Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

[neilp4453]

Finally got my 3DS.

The regular bow seems to be a garbage weapon. The C-stick is nice, but it is still difficult to properly aim. I am liking the switch axe and long sword though. Not sure which route I want to take yet.

I've only done one level 2 quest, but they just threw me out into the world without any indication of where to go. Learning the area is essential but this just seems to be a waste of time.

And these little cats kept stealing stuff from me. I lost my map and couldn't get it back.

[The Walrus]

That's kind of the point though, figuring it out for yourself.

[neilp4453]

That's kind of the point though, figuring it out for yourself.

I guess, but this is the first time I've encountered a lack of direction in these types of games.

But I guess I can't complain too much. Getting 5 unique mushrooms was a simple enough task.

[NoiseHERO]

wat, they tell you everything you gotta do.

There's sometimes where explanations are kinda long and it's hard to tell wtf they're talking about till you're right about to do it. (ship drill tongue punch thingie took me a 2nd try) but only thing that's really dropped on you is exploring for yourself like any other game and scattered random trivial game mechanics you'll pick up eventually.

And yeah ranged weapons aren't the over powered new player friendly weapons they'll be in every other game.

[Ce'Nedra]

In MH series ranged weapons are actually more for the more experienced player, they are difficult to aim with and you only run with half the defense you have with melee sets. You can easily get one shotted by bosses if you don't look out and the learning curve seems way higher then most melee weapons have.

Doesn't mean they suck at all, just not recommended for new players.

[strikerhunter]

In MH series ranged weapons are actually more for the more experienced player, they are difficult to aim with and you only run with half the defense you have with melee sets. You can easily get one shotted by bosses if you don't look out and the learning curve seems way higher then most melee weapons have.

Doesn't mean they suck at all, just not recommended for new players.

This. Ranged weapons requires a lot skill from knowing how to make more ammo on the go, manage inventory, reload timing, aiming for best damage, knowing when to pop turret mode for heavy bowgun, knowing when to stand still of bow's overshot, positioning, etc.

If you ask me, all ranged weapons have a damage that's on par with hammers knocking on heads or an uber offensive Dual Sword. Only downside to ranged weapon is that your best damage are limited.

Finally got my 3DS.

The regular bow seems to be a garbage weapon. The C-stick is nice, but it is still difficult to properly aim. I am liking the switch axe and long sword though. Not sure which route I want to take yet.

As said above, range weapons are not friendly for new players. About aiming, there's a lock-on gimmick (although I barely use it). Switch Axe and Long Sword are decent weapons with some downsides (like all weapons) but just a fare warning with LS is that because the weapon is long.........might want to avoid hitting players. As for which route to take, I say have at least 3 weapons to practice under on. Some monsters are harder to kill with certain weapons while others are much easier with other weapons, example: Dual Swords are good for an monsters that are not dumbly tall or doesn't fly while Long Swords are good all monsters but medicore speed and set back if you don't commit the next move makes it not as good on monsters with shells instead of scales.

I've only done one level 2 quest, but they just threw me out into the world without any indication of where to go. Learning the area is essential but this just seems to be a waste of time.

This how the series is like, You are given an objective but it is up to you to discover the lay of the land. Once you know where are all the gathering points, you can use that knowledge in higher ranked quests to make potions on the go or even some supporting items.

So as a tip, spend some times exploring early in the game (especially in offline mode) and understanding where things in each map and learn how to take the environment as an advantage because if you don't then you be clueless like my last party who all died sitting on lava.

And these little cats kept stealing stuff from me. I lost my map and couldn't get it back.

Kill them, they'll give it back or go to their hideout it'll be there.

[Akaimizu]

To a degree. Ranged armor does have the added benefit of being mostly focused on Elemental damage resistance. It's the direct damage they have issues with, but they're supposed to avoid more attacks due to being able to stand further away to attack. One might say, not as easy when doing solo, but then you should always bring a Palico or two with you. They act as your distraction to give you even more room to attack from a distance.

On the other hand, your elemental resistance is better, and thus you're able to take those elemental ranged strikes a bit better than you think; that is, if you wear the right armor for the beast.

Also, take note, playing offline will also eventually earn the classic map playgrounds. That is, the Paw Pass missions where all you do is run around the map (with its various creatures) with no main mission objective. There, you can gather materials and such, while having plenty of time to observe things. Take note, they have some of the creatures that produce materials based on what they recently snacked on (as seen first in Monster Hunter 3 and 3 Ultimate). Like the bugs whose abdomens fill with a certain color based on what they eat, and if you take them out at that time, they drop the appropriate material.

[strikerhunter]

^ Adding into distractions you also have access to traps and flash bombs, etc. to stun and stagger monsters (although everyone have access to them but gunners benefits most).

[Freshellent]

You can also discover monster weaknesses and other item's purposes by looking at the items they give you at the beginning of Low Rank quests. Flash Bombs, Sonic Bombs, Poison Knives, Traps- all of that stuff in the blue box should be noted as a clue as what to expect.

Everything (nearly) in the game is telegraphed when it comes to monster activity. Some stuff just has more, others have much less. If you see horns on a monster, assume they can be broken. If you see a long tail, sometimes it can be cut. Everything you witness for the most part has a purpose and a method to deal with it. That's why there's no enemy HP bars. You are expected to be engaged and observing the creatures, not crunching numbers on your UI.

Learning the blights that effect you as a player as well. Hot Drinks for cold zones, Cold Drinks for hot ones. Water, Freeze, Burning, Blast (formerly Slime?)

Stuns, large monster roars, pinning. There's a boatload to learn but it just takes some tuff luv to figure it out, or a healthy amount of questions being asked and someone patient enough to explain.