Incline Monster Hunter World - G-rank edition. Now on PC.

[Blaine]

Meanwhile, on 4chan, in response to that Reddit screengrab....

especially in World ehere every weapon is fun to play

 

[The Decline]

I was playing exclusively with the bow for a while until I found out how hard it is to sever tails with it. Instead of whining like a little bitch I tried out the greatsword. While effective, it was also boring as shit. That led me to trying out the charge blade, which is now my favorite weapon in the game. So now I switch between the bow and the charge blade depending on the situation. These idiots need to understand that trying out new stuff is good.

 

[Damned Registrations]

Does the picklemonster have an HR requirement to show up or am I just having terrible luck looking for the fucker?

 

[Blaine]

Does the picklemonster have an HR requirement to show up or am I just having terrible luck looking for the fucker?

Just check the world map and look for a purplish-black "???" icon in the zone info panes. Pickle will be present if you embark on an expedition anywhere that icon is showing.

If there's no "???" icon in any of the five zones, then do a quick quest and check again. Sometimes he's nowhere to be found; at other times, he's in 3-4 areas at once. You shouldn't have to check more than once or twice to find him.

Getting Investigations for him is a huge bitch, though, more so even than tempered elder investigations. I got four pages of investigations from his footprints, from fighting him, and from capturing him, all at maxed-out research, but not one involving Pickle. Fucking stupid.

 

[Damned Registrations]

I found him eventually, took about 5 resets and he showed up in elder's recess with a fucking beetlejuice and urugaan. And then a dodogama to fling around. Took him down eventually though. Not a monster to fight with the hammer, couldn't get his head at all, body shots do fuck all damage, and he never stayed down long enough for even a body targetted pound combo. Well, maybe he did one of the 16 times he went down while I also had to fight off 20 other monsters. Not sure I want to farm him though- I can't imagine using his armor at all, and his weapons don't seem that great tbh. Though they do look cool. Maybe I'll replace my dual blades with his, or make something new like a longsword or SnS or something.

He was a fun fight if nothing else.

 

[toro]

I found him eventually, took about 5 resets and he showed up in elder's recess with a fucking beetlejuice and urugaan. And then a dodogama to fling around. Took him down eventually though. Not a monster to fight with the hammer, couldn't get his head at all, body shots do fuck all damage, and he never stayed down long enough for even a body targetted pound combo. Well, maybe he did one of the 16 times he went down while I also had to fight off 20 other monsters. Not sure I want to farm him though- I can't imagine using his armor at all, and his weapons don't seem that great tbh. Though they do look cool. Maybe I'll replace my dual blades with his, or make something new like a longsword or SnS or something.

He was a fun fight if nothing else.

It's not a monster to fight alone ... that's the entire point of the quest with the Handler.

And yes. It sucks.

 

[Blaine]

I didn't have any issues with him solo or multiplayer, but it probably depends on which weapon you use. IG or Lightning GL with anti-defense down jewels seems to work very well.

My issue is with the nearly impossible to get investigations. Fucking stupid.

 

[Blaine]

 

[DragoFireheart]

View attachment 9504

It's sad LBG gets shit on so much because it's a exceptionally solid weapon.

Hunting Horn should be in the trash can next to Sword and Shield.

 

[Blaine]

It's sad LBG gets shit on so much because it's a exceptionally solid weapon.

Solid shit, maybe. Can't see any reason to ever use one when the optimal range, damage output, and speed with which ailments are applied are all lower than the bow.

Hunting Horn should be in the trash can next to Sword and Shield.

Hey, at least Hunting Horn gives the rest of the group useful buffs. I find it awkward to use personally, but according to people who've used it extensively, it has built-in Mind's Eye and ostensibly at least as much stun/KO power as the hammer, if not more.

 

[Blaine]

Well, I thought that HBG might be good against Pickle.

I thought wrong. Every hit staggers regardless of Shield mods and Guard skill (doesn't seem to matter if both are maxed), and when he attacks he often ends up with his cloaca directly above my head, so that his face is well out of reach (not that I could hit it anyway, since I'll generally be staggered). He does a leaping kick move that can't be blocked, can't be rolled away from with LBG fatrolls, and leads to a stagger -> mouth grab -> slam combo that can very easily be a OHKO chain.

Might be better with a group, but it sure as shit sucks ass solo.

 

[Matalarata]

Might be better with a group, but it sure as shit sucks ass solo.

What HBG are you using? I soloed it 4-5 times in order to forge the Dark Devourer and it's quite easy, depending on what you have on hand you can put it asleep twice or paralize it. He's moderately weak to poison and stun and, if you have an hard time hitting his head, sticky ammo to the body cause exhaustion damage (which you can double up with Exhaust ammo if your HBG supports them).

Remeber: Wyvern ammo and explosion damage ignores armor, affinity and weak spots. Use sticky ammo as much as you can, when it exhausts hit with clusters and, if you manage to make it fall, fill its head with sticky and it will fall again soon. A Palico equipped with a Shield can also be incredibly useful when soloing HBG although I personally use the Plunderblade 'coz greed.

