The latest Inside Infinite blog post for Halo Infinite is out now, and it contains a wealth of information and insight about the next-gen Halo game. This latest installment is focused on the game’s audio, but it also served as the reveal of the game’s newest weapon, the Skewer.
A Banished power weapon, the Skewer looks like something out of Gears of War. 343 says this weapon is “savage and violent,” and its audio design matches that. You can hear some audio clips of the newly revealed weapon in the blog post.
“For Banished weapons, we established some core principles to how they should sound. When thinking of Banished the first thing that comes to mind is Brute, the word ‘brute’ is savage and violent, so it only makes sense that is conveyed in the audio with making it sound powerful, animalistic and visceral,” 343 said. “The Banished weaponry has a more primitive feel than some of the other factions so this calls for having a strong sense of organic matter in the content, this helps give a strong grounding and sell the mechanical nature of them.”
The rest of the blog post is a delight, touching on numerous aspects of Halo Infinite’s audio and sound design, while 343 also released some new assets like the video below in which the team uses a piano in … unique ways to capture sounds for Halo Infinite.
Another video–Sounds of Zeta Halo – Forerunner Interior–showcases the moody music from a Forerunner installation. You can listen to this brand-new audio clip below.
Halo fans who want a deep-dive on Halo Infinite’s audio are in for a treat with this blog post, as it goes very deep on the ins and outs of how 343 went about designing the audio and music. The studio pored over feedback from Halo 5 to come up with some tenets for how Halo Infinite should sound.
“We received a variety of great feedback and suggestions, but the highest-level takeaways for us, and our key goals for Halo Infinite, are ‘re-capturing the legacy essence of Halo’ and ‘strengthening the excitement and impact of Halo’s combat.’ With those primary goals established, our team has been passionately working to deliver on our vision as our partner teams around the studio have been bringing Halo Infinite to life,” 343 said.
343 made a big change to the sound effects direction for Halo Infinite to focus on the smaller details such that the game would key in on specific combat sounds “in a clear and impactful way.”
“There are many gun sounds in our game–multiple enemies, teammates, and players are constantly firing weapons. In our past Halo titles, we handled each gun-fire’s listening-volume purely by distance,” 343 said. “So, all gun sound volumes were exactly the same if they’re originating from the same distance. As a result, we had too many loud gun sounds constantly overwhelming a player which made it very difficult to detect true threat position.”
“The new Halo Infinite audio system detects all gun sounds frame by frame, and prioritizes them in a threat order to decide output sound volume for each gun. With this mechanic, if a gunshot is aimed at player, the sound will be louder and if it’s not aimed at player or if it’s a teammate’s gunfire, the sound is still audible but quieter. then you could hear only threat sounds clear. With the cleaner audio feedback, player can ascertain the appropriate threat to make the right action quicker and more accurately, which results in a more immersive and exciting combat experience in Halo Infinite.”
This is just a small taste of what the full blog post delivers in terms of context and insight on Halo Infinite’s music and sound design. Check out the full post here to learn lots more.
After a delay, Halo Infinite releases in Fall 2021 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It will be included on Xbox Game Pass for no extra charge to subscribers. Additionally, the multiplayer element is free-to-play (supported by microtransactions).
Developer The Moon Pirates has announced its debut game: Don’t Forget Me. Inspired by games like Her Story and The Red Strings Club, Don’t Forget Me is a mixture of puzzle game and old-school adventure game that tests your observation and deductive reasoning. It’s scheduled to launch for PC and Mac on April 20.
In Don’t Forget Me, you play as Fran, who’s lost her memories. Taken in by Bernard, a world-renowned memory manipulation expert, Fran is tasked with helping him with his business of diving into the minds of those with memories to unearth and secrets to discover.
In the same way you solve the mystery of Her Story by scanning through a series of video clips to search for certain key phrases, Don’t Forget Me has you explore the minds of people by typing in words or phrases and piecing together who these people are. Sometimes you’ll need to solely rely on facts you’ve learned, piecing together important clues to discover the truth. Other times, you’ll need to deduce implications based on your real-world experience and observe the emotional connotation of what you see or hear.
As you learn who someone is, you’ll be better able to get at the information you’re after. This ties into Don’t Forget Me’s central story: uncovering secrets that may lead to who you are and why you no longer have a memory to be explored.
