Monster Hunter Rise is bringing back most of the classic weapons from the series, which includes the Hammer, Hunting Horn, Insect Glaive, Lance, Gunlance, and Switch Axe. These include a mixture of basic weapons for new players and complex weapons for experienced hunters.
Fighting monsters and making gear out of their body parts is a major component of the Monster Hunter series. There are a variety of axes, hammers, and lances in the game, each with its own unique fighting style. The beauty of the Monster Hunter franchise is that there are a ton of weapon types on offer and each of them plays in a widely different manner, making it easy for hunters to spend hundreds of hours experimenting with them.
The demo for Monster Hunter Rise is live, which means that fans have a chance to experiment with the weapon types in the game. We've created a guide to help players get to grips with the unique aspects of the axes, hammers, and lances in Monster Hunter Rise.
Hammer in Monster Hunter Rise
Like the Great Sword, the Hammer is a good choice of weapon for newcomers. It's simple to use, deals a lot of damage, and teaches players about the mechanics of preparing their moves and carefully starting animations. The Hammer only has a few functions: it can deal slow, but powerful strikes. These strikes cannot sever monster parts, but they can temporarily stun enemies if they hit in the head. Hammer attacks can be charged, allowing the player to perform a spin attack that hits everything around them. The big downside of the Hammer is its total lack of defensive options, causing the player to rely on dodge-rolling to survive. The trick to using the Hammer is patience: wait for a clear shot at the enemy before committing to an attack. If the enemy is stunned, then go for a charged attack, as this will deal far more damage.
Hunting Horn in Monster Hunter Rise
The Hunting Horn is the closest thing Monster Hunter Rise has to a spellcaster/support character class. It's also one of the trickiest weapons in the game to play effectively, so it's definitely not for new players. Think of the Hunting Horn as a massive version of the Ocarina from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, except the player gets to whack enemies on the head with it. Striking a foe with an attack will create a music note, and chaining together different notes will create buff effects, such as increasing stats or recovery. In Monster Hunter Rise, the hunter can store three notes and use them to charge a super attack, called the Magnificent Trio. The Hunting Horn also has a super meter that builds up, allowing them to perform a powerful attack after using a Silkbind move, which also invokes a strong buff. In the demo, this is a buff that raises the attack of the party. Like the Hammer, the Hunting Horn lacks any defensive options, but the player still maintains a lot of mobility when the weapon is unsheathed.
A Hunting Horn player that knows what they're doing is one of the most useful assets a party can have in the Monster Hunter series. Their unique ability to throw buffs on the group, while still dealing damage, makes them highly effective characters. The only problem is that there isn't much glory involved in playing a support class, and needing to perform the different melodies can put some players off, as they prefer to just hit the enemy with powerful attacks. Not everyone is cut out to play the Hunting Horn, but those who master the weapon are some of the best allies to have in the game.
Lance in Monster Hunter Rise
The Lance is a powerful weapon with strong defense and counter options, which is offset by its lack of mobility and AoE for attacks. Lance wielders can perform powerful jabs with their weapon, but they're similar to the Long Sword in that they require a degree of accuracy to use, as the tip only has a small hitbox. Lance attacks also have a slow wind-up animation if the player misses. The Lance has a wide swing attack, but this has slow animations, and it lacks range. Lance users can charge forward with their shield up for extra damage and speed, but this move quickly burns through stamina, and turning is very slow, so the player needs to be committed to attacking their target before charging.
The Lance user moves slow when their weapon is out, but they can perform short hops as an evasive maneuver. This won't be needed, however, as the Lance has a powerful guard and the ability to counter enemy blows. As such, the Lance users should always be in the thick of it and ready to deflect enemy blows at all times. Lance users can alleviate some of their weaknesses with the new Wirebug item in Monster Hunter Rise, as they have an easier time traversing the battlefield. Just bear in mind that the Wirebugs have a limited number of uses and a cooldown meter, so they can't be spammed to get the hunter out of tricky situations.
Gunlance in Monster Hunter Rise
The name might suggest that this is a combination melee/ranged weapon, but make no mistake about it: the Gunlance is meant for close encounters. The tip of the weapon can be used for poke attacks, and it has the same AoE limitations as the Lance. The Gunlance has the added benefit of also being a gun, which means the hunter can pop the tip of the weapon off and use it like a cannon. The Gunlance can use its Shelling move to fire powerful shells at the enemy and they have unlimited ammo, though they need to reload every couple of shots. Gunlance hunters can also charge their shots for extra power, though this is a slow process, and they can lodge bombs into the enemy's flesh after multiple shells.
The drawbacks of the Gunlance (at least compared to the regular lance) is that its Shelling move burns through the sharpness of the weapon, which means that the player will have to keep using Whetstones throughout the battle. The Gunlance also lacks the counter move of the Lance, so it's defensive capabilities are one-sided. The sheathing/unsheathing is also extremely slow. Overall, the Gunlance is a powerful and satisfying weapon to use, and it has a ton of options, but it has moments of frustration, thanks to its slow speed and tendency to need sharpening.
Switch Axe in Monster Hunter Rise
Like the Charge Blade, the Switch Axe is a combination weapon that can switch between modes. The Axes Mode has long reach and the hunter maintains their mobility, while the Sword Mode has more power and speed, but it becomes harder for the hunter to dodge attacks. The Sword Mode is connected to a Switch Gauge, which is below the stamina bar, and it slowly depletes with each swing. Once the Sword Mode runs out of energy, the hunter has to switch back to Axe Mode to recharge. Sword Mode has an attack called Elemental Discharge, where the hunter does a forward stab that deals a ton of damage, but it heavily drains the Switch Gauge and has a long startup animation. The Switch Axe lacks any kind of defensive options and the hunter slows down while in Sword Mode, making it riskier than some of the other melee options in the game.
The Switch Axe is a great weapon for intermediate players. It has more going to it in terms of utility than the Great Sword or Hammer, but it's not as complex to operate as something like the Hunting Horn or Bow. It's heavy on offense, which makes it riskier than some of the other weapons, but this also makes it satisfying to use.
Insect Glaive in Monster Hunter Rise
Of all of the weapons in the Monster Hunter series, the Insect Glaive suffers the most at the elevator pitch stage. The Great Sword is used for slashing, the Bow fires arrows, while the Insect Glaive is a spear that acts as a pole vault, and it also fires insects that extract energy from the monsters in exchange for buffs.
The Insect Glaive offers the most mobility out of any weapon in Monster Hunter Rise, as it allows the player to leap into the air to avoid attacks and perform aerial strikes, all without the aid of the Wirebug. This comes at the cost of a defensive option, but they won't be needed, as the hunter will spend most of their time in the air. On the ground, the Insect Glaive it's just a slashing spear of middling damage. It's here where Kinsects come into play. Kinsects are massive winged bugs that Insect Glaive users can fire at monsters, in order to draw Extracts. These Extracts will grant the hunter buffs, and they can make the Insect Glaive a much better weapon. There are some restrictions to this, as Kinsects have their own stamina meter, and cannot be out on the field for long without returning. The Extract buffs will also run out, which means that the hunter has to keep using the Kinsects.
The Insect Glaive can be a little tricky to understand, but once it all clicks, it's one of the most unique weapons in the game. It's not recommended for beginners, but it's a lot of fun for intermediate/advanced players who want to try something a little different.
Monster Hunter Rise will be released for Nintendo Switch on March 26, 2021.