Monster Hunter series thread

[Firuthi Dragovic]

Officially this thread will be for all of the Monster Hunter games, but what's prompting me to start this is my time in Wilds, the first one I fully picked up.


Yeah, I actually dabbled a bit in demos of whichever entry was on the 3DS. But I never fully picked up a game until Wilds dropped.

And... with Wilds in particular, I have to assume the entirety of the story mode portion of the game is a tutorial? Because I feel like the special ammo types for my bowgun shouldn't all be locked unless I'm in a long tutorial.

Yeah, while I intend to try every weapon at Low Rank and eventually settle on two weapons before going into higher content, my primary so far has been the light bowgun. Normal ammo is your burst rifle, pierce ammo is your precision rifle, spread ammo is your shotgun (I've heard of people whining about the recoil, at videogame shotgun distances I fail to see that issue and worry more about whether you can make good wounds with this spread). Then elemental ammo and all sorts of weird support ammo that I think will become more useful later on, and special shots that break open wounded areas for extra item drops.

Dunno what my secondary will be - and it'll be a tad more important since Wilds lets you take a second weapon into battle properly. I definitely think of using a weapon that comes with a shield, in case everyone else is using ranged - apparently the hunts in this series work more like MMO raid bosses than proper hunting, so a frontliner is actually useful.

As I said in the Vent thread, it was either going to be Wilds or World with me and.... of all the things that could separate this for me, it's the cooking. Don't care what you stuff in them, the dango in Rise feels like a downgrade compared to the gargantuan meals in World. Wilds, though? You cook on the go and frankly the hunter cooks about as simple as I do IRL. And that's presuming you don't get the invite to partake in a feast.

I've got a ways to go with this one.

 

[UnknownAspect]

The Monster Hunter games are such beasts to tackle. I suppose I got into the series a the mid-point, with MH3 Ultimate, and then 4 and Generations Ultimate. Amazing games that make me feel like I've only scratched the surface, and I've invested so much time in them.

My only exposure to the more modern entries so far has been Rise, which has felt like such an upgrade from the older games, but also a downgrade in terms of sheer content, I felt. I do want to tackle World and Wilds one day.

I've dabbled in a fair few weapons, but I usually reach for a gunlance or hammer. On the occasions I take a ranged weapon, the heavy bowgun always appeals to me.

To be honest, the story portion of any Monster Hunter game feels like the world's longest tutorial. There's always so much more to do afterwards.

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

The Monster Hunter games are such beasts to tackle. I suppose I got into the series a the mid-point, with MH3 Ultimate, and then 4 and Generations Ultimate. Amazing games that make me feel like I've only scratched the surface, and I've invested so much time in them.

My only exposure to the more modern entries so far has been Rise, which has felt like such an upgrade from the older games, but also a downgrade in terms of sheer content, I felt. I do want to tackle World and Wilds one day.

I've dabbled in a fair few weapons, but I usually reach for a gunlance or hammer. On the occasions I take a ranged weapon, the heavy bowgun always appeals to me.

To be honest, the story portion of any Monster Hunter game feels like the world's longest tutorial. There's always so much more to do afterwards.

Do you have any tips for using the slower weapons properly?

I'm beginning to run my weapon tests at this point to find my alternate and... out of the four I've tested so far, the Gunlance is the only one I really couldn't figure out. Felt way too slow with weird firing lines, and very hard to get out of danger if you overextend. Lance may seem slow but actually attacks fast, Sword & Shield was hilariously busted, and Hunting Horn... is both funny, and probably fits what I'd use a second weapon for.

Gunlance and Lance tests were run against Lala Barina (giant spider), and Lance and Hunting Horn tests were run against Congalala (giant ape). Something that I THINK is a Doshaguma tried to interfere during the Hunting Horn test.

Whatever giant monster is next (as far as I'm concerned, the tests only count if they're done against a giant monster), Hammer's going to be my next test.

 

[UnknownAspect]

Do you have any tips for using the slower weapons properly?

