Lao Combat FAQ
by Desert Scorpio (Alexander Matthews)
Version 1.22

Summary/Disclaimer (xxsdxx)

Monster Hunter and all related products are property of Capcom. Much as I'd
love to, I own none of it and simply offer advisory based on observations I've
made over my time playing in the online Monster Hunter atmosphere. Hopefully,
they will be of use to people reading this guide.

This FAQ was made for people who either are facing the monstrous red dragon,
fully named Lao-Shan Lung or shortly-named Lao, for their first time, via 
their pre-HR13 urgent quest, helping a friend out, or just lusting to see
the big red dragon finally die instead of turning tail and fleeing from the
fort.

To make navigation of this FAQ easier, I've added searchable titles beside
each section of it. For example, if you wanted to view the summary, you'd
hit CTRL+F to bring up the find window. From there, you'd search for 'xxsumxx'
and be brought to the summary. For sections after the summary, you'll have to
hit the find button twice because it will first locate what you're searching
for in the contents, where all the searchable 'phrases' are listed.
---
--Contents--

1) Summary/Disclaimer (xxsdxx)
2) What IS Lao? (xxwhatxx)
3) Frequently Asked Questions (xxfaqxx)
4) Controlling the fort weaponry (xxfwxx)
5) Lao's movement/how the quest works (xxlaoxx)
6) Introduction to strategies (xxintxx)
7) Gunners (xxgunxx)
8) Lancers (xxlanxx)
9) Hammers (xxhamxx)
10) Sword/shielders (xxssxx)
11) Dual swordsmen/swordswomen (xxdsxx)
12) Great swordsmen/swordswomen (xxgsxx)
13) Silly rumours (xxrumxx)
14) Special thanks and other stuff (xxstxx)
---
What IS Lao? (xxwhatxx)

Lao is the shortened name for the online version of Monster Hunter's first
real boss, not counting mini-bosses such as the wyverns before him. He is
fought in an area that can only be accessed by accepting the quest to combat
him; it is simply called the Fort.

His full name is Lao-Shan Lung, which means 'Old Mountain Dragon' in Cantonese.
From this, we can pretty much assume where Lao hails from. He is a gigantic
dragon (yes, dragon - not wyvern) covered in crimson scales. By gigantic,
I ask you to envision several five-storie apartments lined horizontally and
connected. Lao is weak to the dragon element on weapons, which also means the
Dragon S ammo has a very powerful effect on him.

*Spoilers ahead*










After a HR20 hunter attains the privilege to take on the quest of slaying the
mighty black dragon, Fatalis, he or she learns from the townspeople that Lao
is not actually just randomly running around this fort no one's ever heard of.
He is actually fleeing from Fatalis, fearing for his life but ironically
losing it a lot of the time in this effort... =P







*End spoilers*

Anyhow, his attacks simply consist of the following:

- trampling
- tail-dragging
- biting
- headbutting
- headsmashing
- crushing
- roaring

A trample occurs when a hunter comes in contact with Lao's feet when they move
after he decides to take a lumbering step. This can be either being an unlucky
victim directly beneath the dragon's foot or simply being clipped when he
moves them, being too close to the side of one. It can end up causing quite
fatal damage if left unattended and if a hunter is not careful near these
parts. Trampling can also occur after Lao stands and then decides to go back
to naturally walking on all fours. If you are caught under one of the large
shadows produced by Lao's front paws when he goes back down, you will be
grotesquely squished.

A tail hit occurs when a hunter comes in contact with the dragon's massive
tail as it moves. This is also an extremely fatal attack, as it has the
possibility of knocking a hunter off their feet in one hit, leaving them
vulnerable to another hit directly after, and perhaps even another if the
hunter is not unconscious by then.

Biting damage happens when Lao rears up and stands, most commonly in area 5,
but it can also happen if he decides to assault someone else standing at a
higher platform in any earlier area except for 1. Often, this is a gunner's
peril, as it is difficult to avoid and rather powerful. Standing far enough to
the side of Lao's biting area makes it possible for someone unable to block to
avoid this attack. If, for any reason, the target for the bite is someone able
to block, that's simply all that needs to be done to avoid taking great damage.

Headbutting is a rather weak attack and similarily rather unknown. It happens
after Lao descends from standing on his back legs and his head comes into
contact with a hunter. Simply staying out of its easily-predicted path will
suffice to avoid it.

Head smashing occurs in both area 5 and 3 and is dangerous both to those on the
ground and on the wall Lao will smash his head into in 5. On the ground,
hunters who lurk too closely to the dragon's feet will endure trample damage.
Those mounted on the wall may easily avoid this damage by stepping to the back
of the wall, where the impact will not reach. It causes great damage on the
ground to those stepped on because of it and medium damage to those on the
wall. This attack is another reason you should avoid getting 'stuck' at the
end of areas; in area 3, there is a wooden barricade separating the connection
between it and area 4. Lao will break this barricade down by bashing his head
against it twice. If someone is either too close to the barricade or too close
to the feet, which will move as the dragon gains the momentum to assault the
barricade, they will suffer quite lethal damage. Stand further away from the
barricade to avoid this, or withdraw from the legs/scene entirely until he is
finished breaking it down. Head-smashes done on the ground will damage the
fort, subtracting 10% from its sturdiness per smash. As reported by Fdisk,
head-smashes done while Lao is standing do not damage the fort at all.