Monster Hunter Rise is out now, which means it’s time to hunt and carve up some monsters! Like previous games in the series, there’s a plethora of challenging monsters to fight, each with their own unique attacks and patterns to understand if you hope to successfully best any of them. Below we detail what it takes to defeat every monster in Monster Hunter Rise.
The main section of the game has you fighting a total of 20 monsters, which are categorized as low-level on the scale of monster difficulty. Below we detail the strategies to consider when taking down these low-level versions. If you’re more interested in tactics for the high-level versions of these monsters, then be sure to check back later, as we’ll have all those updated into our comprehensive guide in the coming days.
How to kill Great Izuchi
Great Izuchi
Most vulnerable spots: Head, tail tip
Elemental weaknesses: Lighting (primary), Water (secondary)
Status vulnerabilities: Poison, Stun, Paralysis, Sleep, Blast, Exhaust, Thunderblight
Great Izuchi is likely to be the first big monster you take on in your hunting endeavors. It’s one of the easier fights, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful! Great Izuchi is a pack hunter and tends to fight with a posse of two smaller Izuchi to annoy you. It can also summon more buddies to join its side, though they go down pretty fast–so taking out Great Izuchi’s minions first is generally a good idea. Izuchi’s weak point is its head, but facing it head-on can be dangerous, especially when it’s enraged If it does get enraged, it uses a damaging ranged spit attack, and its swift triple-tail swipe, which can easily knock you flat on your back. Fortunately, many of its most damaging attacks use its tail and have a lengthy wind-up, making them easy to dodge or block. If you’re a rookie at Monster Hunter, hunting Great Izuchi’s a great way to learn many of the basic skills you’ll need to take on the game’s larger beasts, so use this opportunity to get some practice in.
Elemental weaknesses: Fire (primary), Water/Lightning (secondary)
Status vulnerabilities: Paralysis, Blast, Exhaust, Fireblight
Did you manage to take down Great Izuchi? Swell! The other “Great” raptor-like large monsters fight in a similar fashion, so many of the skills you’ve picked up from Izuchi will come in handy. Much like Great Izuchi, Great Baggi is a pack hunter and will bring along a posse to its battles. Take out the small fry first (or let your buddies handle them) before focusing your attention on the boss. Great Baggi can also spit out projectile venom that will cause you to get drowsy, making your movements slow and rendering you incapable of doing much of anything. Chugging an Energy Drink item will help you recover from that sluggish state. Use the same combat strategies as Great Izuchi to dodge its physical attacks, and it shouldn’t be long before you’ve felled another “Great” one.
Elemental weaknesses: Water (primary), all others (secondary)
Status vulnerabilities: Stun, Blast, Waterblight
Kulu-Ya-Ku is smarter than the average birdbrain, despite its goofy appearance. In fact, it’s smart enough to dig in the ground for objects it can use for both defense and offense. Try not to hit the hard objects Kulu-Ya-Ku is holding, as doing so only results in your attacks getting deflected. Also, Kulu-Ya-Ku will eagerly try to smash your head in with jump attacks while holding these implements. If you can stagger or stun Kulu-Ya-Ku, it will drop whatever it’s holding. The objects tend to wear down after a while; attacking a held object that’s already showing signs of wear will cause it to break after a few strikes, stunning the big bird in the process. Beyond its crude tools, Kulu-Ya-Ku’s attacks are pretty simple, using mostly pecks and charges to hurt you. It’s weak to almost all elements, especially water, so bring your element-laced weaponry if you’ve got it to add some extra damage and show Kulu-Ya-Ku, who’s higher in the pecking order.
Elemental weaknesses: Ice (primary), Water (secondary)
Status vulnerabilities: Paralysis, Sleep, Blast, Iceblight
It’s another “Great” bird wyvern that fights quite similarly to Great Izuchi and Great Baggi: fights in a pack, likes to attack up close. You know the deal by now, right? Where Great Wroggi differs most is in its status affliction of choice: when the purple sac expands, it’s about to spit up some noxious poison mist. Antidotes and Herbal Medicines will cure this, with the latter being slightly faster to take effect. Don’t wait too long to take your meds, though, because Poison’s life drain can really sting! Otherwise, stick to the same strategies as the other “Greats”: take out the small monsters first, watch its movements, dodge when you know it’s going to come at you, and strike while it’s vulnerable.
