps and rewards of at least silver + gold more often involve gold crown monsters.
So for example, if you have an investigation with conditions like max 2 players + 1x attempt + 30 minutes, it has a higher chance of a crown monster than an investigation with 5x attempts and 50 minutes of time.
If you enter the investigation and the right monster is missing, you can leave and try again.
It is also not necessary to slay all monsters in the quest or investigation to receive the gold crown. It is enough to kill just the crown monster.
However, you should use the return function and not abandon the quest, because otherwise the crown will not be counted.
Tip: Pay attention to event quests
Many event quests may have an increased probability for crown monsters.
The Spring Blossom Festival, which ends on April 19, has plenty of such quests.
In our list, you can see which crown monsters can be found there: Monster Hunter World: The rewards of the Spring Festival event quests
Good luck hunting!
Are you a trophy hunter? Then check out our guide for trophies in Monster Hunter: World:
Monster Hunter World – With this trophy guide, you can achieve 100%