Crushing is not an intentional attack; it occurs when Lao flinches or, more
commonly, trips. During a flinch, Lao's belly hits the ground and will crush
any hunters who position themselves on the attack there. It causes rather
minimal damage, but does knock the hunter a fair distance ahead and this may
end up putting them in the path of trampling damage. When Lao trips, his entire
body will hit the ground. Hunters attacking the head will sustain minimal
damage, while hunters positioned at his legs will suffer rather fatal damage.
Although, with the time alotted because of Lao's immovable state, it is easily
healed and taken advantage of. It can be avoided by watching the dragon's
movements and, since there is fair warning of a trip before it occurs in the
form of Lao rearing his head back in pain, either step back, jump back, block,
or roll out of the way until you are able to further slaughter him.

Roaring is not a damaging attack, but more one that will leave the hunter
vulnerable for around 5-6 seconds. As with wyverns, this roar can be blocked,
but the vulnerability lasts only while the roar is going on and a second or so
afterwards, so it's not a major thing; Lao cannot attack while roaring. He
will also commonly roar when a hunter leaps onto his back to get them off.
---
Frequently Asked Questions (xxfaqxx)

1. Can you really kill Lao?

Yes, it's possible. Enough damage must be dealt in all areas Lao strolls
through in order to make the giant finally topple.

2. Is it possible to kill Lao in 4?

It used to be. Apparently, Capcom has changed that so he can only die in 5
now. However, I'm not completely sure on this, so verification would be nice.

3. I've heard of a 'double-hit' when using the Dragonator on Lao; how is that
done?

A 'double-hit' using the Dragonator consists of two back-to-back hits with
the same Dragonator thrust. That is, instead of sustaining the damage of being
hit by one bout of the 'nator's damage, Lao will take two hits. This is
achieved by letting the dragonator fly just as Lao is about to hit the fort
with his head. It's rather tricky and better left to practiced individuals.
Personally, I've only ever done it once and that was when I was watching my
screensaver on my computer because I got bored of waiting for Lao to walk to
the Dragonator. When I hit it from reflex, he was already trying to pummel me
with fort headbutts.

4. How do you get past that infernal tail?

A couple things may help when getting past the tail. One, which is the most
reliable, is precise timing. Lao will first drag his tail to his left. This is
a point when someone on Lao's left side should begin running; a few seconds
after the drag is done. After this, he will swing his tail to his right, at
which point a person on Lao's left side will be completely safe from being
harmed by it. At this point, a person on his right side should also begin a
dash similar to that of a person's on his left side at the proper time. After
these two 'swings', he will let his tail rest harmlessly for about two or
three seconds before beginning the cycle again. If you are too close to the
end of the area to be able to wait for this proper timing, you may have to rely
on diving. During a dive, you are invulnerable to damage for as long as the
action is carried out. When you hit the ground, you are normally vulnerable
once again, which makes this alternative much less reliable than timing is.

5. Lao keeps killing me by trampling me when I'm at the end of an area. How do
I fix this?!

Better to withdraw from the scene too early than too late. It's easy not to get
stuck at the end of the area by simply watching where you are and getting out
of the area before it's too late. However, if you do happen to get stuck, you
should try for some sort of anti-wind defence to prevent being momentarily
stunned by the wind that comes up from Lao's feet when he steps forward. Other
than Diablo or Dragon armour, there are also other ways to put up anti-wind.
A dual sword user can use R1; other than allowing for very powerful combos, a
smaller-known fact is that this also provides anti-wind defence for as long
as the 'glow' can be held (as long as your stamina holds out with it on). A
hammer user can draw back his or her weapon with R1; this will eventually give
anti-wind defence for as long as your stamina holds out with it on. A great
swordsman/swordswoman may have to rely on blocking the wind and retreating when
given the chance. A lancer can try charging or blocking, as well. Sword and
shield users will also have to rely on blocking. Lastly, if you are a gunner,
you should never be stuck in this position. A gunner should rarely be in front
of Lao or even this close; more on this later. Unless you're a good runner,
wielding a gun in this scenario may be your untimely doom. Lastly, for all
weapons, a simple Farcaster easily busts you out of this undesirable jam.

6. How many carves is Lao worth?

Twelve, in total. But three are rather useless; when alive, jumping on Lao's
back will yield three extra carves, which only consist of less valuable
materials like bones, shells, and spines. Most people will advise you not to
make it a habit to try and get back carvings, as it removes an extra weapon
from the onslaught of the dragon and can potentially be fatal to the jumper.
After death, Lao is worth nine carves; three at the stomach, three at the
chest, and three at the head.