Elemental weaknesses: Fire (primary), Ice/Lightning (secondary)
Status vulnerabilities: Poison, Stun, Paralysis, Sleep, Blast, Exhaust, Fireblight
This big ursine might not look too bright, but if you’re not careful, it can cause some serious hurt, especially in areas with less space to maneuver. Arzuros’s most common attack sees it using three claw swipes to slash in front and around its sides. It’s not too hard to dodge, thankfully. While Arzuros’s charging attacks are more choreographed, avoiding them can be a bit tricky at times–especially because an angered Arzuros can turn around very quickly and charge right back at you just as you’re getting up on your feet again. It can also grab you in a literal bear hug, mauling you up close before tossing you aside. If this happens, use a wirebug to get right back on your feet. Even standing behind Arzuros isn’t completely safe: if it knows you’re attacking it from behind, it can fall back on its butt to knock you down and deal damage. Fortunately, because Azuros likes to charge at you, it’s easy to lure into traps–so set up your nets and hit it while it’s immobile.
Elemental weaknesses: Fire (primary), Lightning (secondary)
Status vulnerabilities: Poison, Stun, Paralysis, Blast, Fireblight
What has long ears, a big belly, and an appetite for destruction? It’s Lagombi, the winter hare from hell! Lagombi has the ability to cover long distances by sliding on its belly, which allows it to very quickly close the distance–and hurt you in the process. It can also do big bouncing butt-bombs, send a massive snowball hurtling your way, and throw chunks of snow up in the air to catch you leaping or climbing. When attacking, take care not to aim for its thick stomach, which can repel strikes easily and hasten the dulling of your blade. Instead, try to aim for its ears–you can break them for an additional item drop. Said ears are also very sensitive to sound, so Lagombi can be stunned easily with loud noises (such as from Sonic Bombs). Be aware, however, that an angered Lagombi won’t have that vulnerability. Also, its habit of sliding towards you makes it fairly easy to lure into ground-based traps. Good footwork and attacking the right spots should let you skin this hare without too many problems.
Most vulnerable spots: Head, upper body, parts of back
Elemental weaknesses: Water (primary), Ice (secondary)
Status vulnerabilities: Stun, Blast, Waterblight
Given Volvidon’s name, taste for warm habitats, and flame orange skin, you’d think that it’s a fire monster–but actually, Volvidon much prefers fighting dirty. Its mouth is filled with electrified spit that will jolt and paralyze you on contact, and it can let rip some noxious gas in a close radius that will render you unable to use any recovery items. Should you be unceremoniously farted on, use some deodorant to rid you of the stank with speed. Between its spit attacks, blazing-fast rolling spin-dashes, and long anteater tongue, Volvidon excels at attacking from a distance. The armored shell along most of its back can also deflect strikes from behind and above if your weapon isn’t at peak sharpness. As such, you’ll usually want to go for its head, limbs, and squishy belly, but getting in close can be tricky. Blinding it and luring it into traps can help you immobilize it for a short while to get some good damage in. Also, bring your water weaponry–Volvidon is very sensitive to moisture.
Elemental weaknesses: Water (Primary), Lightning (Secondary)
Status vulnerabilities: Blast, Waterblight
A giant, fire-breathing kung fu crane? Yes! Aknosom is certainly one of the more unique encounters of Monster Hunter Rise., as this big bird has a lot of personality. Unfortunately, that personality is “an annoying jerk.” Aknosom is very swift, and can hop around the area easily. Generally, the worst place to be in relation to Aknosom is in front of it, as it can hit you with pecks from its sharp beak, headbutt using its big neck frill, perform a long-distance running dash and full-body tackle, or–worst of all– spit a series of fireballs that cover a wide range and distance in front of it. If you get hit by these fireballs, you’ll start taking fire damage that rapidly drains your life. The best way to get rid of these flames is what you learned in school: stop, drop, and roll! After several dodge-rolls, you should be back to normal–though your stamina bar will definitely be feeling it. (You can also use a Nulberry to recover from all of the elemental -blights.) When Aknosom hops up on one leg, be careful: it’s getting ready to do a close-range attack by slashing with its wing. This attack can hit in a semi-circular radius, so get away quickly! If you can manage to get Aknosom to fight you in a lake, it’ll help you out by squelching the flames. Smack it with some water- or lightning-infused strikes to do extra damage and put the bird to bed.
