 |
This Article Contains Spoilers -
WARNING: This article contains major spoilers. If you do not wish to know vital information on plot / character elements in a story, you may not wish to read beyond this warning: We hold no responsibility for any negative effects these facts may have on your enjoyment of said media should you continue. That is all. |
 |
Jafar says: Read my lips and come to grips with the reality! This article is a stub and is in need of expansion. You can help Villains Wiki by expanding it. |
Guardian Arkveld, also known as The White Wraith, is the main antagonist of the 2025 action-adventure game Monster Hunter Wilds. It is an artificial lifeform based on the ancient species Arkveld, thought extinct for thousands of years. Once locked away in the deepest depths of Wyveria, it broke free and wreaked havoc upon the people of Sild before escaping to the surface and attacking the strongest monsters in the Forbidden Lands, absorbing their elemental energy to grow even more powerful.
Appearance[]
At first glance, the Guardian Arkveld appears to be completely identical to a regular Arkveld, being a quadrupedal Flying Wyvern covered in shaggy white fur, gray scales on its underside and armour on its back and wings. Its head is adorned with a thick white scute that extends into two curved horns on its side and a sharp upwards-curved point on top. Its lower jaw is also adorned with thick white scales, while its bears a small white horn on its nose. Guardian Arkveld's most prominent features are its wing chains: long lengths of tendon dotted with hard bony structures that it weaponises, which it can split in two if needed. Its wing membranes are rather small and covered in white fur, though it can still fly.
However, like other Constructs, Guardian Arkveld possesses numerous features that distinguish it from its natural counterpart: its eyes, like all Guardians, are pitch black, while its body glows with purplish-blue veins when it's charged up. Additionally, its tongue is bright blue compared to Arkveld's normal grey colour.
Biography[]
Background[]
Around a thousand years ago, Guardian Arkveld was created by the Ancient Wyverians along with the rest of the Constructs, being tasked with defending the Dragontorch, a relic capable of producing infinite bioenergy which was used to power the Constructs. However, the lead Guardian, Zoh Shia, would go berserk and decide to hoard the Dragontorch's infinite energy for itself, with the Guardians also revolting against their creators. In the process, they would ravage the Wyverians' civilisation, leaving nothing but ruins. The Ancient Wyverians were thus forced to seal away Zoh Shia in the Dragontorch shrine but with such heavy losses to their numbers and infrastructure, they were left completely unable to rebuild. As such, the people of Wyveria would part ways; the scholars of the civilisation would remain behind in the Ruins, ensuring that the Guardians remained imprisoned, while the other people would leave to find new ways to coexist with nature. The rest of the natural Arkvelds would also go extinct at some point, though the cause of this disappearance is unknown. The Guardians would all be forced into hibernation, Guardian Arkveld included.
Centuries would pass as the descendants of the scholars, now known as the Keepers, watched over the Guardians, keeping them imprisoned within the Ruins of Wyveria. This would change one day as the Guardians started reawakening, causing chaos within the Ruins. Upon awakening, Guardian Arkveld would begin massacring the Keepers before escaping into the depths of the Ruins. Now free from its bonds, the Guardian Arkveld would attempt to fulfil its biological urges of feeding, slaughtering countless amounts of Guardian Seikrets in an attempt to ingest their flesh. However, this would not work thanks to its undeveloped digestive system, leaving the Guardian Arkveld increasingly desperate to fulfil its need to be a "real" monster. Additionally, its uncontrollable absorption of Wylk would lead it to completely descend into madness from the surplus power.
In the meantime, a young Keeper named Nata would escape from the Ruins, wandering into the Windward Plains where he was discovered by the Hunters' Guild. Intrigued by the apparent habitation of the Forbidden Lands and the continued existence of Arkveld, the Guild would launch an expedition to this remote area, hoping to help Nata find his people and possibly research the White Wraith. However, Nata, traumatised by his experience, would swear vengeance on the wyvern, with its actions still haunting him to this day.
Monster Hunter Wilds[]
While investigating the Scarlet Forest, the Hunter and Alma, would be alerted to a massive monster attacking the Astrum unit, apparently dragging two appendages from its limbs. Believing the monster to be Arkveld, Nata would join the chase, only to discover that the monster was in fact a Leviathan named Uth Duna: the apex monster of the Scarlet Forest. As such, the Hunter and Olivia would join forces to repel Uth Duna from the base camp, successfully beating it to a standstill. Just then, Arkveld would appear and, using its chains, constrict Uth Duna, killing it in mere moments. While the threat to the base camp was currently gone, an autopsy would reveal that Arkveld had not left any physical trauma on the Leviathan's corpse, meaning that it could kill via non-physical means.