7. How do I jump on Lao's back?

You must first be on a high enough ledge to be able to look down on Lao walking
below. You should use a running jump if you have the stamina for it; you
will jump further if he happens to be a little ahead of you. However, if he's
directly under you and perfectly aligned with your platform of choice, simply
walk or roll off the edge and you will plop onto his 'saddle' of sorts. But,
beware; if you miss your jump, you may fall in an undesirable area such as his
feet or near his tail. If you do manage to land on his back, however, you will
be able to make your three carves in the same manner you would carve any dead
creature, but it will be difficult to get off; you must either crawl off or
wait until Lao becomes angry and shakes you off via a furious roar or sometimes
a well-placed flinch.

8. What can I break off of Lao for extra reward materials?

Lao's horn can be broken off rather easily; a couple thousands of damage to
the face will make it go poof. On the HR12 Lao, a small section of large
barrel bombs blown up at the correct time will break it off upon impact. On
Lao+, the bombs plus some lovely handiwork at the dragon's face will snap it
in the first area blademasters are able to do anything. Heck, the bombs aren't
even a real necessity. You can also break a spine on his back for an extra
spine reward material on Lao+, or an extra shell reward material on HR12 Lao.
This must be broken by a gunner targetting his back, as obviously no other
weapon can reach that part.

9. How do I avoid those damnable boulders?!

Tipping your camera up or, if you are a gunner, your viewscope will yield you
a view of any boulders sitting atop the stone walls of the fort. Just try not
to stand under them, I guarantee it'll be good for your health.

10. Will destroying the spine on Lao's back with Lao+ give a higher chance
of getting a plate?

As far as I know, no. It only gives an extra spine in rewards on Lao+, and
either an extra shell or nothing in lower-level Lao.

11. Since you can destroy the spine on Lao's left side, can you also destroy
the spine on his right side, or anymore than that?

No, although it would be logical if Capcom added that in the future.

12. Can you only carve plates from Lao+'s midsection?

No, plates can be carved from any of the three carveable areas on the fallen
body of Lao+.
---
Controlling the fort weaponry (xxfwxx)

There are three types of fort weaponry available to you when fighting Lao.

Cannon S

Cannon S are transported like eggs, powderstones, sootstones, et cetera are;
via the dreaded carrying method. Hunters wishing to use Cannon S must either
do their best to dodge the strangely-placed Ioprey in the area between 5 and
their base or request that the prey be cleared beforehand so they have no
difficulty in the transportation. Utilizing the Cannon S is quite easy after
the initial transport; simply stand afront one of the two black cannons
mounted on both sides of the fort wall in 5 and hit X. There will be a bit of
time after the shot is fired for your hunter to wince at the loud noise of
the cannonball being fired off and then get over it. This is insignificant.
Cannon S must be shot at a rather close range.

Ballista S

Ballista S are perhaps the most useful fort ammunition supplied to the hunter
wishing to fight Lao. They are supplied in the supply box at the base, and
extra Ballista S can be gathered in the usual foraging method at a spear rack
just a tad bit south of the bed at base. Simply hit X in front of the rack to
dig up some extra Ballista S; there is no special method that will guarantee
you will get a full supply of Ballista S in your inventory while digging up
some here. It is simply by chance that you may only dig up 1 or all 10.
Apparently, the Gatherer armour skill will give the gift of being able to
always dig up the maximum amount of Ballista S at the spear rack. Ballista S
are fired via the two silver-ish guns mounted on both sides of the fort wall
in 5, right beside each of the cannons. Handling Ballista S is a bit more
complicated than handling the Cannon S. First, they must be selected in your
quick-inventory via L2, and scrolling through your items as you would with
things like potions, whetstones, antidotes, et cetera. After this, they are
loaded into the Ballista gun by hitting the square button in front of one.
Your hunter will move into the gun and now be able to aim and shoot. Aiming
can be done in two ways; sniper aim and casual aim. Both are exactly the same
as when done using a bowgun, heavy or light. Hold L1 to make a crossfire
appear and use the D-pad or control stick to move the crossfire to its desired
target. Alternatively, you can also use R1 to achieve 'sniper' aim and use the
control stick or D-pad to aim. The Ballista gun on the right side of the
fort wall in area 5 should be aimed slightly left of its starting point to
ensure a hit is made. Vice versa, the left Ballista gun should be tipped
slightly right to do the same. You will know if you have made a hit by
simply waiting for the rumble after the shot reaches its destination if you
are using a dual shock controller; as a matter of fact, this method works for
any weapon if you want to measure accuracy at a further range.