Elemental weaknesses: Fire (primary), Lightning (secondary)
Status vulnerabilities: Blast, Fireblight
What’s underneath that big,moist ring of golden sponge around Royal Ludroth’s neck? Sadly, it’s not delicious cream filling, but rather a vicious lizard eager to get straight to your juicy center. Royal Ludroth is mostly a physical attacker, using its long body–particularly its tail–to strike. It thrives in wet environments, and can splash you with attacks that inflict Waterblight. Waterblight hampers your natural stamina recovery, so it’s good to get rid of it ASAP by using Nulberries. If you can get Royal Ludroth away from water, it’ll start to dry out, causing its attacks to lose some of their bite. If it gets too dry, it’ll start running away to look for a source of hydration, so keep pursuing it! Royal Ludroth’s back scales and tail have a good chance of deflecting strikes, so for maximum efficiency, aim for that smooshy golden sponge area–or the tail, which doesn’t take optimal damage but can be severed with cutting weapons to further limit the creature’s attack power. (Also: you can get an additional chance to carve for items on the severed tail piece!) Keep up a steady assault on Royal Ludroth’s vulnerable spots to hang it out to dry.
Elemental weaknesses: Fire (primary), Ice (secondary)
Status vulnerabilities: Poison, Paralysis, Blast, Fireblight
Here comes the pain train! Barroth likes to attack with its massive noggin, using it to lunge and swipe at you. When you see steam coming off of that muffin top, watch out! Barroth’s going to start using some painful attacks, one of which is a very damaging tackle from a distance. Barroth loves to cover itself in mud when water’s nearby, and it can shake the globby piles off, throwing goop projectiles all around its body that severely slow you down if you’re caught in them. They disappear after a short time, but if you get stuck, try to roll out before they vanish–even a few seconds of limited mobility is enough time for Barroth to smack you with a devastating headbutt. Since Barroth’s head is its main weapon, it’s very resistant to your attacks and will deflect strikes regularly. Aim for its sides, limbs, and the base of its tail instead to do the most damage. The mud it rolls around in also doubles as an extra layer of armor, so knock that grime off with a few weapon strikes before really going in and mopping up.
The moment you set eyes on this sightless, pallid freak of nature, you will want it extremely dead–but Khezu will do its best to make that as difficult as possible. Khezu relies heavily on electricity-based attacks, such as releasing an electric charge into the area around it and spitting out orbs of electricity. Bring your best electricity-resistant gear to the fight to help dull the damage–though taking too many shocks can still inflict Thunderblight, so keep Nullberries on hand. If you’re in a cave, Khezu becomes more dangerous, as it can cling to the walls and ceilings to launch lightning and pounce upon you. It’s possible to knock Khezu from its perch with projectile attacks and flying Wirebug-fueled strikes, which will leave it vulnerable for a few precious seconds. Try hitting it with fire- and poison-laced weaponry to make the fight go by faster, though do note that Khezu is fairly resistant to most other status ailments. When you see its pale white skin turn veiny and cracked, you’ve got it on the ropes.
Elemental weaknesses: Lightning (primary), Fire (secondary)
Status vulnerabilities: Paralysis, Blast, Thunderblight
A portly, seaweed-covered platypus might not seem too threatening at first glance, but Tetranodon is one of the tougher encounters from the early-game period. He seems rather simple at first, cannonball diving, charging at you, and striking out his webbed limbs. Eventually, Tetranodon will start vacuuming things into his gaping bill — and hopefully you’re not among them!
After he ingests his Big Gulp, he will stand on his hind legs. This is when you’ll really need to pay attention! Tetranodon’s sumo stomps send a shockwave of craggy rocks away from his feet, which have a surprisingly long and wide reach — instead of rolling, use Wirebug evading to safely escape. (You can attempt to knock him off-balance when he’s lifting a leg with repeated weapon strikes, which will leave him prone for a brief time, but this can be very risky.) He can also do a close-range hand clap, a long-range water spit, and even chuck a huge boulder in your direction. If Tetranodon gets super steamed, he’ll come barrelling at you with paws flying. Should you evade him successfully, you’re not out of the woods — he’ll make a quick turn and come roaring back at you, so watch out!. The scales on his back are tough and can deflect your weapon if it’s not at peak sharpness, so to inflict maximum damage, aim for his bill, his belly, and his front legs.
