How to find the Black Flame monster in Monster Hunter Wilds

You’ll need to locate “The Black Flame” near the end of Monster Hunter Wilds’ second chapter.

It’s a bit of a curveball, as the the only thing you have to go on is a set of tentacles you only glimpse during a cutscene as it tears up some Ajarakan. So what is this “Black Flame,” and how do you find it to complete the “Long Forgotten Flame” quest?

So far in Wilds, you’ve only had to hop on your Seikret and ride to be taken directly to the monster for a story mission. But to find the Black Flame, you’ll have to pull from a gameplay loop from previous Monster Hunter titles: You’ll need to search for signs of the Black Flame’s passage to pick up its scent and track it. In this Monster Hunter Wilds guide, we’ll show you how to find the “Black Flame” monster.

How to find the Black Flame in Monster Hunter Wilds

Once you’ve finished preparing for this fight, head down the ramp to the right of the Everforge. Pay attention to what your green glowing scoutflies detect. In the list of discoverable items that appears on the left side of your screen, you’ll start to see things that seem more like evidence of a large beast’s passage. We found “half-digested food” in Area 7 of the map, which can be investigated with the B button. That’s your first clue.

Moving on farther down the path and deeper in to the basin, we found “tar excretions,” the next piece of the investigation. After scooping those up, the monster icon and distance counter appeared on-screen, allowing our Seikret to follow the scoutfly trail directly down to the bottom of the fiery basin. (The Black Flame appeared in Area 14, but that seems to vary from person to person.)

Before you rush in, make sure to note the route down to the Black Flame is full of useful items for this this particular fight. Grab some Watermoss, which converts into Puddle Pod projectiles for your slinger. And Chillshrooms will auto-craft into Cold Drink, which can help prevent extra stamina loss in the extra-hot climate.

How to beat the Black Flame in Monster Hunter Wilds

You never learn the real monster name of the Black Flame until after you kill it and speak to the villagers at Anzu. Even its parts during the first carve appear as “??? scale.” But it’s actually the Nu Udra, the apex predator of the Oilspring Basin.

This fire-spewing squid monster can be a challenging fight, and we actually have a full guide on its weaknesses (hint: it hates water!) and the patterns of attacks, as well as what parts it drops. Check out our full Nu Udra guide for all the combat tips. After defeating Nu Udra, you’ll progress to Hunter Rank 5.

If you’re looking for other creatures to fight in Monster Hunter Wilds, our monster list provides a full rundown of every encounter, while we have specific guides for Doshaguma, Lala Barina, Guardian Rathalos, Rey Dau, and Ajarakan.