This is a pretty straight-forward hunt, at the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku is the weakest of the large monsters in the Coral Highlands, and tends to prowl along the south-eastern edge of the area. You’ll typically find it in AREA 2, but it can range into AREA 1 and AREA 8 as well. You know the routine by now, search for tracks and get your Scoutfly Level up before engaging the monster.

Hunt - Tzitzi-Ya-Ku¶

As a Bird Wyvern, the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku shares a category with the Kulu-Ya-Ku. Not only are the names and body-types similar, but both are agile, ground-based monsters that can be hard to hit for characters with slower weapons. That said, the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku is far more aggressive than its tool-using counterpart, a trait the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku fortunately doesn’t share.

The Tzitzi-Ya-Ku leaps, hops and darts constantly. If you see it pouncing back, expect it to reverse that trend with forward momentum soon enough, usually in the form of a leap attack, which comprises a great deal of the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku’s offense. Be constantly vigilant and strive to stay on the move as much as your foe, taking advantage of the recovery time between attack to hit it on the flank. Wear it down with multiple light attacks and save your big attacks for when it runs out of Stamina.

Not that leaping is all it will do. It’ll also perform bites, kicks, and tail swipes (the latter of which can be used immediately after a leap, to be fair). The Tzitzi’s most annoying - and iconic - attack involves its odd head organs, which emits a blinding flash of light. It has an incredibly long range (for all intents and purposes, you may as well consider it unlimited) that affects a wide area in front of them. The only safe places are behind the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku’s head, either to the side of or behind the beast itself, but if you have a shield you can block the flash, or a very well-timed dodge roll can evade its effects. If it hits you, you’ll be stunned and left vulnerable to the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku’s followup attacks. It’ll flash its head organs three times before finally completing the attack, during which time the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku is vulnerable itself.

The Tzitzi-Ya-Ku’s only vulnerable spot is its head, which is also the only breakable spot. This lack of dynamism is also apparent in its ailment resistances, as it’s moderately vulnerable to all of them. It’s weak to thunder and ice, and it takes a fair amount of damage from all other elements, not being particularly resistant to anything.

Kill and carve the Tzitzi-Ya-Ku and you’re pretty much guaranteed to get some Tzitzi-Ya-Ku Hide, which is the component you need for the delivery request Setting Up Camp: Coral Highlands. Return to Astera and complete the quest to unlock the Northeast Camp, then leave Astera and return to the Research Base.

When you arrive, the Third Fleet Captain will chat with you again, this time joined by the Field Team Leader, who will mention another area called the Rotten Vale. Sounds lovely. Unfortunately, it’s inaccessible right now, but the solution is rather… well, simple. Naturally, there’s only one thing holding up operation “rig the downed airship with balloons”; you need some monster bits from a new critter found in the Coral Highlands. This allows you to start the quest Ballooning Problems, and to sweeten the deal you’ll be given a new hunter tool, the Glider Mantle