Alatreon is a large quadrupedal Elder Dragon whose overall body shape strongly resembles that of a stylised European dragon.
Known as the Blazing Black Dragon, its body is covered in jet-black scales that grow in the opposite direction from those of ordinary creatures. These scales accentuate Alatreon's peculiarity, giving its body a sharp, metallic texture with a bluish-purple sheen. While monsters normally possess only a single rare "Reverse Scale", Alatreon's scales are all reverse scales, an extremely rare trait. Countless plates line its body from bottom to top, as if piercing the heavens, giving it an unmistakably imposing appearance.[2]
The reason it formed such an outer shell has not yet been established. However, Alatreon is said to inhabit volcanic craters and seabeds with high water pressure, places that other creatures usually do not approach, and it is surmised that such environments may have had an effect on its body. Alatreon's rare reverse scales are known as "Mantles" or「煌黒龍の天鱗」(kōkokuryū no tenrin, literally "Blazing Black Dragon Heaven Scale"), and are described as containing every element within.[2]
Across its body, the chest is where the large and conspicuous scales are most densely packed. These scales are deformed and enlarged as though to protect it, shielding the chest from erupting magma and boiling water geysers. The enlarged scales that grow on the chest move according to its posture during flight, lowering their position to fill gaps. The scales also slide due to the contraction of the pectoral muscles, overlapping at the base and slightly increasing their volume.[2]
Alatreon's skeletal structure is similar to that of other four-legged, winged Elder Dragons, particularly Vorsphyroa/Disufiroa. It has a long, noticeably thick neck and a powerful tail. Its head is distinguished by characteristic bifurcated horns, whose bony structure resembles splintered horn cores. Its wings are broad and membranous, supported by a pronounced skeletal structure. Depending on its active state, the light leaking from the gaps in its scales and shell changes colour, which may be proof of the tales saying that Alatreon looks different depending on who sees it.[2]
Alatreon is a legendary dragon species described as the strongest Elder Dragon, one feared even by gods.[3] Its existence is so taboo that people even hesitate to speak its name, and most records concerning it have been burned. As a result, there are many who worship it as a god. Its name, Alatreon, means "Dawn's Triumph", a name bestowed by those who survived the threat of a natural disaster.[2] While most Elder Dragons specialise in specific elements, official production notes describe Alatreon as something of a higher rank, as it is able to handle all of the elements. The same notes describe it as the Symbol of Destruction, one that inherits the legacy of Fatalis.[4]
As a master of the elements, Alatreon is said to wield all the forces of nature, possessing control over Dragon, Fire, Ice, Thunder, and Water. It can unleash powerful flame breath, freezing breath, wide-range lightning strikes, water breath, flammable liquid, and draconic energy.[2] Alatreon's elemental resistances change depending on its active state. In Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, it has three modes:
In Fire Active mode, Alatreon is immune to Fire and highly resistant to Dragon and Thunder. Its main elemental weakness is Ice, while Water is only moderately effective.
In Ice Active mode, Alatreon is immune to Ice and highly resistant to Dragon and Water. Its main elemental weakness is Fire, while Thunder is only moderately effective.
In Dragon Active mode, Alatreon has no elemental immunities, but is moderately resistant to Fire, Ice, Thunder, and Water. Its only elemental weakness is Dragon, though even this is only moderately effective.
Alatreon is capable of manipulating all five elements regardless of its current active state. These states can be visually distinguished by the changing colour of the light that leaks from the gaps in its scales and shell. In Fire Active mode, these glowing areas take on a fiery red-orange hue, reflecting its command of the Fire element. In Ice Active mode, the light shifts to a cold blue-white colour, indicating its affinity with Ice. In Dragon Active mode, the fluorescent parts of its body emit a faint purple glow, while red and white Dragon lightning surrounds its body, marking its transition into a state closely associated with Dragon element energy.[2] Research notes wonder whether a huge amount of Dragon Element energy is required to switch between Fire and Ice Active modes, and whether Alatreon is trying to amplify that energy in its Dragon Active state.[2]
Alatreon has no known internal organs or ecological behaviours directly related to elements such as Ice and Fire. Most likely, it maintains its biological activity based on the Dragon Element energy it generates and circulates within its body. It is thought that the Fire Active and Ice Active states may convert this Dragon Element energy into each element and manifest it. The possibility that its horns can control elements has long been a source of speculation. Given that destroying its horns in Dragon Active state prevents it from switching between Fire Active and Ice Active, this possibility does not seem out of place. Receiving a severe impact while Dragon is active will temporarily interfere with its elemental control.[2]
Alatreon's ultimate attack, Escaton Judgment, unleashes an immensely powerful shockwave infused with every element. Research notes state that, to be honest, it might not be an intentional attack for Alatreon. When it transitions from Dragon Active to Fire Active or Ice Active, it releases a tremendous amount of combined energy. Its power, comparable to that of a natural disaster, is said to take away the vitality of all things in an instant.[2] Escaton Judgment releases the concentrated power in Dragon Active state all at once. A merciless flash of light and silence envelops the area, followed by Fire or Ice. Its power can be suppressed by infusing contradictory elements into its active state. After releasing explosive energy with Escaton Judgment, Alatreon transitions either into Fire Active state with a large-scale explosion, or Ice Active state with the generation of countless ice crystals. With the power of scorching heat and freezing, even the surrounding scenery changes drastically.[2]
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Confirmed sightings and encounters with Alatreon are exceedingly rare. After its appearance in the land once known as the Sacred Land, no notable reports were recorded until it resurfaced in the New World, within the Secluded Valley. Its existence is considered taboo, and most records concerning it have been burned. Rumours claim that Alatreon's appearance changes depending on the observer, a belief thought to be one reason it came to be deified. The shifting colours of the light that leaks from the gaps in its scales and shell during its active states may have contributed to these accounts.
Alatreon appeared in the Secluded Valley, the former territory of Safi'jiiva, the adult form of Xeno'jiiva also known as the Red Dragon. Although the two never directly clashed, researchers believed that such an encounter would have been extraordinary and unprecedented. According to the observation team's report, Alatreon appeared to be deliberately heading for the Secluded Valley, with the Red Dragon believed to be its intended target. Soon after arriving, it burned the surrounding area as though attempting to erase Safi'jiiva's traces, an act from which researchers even sensed anger.
Researchers linked this event to the concept of ecosystem homeostasis. Based on investigations in the New World and the Hoarfrost Reach, they concluded that the homeostasis of individual organisms may contribute to the balance of nature as a whole. From this perspective, research notes suggest that Alatreon may exist as a counterforce to the unprecedented mutation represented by Safi'jiiva. If an environment and ecosystem had been reshaped too conveniently, restoring their natural state may have required a being capable of destroying everything. Although the note acknowledges that this conclusion may be a leap, it states that the reasoning remains consistent. If the threat exists on the level of an Elder Dragon, the resulting conflict may extend across a continental, or even planetary, scale.
Alatreon can be found in the Sacred Land, a special area within the Volcano, and presumably has access to any part of the volcano while hunting for food. It has also been sighted on Ingle Isle and in underwater depths, within abyssal trenches. Alatreon is said to inhabit places other creatures rarely approach, such as volcanic craters and seabeds under high water pressure. Such environments are believed to have influenced the formation of its unusual outer shell and reverse scales.[2]
In the New World, Alatreon appeared in the Secluded Valley, where Safi'jiiva, the adult form of Xeno'jiiva known as the Red Dragon, had lived. Researchers believed that Alatreon was aiming for the Secluded Valley, and that its purpose was the Red Dragon itself.[2]