I'm beginning to run my weapon tests at this point to find my alternate and... out of the four I've tested so far, the Gunlance is the only one I really couldn't figure out. Felt way too slow with weird firing lines, and very hard to get out of danger if you overextend. Lance may seem slow but actually attacks fast, Sword & Shield was hilariously busted, and Hunting Horn... is both funny, and probably fits what I'd use a second weapon for.

Gunlance and Lance tests were run against Lala Barina (giant spider), and Lance and Hunting Horn tests were run against Congalala (giant ape). Something that I THINK is a Doshaguma tried to interfere during the Hunting Horn test.

Whatever giant monster is next (as far as I'm concerned, the tests only count if they're done against a giant monster), Hammer's going to be my next test.

Patience more than anything, out of all the weapons, the slow ones rely on you exploiting any openings, after monsters attack and have to recover. Learning whether a monster can recover quickly or slowly after using particular attacks is useful, just so you don't drop your guard only for the beast to spin around and whip you with it's tail. You may end up playing a slightly slower game to start with, but once you start wearing a monster down, they'll take longer and longer to recover and you can begin to punsih them for it.

The lance is a nice beginner weapon amongst the heavier ones available, it hits fast so you can duck behind the shield quicker, but I always felt it didn't hit as hard as other weapons.

The gunlance thrives when you know the different combos and know how to manage the ammo for it. The pointblank blasts it creates really help with the damage when compared to the lance, but they will leave you open for longer, so you're better off just prodding the monster for a while until they leave a big enough opening for you to unload into them. When done just right, you can inflict some serious damage in mere moments, but you need to be patient about it.

The hammer is fun, and will handle differently, since you don't have the option to block like some of the other slow weapons. Instead you can at least move around while charging one of your attacks, so you are more mobile at least. Aim for the head, and send that monster into a daze, then you've got a free opportunity to heap a tonne of damage upon it.

The beauty of Monster Hunter is that there is such a variety of weapons, what works for me may not work for you much at all, I know I am not all too fond of the sword & shield or the hunting horn.

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

Patience more than anything, out of all the weapons, the slow ones rely on you exploiting any openings, after monsters attack and have to recover. Learning whether a monster can recover quickly or slowly after using particular attacks is useful, just so you don't drop your guard only for the beast to spin around and whip you with it's tail. You may end up playing a slightly slower game to start with, but once you start wearing a monster down, they'll take longer and longer to recover and you can begin to punsih them for it.

The lance is a nice beginner weapon amongst the heavier ones available, it hits fast so you can duck behind the shield quicker, but I always felt it didn't hit as hard as other weapons.

The gunlance thrives when you know the different combos and know how to manage the ammo for it. The pointblank blasts it creates really help with the damage when compared to the lance, but they will leave you open for longer, so you're better off just prodding the monster for a while until they leave a big enough opening for you to unload into them. When done just right, you can inflict some serious damage in mere moments, but you need to be patient about it.

The hammer is fun, and will handle differently, since you don't have the option to block like some of the other slow weapons. Instead you can at least move around while charging one of your attacks, so you are more mobile at least. Aim for the head, and send that monster into a daze, then you've got a free opportunity to heap a tonne of damage upon it.

The beauty of Monster Hunter is that there is such a variety of weapons, what works for me may not work for you much at all, I know I am not all too fond of the sword & shield or the hunting horn.

And I get this feeling that what works for you generally isn't going to quite work for me.

I ran more weapons tests using the Lala Barina and the Congalala as punching bags, and... there are precisely four weapons I could not bring myself to use in the future. Bow (yes, even with the robotech-ing arrows feature), Insect Glaive (even just the base weapon I have issues using, the kinsects would need time to develop)... and Gunlance... and Hammer.

Either bowgun is going to be a primary for me - I'll stick with light for now, but heavy bowgun is something I can seriously consider in the future (especially because its alt fire mode is a gatling gun).

The problem is, that leaves me eight possible melee weapons for me to use. I'm... I just beat the Doshaguma before doing this wave of tests and I can fight him and Balahara for the next iteration of testing, but it's going to be very hard for me to choose which one of the eight to pick.