Elemental weaknesses: Ice (primary), Fire (secondary)
Status vulnerabilities: Blast, Iceblight
There’s no need to monkey around with this trickster! Bishaten can be extremely annoying to fight, but there are some things you can do to put a speedy end to its shenanigans. Most of Bishaten’s attacks involve it either whipping its long, prehensile tail around or tossing fruit from you from a distance while balancing on said tail. The fruit it throws can cause status ailments like poison and stun, depending on what you get smacked by, so keep healing items (or a buddy with status-nullifying skills) with you to recover. Sometimes Bishaten will forgo the tossing altogether, opting instead to lunge at you from afar with a fruit held in its tail and releasing a noxious cloud of poison gas in a wide area. However, if you’re able to knock Bishaten off-balance while it’s sitting on its tail, it will drop its stash of fruit snacks, which you can pick up and use to turn the tables! Chow down on some healing fruit, or lob some poison or stun blasts to give Bishaten a taste of its own citrine medicine. You won’t get to keep these fruits after the quest, so you might as well use them now–or even save them for another monster you want to take down in the same area.
Status vulnerabilities: Paralysis, Sleep, Thunderblight
Slimy, slobbery, and poisonous to the touch, Pukei-Pukei is a very gross gecko who will make your life miserable. Pukei-Pukei is somewhat less dangerous when you’re fighting in close, but a big threat at a distance: its hovering dive-bomb attacks and long tongue-whip strikes can catch you even when you think you’re safe. The biggest danger when fighting Pukei-Pukei, however, is its poison. It can spew an intoxicating purple haze from its mouth…and also poop out poison globs from its tail. Ewww. Antidotes and herbal remedies–as well as poison-cleansing buddy skills–are a must if you plan on besting Pukei-Pukei.
Keep your eye on the color of the frill-feathers around its head as well as its face: when they start to turn orange and stand up, Pukei-Pukei is in an enraged state. Sometimes, Pukei-Pukei will dash off to snack on a nearby plant. This odd behavior is far from harmless: depending on what it eats, its poison secretions will gain additional effects, like lingering around for longer or causing stun. If the sac below its mouth is swollen, you’ll know that it’s just eaten something potentially very bad. Fortunately, Pukei-Pukei is weak to both paralysis and sleep, so use tools, weapons, and gathered endemic life to afflict and subdue it. It’s also possible to sever Pukei-Pukei’s tail with repeated slashing strikes–it will not, however, stop the tail poison attacks entirely, so be warned. Keep smacking its face while drinking antidotes, and Pukei-Pukei should give up the ghost.
Elemental weaknesses: Dragon (primary), Water (secondary)
Status vulnerabilities: Sleep, Waterblight
Craggy and cranky: a dangerous combination. This cantankerous molten monster’s got a lot of armor on its back and head area, but its limbs and underbelly are significantly squishier. If you see Basarios rearing back or its belly glowing extra-bright, that’s your cue to get the hell out of Dodge. Stick around too long, and it’ll try to crush you with a rolling attack, spout several spurts of searing-hot gas around its body, spit out a few flaming fireballs from a distance, or blast you with an ultra-painful, blisteringly hot laser of fire aimed straight from its throat.
With so many fire attacks, bringing fire-resistant gear to the bout with Basarios is a no-brainer. Still, you should also consider hauling along a Palico with status-healing support skills (along with plenty of antidotes), as Basarios is also known to exhume very dangerous poisonous purple gas. Should you see purple mist forming around it, it’s time to move. It can also puff out some wisps of sleeping gas, as well, though this attack is less common. If you’re fighting this blockhead above ground, it can burrow under the dirt and give you chase–fortunately, it’s slow and easy to spot, so keep running, and you’ll stay out of danger. If a weakened Basarios limps off and tries to take a nap somewhere, it can camouflage itself as an unassuming pile of rocks. Fortunately, the R-stick target lock doesn’t lie, so use that to help find it–and maybe try to mine its back while it’s asleep for giggles.
