Weapon Usage Rankings (remaining 11 weapon types)

Following up on the fifth installment’s analysis of the Long Sword, Dual blades, and Light bowgun, here are the rankings for the other eleven weapon types in the game!

Overall, we see high usage rates for the more versatile non-elemental weapons, with weapons made from Nargacuga materials proving especially popular. In addition, weapons made from Valstrax parts also have many fans, probably due to the extremely large white section on the Sharpness Gauge.

Now, let’s take a closer look at a few different weapons that stand near the top of their respective rankings. Specifically, the most popular Sword & Shield, the Hi Ninja Sword; the third most popular Switch Axe, Grand Chaos; and the second most popular Charge Blade, Ikaji Immortal. A common thread between these three weapons is that they have a large green section on the Sharpness Gauge. They can also utilize the Dulling Strike skill to inflict some serious damage. These interesting weapons require specialized skills and delicate maneuvering, so you should check them out if you haven’t already.

Next, we have the most popular heavy bowgun, Rajang’s Rage. This weapon made from Rajang materials can equip both Sticky Ammo and Paralysis Ammo, making it easy to inflict status changes on foes. It’s also a great weapon for showing off your ranged weapon skills during multiplayer.

Finally, we can’t overlook the Rampage weapons that sit near the top of the rankings for many weapon types. There are various ways to use them, such as simply focusing on boosting your non-elemental attack strength with a Great Sword, or dealing various types of elemental damage with a Bow. The ability to change their visual appearance is also probably no small reason for their popularity.

Top 3 Switch Skill Combinations (all 14 weapon types)

Moving on, we’ve prepared the top three Switch Skill combinations for each weapon type. There are many different Switch Skills to choose from, with Silkbind attacks that can have a great influence on one’s playing style, and others that may be difficult to use but are highly effective once mastered. So which combinations do most hunters prefer? Here are some of the ones we found to be most interesting.

First up, we have the always popular Long Sword. You can switch between the Spirit Reckoning Combo and the Spirit Roundslash Combo, with both of them featuring an excellent balance between usability and attack strength. It’s safe to say that hunters proficient at performing various counters tend to like the Spirit Reckoning Combo, while those who favor a bit more stability go with the Spirit Roundslash Combo.

Next, let’s examine the Demon Flight and Feral Demon Mode combination that is the most popular among Dual Blades users. It’s pretty clear to see that people like the large increase in attack strength that comes while using Feral Demon Mode, allowing them to inflict heavy damage when paired with Demon Flight. The ability to launch stylish combos in mid-air is probably another reason for this combination’s popularity.

Looking at one of the more unusual combinations, we have Insta-Block and Shield Charge for the Lance. Insta-Block allows you to parry attacks while leaving much less of an opening when it’s performed right before the enemy’s attack lands. However, it can leave you wide open if you fail. Therefore, waiting a slight instant before using Shield Charge can lead to a successful block, even if Insta-Block fails. This is a higher-level strategy being employed by action savvy Hunters.

Finally, let’s take a look at the Light Bowgun. Quickstep Evade leaves almost no opening when dodging an attack, so once you’ve mastered a monster’s movements, you can evade its attacks with no wasted motion. As a result, you’re able to land even more attacks of your own, which is probably why some of the more experienced gunners like using it.

Closing Comments

So, how did you like our latest deep dive into the weapons of #MHRise?
Even if you have a favorite weapon type, simply changing up your Switch Skills can lead to an entirely new experience! Either way, be sure to keep going on hunts in order to perfect your hunting skills!