Screw this, I have an idea to find my secondary weapon:

Spoiler: A mini-tournament!

First round is against Balahara. Semifinals and finals are against Doshaguma. Seeds were randomized for this and don't reflect my thoughts on the weapons.

The way these tests are gonna go is that the higher-ranked weapon leads off the fight. Once the monster retreats for the first time, the other weapon takes over. Unlike past tests, the weapons alternate on every monster retreat. Whichever weapon gets me in less trouble over the course of the fight wins. I am allowed to tag out a weapon if I struggle too much before the monster retreats - but the four weapons where that's happened are out of the running already.

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

So here's how that weapon tournament played out for me.

Spoiler: Mini-Tournament Results

Ranking in at #8... as disappointed as I am to say this, it's the Hunting Horn. When actually challenged with a squirrelly opponent like the Balahara, the Hunting Horn flounders HARD. I know it's a support weapon, but precise attack strings against opponents who can knock you out of them any time is just... no. Even a supporter can't get away with that. You'd have to stay back-line. This thing is team-only.

At #7, we have the Long Sword. To get the most out of it, you need a lot of buildup. I just can't pull that off in the heat of the moment against a fast target. Especially the whole Iai Strike thing.

Coming in at #6 is the Switch Axe. In both of its forms, the weapon actually performs very well. It just couldn't outcompete the Lance when it came to keeping me out of trouble.

Flopping in at #5, and the hardest loss of the preliminaries, was Sword & Shield. Sword & Shield has the defense to pull off being a good secondary weapon for me and enough offense to keep up under most circumstances. The issue is that Great Sword can obliterate wounded parts hard and put out a lot of damage in more situations, while still being way more controllable for me than the hammer and gunlance were. It's too bad. I really, REALLY liked Sword & Shield.

This means in the semifinals, Lance went against Great Sword, and Charge Blade went against Dual Blades.

#4 is the Great Sword. Sure it worked well against the Balahara, but when dealing with a taller target like Doshaguma, Great Sword didn't do so well defensively when compared to the Lance. Mainly from an attack speed perspective - Lance does so well defensively because it's safe. Its attacks are primarily pokes with the occasional option to swing, rather than lots of wide sweeping motions.

#3 winds up the Charge Blade... the main issue I have with the Charge Blade, despite having a shield mode, is that it constantly tried so hard to lock me into the mode that didn't have the shield. It got me in a ton of trouble when trying it on a Doshaguma. Dual Blade attacks so fast that you can afford to get in hits and still do a LOT of dodging. It's hit-and-run to some degree with Dual Blades and that insane speed makes it outpace the Charge Blade... even if you have to sharpen it a lot, you can do that on the Seikret. (Could you use the whetstone while traveling in Rise?)

So... Lance vs Dual Blades, for the final matchup.

And the winner is.....

The Lance.

Dual Blades are powerful, but I realized they were always being tested as the second weapon in the fight - when the monster's exhausted. I tried them as the first, and.... they're not as good at leading off compared to the Lance. Plus, Lance can do counterattacks and especially that big push-back counter that does a shocking amount of damage and locks the monster down for a few seconds (that second bit's only helpful in team play as you're also locked down). If I didn't already use the bowgun as my main weapon, I'd have more of a use for Dual Blades - the problem is ultimately that I need to address a lack of defense. If it were an offense issue, Dual Blades could win out.

So overall, I've gone with Light Bowgun for primary and Lance for secondary. I'll go back and forge variants of the other weapons some time after the story mode - just in case circumstances call for me to fiddle around with a new weapon, given that half the roster's weapons are at least workable for me.

One of these days I may need to test Lance vs Sword & Shield, but I'm done fighting the lower monsters. I need to progress the story a while.