Elemental weaknesses: Lighting (primary), Fire (secondary)
Status vulnerabilities: Blast, Thunderblight
Somnacanth is a fishy fiend that’s curiously enchanting, but trust us, this is a siren song you don’t want to get snared by! As you may have guessed by the name, Somnacanth’s gimmick is making you drowsy before going in for the kill. She can fire out sleeping gas from her maw like a rotating pulse cannon, but if she’s in the water, she can also exhume the gas in patterns as she swims around. Bring Energy Drinks to keep yourself juiced up and stave off the need to sleep. (Who says games aren’t realistic?)
When Somnacanth’s swimming, she can also dive for shells–and when Somnacanth cracks a shell open, bad things will happen! Keep an eye out for the glowing yellow shells in particular: when broken, a stunning flash will erupt in a wide radius in front of the beast, leaving you stunned and wide open. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to get an advantage. Since
Somnacanth is amphibious, she prefers to fight in watery areas. Finding a way to get Somnacanth on land–whether by trapping her, luring her, or just encountering her in a good location–will help immensely, as her movements and attacks are limited when away from the lakes. Bring your best lightning-element gear to the fight, and soon she’ll be the one taking a snooze.
The majestic queen of the land returns! Rathian has long been a Monster Hunter staple and a daunting challenge to overcome. With a massive wingspan, fiery breath, and a poison-laced tail, you’re in for quite the fight with this big girl! Rathian might not be the most agile of monsters, but her huge wings afford her a great deal of mobility, allowing her to hover out of reach of many grounded attacks and attack you from an advantageous position. Using wirebugs and projectiles can help you attack her in the air. She’s still very much a threat while grounded, though, as her long, venomous tail can sweep you aside and afflict you with a damaging poison effect. And let’s not forget the fire breath, either! Preparing for fire and poison attacks with gear and supplies helps out, but the most important thing is making sure you have ample space–both on the ground and in the air–to deal with whatever she wants to do. Attacking her tail is also a good idea: you can sever it and reduce her ability to hit you with her sweeping venom strikes… though you still have to deal with everything else. Dragon-element weapons will be a big help here, but that may be hard to come by at this point in the game, so use Lightning-element arms as a backup to drain her health faster.
Elemental weaknesses: Fire (primary), Lightning (secondary)
Status vulnerabilities: Blast, Fireblight
So we’re clear here: Barroth and Barioth are two different monsters. I know, it confuses me too. Just remember: Barioth’s the weird sabretooth bird-cat that can make you faint quickly with amazing agility and lots of spiky bits that hurt a lot.
Barioth is very fast, very large, and very very vicious, using extremely fast attacks from the air and the ground to inflict damage so quickly you might find yourself going from full health to KO’ed within seconds. Making the hunt even more difficult is Barioth’s resistance to many status effects. However, there is a way you can help turn the tide in your favor. Notice the spikes on its front limbs? It uses those to help it move faster. Aiming your attacks for Barioth’s limbs will cause these spikes to break, hampering its movement. Its tail can also be severed to further decrease its mobility and attack power. Try setting traps to hold Barioth in place for a while, then aiming for the parts you want to damage with fire-laced weaponry while it struggles. Once you’ve broken the beast, aim your blows towards its head to seal your victory.
Elemental weaknesses: Water (primary), Fire/Ice (secondary)
Status vulnerabilities: Poison, Blast, Waterblight
Part reptile, part flying squirrel, part livewire, and 100% trouble, Tobi-Kadachi can overwhelm you with its slippery speed and tricky moves. Tobi-Kadachi is a high-pressure fight, as it will rarely let you out of its sight once it knows you’re around. This makes it hard to slip away for healing or weapon-sharpening. Decoys can help a lot if you need a quick breather while using traps to immobilize it can delay it entering a charged-up state. When it’s angry and amped up, you’ll see the spines on its back and tail raise, and it will begin to take to the skies in an attempt to dive-bomb you to death.
A PO’ed Tobi-Kadachi can also launch electricity-laced spikes at you, which can afflict you with Thunderblight. These projectiles aren’t just dangerous when airborne, either: they remain in the ground for a while, electrifying any poor sap who might accidentally bump into them. In areas with high cliff walls, Tobi-Kadachi can climb them to survey you and launch attacks, so use wirebug-powered flying strikes and projectiles to try and knock the brute off. Despite being powered by electricity–which is usually the bane of water-elemental foes–Tobi-Kadachi’s primary weakness is water, so bring an appropriate weapon if you have one. If you can find a way to afflict it with Waterblight, you’ll short out its conductive capabilities, making the bout much easier.