An extra tip from Yedokai was e-mailed to me, written below:

"A player should always get as many Ballista as possible from the 
spear rack before taking any from the box; this maximizes the number 
of Ballista everyone can get.  After getting all of the spear rack 
Ballistas, players should then proceed to take as many Ballista as 
they can from the box to fill up.  This maximizes the amount of 
Ballistas that can be fired, because, for example, if 3 players get 
10 Ballista from the spear rack and another player only gets 1, he 
should obviously take more than his 'fair share' of Ballistas.  
Additionally, it doesn't matter who gets and fires the Ballistas, 
because they will all end up in the same place - deep within Lao's 
body."

The Dragonator

Sleek, powerful, and yours for monthly installments of only $9.99. But
seriously; the Dragonator is the most powerful one-shot piece of fort weaponry
and, with a team doing below-par damage, it can potentially decide the
difference between victory and defeat when fighting Lao. The Dragonator should
be fired by a gunner, as they are the only weapon class who can still cause
a constant barrage of damage to Lao while standing atop the wall in area 5,
while a blademaster can jump down and be poking Lao for extra, needed damage.
It is fired by standing in front of the large, red button in the center of
the wall and hitting X; for those curious, yes, the Dragonator -is- indeed
fired by the impact of a mysteriously-placed pickaxe. No, you don't have to be
carrying a pickaxe to fire it. It's just there. Anyhow, the Dragonator can only
hit Lao when he stands up to his full, massive height and walks close enough
to the fort wall. It should be fired when Lao stops his plodding walk to
assault you by smashing his head or trying to crunch you in his massive jaws.
If you wait for the attack, obviously you're going to be in a bit of pain, so
fire before then, right when he stops. He may do the animation of biting or
head-smashing, but the Dragonator should strike him before it does you any
harm. A 'double-hit' can be achieved in the way listed in the FAQ (xxfaqxx)
section above.

Also from Yedokai...

"In your Dragonator section, it says that Lao can only be hit by it if 
he is standing up.  This is false.  In my noob days, I often hit Lao 
as he was shoulder-butting the gate on all fours."

An advisory from Akubarix lists that hunters should be careful and try not to
have to use the Dragonator, causing enough damage in all prior areas to kill
him before he gets to the area. If the Dragonator ends up killing him, when he
falls, his head may merge with the fort wall and be unable to be carved.
---
Lao's Movement/how the quest works (xxlaoxx)

Lao will begin, after the lovely movie at the beginning of the quest, in
area 1 of the Fort zone. This is an area where only gunners can cause damage
to the red dragon, as a blademaster cannot scramble over the walls to meet him
below.

He will then progress accordingly from 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 and lastly, to 5.
There's really nothing too special about any of these areas, save for the
fact that area 3 is about half as short as the rest of the areas, excluding
5 since it's also different. 5 is the final area Lao will enter, and where
your victory or defeat will be decided. Around five seconds after the music
begins to herald Lao's arrival in 5, properly-aimed Ballista S can penetrate
Lao's scaly body. However, it sometimes may be wise to hold your ballista fire
until around 10-15 seconds after the music begins. This is because Lao takes
a bit of time to get out of the gate into 5 and if he is killed before his
head, chest, and stomach can emerge, whatever body part did not get out of the
gate before death will be inaccessible and therefore un-carveable. After Lao
becomes too close to the fort, ballistas will be rendered useless until the
massive beast stands up to wreak havoc on those brave enough to stand atop
the wall covered with fort weaponry.

When he is this close, Cannon S may be able to harm him. Though, most people
tend not to condone using the Cannon S due to the time it takes before they
can be accurately shot and the damage that could be done in that time with
ballistas or weapons instead of waiting for the proper opportunity and range.

Perhaps the flashiest part of area 5 is the legendary Dragonator. It causes
a massive amount of damage, enough to initiate a flinch from Lao no matter how
much or how little damage has been built up to initiate that flinch beforehand.
A 'double-hit' using the Dragonator is possible; more information on achieving
that can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions (xxfaqxx) section of this
mini-walkthrough.

Lastly, in area 5, Lao's head is not a great point of assault any longer. If
he gets close enough to the fort without dying, his head will continually be
bashing against the wall in an attempt to destroy it. This head-bashing is
a very fatal attack in which a hunter on the ground may be crushed if they are
not careful. Lao also moves his feet to gain further momentum that will crash
against the wall when he does, so those attacking the legs may find themselves
a bit flatter if they are not also careful. The best point to be attacking Lao
at this point is his belly; a part of it is soft and the only time you will
be harmed at the belly is if Lao flinches, falls, or you slip a bit and come
in contact with his tail or feet. His feet are also a viable point of assault,
but mind the hazards mentioned above.

