Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

FIGHTAN. HUNTAN. SKINNAN. CRAFTAN!

So far I am very pleased with the Wii U across the board. It is slick, runs well, setting everything up was very easy right out of the box, and gosh darnit it just works well.

But this ain't a wii u review.

I got monster hunter 3 Ultimate, because let's face it the monster hunter series is awesome. Console games can rarely hold my attention for more than a couple hours at a time..I played this nonstop from the moment I got home at noon until 3am, with adequate breaks in between of course. The game runs incredibly smooth and playing it with the HD graphics overhaul is just beeeaaautiful! Dual swords, hunting horns, bows, gun lance, fuckton more monsters, more missions, overhaul of the loot system, bugs and fish have more important roles in crafting. Basically this is what Tri should have been in every aspect across the board and I fuckin love it.

If anyone else has this lemme know, I'll be yo huntan partner for stuff gets along with a couple chums of mine who could always use another huntan chum.

[phil_]

Somebody on the internet said something about the inventory system being improved. Were they just talking abou how you can put your items on the touch pad, or have they fixed the box so that I won't need a spread sheet to keep track of my charms? I'd check myself, but no video monies. Or video player monies.

[Inbred Chocobo]

I've got it for both 3DS XL and Wii U, and I finally got the save transfer tool yesterday. Later today I will finally move my save from the 3DS to the Wii U and check out online. So I am always up for hunting.

So far I've been on dual swords, and have been rocking them hard. Much better than they have been in prior games thanks to the new dash that replaces the dodge rolls when demonized. Gives them just enough mobility to dance with monsters better than sword and shield.

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

Dualswords are love. Archdemon mode definitely gives the weapon some excellent survivability with a quicker dash and longer invincibility frames. Especially since archdemon mode stacks with demon mode!

And yes, inventory is slicker. The quick use menu of usable items on the handheld is quite useful. What i love the most is the handheld's menu is modular so you can have what you want on the mainscreen and whatever else you want on the handheld. That customization is an awesome use of the wii u's mechanics without being gimmicky at all.

[Locke cole]

I snaked this game as soon as was possible on Tuesday. Continuing from my experiences in the demo, I'm feeding a growing obsession with Hunting Horns, Switch Axes, and Bows. Juggling a few weapon types means more harvesting, but I love these weapons so much that I don't care.

Currently rocking a Qurupeco and Ludroth version of each weapon type, and I'm working on a Banahbra horn (with paralysis), Wroggi Bow, and other such things. Got a fabulous set of Peco armor to go with my Hunting Horns. It's great.

Sadly, mine is the 3DS version, as I do not see me getting a Wii U to be in the cards for at least another few months. So, I cannot online yet.

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

Finished me a full set of Azrbfbfkcjvbleh, the bear armor. Love the design and the anti theft, while generally pointless, is convenient for when the damn cats get grabby.

Stocking up on carpenter bugs and poison bombs for making a banabra gunner armor set to work with paralysis bows while waitin for the argosy to carry some damnable sharpened fangs to upgrade my dual swords to chieftain dual swords. For the time being im rocking a lagiacras sns that i made while online fightan with some chums. Kinda breaks the game at 3 star offline missions. Oh well!

[Locke cole]

Try doing No Guts, No Glory, if you want Sharpened Fangs. The Delexes can carry Sharpened Fangs.

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

Uch hate chasing those fuckers down, but if that's the easiest route thats what i'll do.

[Locke cole]

Pack a few Sonic Bombs (or a Hunting Horn with yellow notes, for Sonic Waves), and you can blast them right out of the sand.

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

Hunter rank 3 and prepping my dual swords for the final stage before brachydios parts are needed. Mmm explosion swords.

Love the bear armor's skill that increases potency of healing items. The humble herbs rival potions and potions have quite the oomph too and so on.

[Inbred Chocobo]

Geez you people are slow. I'm already in the village quests at 9 stars, just killed a couple of black diablos so that I could upgrade my Brach dual swords. Ah the slime mechanic is very cool in this game.

Basically, for those that aren't aware, here is the gist of slime and how it works with weapons. As you hit a monster with a slime weapon, you will see your slime effects turn from green to yellow to red. After it finishes building up from red, then you will do an explosion effect on the monster. Basically as if you set off a bomb. Most of the time this causes flinching (excellent for locking up a monster) and this also does some good damage to breaking parts off of a monster.

Elemental weapons against the right monster with still do far better damage, but slime is excellent as an all around carry me weapon for the time being.

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

Working a lot of extra hours so i'm not as far along as i'd like to be. Playing online content with a couple friends so we try not to get too far ahead of each other.

I need to get familiarized with bows since those are my planned secondary weapons.