Elemental weaknesses: Water (primary), Lightning (secondary)
Status vulnerabilities: Waterblight
It’s him–the cover beast in the flesh! And boy, oh boy, are you in for hell of a battle with this behemoth. Magnalamo’s agility is incredible, allowing this hulking monster to perform several attacks in a row with its claws and tail. He’s so brimming with draconic energy that he’s always got a purple glow around his back and tail, and he can fire off said energy around him in mega-damaging explosive bursts that will also afflict you with Hellfireblight, which turns you into a ticking time bomb! Your best bet when you see its purple orbs go flying is to wire yourself out of the area before they explode–and if you’re hit with Hellfireblight, wiring away from the area will make the curse drop–and deal damage to something else that stumbles onto it. (You can also freshen up from the blight with some deodorant.) Magnalamo’s sharp claws, horns, and long tail will also be used against you with blinding speed, so always be ready to block or dodge if necessary. When it leaps high into the air, it’s going to give you a brutal dive-bombing, so move your butt FAST if you don’t want to learn a new definition of pain.
When Magnalamo’s purple energy turns pink, he becomes enraged and extremely dangerous! We’re talking massive bursts of hellfire and giant lasers of pure hate energy from the tip of its tail. If he rears back and howls while gathering glowing energy, get your wirebugs ready, because you’re about to get potentially smashed with a rapid combination of lunges and aerial dives that will drain a healthy life bar in the blink of an eye. He’ll return to his normal state afterward, but it’s a little consolation when his normal mode is almost as brutal as his angered state. Oh, and be careful if other big monsters stumble in–Magnalamo is the king here, and he will promptly grab, and aerial piledrive any other monsters into oblivion. (Also: make sure you avoid a piledriving Magnalamo, because he’ll hurt you even more than the poor creature caught in his grip!)
It’s a struggle to find a good opening, but bringing a good Water-element weapon to the battle can help you tack on some extra damage when you are able to get some hits in. If you have some explosives on hand, you can also aim for the parts of Magnalamo’s body that are glowing: successfully igniting its own hellfire will result in some big-damage booms! You might not be able to best this legendary brute on your first attempt, but that’s okay: you’ll still learn a lot during the fight. Keep honing your armor, weapons, and skills, and eventually, you’ll be able to put to rest the terror of Kamura.
Once you roll the credits in Monster Hunter Rise, don’t stop playing! There are many more new monsters to fight during the endgame portion, which should keep you busy for quite a while. We’re still working on them ourselves, but we should have this guide updated with everything you need to know about fighting those monsters in the coming days.
Monster Hunter Rise is out now on Nintendo Switch, with a PC version coming in 2022. We’ve got a number of other guides to help you out if you’re just setting off on your adventure, which you can find in the list below.
Monster Hunter Rise provides you with a variety of tools to aid you on your hunts, but some of the most invaluable assets are your buddies–the game’s term for your Palamute and Palico companions. Not only can buddies accompany you on quests, lending their support as you battle monsters, but they can also be sent off on their own separate missions, gathering additional resources for you. Here’s everything you need to know about recruiting and utilizing buddies in Monster Hunter Rise.
Buddy Overview
As previously mentioned, there are two types of buddies in Monster Hunter Rise: the dog-like Palamutes and cat-like Palicoes. You’ll begin the game by creating one of each, with additional buddies available for hire as you progress through the adventure. You can bring two buddies along with you on solo quests (or one buddy if you’re playing with other players), and each type has distinct attributes and abilities that make them helpful in different ways.
Riding into battle on a Palamute
Palamutes are generally better attackers than Palicoes and will lend a paw in the heat of battle, but they’re most helpful when it comes to traversal. You can ride your Palamute at any point during a quest for an extra bit of speed. Your Palamute won’t lose any stamina while running, letting you cover ground much more quickly than you could on foot–a huge boon considering how large the game’s maps can be. Not only that, but your Palamute will also sprint vertically up climbable walls, allowing you to reach elevated areas in a fraction of the time it would normally take.