Long Sword Rankings

In first place, we have the Phantom Mirage, which is made from Chameleos parts.
It features high Attack and Affinity ratings, while its numerous slots make for an extremely versatile weapon.
You can also use the Handicraft skill to boost the weapon’s Sharpness Gauge up to the white sharpness level, enabling you to deal even more damage. Furthermore, the visual trick where the blade disappears once the Spirit Gauge is full may also be a key element of this weapon’s appeal.
In second place is the Tigrine Need. Its high Attack rating and ability to reach the white sharpness level can combine with the Rampage Skill “Silkbind Boost” that is obtained from the Keen Edge I on Tigrine Need’s ramp-up path to inflict massive damage with Spirit Helm Breaker.
Deepest Night is the third most popular long sword. This weapon made from Nargacuga parts features an easy-to-use Sharpness Gauge as well as a high Affinity rating, making it a solid choice for any battle. The freedom it offers when choosing skills also contributes to its easy handling.
Outside of the top three choices, let’s also take a look at the eighth place selection, Kamura’s Inheritance.
This long sword is earned by powering up the sword received from Fugen the Elder after completing the Village Quests.
It features high specs, including excellent Affinity, so those of you that have yet to give it a try should definitely check it out.

Dual Blades Rankings

The most popular dual blades choice is Night Wings. Made of Nargacuga parts, this is a highly versatile weapon.
Since dual blades allow multiple strikes, they are good at dealing elemental damage; perhaps many Hunters gravitate to crafting this one in particular first.
In second place, we have Reddnaught Dragon Wing, which is made of Valstrax parts.
Capable of inflicting considerable damage against monsters weak against Dragon elemental attacks, the white section of its Sharpness Gauge is quite large, making it a worthy choice in a variety of situations.
The third most popular set of dual blades is Raging Claws. This set of blades looks like a cute pair of Felyne hands (paws?), but don’t let appearances fool you—with the Rampage Skill “Hellion Mode”, attacking while in Demon Mode guarantees a critical hit every time!
However, it also doubles the rate at which your weapon loses its sharpness, so it’s a good idea to equip a skill like Protective Polish.
We’d also like to examine the fourth place entry, Rampage Twinblades S.
Just as the name implies, this is a Rampage weapon, enabling these dual blades to add a second elemental attribute as a Rampage Skill.
That gives them a wide variety of customization options, meaning they’re probably quite popular with you veteran hunters out there.

Light Bowgun Rankings

The most popular light bowgun is the Night Owl. Players likely value this weapon’s ability to quickly inflict heavy damage on large monsters with its rapid fire Pierce Ammo 1 and Pierce Ammo 2.
In second place, we have the Despot’s Wildfire, which is made of Zinogre parts. This weapon’s greatest strength is its ability to rapidly fire Slicing Ammo.
This ammo deals consistent damage to a wide variety of monsters, and it can even sever a monster’s tail if aimed properly.
The Sinister Shadow Bolt is the third most popular light bowgun. It is made of parts taken from Magnamalo, which is the flagship monster for this game.
The main draw of this weapon is its ability to fire Sticky Ammo 3 while on the move.
This ammo allows for a set amount of damage, regardless of the monster’s body type, and headshots can also stun the monster, making it an effective choice in multiplayer games.
Looking outside the top three, we have the Watchdog’s Howl in fourth place.
This bowgun’s appearance resembling a carved wooden dog takes some getting used to, but its unusual ability to rapidly fire Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, and Recover Ammo 1 is definitely worth a look.
We imagine there are more than a few Gunners out there using this ammo to support the rookie hunters in their party.

Closing Comments

Well, what did you think of our report focusing on the commonly used weapons in each of the three most popular weapon types?
If none of these were your go-to weapon type, we hope you gained some useful insight on how your fellow hunters like to do battle.
We hope this information helps Hunters try out all of the exciting weapon types available.
Until next time! Please continue to enjoy your hunting life in Monster Hunter Rise!
See you!