After the time limit runs out in 5, Lao will either retreat, having sustained
too much damage to destroy the fort before the 35min clock ran out, cause
enough damage to the fort to destroy it, or the best of all three outcomes;
he will die. A retreat or a death both count as a victory for the hunters.
Destruction of the fort will come if not enough damage was done to Lao in
prior areas to delay him from having enough time to crash the stone structure.
Remember - every time Lao trips due to excessive leg damage, it consumes time
off the clock where Lao could be trying to rip apart the fort. Every time he
screams/flinches, it also consumes time, albeit less. Chances are, with many
falls and/or flinches, he will have very little time to do anything to the 
place you are to defend and is highly likely to even perish under your
collective power.

*Fdisk reports that a loss can also occur if a team of hunters does not do
enough damage to Lao before the time runs out. The fort does not necessarily
need to fall to the dragon's might; the same as a Fatalis battle works,
hunters will need to cause enough damage to convince the dragon to retreat or
he will assumedly destroy the fort after the time has run out.
---
Introduction to strategies (xxintxx)

Following this is the meat of my mini-walkthrough; strategies for each weapon
to combat Lao with. They are split into sections dedicated to each, including
the best place for each weapon to be used, the best way to use it, and the
worst place to use it. These strategies are based only on my gaming
observations and don't speak for the entire MH online community. The 'best',
used in this mini-walkthrough, only classifies what strategies I've found
to, time and time again, work best for me.

In addition, I'm always welcoming submissions with added tips and information
for each weapon. Although I have used all but one weapon on Lao, that doesn't
always mean my way of doing things will work for every other gamer.
---
Gunners (xxgunxx)

Gunners can be one of the most useful assets to a team of aspirant Lao slayers.

The common and most powerful arsenal of a gunner is a gun that can handle
the clust lv2 ammo, 99 wyvern claws, and 99 sm bone husks. Optionally, but
highly-recommended, the gunner wishing for this arsenal should also bring
along four combo books in the ascending order to make combinations of husks
and claws for extra clust lv2 ammo a 100% rate of success.

A gunner is useful in blowing up lg barrel bombs placed at the beginning of
an area to assault Lao's face before the rest of the onslaught begins, as
poking it with a blademaster's weapon may also cause the blademaster damage.
Alternatively, they can be set off with sm barrel bombs.

A gunner with clusts should NEVER shoot Lao's face. If there are blademasters,
this will continuously cause them to be hit by the clusts that separate and
send them flying. It makes them unable to attack while flying off and catching
back up from the distance they flew, bugs the crap out of them, and could
potentially put them in a precarious place to be. Another reason not to shoot
clusts at the face even if there are no blademasters is that the face is far
smaller than the dragon's back. Chances are that many bombs from the Clust S
will 'run off' and hit the ground, rendering them useless and harmless.

Gunners should locate themselves atop guardposts positioned in every area of
the Fort where Lao strolls. This removes them from almost all potential harm,
save for the uncommon headbutting that he sometimes does to those located
above him. Those who choose to use a gun to slay Lao-Shan Lung should aim at
his back. It is one of his weak spots, along with his belly, face, and lower
legs.

A gun loaded with Clust S can trip Lao very often, because the bombs
in the shot will sometimes run over and cause leg damage. Enough damage to the
legs will make him fall for about ten to twelve seconds; an excellent
opportunity for blademasters to do extra damage to any part of the body, as
well as gunners to continue their constant onslaught.

It often falls in the hands of the gunner to handle the Dragonator as well.
This is because they are the only weapon able to still dish out damage while
standing on the wall in area 5 where the Dragonator is located. Using
the methods listed above to handle the Dragonator will make this more of an
opportunity than a chore.

A gunner is also the only weapon class able to attack Lao in the first area he
walks through after the movie; area 1.

Alternatively, some gunners choose to attack Lao on the ground in areas 2-5.
So long as the gunner does not get too close to interfere in the blademasters'
doings or be harmed by Lao himself, this works well also. On the other hand, it
also makes it so that the gunner must deal with dashing past the tail and such,
rather than being able to wait on a guardpost until it passes, without being
harmed.

Gunners will also want to carry extra ammunition with them, including the
Clust S and materials to make 99 more, especially if they use a gun with a
faster reload speed on it. In all likelihood, gunners will run out of all
102 or so clust lv2 before or at area 5. If no extra 'backup' ammo is brought,
this renders the gunner completely useless and can mean settling only for
repelling Lao or losing altogether.

A gunner who cannot afford, does not possess, or whose gun cannot use clust lv2
should attempt to bring higher-level ammo of different types, such as crags
and pierces. While significantly weaker than a full load of clusts, they
will still do moderate damage.

A strategy suggested by Fdisk went as follows:

"If you want to make Lao fall it is easy as a gunner with 
clusters, the more gunners the easier it is, but none the less in my 
personal experience it is the best place to shoot lao. For a gunner 
you must get directly behind lao, right behind his tail and basically 
shoot his butt/back area, this will make him fail if you keep on it. 
If i am gunning with some one else i make sure they follow me and 
shoot the clusters on his back end. This is rather effective and with 
one or two gunners it can make lao stop and make him easier to hit...
I had a group on the material day all gun and have max clusters, i 
told them to follow me and aim for the backend, in the whole process 
we made lao fall 12 times in the first area and 6 more in the second 
area (on which you can walk behind him) We also killed him and didn't 
need the dragonator."

