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[professor-of-jaggi]

Great Sword, Heavy Bowgun & Insect Glaive - Minimally effective

Ravishing trailers, truly.

Great Sword - The biggest surprises come in the smallest of boxes. Discovering the ability to turn your upper torso mid-charge is game-changing to say the least - no more shall there be narrow misses, only wide miscalculations!

Heavy Bowgun - While perfection does not exist, one can certainly come close to obtaining a peak form that stays for many, many years. Heavy Bowgun is an example of this, as the weapon seemingly remains largely unchanged, with only more being added to its repetoire in the form of permanent shield and a slightly revamped wyvernheart

Insect Glaive - Now with extra Kinsect sauce! This one to me has the biggest implications, with the Kinsect seeming to move on a much more regular basis, and potentially having its own combos in tangent with the Hunter. Fascinating to say the least!

I look forward to the next one with great anticipation

[professor-of-jaggi]

Weapon Trailers, Daily Gacha & the pull rate for Hunting Horn

Monday, August 4th 2024 - We have received three brand new videos of information for Monster Hunter Wilds! These are exciting times to be in.

As such, I could not help but notice the distinct amount of puzzle pieces surrounding the release of these videos - namely the choice of Great Sword being first!

One weapon video will drop every day.

What an extrapolation! Such a bold statement! Dare I say not a hypothesis but a proven thesis! The research lies in the releases of previous Monster Hunter games, compiled below (rather hastily, and in excitement):

Gamescom 2024 is August 21-25, this will be 16 days away by CEST metrics.

World bestowed us with Light, Heavy and Technical Weapon trailers followed by 14 individual weapon trailers on the same day.

Rise took a different approach, opting for 2 weapon trailers a day. Sunbreak increased this to 3 per day.

Following this logic, Wilds is speculated to be one or more. If Gamescon is added to the equation, a trailer per day would allow for the final weapon to be shown 2 days before Gamescon. Had I mentioned it has a playable demo? The stars have aligned.

Now, which weapon is next? This is where the research gets more intriguing.

World dropped the categorical trailers followed by all 14 on the same day, so its order is largely irrelevant. Iceborne, however, did Sword & Shield and Long Sword first - this is a common pairing and is followed up by more common pairings down the line, such as Hammer and Hunting Horn. Rise, on the other hand, opted for Bow and Dual Blades. This is uncommon and seems to follow no set structure for the remaining weapons. Sunbreak had Sword & Shield and Switch Axe, which also lacks a strcuture. Gen Ultimate, however, had Great Sword first! Followed by Charge Blade. A lack in structure yet again.

This leaves us with two conclusions - daily weapon gacha, or icon order from World's or Rise's demo.

That is all for now (next research post will about the actual content of said videos)

[professor-of-jaggi]

Monster Matchups - The Wrath of Rathalos

A fan favourite, and dare I say one of my own!

Rathalos, King of the Skies.

How does one approach a monster of such notoriety? With caution, yet brazen action!

Pack those flashbombs for when it flies, drag it from the realm of the heavens into the depths of the mortal man!

Pack an antidote of some kind, for those talons are more than just a sight to behold - they are a deadly sight when placed in conjunction with everything else

A Rathalos charging may not pose the greatest threat, but a threat nonetheless to be wary of - when faced with most monsters, it would be folly to disregard a staredown. While this may indicate a charge that must be pre-emptively dodged, blocked or re-positioned against, it could also be a sign of worse.

Has the Rathalos been angered? If one finds themselves in the unfortunate situation of a staredown with an angry Rathalos, an awe-striking roar is likely to occur at close proximity.

If so, it would be wise to remember the generation of Rathalos being encountered. Later generations are known to have a less aggressive streak, allowing for the stunned individual to dodge the fireball if practiced beforehand!

Older generations of Rathalos, however, exhibit the lesser known trait of wanting its target dead on the spot, opting to fireball the target without a chance for a reversal.

The tail, while impressively long, is close to parallel with the ground closer to the body! This allows for dodges when nearby, but requires repositioning when further away.