Everyone Loves Dango! Bunny Dango Flavor Rankings

This ranking lists the most popular flavors of Bunny Dango, which can be eaten at the Tea House in the Canteen or at the sub-camps.
In first place, we have Super Bestnut. The Dango Defender (Hi) skill that comes with this dango has a good chance of decreasing the amount of damage taken, so it is a smart pick when going up against large monsters.
“This dango is a good choice for hunters who lack confidence in their evasive abilities.
It also pairs well with the Dragonheart skill granted to hunters with armor made from Crimson Glow Valstrax materials, making it a popular choice among veteran hunters as well.”
Second place goes to Mint-iature. It gives the Dango Booster skill upon consumption, which temporarily increases both attack and defense, giving hunters some much-needed peace of mind on both fronts.
Although temporary, the effects actually last for 10 minutes, so those that have stayed away from this flavor in fear of the effects being too short should give it a try!
In third place, we have Analeptic. The Dango Medic (Hi) skill restores a large amount of health, making it the perfect choice for recovering from some heavy damage!

Save These Sets!　Bunny Dango Combination Rankings

Next up, we have the ranking for hunters’ three favorite flavor combinations!
The first place combination consists of Mint-iature, Super Bestnut, and Analeptic.
These are simply the top three choices in the individual flavor rankings, so no real surprises here.
In second place, the flavor combination consists of Spud-luck, Super Bestnut, and Analeptic.
Spud-luck gives the Dango Weakener skill, which can make large monsters weaker than normal, meaning those quests will be just a tiny bit easier.
In third place is the combination of Super Bestnut, Analeptic, and Magnacrisp.
This solid combo boosts your defense and recovery ability, while also giving the Dango Moxie skill, which can prevent you from fainting after taking heavy damage one time.
Next, we’d like to take a look at a rather unusual combination that was part of a three-way tie for seventh place: Mint-iature, Beansplosion, and Centering.
Beansplosion and Centering are both flavors that can boost the damage inflicted by bowguns, meaning this must be a popular choice among Gunners!

Check Your Inventory! Item Pouch Content Rankings

We’ve prepared a look at the item rankings for what Blademasters and Gunners are keeping in their item pouches!
These rankings provide an interesting look at the differences between the two classes in terms of what items they prefer to use in battle.
First, let’s take a look at the Potion. Although it is in second place to the Mega Potion for Blademasters, it’s only in fourth place for Gunners.
“This is likely because their defense is much lower than that of Blademasters, and regular potions don’t restore enough health.
Furthermore, Gunners prefer to keep their distance from monsters, so they might not be incurring that much damage frequently in the first place.”
Breaking it down even further by weapon type, heavy bowgun users feature especially low usage rates for Potions, so it seems that expert hunters are even less likely to use them.
The next item we’d like to examine is the Nulberry. It’s in sixth place for Blademasters, but drops down all the way to fourteenth for Gunners. Blademasters like to get up close and personal with their opponents, meaning they’re often hit with status effects, as opposed to Gunners, who tend to keep a safe distance.
However, it is interesting to note that the reduced stamina recovery speed that comes as part of being inflicted with Waterblight caused this item to rise slightly to eleventh place when looking at the bow-only rankings.
Conversely, dual blades users are adversely affected by Dragonblight’s ability to negate the elemental and status properties of their weapons, so this item shot up all the way to third place when just looking at them.

Closing Comments

So, what did you think of these rankings showing how hunters like to prepare for their hunts?
It is interesting to see how weapon types and play styles affect the Bunny Dango and items that people like to use and how those choices influence the rankings.
If you see any items in these rankings that you haven’t tried yet, you might find them to be a pleasant surprise on your next hunt.
We’ll see you again next time!