If you're one to use this strategy, please be sure you go behind his tail via
the safe route; mount yourself on a guardpost before attempting to take a
position, wait for Lao's tail to pass, then leap off the post and land behind
it. Either this or, if you're confident in your sense of timing, use the
strategy presented in the FAQ (xxfaqxx) section on avoiding his tail in order
to set yourself up behind him.
---
Lancers (xxlanxx)

Arguably one of the best weapons to defeat Lao with, a lance with at least
some green sharpness and desirable attack may be one of the dragon's worst
fears. Most lancers will agree that the Black Dragon Spear, although it is
one of the hardest lances to get as it requires at least HR17 before its
first form can even be made, is the best weapon to use against Lao
altogether. Of course, even the strongest weapon in the hands of an unskilled
user can be beaten out by the weakest weapon in the hands of a master.

A lancer is usually positioned at the head, where they can inflict the most
damage. Alternatively, with more than one blademaster, it may grow crowded
there, but a lancer can also poke Lao's belly. This alternative route is a bit
more dangerous however, as it results in being flung at times when the dragon
flinches, risking being stepped on, and so forth.

Lancers may take different positions; at the front of the head (near the
chin area), behind the head (near the neck), or on either side of the head.
At the front, backsteps are crucial and it takes around three each time Lao
takes a step to catch up and continue the slaughterfest. A lancer should also
backstep after a combo of three up-stabs to the face, in order to achieve an
almost constant barrage of damage as opposed to waiting for recovery time after
the triple combo.

At the side of the dragon's head, a lancer may wish to sidestep in order to
catch up while Lao walks ahead. Similarily, around three sidesteps will catch
the lancer up in the distance walked. Also similar, backstepping after the
triple up-stab combo will allow constance in attacking.

At the back of the head, it is slightly dangerous. This lancer is positioned
closely to Lao's front legs and may risk hitting his neck every so often. Since
this is not a soft area, the weapon will bounce off and leave the lancer
vulnerable for a few moments while he or she recovers from the impact. It is
also more difficult because a backstep will push the lancer in the direction
opposite Lao's walk, putting them further behind, but is still relatively
required to allow a constant attack of triple up-stabs.

If a lancer falls behind, in that they are tripped by another blademaster
at the head, missed a backstep, and so forth, they may wish to do a short
charge to catch up. In a large group of blademasters at the head, this is not
a great idea, as it may send them flying if they are hit by the charge, thusly
putting them temporarily out of action, possibly annoying them, and it may
even send them spiralling into a dangerous location.

*A lance can also be a useful weapon in legging/tripping Lao, using one
forward stab, then two upstabs and a backstep to repeat if able. In order
to remain living, a lancer who takes on this challenge should mind
sidestepping in order to catch up to Lao as he moves, and backstepping when
the leg shows signs of movement. See the section on Legging (xxlegxx) for
further information on these signs. It can also be useful to 'angle' your
sidesteps in order to ensure your lancing safety. Anti-wind armour can be very
useful here due to the fact that charging will threaten your safety immensely,
and blocking withdraws your rate of offense all too often.

When tripped, this weapon can also sometimes deal repeat, powerful damage from
a charge. This will only work properly if there is green sharpness on the
lance, wherein the lancer will either charge right through Lao or remain
running on the spot at their target, while still causing damage. This is best
done at the head, as the recovery time from a charge when Lao begins moving
again may leave a lancer vulnerable if they are not careful.

*Both pieces of lancer information following the asterik were submitted by
Mirage86, known as such on both MH and GameFAQs.

---
Hammers (xxhamxx)

Hammers are one of the finest weapons to use against Lao, simply for the
fact that they make excellent leg attackers. However, the art of 'legging' is
an extremely dangerous and tricky-to-learn art.

First off, legging is what makes Lao 'trip'. When he trips, he is left open to
attack by any hunter on the team, without risk of being harmed. It also stalls
him quite nicely, making it so that he has less time to get to area 5 and
attack the fort.

A hammer at the legs of Lao basically has a very limited range of attacks. They
may wish to double-pound via the up-up combo, superpound after a maxed charge,
or cut off their charge mid-way and hit Lao with either of the two attacks
offered then (those being dependent, of course, on how long R1 is held).

Hammers should only use up-up-golfswing when Lao has fallen, as he cannot move
whatsoever then. Before then, a hammer user should always remember that they
will need to constantly side-roll in order to remain unscathed. An instant
side-roll, as required, is only available after the aforementioned attacks,
excluding the golfswing. Directly after the attack is made, the hammer user
should side-roll in the direction Lao is walking, so as not to fall down and
risk being whipped by the tail if they are working his back legs, or stepped
on by those if they are working the front legs.

