Guard Up underwent significant changes in Monster Hunter Rise. Unlike previous games where a single level would fully block special attacks, it now requires three levels and still lets through at least 20% of the attack's damage. This makes the skill much less efficient for your builds.

In the endgame especially, even with Guard Up 3, these special attacks can still hit devastatingly hard. Most of these powerful moves have clear telegraph animations or voice lines, giving you time to position yourself safely out of the way.

Rise also introduced more truly unblockable attacks that can't be defended against even with Guard Up. Given this, plus the high skill investment needed for Guard Up 3, you're usually better off learning each monster's tells and planning your positioning accordingly. Save those precious skill slots for more impactful defensive options like Guard, Intrepid Heart or Heaven-Sent or offensive skills that'll help you end the hunt faster.

Aknosom

No special guard requirements

Almudron

No special guard requirements

Amatsu

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Tornado that pulls you close to it
• Double barrel vortex

Anjanath

No special guard requirements

Apex Arzuros

No special guard requirements

Apex Diablos

No special guard requirements

Apex Mizutsune

No special guard requirements

Apex Rathalos

No special guard requirements

Apex Rathian

No special guard requirements

Apex Zinogre

No special guard requirements

Arzuros

No special guard requirements

Astalos

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Creates a lightsaber from mouth and slams head into ground

Aurora Somnacanth

No special guard requirements

Barioth

No special guard requirements

Barroth

No special guard requirements

Basarios

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Fire beam
• All gas cloud attacks

Bazelgeuse

No special guard requirements

Bishaten

No special guard requirements

Blood Orange Bishaten

No special guard requirements

Chameleos

No special guard requirements

Chaotic Gore Magala

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Nuke attack (becomes multi-hit during frenzy state)

Crimson Glow Valstrax

Unblockable

Cannot be blocked:

• Ambush - sheathe and superman dive, or sheathing retreat iframe :)

Daimyo Hermitaur

No special guard requirements

Diablos

No special guard requirements

Espinas

No special guard requirements

Flaming Espinas

Unblockable

Cannot be blocked:

• Nuke after stomp - sheathe and superman dive, or sheathing retreat iframe :)

Furious Rajang

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Lightning beam attack (can easily be avoided with sheathing retreat)

Gaismagorm

Unblockable

Cannot be blocked:

• Falling meteors
• Hand slam explosion in phase 2.5

Garangolm

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Nuke where it pulls out rock underneath

Gold Rathian

No special guard requirements

Gore Magala

No special guard requirements

Goss Harag

No special guard requirements

Great Baggi

No special guard requirements

Great Izuchi

No special guard requirements

Great Wroggi

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• All poison gas attacks (Guard Up prevents poisoning)

Jyuratodus

No special guard requirements

Khezu

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Lightning balls that travel along ground (causes heavy paralysis)

Kulu-Ya-Ku

No special guard requirements

Kushala Daora

No special guard requirements

Lagombi

No special guard requirements

Lucent Nargacuga

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Super tail slam where it goes invisible, jumps around, then slams

Lunagaron

No special guard requirements

Magma Almudron

No special guard requirements

Magnamalo

No special guard requirements

Malzeno

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Nuke where it drops giant qurio ball

Mizutsune

No special guard requirements

Nargacuga

No special guard requirements

Narwa The Allmother

Guard Up Unblockable

Requires Guard Up:

• Tail slam
• Light wave

Cannot be blocked:

• Dragonator
• Supernova

Primordial Malzeno

Guard Up Unblockable

Requires Guard Up:

• Dive bomb with crossed wings
• Large explosion during last phase before exhaustion
• Double wing slam attack

Cannot be blocked:

• Triple laser line in second phase - must sheathe and superman dive or use sheathing retreat to iframe

Pukei-Pukei

No special guard requirements

Pyre Rakna-Kadaki

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• All web attacks
• Fire beam attack

Rajang

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Lightning beam attack (can be avoided with sheathing retreat)

Rakna-Kadaki

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• All web attacks
• Fire beam
• All Ceiling attacks

Rathalos

No special guard requirements

Rathian

No special guard requirements

Risen Chameleos

No special guard requirements

Risen Crimson Glow Valstrax

No special guard requirements

Risen Kushala Daora

No special guard requirements

Risen Shagaru Magala

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Beam attack

Risen Teostra

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Supernova

Risen Valstrax

Guard Up Unblockable

Requires Guard Up:

• Charged stab after charged spin (performs 2 stabs after level 270)

Cannot be blocked:

• Ambush attack - must sheathe and superman dive

Royal Ludroth

No special guard requirements

Scorned Magnamalo

No special guard requirements

Seething Bazelgeuse

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Mega nuke
• Dive bomb

Seregios

No special guard requirements

Shagaru Magala

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Laser beam

Shogun Ceanataur

No special guard requirements

Silver Rathalos

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Nuke

Somnacanth

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• All sleep gas attacks

Teostra

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Supernova

Tetranadon

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Double jump in fat mode

Tigrex

No special guard requirements

Tobi-Kadachi

No special guard requirements

Velkhana

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Ice breath attack that causes freeze

Violet Mizutsune

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Spirit bomb bubble (can be deflected back by hitting it)

Volvidon

No special guard requirements

Wind Serpent Ibushi

Guard Up

Requires Guard Up:

• Tail slam attack
• Attack where it throws floating rock at you

Zinogre

No special guard requirements