As final note, keep the shield mod (it will save your ass sooner or later) but do not rely on it, try and include some evade extender/window gear if you can.

 

[Blaine]

What HBG are you using?

Gluttonous Fangcannon, which is my only HBG at the moment. I was able to knock him down a couple of times, and from there it's easy enough to shell with cluster bombs, but having to stack armor skills to evade with one of the least-evasive weapons in the game already sounds like a non-starter to me. I'll try it though, never really tried out evade extender/evade window with any weapon.

I kinda don't see the point in using a bunch of crutches to try not to get obliterated while using a sitting-duck weapon when I can just wreck his shit with a different weapon, though. Blocking as a primary defense certainly isn't an option regardless, as the three-second-long ridiculous staggerlock when blocking absolutely any of his attacks is a dealbreaker that's impossible to work around.

 

[Matalarata]

Blocking as a primary defense certainly isn't an option regardless

Well, a single shield mod and no guard (iirc) allows me to parry Kirin's thunderblast which is huge imho! But against Deviljho is more of an insurance against random tail bumps. Although, HBG is probably the most unwieldy weapon to use, it feels like a totally different game and I can see why it doesn't appeal to everyone.
In any case, status effects aren't "crutches", they're an integral part of LBG/HBG playstyle and learning when to time stuns/sleep is very important for a smooth experience! As for the evade skills, I'd say evade extender is a must (unless you're using a Slugger setup with Elementless and the Blazooka for Wyvernspam and even then it's useful). As you noticed you move like molasse and your game is all about reading moves and positioning in advance, extender allows you to use roll to reposition without having to sheath your shit (~1 sec to wield and ~2 sec to unwield :neveruseitems: )

One thing about HBG though, it really forces you to study a monster moveset and its various tells. I became a far better Longsword user after practicing with it a bit and, as I said before, I dig the more tactical playstyle so it isn't a chore for me!



Edit: Oh, and on a sidenote, I beat Xenosaga and finished the tutorial. This game is awesome.

 

[Blaine]

Well, as single shield mod and no guard (iirc) allows me to parry Kirin's thunderblast which is huge imho!

Yeah, Lazing Dirk and I took down HR 49 Tempered Kirin with HBGs, duo, no faints. Against Kirin, HBG is great, and rewards positioning and timing.

In any case, status effects aren't "crutches", they're an integral part of LBG/HBG playstyle and learning when to time stuns/sleep is very important for a smooth experience!

When I said "crutches," I was referring to Evade Extender and Evade Window, skills that most other weapons don't require in order to be able to evade basic attacks. That's a pretty massive cost in skill slots just to be able to use a weapon without being completely helpless to getting stomped on constantly.

 

[Hyperion]

I'm with Blaine on this one. I made the mistake of fighting my first Deviljho on PC with HBG, too. I use Destructions Fusillade for the Spread / Shotgun build. Absolutely dismal fight. Spins like a fucking wind turbine the entire time, so I can never get a clean shot at his face. I roll tanky as fuck, with Guard 5, Guard Up, and 2 Shield Mods (last is Close Range Damage Up), since Spread sorta plays like a Hammer / Lance hybrid, timing your actions around blocks, but making sure to stay near the monster's gullet with the Impact Mantle on. Unfortunately, Beetlejuice had other plans for me, and I got stuck between these two assholes for about 25 seconds because they traded screams over and over until they decided to stomp my balls in. Pickle's just an annoying dick, because he moves too much and randomly for the HBG to adjust properly imo.

Just going to put Love's Sorrow on and poke his dick till he exsanguinates, like on PS4. Far less frustration, and I'm a better lancer than HBG'er still.

 

[Blaine]

I can take Pickle down pretty quickly and easily with the lightning squirrel GL, but I remain vulnerable to his facial tap-dance chomp slam combo, and I really don't know how to counter it. It's the one where he leaps way up, bicycling his stupid fat bully legs, and then comes crashing down, staggering you severely (possibly tremor stagger?) and finally grabbing you in his mouth.

That said, my GL build tends to have more health and defense, so I pretty much always escape from that alive.

 

[Matalarata]

Oh, sorry! Now I get what you meant... Well, It's the price to pay for a constant output of decent damage! Although you could argue that other weapons require Guard or similar defensive skills so it more or less balances out. And you don't need to max evade, I use 2-3 levels of extender and have gradually reduced evade window to level 2 and still dodge comfortably. The biggest problem you have with HBG is they're all so different to one another and they all play in vastly different manners.

You will need to experiment and tweak to find your sweet spot, I like to thinker with them but as I said, I can see why it could be considered boring. Personally, Blazooka + Diablos Armor (for slugger and elementless) and anja greaves is the most fun I had in an action game in ages!