[Inbred Chocobo]

Yeah see work is slow for me right now, all I do is answer emails and that takes about an hour total at work. Rest of the time is sitting with my 3DS just playing. I've managed to clock 70 hours of playtime already, and the game hasn't even been out for a week. I think I may have sunk too much time into this game.

[greed]

Got this on the WiiU, which between this, Mario and ZombiU has a much better early window than I thought it would.

Also fuck I love Switchaxes. In Australia so I can't online play with any of you til, May? April? Whenever the patch drops.

[Locke cole]

Switch Axes are civilization.

You wanna cut out-of-reach tails? you wanna just go to town on a monster with an elemental weakness? You want to blow stuff up?

Switch Axe has you covered.

But then there's Hunting Horns. Damn do I love Hunting Horns.

[greed]

I'm still really getting the hang of this (I had Tri, but only had a wiimote at the time so never got far) and my main reason for loving them so far is the ability to react and change attack style to suit, also I seem to have got the combo timing down on it better than most other weapons.

Lances are my second fave, remind of spear and shield runs in Dark Souls. I was so pleased when I figured the timing to hit the wings of the bhanabra and leave the bodies harvestable with them.

Edit: On level of knowledge I'm still trying to figure out skills.

Also the Wiitablet is the best controller for this, two sticks, 4 triggers 6 buttons and a touchpad with your items and maps and shit work so damn well.

[Locke cole]

Skills activate when you have a certain number of skill points in that skill.

For example, a piece of armor might give you 3 points in Attack Up. If your equipment has Attack Up points equal to 10, then it activaes the skill Attack Up (small). Some skills have stronger effects with more skill points (Attack Up can go up to Medium and Large).

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

On the topic of switch axes: if you're going to play online be mindful of others when using it. It has quite a reach, much like the longsword, and the combo where you flail it around can knock your online partners around somethin fierce. Which can put them in either really precarious positions or delay the fight unnecessarily.

[phil_]

You know what I figured out yesterday, several years too late for it to help? In Tri, online, if you set the party size to one when choosing a quest, it lowers the health of the monster such that one hunter can take it out easily. I don't know if that's super obvious to everyone, or if Ultimate makes you press left three times to solo online monsters instead of adjusting to party size at departure, but maybe this is useful information to someone.

It's so much easier to farm Wyvern Stones when I don't have to herd cats during and between each hunt. And by "cats," I don't mean Felynes, I mean idiots on the internet.

[Locke cole]

On the topic of switch axes: if you're going to play online be mindful of others when using it. It has quite a reach, much like the longsword, and the combo where you flail it around can knock your online partners around somethin fierce. Which can put them in either really precarious positions or delay the fight unnecessarily.

The flailing combo isn't all that great a move anyway, what with the drain on your stamina.

But yes. One should be careful where one swings the axe. The basic stab and overhead chop moves are pretty safe.

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

It's a pretty good attack when you use that uh..potion or whatever that gives you infinite stam. But yeah, it ain't so hot by itself.

[greed]

I just got a jaggi mask and a cello made of bugs. Goddamn this game is silly in the best ways.

Fuck capturing missions though.

[phil_]

Capturing is your friend; it saves time and gets you shiny diamonds. Well, unless you're playing with other people, although I imagine yelling "Stop hitting it" into the mic is easier to pull off without getting nailed than typing the same thing in Tri. Not much one can do about people mistaking paralysis for a shock trap and throwing tranqs, though.

[Locke cole]

In Tri, I had "Stop attacking!" as one of my pre-baked shouts.

Along with "Heal! Now!"

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

So, as silly as it looks the purple ludroth armor is amazing for status oriented dual swords. Have the azi dahaka sns, plan on upgrading it further since I prefer the mobility it has over the lance's bulwark. Plan in making the gobul dual swords, though.

The armor's marathon runner, stamina, and status up screams for paralysis. Do intend to make a set of poison weapons too.

[Locke cole]

Getting close to the Ceadeus fight in the village. But first, I'm gonna make me an Amber Slash.

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

Ahh caedeus. I did the urgent mission last night. Broke his beard halfway through room 1 because of brachy dual sword explosions. Only setback in phase 2 of the mission was I timed the dragonator wrong so I had to wait for it to recharge.

Dem underwater ballistae.

[greed]

If I kill the Great Jaggi Queropeco summons, can it summon more? Like is this an infinite great jaggi situation?

[Grandmaster_Skweeb]

As far as I know the answer is no for the same boss monster. At least for the standard Qurupeco. While I could be wrong I've never seen it happen.

I do know the Crimsom Qurupeco can summon multiple boss monsters throughout a fight though.