Later on, during an unexpectedly early Sandtide, the Hunter and their companions would be forced to return to the Windward Plains in order to protect Kunafa Village from the sandstorm. On the way, they witness Arkveld attacking Rey Dau, a Flying Wyvern that acts as the region’s apex. Enraged at seeing his clan’s massacrer again, this time even bossing another monster around, Nata would throw a rock at Arkveld, which misses and hits Rey Dau. Arkveld swiftly absorbs the monster’s energy and leaves, but a bolt of lightning hits Rey Day and instantly replenishes its elemental energy. This causes the team biologist Erik to realise Arkveld can absorb elemental energy from its victims. Rey Dau turns its attention towards the party, forcing the Hunter to defeat it while the rest of the party escape to safety. After Rey Dau is defeated, reports come in that Arkveld just moved to the Oilwell Springs, stirring great alarm and concern.
Eventually, after defeating Nu Udra during the Firespring, the Avis Unit discovers an open passage in the Wyrmways under the Iceshard Cliffs, allowing them to finally go to Nata's home. Unfortunately, when Nata arrives, he finds the settlement of the Keepers completely barren, causing him to fear that Arkveld killed everybody. Fortunately, after some confrontations with several strange monsters, the hunter and Nata manage to descend deep enough into the Ruins that they reunite with Tasheen, Nata's uncle and guardian. He thanks the Avis Unit for keeping his nephew safe, revealing that the survivors of Arkveld's attack managed to flee and re-establish themselves in a settlement called Sild.
Thus, Tasheen would decide to finally induct Nata into the tradition of the Keepers by explaining to him his people's past: long ago, the people of Wyveria managed to create the Dragontorch, a massive relic capable of producing infinite energy in the form of Wyvern's Milk, known to most people as Wylk. In time, they would manage to create great technological wonders such as the strange monsters the party encountered earlier: Guardians, which Tasheen explains are servile monsters that once served the Wyverians. However, their hubris eventually ended up destroying them. As such, half of Wyveria's people would leave the capital, while the other half, feeling responsible for Wyveria's downfall, would stay behind to take responsibility. Eventually, their descendants, the Keepers, would continue to remain in the ruins so as to take care of the legacy their ancestors left.
Gemma and Alma are confused on how the Wyverians managed to create such bizarre creatures, so Tasheen leads them outside to witness several Guardian Seikrets emerge from pods. He explains that the Guardians were created to be immortal servants to the Wyverians, requiring only Wylk to survive and possessing no need to eat or reproduce. Thanks to their wholly unnatural natures, the Keepers have watched over them for centuries, ensuring that they stay dormant. However, more of them have begun stirring recently, among their ranks being Arkveld, revealed to be a Guardian replica of the true monster. Just then Arkveld arrives and begins feasting on the Seikrets, shocking Alma as Guardians don't need to eat. Thus, she and Gemma go and catch up with Tasheen and Nata, leaving the hunter to fend off Arkveld.
TBA
Powers and Abilities[]
As a Construct based on the Flying Wyvern Arkveld, Guardian Arkveld possesses many of the original species’s abilities, such as superhuman strength, durability, stamina and agility that allow it to strike down and hunt powerful monsters such as the Apexes, dominating even the juvenile Elder Dragon, Gore Magala. In addition to restraining and striking foes, Arkveld can absorb the elemental energy of its victims with its wing chains, converting it into dragon energy which it can unleash in devastating blasts. Guardian Arkveld can also somehow fly, despite its wing membranes being nothing more than fur tufts.
However, Guardian Arkveld’s artificial biology gives it numerous powers that would normally be inaccessible to normal Arkveld. As a Guardian, its strength and durability are greatly enhanced compared to normal monsters, allowing it to dispatch others with ease. It also doesn’t require food, water or rest, only requiring the bioenergy in Wylk to sustain itself. It can also utilise said Wylk to form crystals on its body, unleashing powerful blasts of bioenergy to damage foes.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- While normal Arkveld is considered the flagship monster of Monster Hunter Wilds, Guardian Arkveld is actually the one that appears on the game's cover art, denoted by its pitch black eyes and blue tongue.
- As of the Title Update 1 announcement, Guardian Arkveld is the only monster in the whole series that can only be fought once, with Zoh Shia, another previous single encounter, being slated to receive High Rank quests and even appear on the map naturally. As such, it only drops generic Guardian materials.
- Despite this, Guardian Arkveld has a unique armour set which can be crafted with other Guardian materials.
- The theme of Guardian Arkveld’s second theme, “Radiant Cry of Life”, possesses a section with a leitmotif from Deviljho’s theme, reflecting how both monsters are causing vast ecological damage with their ravenous appetites.
- Seeing as Guardian Arkveld is established to be capable of reverting to an organic form, it’s possible that the regular Arkvelds fought in game could be a population of less aggressive Guardian Arkvelds that managed to become organic without becoming destructive, since the egg laid by the Guardian Arkveld maturing and multiplying to a stable population in the span of the game’s time frame is unlikely.
- It's also possible that these Arkveld were a naturally occurring population that emerged from hiding after the deaths of Guardian Arkveld and Zoh Shia. This seems to be more likely as no other Guardian Arkvelds ever show up or are mentioned, meaning that it's unlikely that more individuals were produced.
[]
 Villains
| ||
|
Monsters Others | ||