 

[Icepaw]

First Monster Hunter I ever played was World, honestly was fun but all my friends on Steam were always busy and couldn't join me or had no interest. Still a fun game I beat the base story prior to Rise coming out and well I think i beat the base game of Rise but again it'd be a lot more fun having people to play it with. My progress for Rise is on the Switch as the port to Steam kept freaking out and wiping my progress. Wild looks fun but my computer isn't beefy enough to tackle it and with windows 10 being cut off in Oct my time in Wild may not start till close to Xmas for all I know. They're fun games that I do enjoy playing but they're most likely more fun if you got a hunting team of friends to hang out with and kick Monster butt. In World I did Switch Axe but Rise I did dual blades and Charge Blade.... those two may be the weapon duo I go for in Wilds as I enjoy making my charge blade become like a chainsaw and the whole beyblade like action with Dual blades is amazing. Wilds making the latter easier to do too is always nice

 

[OtheratheOtter]

Has anyone seen the Monster Hunter Movie on Netflix. It is really good!

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

Has anyone seen the Monster Hunter Movie on Netflix. It is really good!

Monster Hunter movie? If it's that 2020 one, I've only seen the scene with the Meowscular Chef and... they got the cooking motions right, but a lot of people are calling that bit awful on the presumption that there'd never be hair in the food the Felynes cook.

If there's a NEW one.... never heard of it until now.




Anyways, update on my progress: I'm nearing the end of Act 2 (I believe there's 3 acts in Low Rank) and it turns out I don't need the Lance nearly as much as I thought. Light Bowgun is doing well all on its own.

I am tempted to pack both Light and Heavy Bowgun as my combo from this point on. I really should make my decision soon, it'll be tough to grind out a new weapon choice if I do it too late.

One thing I do notice is that for the cooking, I am having the worst time trying to find enough of the finishing touches in particular.

 

[Icepaw]

There's a monster hunter movie on netflix that actually happens prior to monster hunter world. Monster Hunter Legends of the Guild I think it was called, quite an alright movie. Idk about that 2020 one though as it's not showing up for me on Netflix

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

Okay, so as far as bowguns, when is a good time to start resorting to the elemental ammo?

I... tried to use it against Nu Udra. It didn't seem like it was doing any better than standard shots.

And embarrassingly, Nu Udra is also the first time in my playthrough that I suffered any faints. Two in fact. That fire breath has a bullshit-size cone of effect.

Much as I want to work with the heavy bowgun, I NEED a tank in order to use that thing right. I just don't have the reflexes to dodge attacks quite as well with that thing out. Without a tank or a long monster stun, light bowgun it is.

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

So I was wrong. WAY wrong.

The elemental ammo absolutely does make a difference against bosses like Nu Udra. It only looked otherwise because it's going from 1-2 per tick to about 4-5 (about 5-6 ticks on a single shot, depending on the angle, so that's a LOT of extra damage).

Also, after another embarrassing death while doing a Rey Dau quest, I'm finally getting the hang of Heavy Bowgun. In fact, I'm getting decent at switching between the two bowguns - keeping in mind the Heavy's ignition mode has a little bit of auto-charge. I haven't quite nailed the other Ignition mode attack (Wyverncounter I think it's called? Something-Counter, that part I know), but the chaingun works wonders if I can get even a little distraction (even just the Palico).

Also I nailed my first few Captures! When doing them solo, you basically just have to wait for your Palico to tell you they're weak. I think something to do with limping as well? One of these days (probably after Low Rank is done), I need to harvest a LOT more Parashrooms and Sleep Herbs to make the Tranq ammo I'm going to need (I've heard tell there's a mandatory Capture to start off High Rank).

I am hoping to get the Low Rank story mode done this week, and really hope I can hit Hunter Rank 16 before the update hits early in April.


Any thoughts on that update, by the way? Apparently they're bringing a fourth-gen monster back around, and there was a teaser for the summer update that hinted at another old monster coming back.

