Monster Hunter World Effluvia: How to deal with the toxic gas in Rotten Vale
Capcom's Monster Hunter games are known to have some areas that possess environmental hazards which can and will impede a hunter's progress in the field. However, they also provide tools that, if known and used properly, will let the hunter overcome that difficulty - you just have to figure out what tool fits the problem at hand.
Monster Hunter: World is not exempt from this rule, and one of the fields in this game has a particularly nasty natural hazard. The Rotten Vale has a nasty hazard in the form of effluvia, toxic gas that will gradually deplete the hunter's health bar for as long as they're staying in that area. This can prove fatal and make hunting or gathering brutally difficult.
Have no fear, however: there's a few ways to deal with The Rotten Vale's effluvia toxic gas. Slinger Torch Pods are useful and the armor skill Effluvial Expert is found on a few pieces of armor. Here's how to beat the gas:
Before heading into Rotten Vale, make sure your equipment and hunter are prepared for battle with our guides:
- Beginner's Guide: Tips & Tricks for new hunters
- Weapons Guide: which of the 14 weapon classes is best for you?
- Armor Guide: skills, strengths, weaknesses, forging and upgrading
- Multiplayer Guide: how to play with friends, set up parties and send invites
- Herbivore Egg & Wyvern Egg: Egg Quests
- Finding & transporting Lumps of Meat in The Meat of the Matter quest
- How to get the Horizon Zero Dawn Palico Watcher gear
- Female Armor Sets: All Low Rank Female Armor Sets
Short-term solution: Use the Slinger Torch Pod
A Slinger Torch is available to pick at every campground in Rotten Vale. This turns out to be an essential slinger ammo in this area as you can shoot Torch Pod on the ground to put on a flame that burns up the toxic gas. This therefore creates a nice toxic-free area in close proximity that won't poison you.
There's a catch, of course: this is effective for only a short while before the effect goes away with the flame dying out. There is also a finite amount of Torch Pod ammunition available, so make sure you have enough healing items in case things go sideways and you end up trapped in the toxic fog without any torch pods left..
Long-term solution: Equip the skill Effluvial Expert
For dealing with the gas more fully you need something a little more permanant, and there's an armor skill in Monster Hunter World that is specifically tailored for dealing with this noxious gas.
Named Effluvial Expert, its effect "Nullifies damage from effluvia and reduces damage from acids" in the Rotten Vale. In other words, if you have this skill equipped, you don't need to worry about the toxic gas any more and you'll be able to leisurely explore the entire area in expeditions with friends.
There are two equipment parts that come with this Effluvial Expert skill, which are Hornetaur Mail and Girros Coil. The former can be crafted by collecting Hornetaur materials; you can also read another guide by us which focuses on the Hornetaur.
The latter requires you to hunt Great Girros which is known to be often roaming around the noxious area, so you will have to either craft the former equipment or use the short-term solution mentioned above.
The skill Effluvial Expert has just one level, so you would only need to equip one of them. Girros Coil has a slightly higher base defense stat, but Hornetaur Mail has a more balanced elemental resistance and is also easier to forge because Hornetaurs live at the upper layer of Rotten Vale which does not have effluvia.
In the end, however, it will all depend on what kind of skill set you are aiming for by considering skills from other armor parts as well. Whatever you choose, this'll beat the gas, and that's what's most important.