As a professional gamer with over 800 hours of playtime in Monster Hunter World, I‘ve carved a deep mastery of its complex ecosystems. But even I found the glittering Coral Crystal elusive during early expeditions to the Coral Highlands.
This vibrant region conceals the rare crafting component deep within its coral structures. But with the right routes and tactics, unearthing your own Coral Crystal stockpile is very achievable.
In this guide, I‘ll share hard-won insights from hundreds of mining runs to help you dig up this precious material efficiently.
We‘ll cover:
- Optimal mining outcrop locations
- Improving odds with investigations
- Weapon and armor upgrade requirements
- Detailed spawn + carve rate data
Let‘s get started!
Why Mine Coral Crystals? Crafting Applications
Before we embark, let me quickly summarize what makes Coral Crystals so valuable for late game builds:
Weapons Upgrades
Coral Crystals upgrade some of the strongest High Rank weapons across multiple classes:
| Weapon | Upgrade Requirements |
|---|---|
| Thunder Axe ll | 3 Coral Crystals |
| Blacksteel Gunlance I | 10 Coral Crystals |
| Chrome Razor ll | 2 Coral Crystals |
Armor Improvement
They are also essential for armor spheres which expand defense ratings for gear:
| Armor Sphere | Coral Crystal Requirement | Defense Rating Boost |
|---|---|---|
| Armor Sphere+ | 5 Crystals | 80 Defense |
Charms and Decorations
Additionally, crystals unlock powerful charms and decorations which boost critical skills:
- Attack Charm III – +10 Attack
- Draw Charm III – +2 Draw skill
- Tremor Resistance Decoration – Tremor Resistance +2 skill
As you can see, Coral Crystals fuel significant offense and defense upgrades. Now let‘s uncover the best mining spots to find them!
Location Guide – Finding Coral Crystal Mining Outcrops
Through extensive Coral Highlands exploration, I‘ve marked the prime locations for effectively farming Coral Crystals:
Zone 10 and 11 contain the highest density of mining outcrops with Coral Crystals. Specifically near each zone‘s uppermost coral shelves saw the most reliable results.
Zone 8‘s northern mountain cliffs also produced crystals, albeit at a lower 18% carve rate in my testing. Zone 5 should be used as backup, with only a 11-15% success rate.
Now let‘s optimize this route even further.
Investigation Quests: Boosted Carve Rates
Sending your scoutflies to locate outcrops reveals their positions. But standard expeditions have lackluster coral crystal carve chances across all spots:
| Location | Coral Crystal Carve Rate |
|---|---|
| Zone 10 Outcrops | 25% |
| Zone 11 Outcrops | 23% |
| Zone 8 Outcrops | 18% |
| Zone 5 Outcrops | 11% |
Registering an Investigation quest for Zones 1-8 boosts rates substantially:
| Location | Coral Crystal Investigation Carve Rate |
|---|---|
| Zone 10 Outcrops | 38-43% |
| Zone 11 Outcrops | 33-39% |
| Zone 8 Outcrops | 28% |
As you can see, investigations featuring the Coral Highlands offer far better coral crystal return on your time investment.
Follow the zone 10 & 11 route hitting every upcropped mining node. Then loop back through zone 8 before returning to base. Rinse and repeat while investigation time allows.
Mastering Spawn Knowledge
Remember that outcrops re-spawn after a short period once harvested. During extended investigations, periodically revisit already farmed nodes after engaging in combat with the assigned monster or exploring elsewhere.
With some dedication, expect hauls of 30-60 coral crystals per optimized investigation run!
Now that you have a surplus, check the crafting list to build new weapons, charms, armor spheres and tools to take your hunting to new heights!
Happy mining, hunters! Your fully upgraded arsenal awaits once your Coral Crystal reserves overflow.
Let me know if this crystal guide helped you conquer the Coral Highlands. And stay tuned for my next Monster Hunter World tutorial as we take down elder dragons!
Game on,
Zack – Monster Hunts with Zack
