Monster Hunter series thread

[Firuthi Dragovic]

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

Take the advice I learned way too late:

Guard, guard, guard. You can get away with taking the initiative once in a while on the light bowgun. You really can't do that with the heavy.

However, do not rely on the auto-guard with the heavy bowgun. Get used to the active guarding (on an XBox controller that's hitting Y+B) and do it right before you get struck. Do it too early and you'll still take scratch damage but you may still be able to react. Do it on time, and a lot of attacks will do nothing at all. I'm still wary of trying to guard against eruption attacks but I think it's doable - but only if you're guarding against the last eruption. There feels like a bit of downtime between guards.

From my experience, your optimal ranges are quite a bit farther away with the heavy bowgun than they are with the light. Spread ammo, despite being shotgun range, is actually not going to be effective if the monster just attacked and you're point-blank with their thighs.

For the Ignition modes, I can't say much about the Wyverncounter vs Wyvernblast yet as I never got good with either. However, your choice of Wyvernheart (the machine gun) vs Wyvernpiercer is going to depend on the boss and your angles - namely, you want to use Wyvernpiercer against long bosses like Jin Dahaad, and Wyvernheart against shorter bosses like the Ebony Odogaron or any of the primates. Something like Guardian Rathalos or Arkveld, you could go either way. Watch for long attack animations, that's the time to let loose - and if the monster's coming your way, stop immediately as there's a bit of delay after stopping your attack.

I would also say that stocking ammo types, while still important, is actually less of a concern on the heavy bowgun than it is on the light. Ignition Mode relies on its own ammo pool and doesn't benefit from your ammo pouch, unlike the Light Bowgun's rapid fire mode, so you're not going to be burning through ammo quite as fast.

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

So....

I've officially entered the High Rank content proper, and the game's opening up to me.

When I finished the Yian Kut-Ku quest, I'd apparently done so much beforehand that I shot up to HR 12 immediately. With the fact that I need HR 15 for the next of the High Rank missions, it's time for me to seriously investigate weapons again.

I'm probably going to be doing weapon practice a while with the provided notes (and looking up guides on the Hunting Horn in particular, since that one's so difficult to use right), and it'll be time for one of those weapon face-offs again... but with all 14 weapons this time.

I'll let you all know my main when I'm done testing.

 

[Icepaw]

Hunting Horns have different songs depending on which one you're using as well so if you do end up going with that one you'll probably be making several of those. Another reason I avoid it like the plague as it is so annoying, at least with bows I can use the coatings I want with most bows and even bowguns aren't too harsh on ammo typings but the horn was nuts. Hope you'll have fun either way, i'm needing to experiment some more with the charge blade in Rise as Id didn't know about the double charging thing if that's even in Rise, More I know about the weapons I intend to main in Wilds beforehand the better off I'll be or so I hope

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

Hunting Horns have different songs depending on which one you're using as well so if you do end up going with that one you'll probably be making several of those. Another reason I avoid it like the plague as it is so annoying, at least with bows I can use the coatings I want with most bows and even bowguns aren't too harsh on ammo typings but the horn was nuts. Hope you'll have fun either way, i'm needing to experiment some more with the charge blade in Rise as Id didn't know about the double charging thing if that's even in Rise, More I know about the weapons I intend to main in Wilds beforehand the better off I'll be or so I hope

I did notice that with the Hunting Horn. Apparently they're set up so that one of the melodies available is ALWAYS Self-Improvement, and that seems to be one of the more important melodies available.



Anyways, one of the more annoying parts of this lengthy test is the leadup. I need to go grind LR Lala Barina about two dozen times (and I think Vespoids in a couple cases too) because I plan to make sure all the weapons bar the bowguns have a paralysis element weapon to start off (for the Bow this means making sure there's a paralysis coating available). Evens the playing field and might compensate for my experience with the bowguns.

Should I keep the Palico in the field or put 'em on standby for my extensive testing regimen? Having not done a ton of multiplayer yet I don't know how well my allies will do at distractions... and when I was using bowguns the Palico bailed me out more than I'd like to admit.

Aside from that, I've got both my punching machine settings and my actual monsters (yes, it's like the first weapon mini-tourney) lined up for this. This is gonna be an interesting weekend.


EDIT: Something I forgot to mention: Unlike the last weapon tourney, I'm going double-elimination on this.

If I learn something about a weapon too late (like the Demon Dodge for the Dual Blades, really important for the DPS buff it gives - apparently you have to dodge in Demon Mode, which I didn't realize), I get a second chance with the weapon.

I'm also giving each weapon pairing two battles, each one getting a chance at a leadoff. It will eliminate some of the skew I had last time.

And, uh.... I won't show the bracket this time, but Hunting Horn's first opponent is Sword & Shield, so the Horn's REALLY got its work cut out for it....