If one finds themselves with a blademaster slicing weapon, the option to cut the tail presents itself often. Later generations are known to hover closer to the ground, with the tail more accessible.

In essence, a Rathalos may be a great adversary and King of the Skies, but to whom does this concern? For there are hunters of the earth - and what is a King to the uninitiated, but a fool who thinks himself above? Ready to be stricken down from his throne, aware, or not.

Only when tested to the limits, may one proclaim themselves a King.

[professor-of-jaggi]

Monster Matchup - Introductory Log

In the midst of my research, it seems the hours have passed me by - dare I say making me forget post my findings!

Tomorrow's findings will be of great interest, especially to those who are fans of a certain King of the Skies....

[professor-of-jaggi]

Hunter Positioning - An invasion of privacy?

As a professor who frequently enjoys travelling out into the field, something to keep well aware of is the positioning of oneself in relation to the monster - are you too close or too far?

The answer lies not in the heart of battle, but rather in the sole of the feet!

Often times it is better to not move at all, for an attack that cannot reach is the easiest to disregard. This leaves time aplenty for setting up your next move!

Treat spacing like an acquiantance - stay in contact with them, but never too close!

[professor-of-jaggi]

Skill Issue - The makings of an armour set

This issue, like many research areas, is one of great debate amongst scholars, professors and researchers far and wide. Below is but a small extract of my thoughts on this topic.

How does one begin to craft an armour set? How is its purpose defined? What are the parameters for a "successful" armour set? Many such questions arise. This is another instance wherein the answer lies in the eye of the beholder.

What is the value of the armour set to the individual? A fiending for fashion? Greater gathering? Maiming monsters?

Or perhaps... devilish dancing?

Find your value, and carve out your own path!

[professor-of-jaggi]

Too stubborn to heal? Shared experiences are a wonderful thing indeed

Often times, when one embarks on a quest, the unthinkable occurs - a monster hits its mark.

Would healing be beneficial? Perhaps, but would striking the monster be MORE beneficial? Certainly! After all, the expertise intution that has been crafted over years of experience informs of the monster's imminent trip, severed limb, or impending doom.

So continuing to strike is the obvious choice. Until the unthinkable occurs again - yet another strike.

Years of research have led me to but one conclusion - this too, is a skill issue.

As the great professors before me once said:

Don't get hit

Hit it till it dies

Source: NCHProductions - MHWorld Shots: HR49 in a nutshell…

[professor-of-jaggi]

Monster Matchups - Are you biased?

In the years of PhD research on Monster Hunter Ecology, I often encountered many monsters that I found to have a "dislike" for. As a professor, however, I was not satisfied with that vague feeling of dislike. I had to question whether that was true.

I did not like Tobi-Kadachi. My reasons vague.

"Too fast for my taste!" I would claim. Reason obtained! Or so I thought. Great Jaggis can be fast too! Yet I am a professor of them. Curious.

Every reaction has an opposite! "Too fast" implies the existence of a counterpart, something comparable - "slow enough".

Ah.

My weapon!

Sometimes the bias lies not in the mindset, but the tools we use. As such I switched to Sword and Shield for Tobi-Kadachi with an immediate increase in my opinion of it!

The world truly is vast!

[professor-of-jaggi]

Years of research, finally complete!

It has been several years since leaving this blog to continue my PhD studies in Monster Hunter Ecology, and after a few years I've finally returned!

As we anxiously await the next installment of the Monster Hunter series, I thought it would be a great idea to bring this back!! Look forward to the many ramblings and discoveries I make upon my return to the world of Monster Hunter!

[professor-of-jaggi]

Resources!

Have you ever wondered about the drop rates for items like Zinogre Skymeralds? Which quests need completing in order to move on? What your current weapon can fully upgrade in to? Or wanted to know if you can make that Attack Up Large + High Grade Earplugs + Tremor Resist + Sharpness + 1 + Challenger + 2 set in order to take down that special someone *cough* Rajang *cough*? If so, look no further! 

Kiranico Monster Hunter Wiki Athena’s Armor Set Searcher

Three wonderful resources to help expand your knowledge and wardrobe!