 

[Hyperion]

Much like Anjanath's head bash-and-chomp, it requires Guard Up to block. It's unfortunate most monsters have 1 or 2 unblockable attacks for weapons that depend on blocking. Makes a Shield Jewel or 3 Piece Uragaan almost crucial for not having your balls broken like that. I'm not too well versed in the Gunlance, but if you're head on with him you gotta expect it and hope a side or back hop can get you out of his path, otherwise you're gonna eat it 10/10 times. That attack is what caused so many failed multiplayer hunts. Multiplayer Tempered Pickle was without a doubt my worst experience in MHW.

Edit: Griffon Blazooka also has Wyvernsnipe, which, for long monsters like Pickle, Uragaan, Diablos, etc. is DEVASTATING, and needs to be seen in action. Absolutely unreal damage. Level 3 Focus is almost mandatory for that weapon, it's so good, imo.

 

[Blaine]

The biggest problem you have with HBG is they're all so different to one another and they all play in vastly different manners.

Well, Spread HBG works like this:

• stack 3x Close Range mods if possible
• be no more than a cunt hair outside of melee range
• shoot at monster's face

Much like Anjanath's head bash-and-chomp, it requires Guard Up to block.

See, that just pisses me off. Not only do I need Guard 4-5, but I also need Guard Up, which requires either specific armor or a decoration I'll probably never have.

To be fair though, with it you're basically invincible as long as you're holding the block button.

 

[Matalarata]

Well, Spread HBG works like this:

Mmh I only use spread on Dark Devourer and against specific monsters and if I have nothing better to fire. Pierce HBG are easier to use but the damage just isn't there imho. My only close range configuration, in which I use Guard and play more like a Lancer, is the above mentioned Blazooka one. One Shield, one Close range and one reload Assist allows you to bump Wyvern Ammo reload time from v.slow to slow and that's huge! You basically spam wyvernfire and melee for high stun damage, Focus allows you to rapidly charge wyvernsnipe and use it 2-3 times per hunt. Not the most powerful by far but I find it lots of fun, which is the only thing I care for, really.

Although lacking experience with a lot of weapons, take what I say with a grain of salt.

 

[Blaine]

Mmh I only use spread on Dark Devourer and against specific monsters and if I have nothing better to fire.

Dark Devourer only loads 3 x Spread 3, though. That is a metric fuckton of reloading, during which your asshole is at full gape for monster rape. I know that's what people use it for, but....

By the way, new essential mods:

Classic music replacer: https://www.nexusmods.com/monsterhunterworld/mods/137
Light pillar added to dropped materials for visibility: https://www.nexusmods.com/monsterhunterworld/mods/112

 

[Hyperion]

Mmh I only use spread on Dark Devourer and against specific monsters and if I have nothing better to fire.

Dark Devourer only loads 3 x Spread 3, though. That is a metric fuckton of reloading, during which your asshole is at full gape for monster rape. I know that's what people use it for, but....

By the way, new essential mods:

Classic music replacer: https://www.nexusmods.com/monsterhunterworld/mods/137
Light pillar added to dropped materials for visibility: https://www.nexusmods.com/monsterhunterworld/mods/112

Same as Destruction's Fusillade. Gnashing Flammenkanone can hold more Spread, Pierce 2, and Cluster 1 + 2. Problem is it needs to use a Recoil Mod to make Spread 3 even usable. Dark Devourer is also the only Spread HBG that also has access to Slicing Ammo IIRC. Plus Pierce 3, and Cluster 3 to boot. Oh, and disgusting amounts of Raw damage. Plus, 2 Augment slots compared to Nergi's 1.

 

[Blaine]

Dark Devourer is also the only Spread HBG that also has access to Slicing Ammo IIRC. Plus Pierce 3, and Cluster 3 to boot.

Slicing has been nerfed to near-uselessness even when soloing, and forget about multiplayer. Not much of a selling point, really, although Pierce 3 and Cluster 3 round it out nicely.

Still, I can't help but be aware that if I want to deal packets of 300-400 damage to the monster on a regular basis, I can always just bring a SA or GS. I've discovered lately that GS is far more versatile than I'd thought. You need to learn to tackle into and out of various things, how to abuse Jumping Wide Slash or use it to get some damage back from a TCS that's going to miss, and how to chain those other two moves I forget the names of, in addition to TCS attempts and blocking.

 

[Matalarata]

Dark Devourer only loads 3 x Spread 3,

That's why you use spare ammo and ammo up 3 ! But that's more for stickies and clusters, as I said the spread is more of a backup. In any case, skills that expands your clip, improve your DPS much more than attack/affinity on HBG. My usual hunt goes like this, start by poisoning if MP or clustering while the Monster roars in SP. I then switch to Wyvern during the "easy" part of the fight. As soon as it enrages, I switch to exhaust and once down I either cluster it to oblivion or empty all my stickies (2 and 3) on its face. This makes it stagger again 75% of times as soon as it's back on its feet...

I tend to keep the majority of my stickies/berries for the late part of the fight. For example, once kushala is in its final stage it becomes a chore to hit with anything bar sticky ammo. Also remember, you can easily put him asleep twice while soloing. That's huge. A bit of a chore to set it up with randoms tho...