I promise if I ever pick up a second Monster Hunter game, it's not going to be this convoluted and tryhard. I just really need to know what actually fits me.

 

[Faust]

With the possible exception of the hunting horn, all of the weapons have something to recommend them. Some are just rather more complex to use than others.

One that I started off disliking, but came to love later on for certain monsters, was the Insect Glaive. It's just so darn agile!

The longsword is also well worth investigating, especially if you can get used to the sheath attacks and the helm-splitter combo.

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

With the possible exception of the hunting horn, all of the weapons have something to recommend them. Some are just rather more complex to use than others.

One that I started off disliking, but came to love later on for certain monsters, was the Insect Glaive. It's just so darn agile!

The longsword is also well worth investigating, especially if you can get used to the sheath attacks and the helm-splitter combo.

Biggest tip I can give with Hunting Horn is that you can ready and play your melodies on the Seikret.

That ALONE is a massive deal, even if Self-Improvement doesn't carry over to your other weapon. Given that Wilds lets you bring two weapons into battle, coming in with a set of buffs ready to go in purple status is extremely helpful.

There's also some tech regarding the Echo Bubbles and how Focus Strikes are handled, but I haven't quite nailed that part yet.


After my first round, I can say both Longsword and Insect Glaive are in the second round. Insect Glaive won by forfeit and didn't even get its double matches, but even then I think the main thing I need to learn is how to get a full set of Kinsect extracts without triggering a Wound. I seem to only be able to get one or two. If nothing else, the vaulting tech makes it incredibly easy to get on a monster's back.

Dual Blades, Charge Blade, Hammer, and Great Sword are all at risk of being eliminated from further consideration for me. (So are Switch Axe and Sword & Shield, but they get to sit out a bit.) Out of those four, Dual Blades and Hammer have a chance of staging a comeback. Charge Blade's chances are slim because I find it very finicky - it again seems to always want to steer me towards Axe mode even when I'm not ready to unleash.

But in Round 1's test fights, the ONLY weapon that got me carted - TWICE - was the Great Sword (and it's the weapon that forfeited to Insect Glaive). EVERYTHING being a charge attack is just too much for me to handle while also watching the monster's movements. If I get carted by the Great Sword again, then Great Sword's probably out by default.



EDIT 2: Having done the loser's bracket for this round, I can say with certainty that Charge Blade and Great Sword have been eliminated for any further consideration from me.

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

Okay, I can't take this test anymore.

After nearly getting my ass handed to me by a Guardian Fulgur Anjanath, it's definitely time for me to stop clowning around and focus on just two weapons at this stage.

I will have to consider options like the Long Sword later. My two weapons are the Hunting Horn and the Insect Glaive.


.....no, seriously. Unlike everyone else here, I REALLY grew to love the Hunting Horn.

Here's what I have to say on it:

• Do not try to play the notes for whole melodies all at once. You can stagger the notes as long as your next note is correct. This is basically the whole way you're dodging anything.
• When playing the melodies, you can instantly turn some songs purple if you time all your hits on each melody. You want to run with max buffs any time you can.
• You'd think this weapon has really weak effects on Wounds, and you'd be right. The reason to do Focus Strikes with Hunting Horn is actually not damage - if you strike a Wound, you have a short window to play up to five notes! Easy chance to get your four-note melody.
• Speaking of four-note melodies, those are played separate from the main 3-melody chain.
• The choice of horn also affects the Echo Bubble - basically a circular zone you can drop that grants a buff. Something like Stamina Regeneration is more useful if your allies are running Dual Blades or Bow.

I'll have more as I learn to master this weapon.

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

So, uh... question for longer-time players, specifically related to World.

There was some sort of crossover event way back then with Final Fantasy and a Kulu-Ya-Ku nabbing one of the crystals. There's an animator I watch sometimes who played that up to the hilt and made that Kulu-Ya-Ku insanely overpowered in his own shared canon.

I finally got around to watching the ACTUAL ingame fight. I was not expecting the game to treat it so silly (Chocobo racing music? Seriously?). Kulu-Ya-Ku just seems like an incredibly squirrely monster to fight (the video I saw was from a Long Sword user and the monster seemed to dodge his Helm Splitter attack every time).

Was he always supposed to be that slippery of an opponent or did I just watch a bad player?

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

So a couple comments as we approach the first Title Update.

A fair number of people seem to be whining that we had to wait this long for a Gathering Hub. And that it's locked to Rank 16 minimum. But honestly? With the nature of this game, I actually prefer that the Gathering Hub only comes into play at this point.

At the start, you're entering a new land entirely. You wouldn't have established bases early on. But by Rank 16, you've completed Low Tier, and you've done the first story part of High Rank. You've learned about Frenzied Monsters (for anyone who played the fourth generation games and needs new pants after hearing that phrase, they're right over there) and it's roughly at this point that you're starting to get serious supply runs. It'd take some time to get the hub set up.