P.S - That set with those 5 skills does exist.

[professor-of-jaggi]

Thanks for the advice! I actually crafted a Styg. Zinogre set (Freakin Umbrages) for LBG, and I was able to kill the Rath using the punish opportunities you revealed. My friends got through it too, in ways I do not know.

Glad I was able to help you out and it’s great that you friends made it too! If you ever need any help, don’t be afraid to ask, because some of the monsters can be a real pain to face!

[professor-of-jaggi]

Dear professor, for both my friends and I, do you have any advice for the Caravan Azure Rathalos? We simply cannot figure out any windows for attacking them and how to avoid their attacks.

Ahhh Azure Rathalos, I farmed them a lot in MH3U and they haven’t changed much in terms of their general strategy, which is great! I do not know which weapons you and your friends use so I can only give some general tips which are:- Bring Flash bombs + materials for more, use them while A.Rath flies-Bring Antidotes -May want to consider using a high reach or ranged weapon for when A.Rath flies- Don’t stay in front of the face/head all the time, the backhop + fireball combo is the only thing A.Rath does well and it’s used a lot. Especially after the rage roar.- Stay behind his legs, backhop + fireball can still hit when you are in front.- Tail swipe is always twice, time could be used to heal, use an antidote or even prepare an aerial attack - A.Rath will dash run to you 9 times out of 10. - Only performs 1 fireball, small window to get free hits on the head if you can- Stay by the tail when A.Rath is airbone, it’s easy to hit and should keep you safe from fireballs and the fire breath- If you have no shield, be ready to sheath and superman dive when A.Rath is in the air to avoid the poison claw attack- Weakest to Dragon, followed by Thunder and then Water/Ice - Pitfall Traps work for a few seconds longer than Shock Traps

I hope I could help you and your friends out! Keep hunting, have fun, and if there is anything else you would like to know or ask, I am willing to help!

[professor-of-jaggi]

Ah, I see. Thank you very much for taking your time to answer my question and I hope we get to fight together someday! Have a wonderful day, friend!

You're welcome and thank you, I hope you have a wonderful day too! If you ever wish to hunt together, just message me and we can organise a hunt!

[professor-of-jaggi]

Dear Professor. I have been playing Monster Hunter for a good few days now and I've been having a blast while doing so, but I haven't played online yet as I'm scared I'll do something wrong and make everyone angry at me. So tell me, what do I need to keep in mind whilst hunting with others?

Hello there fellow Hunter! I apologise for taking so long to reply; it’s great to hear that you’re not only enjoying the game, but want to prepare for online too! Profanity aside, when it comes to online hunts, you need to consider the weapons of all team mates, your own weapon, and the size of the monster. Some, like the Lance, do not have super armour on their attacks which means that if another player hits them with attacks, the Lance user will either flinch or trip. Because of this, always try to avoid attacking the same part of a monster if possible, unless you know it is safe to do so! Another thing is to carry life powders if you have them, because these can heal everyone in the same area as you, which actually can be a life saver in various situations. One more thing is that you may want to consider creating special shout out commands to inform your team of something like wanting to put a monster to sleep.

I hope I managed to help you and if you have any other questions, please don’t be afraid to ask! Let’s hope we get to play together some day!

[professor-of-jaggi]

Monster Hunter Generations coming to Nintendo 3DS in summer 2016!

Get ready to hunt monsters in style with Monster Hunter Generations when it arrives on Nintendo 3DS this summer! Featuring 4 unique Hunting Styles, special Hunter Arts abilities and more, this is the most customizable Monster Hunter experience to date.

More details on Capcom-Unity.

Announcement Trailer here.

[professor-of-jaggi]

Was playing MH4U yesterday and somehow got a Tigrex Mantle and B.Gravios Pallium during the same quest (Advanced: A Black Day). I had to look twice.

Thank you Desire Sensor.

[professor-of-jaggi]

- 混沌ゴアマガラ // Chaos Gore Magara // なすー -

** Permission was granted by the artist to share this image.