 

[Icepaw]

Heavy bowgun takes some getting used to it would seem, I'm still trying to figure it out but I do kinda wish some of the guns didn't have deviation. There are items or abilities to reduce deviation but I got no clue how much as the idea of walking and shooting sounds lovely but I may just resort to getting in the monster's face and beating its skull in with a charge blade or dual swords. I figured out the bow but the games always seem more fun getting to attack the monsters rather than chip at them from afar. I saw a video talking of how the heavy bowgun tends to be and it kinda killed the appeal of it for me as it sounds like you gotta fill your bags with spare materials to rebuild limited ammo in the field and all kinds of other stuff... sad thing is ranged weapons seem to be required for some monsters at least in Rise as Chameleos is a annoying fella given he keeps emitting poison gas that eats you alive like acid

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

Heavy bowgun takes some getting used to it would seem, I'm still trying to figure it out but I do kinda wish some of the guns didn't have deviation. There are items or abilities to reduce deviation but I got no clue how much as the idea of walking and shooting sounds lovely but I may just resort to getting in the monster's face and beating its skull in with a charge blade or dual swords. I figured out the bow but the games always seem more fun getting to attack the monsters rather than chip at them from afar. I saw a video talking of how the heavy bowgun tends to be and it kinda killed the appeal of it for me as it sounds like you gotta fill your bags with spare materials to rebuild limited ammo in the field and all kinds of other stuff... sad thing is ranged weapons seem to be required for some monsters at least in Rise as Chameleos is a annoying fella given he keeps emitting poison gas that eats you alive like acid

From my attempts to use the elemental ammo so far, I'd say that in the best of cases you're going through a pouch's worth for each location the monster is in. So if a monster goes to new areas twice during the hunt, you'd have to refill twice.... so except for the Dragon ammo, that'd be about 20 of the respective material needed for that hunt.

I think that'll be more of a concern as I go up into High Rank. For now, even my longest hunts have not breached the halfway point on the 50-minute timer so min-maxing the ammo usage like that isn't on my radar. I'll use the one pouch full and keep my other ammo types in mind.

And honestly? With the two-weapon system in Wilds, I still think it might be a better idea when I get into High Rank to pick one of the bowguns for each hunt instead of packing both, and pack a melee weapon as the alternate. It's probably looking like Lance, Sword & Shield, or Dual Blades judging from my earlier tests - it seems my playstyle will always involve lots of damage numbers rather than big damage numbers.

My rule in Low Rank has so far been to stick with the Online Single Player mode and not release any SOS Flares. The minute I get into High Rank, that stops - Nu Udra's already the point where I really could have used a full team, but it is very VERY important I learn to train my own evasion and combat skills rather than rely on full squads from Day 1.

 

[Icepaw]

Hmm there's also gunlance if Lance isn't too rough on you but each their own. I've not given up on dual blades so my two whenever I get the system to handle Wilds will be Charge blade and dual blades but I might test others if need be. Insect glaive was one I experimented with in World and it seemed alright but it fell off for me on Rise. After weapons are settled on next comes the other things like which skills and armor to hunt for then which armor do I like the look of most to make layered armor. My palico of course needing attention too as outside a lobby with two extra players palico stays to assist

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

I have officially completed the tutorial.

What I will say is... it took until Guardian Doshaguma for me to learn about the light bowgun's Chaser Shot, so I've been playing on gimped DPS this entire time. And it took me until the Ebony Odogaron to realize how Perfect Guarding actually works with the heavy bowgun.

I still took one fall each against Guardian Arkveld and Zoh Shia despite my lagging behind on skills. Amazingly, only one. You read up on these bosses, they sound way tougher than they actually are. (And I'm sure High Rank will finally live up to their reputation.)

So.... it's time for me to do more weapon training. I found myself using the heavy bowgun a LOT more as the monsters became faster and more aggressive. It's time for me to test, once and for all, whether dodging or blocking is going to do better for me.

Blocking may actually win out given the monsters have pretty lengthy tells to their attacks.

Now as I begin to enter High Rank, the only problem is finding a monster that sets a good example. I'm thinking one of the apex predators at low rank is an ideal target.