Let’s take a look at some interesting guild card awards and their achievement rates.
First up, we have the Aspiring Hunter Certificate. This award is obtained by completing all of the low rank Hub Quests in the game.
The achievement rate for it stands at 17.9%. Although that figure seems low at first glance, completing Village Quests in Monster Hunter Rise and passing the Special License Test enables you to advance to the High Rank quests without needing to take on too many of the Low Rank ones beforehand.
As such, this just shows that there are a fair number of hunters out there who take the time to carefully complete each and every quest available to them.
Next, we have Shabby Canyne Saddle. This award is given after riding a Palamute for a total of ten hours.
Once again, some of you might be feeling that the achievement rate of 34.9% is a bit low for such an easy task, but when you think about it, you’re probably only riding atop your trusty Palamute for a total of about three minutes per quest.
Therefore, ten hours is actually a considerable amount of time! In that light, the figure makes a lot of sense.

First, let’s take a look at the Runner’s Sandals award. This award is received after speaking with all of the people who live in Kamura Village, and its achievement rate is 10.6%. That is a plausible figure when you consider that you need to willfully go up and talk to each and every person in the village, but there are probably some of you out there who feel you’ve spoken to everyone and somehow still haven’t received the award.
If that sounds familiar, you should take a left after entering the Gathering Hub in order to speak with the Drummers Badum and Tish.
That’s because these two percussionists take a break when you switch the Hub’s background music, so you might’ve missed a chance to talk to them.
Try switching the song back to “Brave Hunters” and speaking to the dynamic drumming duo and see if that earns you the award. Continuing on, we have the Five-in-One Plaque award. Its achievement rate is quite low at just 9.5%, and it requires you to hunt five Large Monsters in a single Expedition Tour.
That’s not so tough, is it? Get out there and claim the award so you can boast to all of your friends!

Now then, let’s take a look at the awards that have only been earned by the best of the best.
Of special note are the Mini Crown Plaque and Gold Grown Plaque awards, with just 0.4% of hunters having received them!　
Like their names imply, they require you to obtain all of the smallest gold crowns and largest gold crowns from Large Monster missions.
Receiving an award for collecting all of the largest gold crowns is a staple of the Monster Hunter series. Only hunters with the skill to take down countless monsters and the perseverance to do it multiple times are capable of earning these most difficult of awards.
Finally, at the very top of the mountain, we have the Badge of Excellence.
This award requires you to earn all of the other awards in the game, which is no easy feat, as demonstrated by its low achievement rate of just 0.3%!
The path to this award is long and steep, but if you wish to master all that Monster Hunter Rise has to offer, it’s definitely worth the journey!

Closing Comments

Well, what did you think about this installment of the Hunter Analysis Report focusing on the guild card awards?
Start by aiming for the awards that are easy to achieve, and use those small victories to build up the motivation necessary to take on the tougher tasks to come.
And if you really wish to show your mettle as a hunter, try and earn them all!
Until next time, we hope you enjoy your hunting life in Monster Hunter Rise!

Quest Failure Rankings

This list is a ranking of failed quests taken from a single week in August, excluding Arena Quests and Event Quests.
In first place is “The Allmother,” a difficult quest pitting you against both Wind Serpent Ibushi and Thunder Serpent Narwa.
In second place, we have “The Evil Star from Beyond,” where you hunt the terrifying Crimson Glow Valstrax.
One point of interest is comparing these results to the quest rankings from our previous hunter analysis report.
Although “The Evil Star from Beyond” was attempted more often, “The Allmother” had the higher failure rate.
While both quests are extremely difficult, it’s possible that the powerful attacks unleashed by Thunder Serpent Narwa near the end have caused many hunters to meet their match.
“The Emperor of Flame” takes the third spot, suggesting that Teostra’s Supernova attack may have proved too hot to handle for countless hunters, but who knows where the real truth lies…?

Quest Party Sizes

This bar graph details the number of party members attempting each quest type from the Gathering Hub.
Overall, most quests are taken on solo, while we see party sizes increasing for the more difficult quests.
It’s interesting to see the comparatively large number of four-player parties in Urgent Quests, indicating that many of you are seeking additional help whenever they pop up.
The Rampage type unique to Monster Hunter Rise is another point of interest among these findings.
Both “Urgent Quests (Rampage Only)” and “Random Rampage Quests” have a significant percentage of four-member parties.
The reason for this likely goes beyond enjoying the strategic aspects of preparing Hunting Installations and divvying up roles in order to complete sub-assignments, with players simply loving the thrill of taking down hordes of monsters together with their friends.