Lao's right legs will always hug the walls of the area from 2-4 at the very
beginning of each area. If you're not careful, you may end up going splat
because of the limited range of movement. However, Lao will eventually shift
where he is, especially in area 3, allowing you more range of movement. Also in
area 3, you may need to switch to Lao's left side because the right side tends
to basically merge with the wall for a short time.

When Lao falls, beware; if you stay too close to the legs, you will be crushed
by his half-kneel. It does rather large damage, but while he has fallen, you
have quite a bit of time to heal up and continue your assault. However, be
ready to draw back your hammer again or step back if you are not wearing
anti-wind armour and legging Lao's back legs because he will step forward upon
recovery from the fall. This will cause wind to erupt from his stepping foot,
which can put you momentarily out of action as your hunter shields themself.
---
Sword/shielders (xxssxx)

I have to admit, this is the one weapon I've never brought to face Lao with.
In my experience, I've never had a single person do it either. On the other
hand, this lack of use may end up hiding a potentially-good weapon for slaying
Lao due to its high speed and agility rate.

I'd assume a sword/shielder would have his or her work on Lao's face. Anyone
who'd like to test the sword/shield out, please e-mail me at the address
provided at the very bottom of this mini-FAQ with your ideas.

*Akubarix sent an e-mail which detailed how a sword/shield user should assault
Lao. Enjoy!

Shorts can work his head, but shouldn't simply because of the fact 
they would get thrown around like rag dolls. What a 'short sworder' 
should do is work only his belly. As any attack with a "small" weapon 
provokes Lao into runnin even faster.  Luckily, its easy to stop 
attacking with the short sword, so when heard screaming from a 
"flinch", its best to just stop attacking and block the gut crush.

It goes without saying, but if anyone can pack Dragon elemental 
weapons, they should. Dragon element deals 5x the ammount of a 
weapons attack power. Most of the time, this can be a determaning 
factor in Lao+ fights. Lao is resistant to any other element, so 
those people with Eager Cleaver should seriously consider a weapon 
change. Doing 1/5 of your attack power isn't exactly useful. @.@"
---
Dual swordsmen/swordswomen (xxdsxx)

Possessing one of the highest attack outputs, a dual sword user is one of the
most lethal assets to have on your team to face Lao-Shan Lung with.

Hitting down on the right analog stick while in the 'frenzy' that the R1
button presents will initiate a massive combo too fast to count.

Each hit, as far as I've observed, inflicts the amount of damage the set of
blades is recorded to have on Equip Details. So, assuming a combo is 12
separate hits and this theorized set of dual swords has an attack of 300.
300 multiplied by 12 is 3600. A solid hit of around 3600 hits Lao every time
the combo is initiated, not counting attack bonuses such as charms, food,
flutes, seeds, or sharpness.

Anyhow, with that blurb out of the way, dual swords are best used with at least
three mega juices, to ensure the 'frenzy' will last approximately for the
entirety of areas 2-4. You may wish to bring extras because, at times,
especially with leggers, you may delay Lao so much that he will not get out
of the area in around the six minutes a mega juice will last.

A dual sword user should NEVER attack Lao's legs. Doing this seems to activate
some sort of glitch in the game wherein Lao begins to move at around three
times the speed he normally does, any falls are recovered from in around two
seconds rather than ten-twelve, and his damage seems to be amplified by a tiny
bit. This observation was made only by personal experience and the words of
another who observed the same habits when someone in his group used dual swords
on the dragon's legs.

*Akubarix reports that this is actually not a glitch and something Capcom
intentionally programmed into Lao's combat so as not to make it so easy. Dual
swords can potentially have the highest knock-down rate of all weapons, in
such that it balances out by causing Lao to run as if possessed. On the
brighter side, if another weapon trips the dragon, dual sword users may
freely assault the legs to set him up for another fall when he recovers.

A few downsides of dual swords on Lao exist. Without above-average sharpness,
which is possessed for example on the Dual Dragon Ultimus, a dual sword user
will spend much of their time away from the battle, sharpening. Other
blademasters at the head, especially lancers, will face constantly falling
due to hits taken from the dual swords' combos, removing them temporarily from
action and inevitably annoying them after a while.
---
Great swordsmen/swordswomen (xxgsxx)

A great sword, hereby referred to in its shortened abbreviation, GS, is a
commonly-used weapon due to the fact that so many people predominantly use one.
Used with the proper skill and precision, it can be a major factor in taking
Lao-Shan Lung's life or driving him away from the Fort. However, constant
upswinging with other blademasters around, just as with almost any other feat,
will cause your weapon of choice to become more of a burden to the team than a
help.

