Malzeno is an Elder Dragon in Monster Hunter Rise, serving as the flagship monster featured in the title's new expansion, Sunbreak. With a body frame shaped similarly to Velkhana from Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, Malzeno is a massive dragon-like creature that can drain the life of Hunters and other monsters by using a new status effect known as Bloodblight. This Bloodborne-like mechanic in Rise reduces natural health recovery and slowly decreases the afflicted's HP. Furthermore, the amount of health replenished from healing items is lowered. However, Hunters can damage Malzeno to heal back their HP proportionate to the damage they dealt.
The Elder Dragon Malzeno has three combat modes that Hunters should be aware of: Neutral, Bloodblight mode, and Enraged. During Neutral, Malzeno will perform moves and attacks, some of which players will already be familiar with from other monsters. Once Bloodblight mode is active, the Elder Dragon will glow a dark, purplish-red, and its abilities will always inflict players with Bloodblight. Finally, during its Enraged state, Malzeno's scales will turn black, with several body features glowing bright red. The monster is extremely dangerous in Monster Hunter Rise during this time and should be dealt with cautiously.
As players face Malzeno in combat, they will notice some of its attacks during its neutral phase will discharge Bloodblight in various ways. The Elder Dragon has full control of its Bloodblight abilities and is able to inflict players at close range, from AoE, and even from a distance. As mentioned above, the priority of a Hunter afflicted with Bloodblight should be to be on the offensive, attacking Malzeno to regain back their lost HP. Unfortunately, there's no way to remove this effect except by letting it fade.
Defeating Malzeno In MHR: Sunbreak
As Malzeno continues to inflict Hunters with Bloodblight, it will gain power. Once it has reached a threshold, the monster will burst, transforming into Bloodblight mode. During this phase, the MHR Elder Dragon's attacks will be faster and more deadly. Moreover, most of its abilities will be augmented to execute extra attacks. Therefore, players need to adapt quickly, understanding that the move the monster performed before will have additional mechanics in this form. During Bloodblight mode, Malzeno will often rear back and cover itself with its wings. This action indicates it's about to blink forward at a target.
It is possible to knock Malzeno out of its Bloodblight mode by continuously attacking the red glowing parts of its body. However, bear in mind that this is not feasible when the monster is Enraged. One primary attack that Hunters should watch out for is when the Elder Dragon flies up into the air and fires a giant blast of Bloodblight into the ground that spreads across the entire room. To avoid this attack, use the Wirebug in MHR to leap into the air and hang momentarily while the ability finishes.
Monster Hunter Rise is available on PC and Nintendo Switch.