Multiplayer Buddy Distribution

Following up on the solo player Buddy rankings from last time, we’re taking a look at Buddy rankings for multiplayer games as well.
In an overwhelming show of force, the Palamute takes first place handily with a share of almost 70%.
When Monster Hunter Rise was first released, there was a tendency for players to select the swifter Palamutes in order to keep up with their fellow party members since they were only able to take a single Buddy into online battles.
Once they familiarized themselves with the map and mastered actions such as the Wiredash, though, they started switching over to Palicoes and their superior support capabilities, since they no longer had issues moving about within the game.
However, looking at the latest data, it seems that the Palamute’s superior offensive ability is once again helping to cement its place as a hunter’s best friend.
Naturally, certain weapon types and skill builds work better with the Palico’s support abilities, so we hope that players will find the optimum combination for their individual playing styles.

Closing Comments

Well, hunters? How did you enjoy our report focusing on some of the game’s multiplayer features?
Next time, we’ll be taking a look at just how far some of you completionists have gotten into the game.
We hope you’re looking forward to it!

Weapon Usage Ranking

The 14 weapon types in the game have been ranked by their respective number of users.
In first place is the beloved long sword. With swift strikes and punishing combos, this weapon is known for its ability to quickly fill the Spirit Gauge and deal even more damage, but this time, it also includes a dizzying array of counters!
The data seems to suggest that many hunters have grown fond of using it to parry incoming attacks and then unleash mighty, bone-crunching blows.
Up next are the dual blades which, like the long sword, feature rapid and satisfying strikes. Finally, the light bowgun rounds out the top three, with its ability to easily target foes from afar.
From the fourth place onward, it’s a much closer contest, demonstrating that every weapon type has its own group of passionate fans.

Buddy Pairings

This is a list of common Buddy pairings players use when playing solo in offline mode.
The most popular combo by far is the Palico x Palamute pairing.
Clearly, the robust support provided by the Palico and the ease of movement offered by the Palamute are an attractive mix, no matter the quest or weapon type.
Somewhat surprisingly, the next most popular choice is to not have a Buddy at all.
Starting with the long sword, many weapons in Monster Hunter Rise offer a variety of powerful counters, so without a Buddy to draw the enemy’s attention, it makes it much easier for hunters to pull off exhilarating counterattacks.
Next on the list is the Palico x Palico pairing.
This is a good choice for quests that don’t require you to move around the map too much.

Quest Rankings

The list to the left shows the rankings for the most popular quests in the game based on how many times they’ve been undertaken, excluding Arena Quests and Event Quests.
In first place is “The Evil Star from Beyond.” This quest was included in the free Title Update 3.0 and brought the fearsome Crimson Glow Valstrax into the fold.
It may be a formidable opponent, but the weapons that can be made from it are just as powerful. Plus, the multiple areas that appear within this one quest provide variety and replay value, which is likely another reason for its popularity.
In second place is “The Allmother.” This difficult quest pits you against Wind Serpent Ibushi and Thunder Serpent Narwa, but the additional ending that is viewable upon completion has made it a popular choice with hunters everywhere.
The third most attempted quest is “Clad in Hellfire.” Hunting down a Magnamalo, one of the most popular monsters, in the ruins of a majestic shrine has made it one of this game’s definitive quests, so its popularity comes as no surprise.

Closing Comments

So, how did you enjoy this inaugural report, hunters?
Aside from a few obvious findings, there were probably some surprises in there as well.
Hot on the heels of these quest rankings, we are planning to examine a list of quests with the highest failure rates in our next installment.
We’ve got a couple more reports brewing, so we hope you’re looking forward to them!