GSers can be slightly versatile when combatting this dragon; for the most part,
they should assault the head or the softer part of the belly. There are times
when it is better for a GSer to attack the belly, such as if a number of
lancers, who 'trip' quite easily to any friendly impact, are all simultaneously
attacking Lao's head. Since, most of the time in this event, the GSer will be
alone at the belly, it's safe to upswing and cause maximum damage without
hindering the rest of the team.

A good GSer should watch his or her blows before making them; if a member of
your team is near you when you are comboing Lao's head, try not to use the
horizontal slice. Roll elsewhere and start your endless combo up again.

Since a GS combo is either stationary or moving forward, a GSer will often have
to roll or run in order to catch up to Lao as he is walking and deal further
damage to him.
---
Silly rumours (xxrumxx)

These are rumours I've observed over the GameFAQs boards, in-game, et cetera.
This section was made to dispel these rumours, so that players don't give in
to believing them and hinder a quest by trying to enact them.

"If you split Lao's chest, you get a Lao heart, with which you can make a
sword not listed in the guide."

Lao's chest cannot be split. At all. Don't try. And the item 'Lao heart' does
not exist at all either.

"Destroy Lao-Shan Lung's wings for extra reward materials."

Lao does not have wings. This rumour was courtesy of the official strategy
guide.

"The Eternal Annihilator can cut off Lao's tail! Its description says so!"

If you want to attack Lao's tail, consider yourself dead. It cannot be cut off,
it cannot be carved, it gives nothing extra in reward materials even if
damaged.

"You can carve plates off Lao's back."

As far as I know, this is false. Materials carved from his back are relatively
useless.

"Plates can only be obtained after Lao is dead."

This may have been changed since I don't see it anymore, but this was once
false; I had repelled Lao and gotten a plate in the reward materials. However,
nowadays it seems that only carving Lao's dead body will reward a hunter with
plates.

"Lao+ is a one-time quest."

Incorrect. After someone at HR19-HR20 gains their urgent quest to slay Lao,
they will never lose it again after that and can do it whenever.

"After repelling Lao, hunters must chase him back to area 1 in order to
deliver the finishing blows and topple the dragon."

Another spiffy rumour contributed by the Brady Games official MH strategy
guide! ... another incorrect rumour. If you repel Lao, you will not kill him
no matter what you do. He must die in area 5 or he will not die at all for that
quest.

*Thanks to BloodiedWraith (EhudBarak) for reporting this rumour.

"Lao cannot be killed without being hit by the Dragonator."

Completely false. With enough damage dealt by other means and throughout the
entire quest, Lao will easily topple without the damage of the Dragonator.

*Thanks to BloodiedWraith (EhudBarak) for reporting this rumour.
---
Special thanks and other stuff (xxstxx)

Thanks to...

- BloodiedWraith (EhudBarak) for the tip on avoiding boulders plus the rumour
from the strategy guide, as well as proofreading this mini-FAQ several times
over.
- Mirage86 for information on a lancer's charge and lance-legging.
- BradGFY for reporting that Lao's leg scales can be visibly damaged, as well
as some questions entered into the FAQ section.
- Yedokai for a paragraph on the best way to share Ballista S, sharing that
the Dragonator can hit Lao while he is on all fours, and reminding me about
the wooden barricade in area 3.
- Fdisk for suggesting the back-gunning strategy, the loss without fort
destruction, and the lack of fort damage with a standing head-ram in area 5.
- GameFAQs for hosting the FAQ.
- Akubarix for the s/s strategy, the Dragonator advisory, and the correction
with duals and legging.
- ZephyrD for correcting that "Lao-Shan Lung" meant Old Mountain Dragon in
Cantonese, rather than Japanese.
- Capcom for making an excellent game and making it free to play online.
- my MP3 player for keeping me company when no one else would. I love you,
Sony!
- you, for reading this.
- .. myself, for writing it. Yay for me.

This mini-FAQ is free for any non-commercial perusal. It is only to be
replicated for viewing on...

GameFAQs.com
Neoseeker.com
www.freewebs.com/hevknights

... although permission may be requested via the e-mail listed at the bottom
of this mini-FAQ.

Monster Hunter information:

MH offline name: Osifer
MH online name: Kaezar
Hunter Rank: 20
Main weapons: Vor Cannon, Iron Devil, Onslaught Hammer, Black Dragon Spear,
Dual Dragon Ultimus.
Main armour (all full suits): Shinobi (Moon), Auroros, Dragon (gunner).

Contact information:

E-mail: fallenmaverick@mindless.com
AIM: Quiescent Drake
MSN: garn_the_vampire@yahoo.com

If you are e-mailing in regards to this FAQ, please put a subject pertaining
to it, such as "Monster Hunter" or "Lao FAQ". I'll also answer questions not
asked here in this FAQ pertaining to Lao and most likely end up adding them to
the FAQ section in order to answer anyone else viewing this who may have the
same inquiries. Please only e-mail me regarding this FAQ, Lao stuff, typos I
missed, suggestions, et cetera. Credit will be given where credit is due.