MonHun

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

That's good to hear. Rampage is like this weird tower defense thing where your gear doesn't really matter and you generally just shoot at shit.
And on top of that most of the stuff dropped from monsters is like this mission-only stuff which I guess you can use to craft custom bombs or some shit, but I can't be arsed to figure this shit out.

And those Rampage skills really only increase damage by a bit, as if Low Rank monsters ever took too long to die.

[rabidtictac]

That sounds weird as fuck and not at all playing to the strengths of MonHun.

[Kugelfisch]

It's more reasonable as a specialized decoration.
Anti-wyvern is a nice little damage boost from parts you'll quickly have lying around anyway. Not losing sharpness while blocking for CB and GS is nifty. It is however nothing I'd willingly grind a game mode for that I don't like. So good riddance.

A real game changer in the literal sense is getting the switch scrolls right at G-rank.
It allows you to switch between two sets of switch skills at any time. It's amazing for Long Sword especially.

LS has two special sheath moves, activated with RZ+B after any attack.
The first you have from the beginning, the second you get at G-rank.

The first you'll sheath the sword and you'll hold that pose for two seconds. Pressing X will perform a double strike that on hit will cause the spirit gauge to fill continuously for a while.
Pressing RZ however is a counter that hits hard and instantly gains you a spirit level.

The other special sheath move works a bit differently.
You will very slowly sheath the sword. If you're hit in that time, it'll trigger a counter that consumes a spirit level.
If uninterrupted, you'll change into a pose you can hold indefinitely, which will then consume your spirit levels quickly, working like charging up a GS or Hammer.
You can dash in the four cardinal directions but are completely vulnerable, as you are during the transition animation.
Releasing RZ will trigger an insanely devastating combo of one to three hits, depending on spirit levels charged up and consumed.


So the first sheath move is really too good to ever not use. With quick sheath it's just a bit slower than the foresight slash but levels your gauge and hits pretty hard. And cancelling it for the double strike is surprisingly strong with punishing draw.
The G-rank Goos Harag set has all three skills.

So you can reliably counter and gain a level or do a draw attack that deals stun, has +40% affinity and +7 attack or so.


But thanks to the switch scroll I can have both skills on a hunt and switch between them.
That makes the other move worth having for a huge punish. Build levels and then burn them all in a disgusting three hit strike that would two shot a Low Rank Lagombi.

It hits for five times the damage of a Helm Splitter or so. It's ridiculous!

Still, I'd never use it if I would have to sacrifice the first special sheath move.

[Kugelfisch]

That sounds weird as fuck and not at all playing to the strengths of MonHun.

It's shit. With four people you could have two in the trenches fighting directly. But alone you better stay on a ballista or get overran.

Anyway, since it's gone, treat it as a gimmick and then quickly forget about it after the few mandatory story rampage quests.

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

Fighting directly is generally not recommended unless the RNG decides to sound that gong buff that causes your weapon damage to actually approach the damage output from turrets.

>mandatory story rampage quests

Beyond that first one that's just a tutorial? Oh joy.

[Kugelfisch]

That wind dragon fuckhead that causes the rampage? Guess how you'll fight that piece of shit the first time around.
Thas rite! And I lost the first time around too because it broke the final gate.

Use the ballistas and get used to blocking on them to not get thrown off.
Ibushi will break the first gate pretty much instantly if it should still stand when he arrives. Rush and place a gatling turret near the last gate. Save up all the special summons for him.give the asshole absolute hell! Place barrel bombs, drink mega demon and armour potions.

You can and must fight him directly at the last gate as well, but he will sometimes just ignore you and hit the gate for fuck off damage.

Oh and drink damage and defence potions in general in this game. They never run out until you faint. There's no reason not to.

[rabidtictac]

Repel missions were shit in old MonHun and they're still shit, unsurprisingly.

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

They should bring back those MH4U-style expeditions where you're running through a random dungeon of sorts. Those were fun.

Use the ballistas and get used to blocking on them to not get thrown off.
Ibushi will break the first gate pretty much instantly if it should still stand when he arrives. Rush and place a gatling turret near the last gate. Save up all the special summons for him.give the asshole absolute hell! Place barrel bombs, drink mega demon and armour potions.

I'm not surprising that the first gate will go down without a fight. So far they've evaporated as soon as a second gatebreaker-type monster so much as breathes in its general direction.
And I figured there would come a Rampage where I have to set up traps and shit.

[Kugelfisch]

The proper fight against Ibushi is thankfully much better. It's an arena style fight at some citadel with a massive dragonator and a giant artillery cannon that you get to use once each.
It too is a bit gimmicky but I don't mind it.

However, so far none of the elder dragons have shown up in G-rank. I'm at rank 4 and will hit hunter rank 100 this evening.
But it means that there's no point in making a weapon out of Kushala Daora, Teostra, Chameleos or Ibushi. I expect them to be some when later in G-rank.

I got absolutely violated by a Zinogre yesterday. I didn't cart but only because I disengaged via teleporters a good five times.
I find him very difficult with LS. Conversely, Rathalos was a blast and I had little difficulty countering him.
I guess I'll stick with GL or CB for Zinogre. Him varying his attack timings ever so slightly messes my counter timing up.

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

Yeah, Zinogre hits like a mofo and can be a bitch to read.
Rathalos is thankfully a more conservative fellow, though I think his fire beam thing is new.