It's a trend that fits thematically even if it pisses off veterans of the series.


Anyways, my progress has been slow enough that I won't be fighting Zoh Shia's High Rank battle right away. I'm only up to HR 27 at this point, mainly due to my extensive weapon testing.

But.... I've apparently fought enough Tempered Monsters to get the parts needed to make Artian weapons! Right now the only understanding I have of these is that the only way you're getting elements or status effects on there is if you have at least two parts with the same element. I haven't quite gotten that yet, so I went and drove up my affinity chances for now. I'll wait until I get better parts to try to min-max the weapons.

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

So I've had a little time in the Grand Hub and finally making sure I join lobbies with lots of players. (The ones I join at present are the beginner ones in my own language - no other tags.)

Barrel Bowling... not sure what to make of it. You roll two barrels down hills trying to knock down as many targets as you can. Got a B rank the first time, haven't gone back to it yet but I will use up all those tickets.

Haven't tried the Arm Wrestling, supposedly there's bugs with it at present.

The Canteen? Well, if you were hoping for the Felynes to cook... not this time. It's fantasy Uber Eats, with three Felynes in bright garb and tomato hats running a few baskets full of food to the table. You can get an order of any of the village feast meals, but you have a very limited number of vouchers for them. And... I think this is how the special event meals are going to work too; with the upcoming Festival of Accord, the food delivery's probably going to be something cherry-blossom themed like the rest of the event.

....I wonder if the seasonal feast is going to be anything like the Full Bloom platter from World's canteen?

Personally, I'm not going to rely on the meal vouchers a lot and just try to cook in the field (just not when the monster's actually staring you down).


As far as actual story progress.... as I hinted at last time, there's the matter of Gore Magala. I'm only just reaching that fight, and starting to lean more on the Insect Glaive than the Hunting Horn... at least when I'm not in a team.

The team-ups did finally give me some idea of the purpose of Barrel Bombs - you're apparently supposed to plant them on the final location when the monster's trying to take a recuperative nap. Still no idea about drugged meat yet, though.

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

It seems that the "Fashion Frame" concept from Warframe follows me here even into Monster Hunter.

As I hit HR 40 and have all the preparations complete to take on a story quest that I've been putting off WAY TOO LONG (the Gore Magala fight), I just learned that any High Rank armor (both for you and your Palico) you craft doubles as Layered Armor.

Meaning you can put on a front of something lower-geared if it looks better, while still having your higher-powered gear.

So now I have an unofficial side mission to get all the armors, in addition to building up some weapons of every type in case I feel like changing things up from Hunting Horn and Insect Glaive. (Mainly from Insect Glaive. People seem to appreciate the Hunting Horn whenever I haul it into a quest.)

Boy am I glad I maxed the Geologist and Botanist charms! Some parts are going to come from that. And I REALLY need to watch for Pick-a-Meal Vouchers now so I can get the Azuz meal for better carving. (I have been STINGY with my meal vouchers to this point, to the point where I'm only JUST using the second free Kunafa voucher as I enter a key boss battle.)

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

Playing intermittently because I'm trying to balance all the games I have at the moment. HR 67 as of time of posting.

I've actually decided to not settle on Insect Glaive as my secondary weapon. That honor goes to the Sword & Shield.

Main reason being it's the fastest of the weapons that can Power Clash. Aside from that its Focus Strike feels like it can sometimes rip open new Wounds to target. The ability to use items and then go right back into a blocking stance (drawing the weapon in the process) is a nice bonus.

Also, as I play online more I'm noticing about half of the players customize their auto messages. I redid mine once and I'm going to have to refine them a bit, but I'm hoping to go for 90s TV and cartoon references with mine (starting with "Let's rodeo!" for getting on top of the monster, "Shell Shock" for when I get carted, and a Rocko reference for when someone else gets carted, and working from there).

 

[Firuthi Dragovic]

So I've finally reached Hunter Rank 100.

Pretty much all that comes with it aside from a title is the ability to choose the type of part you get when you're melding for Artian weapon parts.

My feelings are a little mixed about the Artian gear. The raw numbers seem like they're lower than standard crafting, but in exchange you get 3 slots for 3-star decorations and you get to build it for the element or ailment you want.

Honestly the best I've done is make a light bowgun focused on paralysis/thunder (I use light bowgun on lesser hunts these days), and maybe a couple fast weapons based on blast. But that's it. They're ultimately only worthwhile if you're snagging opportunities (like saving a Zoh Shia or Tempered Arkveld investigation while actually doing something else in the area) and they are far more heavily dependent on having all the decorations you need. Plus they're ugly as sin.

I think once I get everything from the festival (Sinister Cloth for one of the headpieces and Great Hornflies for one armor piece are such a pain to get), it's beyond time for me to slow down on this game. And I probably won't be posting in the thread again (with the sole exception of responding to others) until the NEXT festival.