 

[Icepaw]

Ebony Odogaron's armor looks rather cool, I'd probably end up hunting them for a while whenever I'm able to play Wilds. Although the barrel bowling in the new group hub they're adding looks fun too... god there's going to be so much for me to enjoy when I'm able to. Also..had a theory but seeing as your hunter in Wilds is apparently a veteran from what I've seen... is it possible the person you play in Wilds is supposed to be like your guy or gal from World just a little older?

 

[Faust]

Do you have any tips for using the slower weapons properly?

For what it's worth, here's my notes. (Been playing since... MH2, good grief! Though I skipped a couple of the ones between then and now.)

Greatsword: Concentrate on blocking and dodging. Look for an angle that keeps you out of the way of the monster's major strikes, typically the side. You should also look for opportunities to get at the tail, since this is one of the best weapons for cutting it off. You can get in a hit or two here and there, but what you're really waiting for is the beast to fire off a powerful but long-winded and mostly stationary attack at someone else so you can get in a quick combo. Once the monster goes down, make sure you get in a good long combo with plenty of charge attacks. Don't forget you can charge up all three attacks in the basic combo by holding the button!

Hammer: My personal favourite of the heavies! The best tactic here is to run around just out of range of attack, dodging only if necessary, while you charge up your strike. Unlike the great sword, you can move and charge at the same time. Once you've reached maximum, swoop in and batter it before flitting out again. Whenever it's safe to do so, go for the head as you have a chance of countering or stunning the monster. Here's a little tip, too: there are three levels of charge. The last one might cause the most damage overall, but it consists of two blows: a low-damage upswing and a high-damage downswing. The SECOND level of charge, however, is almost as damaging as the latter half of the third, and is very fast! If you can time your charging just right, this will let you get in a surprisingly heavy hit-and-run attack, even on a faster and more active monster.

Lance: Get in close and block constantly, stopping only to let your stamina rebuild. The lance is pretty fast, so you'll have lots of chances to tickle the monster with regular strikes in between its attacks. I found this particularly useful against the big octopus-style monsters which the lance is brilliant against, as well as Arkveld which practically necessitates either an agile ranged weapon or an effective blocking strategy. If the monster charges off, get some distance and use the running attack. Practice timing a standard attack for the end of the charge just before you make contact for maximum damage. Otherwise: block, tickle, tickle. It's not a very damaging weapon, but it's easy to use compared to the more technical ones.

Side note: one of my favourite MH moments came from using the lance's running attack in MH World. I ran across a small arena, completely missed the target, but my character didn't stop. Instead, they ran up the wall, jumped off and mounted the monster, quickly killing it since it was already very weak.

Hunting Horn: put it back in the rack and pick a different weapon. Seriously, I HATE the hunting horn, but if you really must use it the trick is to know which melodies give you the best bonuses and concentrate on pulling them off. Personally I think the tweaks they made in this version of the game made the horn even worse; I never seem to be able to pull off combo-finishing performances when I need to!

Gunlance: Another favourite. Like the regular lance, blocking and tickling is a good strategy, but what you really want to pull off is the ultimate wyrmstake combo. If memory serves, on PS5 that's circle, forward-triangle, circle+triangle, triangle, but I could be wrong - go to the training arena and look it up. If you do it right, the third strike should shower the target with shells, stab it with an exploding blade, then the fourth strike will do it again! You'll need to wait for an opening though as it really leaves you open. Also, if you pull a combo where the lance gets swung up like an uppercut, press triangle to bring it down in an overhead attack, followed by circle to release ALL remaining shells in your clip at once. This can be devastating with high-capacity lances. Finally, never forget your wyrmfire attack (right trigger, circle and triangle) when the beast is trapped, down or dazed. It's easy to forget you can do it because it has a long recharge time but, in close range, it does a lot of damage.

Charge Blade: This one's all about building up the power in your vials using quick and nasty sword attacks, then switching to axe mode to spend them on devastating elemental attacks. One of the rare weapons where you can actually control, to a small extent, how much elemental damage you do, so good against monsters that are particularly weak to certain elements. I usually concentrate on block-and-tickle tactics, occasionally using RT-circle to deposit the energy into my shield until all vials have little flames on top. Then I look for a chance to blindside the enemy and go in with long axe combos.

Switch Axe: Very similar to the charge blade in many ways, you want to charge up your energy before switching to the other mode and expending it. However, the switch axe has a huge elemental discharge ability that can cause great damage if you're careful only to use it when the monster is otherwise occupied (don't forget to rapidly tap the attack button at the end of the combo to power it up further!) Unlike the charge blade however, it has no block ability so try not to approach from dangerous angles and always be ready to roll out of the way!

General Tips:

• Targeting wounds should be your first priority as it causes big damage and generates crafting materials.
• You can attempt to mount a monster by jumping off your Seikret at it and attacking in mid-air.
• If you need to drink a potion, eat a ration or polish your weapon mid-battle, get on your Seikret first.
• Flash bombs are your friend against a lot of monsters. Don't forget to use them!
• Know the elemental weakness of your target and try to find a matching slingshot ammo whenever you can.
• There's a list of nearby features on the left of the screen; keep an eye on it for environmental traps!
• If you find you run out of potions a lot, fill your pouch with herbs and honey before the mission so you can make more in the field.

And here's my favourite 'mounting' trick! Mount a monster by jump-attacking it. Once you're attached, press R1 for a weapon attack, then hold R2 to brace until it stops struggling. Do this three times and you'll generate a wound. A fourth attack will dismount with a big finisher attack. DON'T DO THIS! Instead, as soon as you see you've generated a wound, flip the left stick to move to another part of the monster's body! If you're careful about how you use your stamina, you can cause two or three wounds in a single mounting session without being thrown off. Furthermore, while the monster has a wriggly hunter stuck to it, its move-set is severely limited and all your buddies can pile on it with impunity, so the longer you stay up there the better.

[EDIT] Thought of another one: when you pull off one of those aimed wound-targeting attacks with L2-R1, you'll destroy every wound you make contact with along the way, not just the one you originally aimed at. Some weapons (i.e. gun lance) let you swing them around during the attack, so use this opportunity to hit as many different wounds as you can!

 

[Icepaw]

I also have no love for the hunting horn, more so my teammate smacking me with it constantly when I'm trying to kill a monster. Having to go after the ability to not get knocked out by my supposed ally is so annoying but I'd rather not get stepped on after my teammate knocks me on my tail. As for Charge blade... by little flames you mean when the bars are white or have I been jumping the gun with that as I'll charge the vials and then switch to axe mode which is rather fun when the shield can be made to spin and the weapon be like a chainsaw. Timing is a thing though for it as one of the combos forces a wound up swing you can't cancel out of once it's in motion. Any tips for heavy Bowgun by chance as every guide tot hat one I see people getting pummeled more than anything

 

[Faust]

Charge blade... by little flames you mean when the bars are white or have I been jumping the gun with that

You can actually charge the vials twice each for extra damage, so yeah, maybe a little bit. Once all of them have the little white bar, stay on the sword and keep charging them. You should find they change colour and get a little 'flame' on top to indicate a double charge.

Any tips for heavy Bowgun by chance as every guide tot hat one I see people getting pummeled more than anything

I don't use 'em much. From the little I've played with them, it seems to mostly about knowing when to switch to your alternative fire mode and when to let it charge up. If you're good at countering though, it's worth practicing with the Wyvern Counter Ignition attack. I could never get the hang of it myself, but some people get really good. I do massively prefer them to regular bowguns though, since those don't pack enough punch for my liking.

One thing I will say, though. If you're going to go in with the heavy bowgun, it's really worth investing in armour or accessories that feature a high level Quick Sheath skill! Yes, the weapon can guard (and even auto-guard in some situations) but being a ranged weapon I often found it necessary to put some distance between me and the target, and that ideally means putting the weapon away first.

And one final tip which applies to all ranged weapons: watch your damage numbers. The amount of damage you cause is strongly affected by the type of ammo and your proximity to the monster. If you don't seem to be doing as much damage as you think you should, try getting closer or aiming for different body parts (usually the head).