Palicoes, on the other hand, are more support-oriented. Each Palico falls in one of five different specialties; some, for instance, will use healing abilities to help you recover health or cure status ailments during a hunt, while others will focus on gathering materials or laying traps. Here’s a quick overview of all five different Palico specialties:
Healer: Uses skills to help you recover health
Assist: Sets traps
Fight: Specializes in combat
Bombardier: Can handle and use bombs
Gathering: Focuses on collecting quality materials
How To Recruit More Buddies
Although you can only bring up to two buddies with you on quests at a time, you can recruit many more additional companions in the Buddy Plaza, which is located just across the bridge in the eastern part of Kamura Village. To add a new buddy to your roster, speak to Iori the Buddy Handler and he’ll present you with two main options: Hire and Scout a Buddy.
Buddy Scout menu
Choose Hire, and the game will bring up a list of different pre-made Palicoes and Palamutes that you can recruit for a small fee. Iori will have a different list of buddies after each quest you complete, so it’s a good idea to check back regularly and see which companions are available for hire. Scout a Buddy, meanwhile, effectively lets you create a new companion. You can search for Palamutes and Palicoes with very specific attributes, making this the better option if you’re after buddies with a certain appearance and abilities. Iori also allows you to rename any buddies you’ve recruited or dismiss ones that you no longer need at any time (though you won’t be refunded any money you spent recruiting them).
Meowcenaries And The Argosy
Spare buddies can be sent on missions through the Meowcenaries. You’ll unlock the ability to take on Meowcenary quests after you hit Village Hunter Rank 3. Once the Meowcenaries are open for business, speak to Felyne Chief Kogarashi to see a list of gathering routes, each of which will yield different types of materials. For a small fee of Kamura Points, you can select up to four buddies to deploy along one of these routes, and they’ll bring back a handful of materials after each quest you complete.
Meowcenary chief Kogarashi
The Argosy is similar. Speak to Rondine in the Buddy Plaza, and you’ll have the option to send a buddy off to barter for items, periodically bringing additional materials back for you. You’ll initially only be able to send one buddy at a time on these trade requests, but later in the story, you’ll be able to clear small side quests to unlock additional Argosy submarines. Materials are always handy to have in Monster Hunter, so you’ll want to make sure you leave buddies with the Meowcenaries and the Argosy regularly to maximize your haul.
Buddy Dojo
Buddies you bring along with you will level up as you complete quests, but you can also quickly level up spare companions at the Buddy Dojo. Speak to Shirubei the Felyne in the Buddy Plaza, and you’ll be able to leave up to six buddies at the dojo for training. Each training session will last as long as one quest, so you can drop some spare companions off here and have them level up while you go about completing missions.
Buddy Dojo
Buddy Gear
Like your hunter, buddies can be outfitted with their own gear and weapons, and it’s important to regularly update their loadouts as you work through the game and get your hands on better crafting materials. Buddy equipment is forged by Buddy Smithy Kisaki, whose stall is located right next to Hammon’s near the center of Kamura Village. Each companion can sport two pieces of armor and one weapon, and the game will display what materials you need to craft each piece of gear. Although your buddies can’t really faint during a quest (at worst, they’ll be temporarily incapacited), it’s a good idea to forge new equipment for them as you increase your Hunter Rank to ensure they’re as helpful as possible.
Much of the fun in Monster Hunter comes from taking on quests and slaying monsters together with a group of friends, and that holds true for Monster Hunter Rise. Fortunately, the game streamlines the multiplayer interface, making it easier than ever to join up with other players or host your own session. However, if you still need some help connecting with other hunters, here’s a rundown of how to set up a multiplayer session in Monster Hunter Rise.
Online Multiplayer
Before you can play Monster Hunter Rise online with other players, you’ll need to have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Individual memberships cost $4 for one month, $8 for three months, and $20 for one year, while an annual family plan runs for $35 and covers up to eight Nintendo Account holders, even across multiple systems.
With that out of the way, the first step to setting up a multiplayer session is speaking to Senri, the Felyne courier who’s stationed near the center of Kamura Village. Senri is responsible for connecting you with other players, so you’ll need to talk to the mailcat each time you want to begin or leave a multiplayer session. (You’ll also need to speak to Senri to claim any DLC, such as the bonus item bundle that you’ll receive if you’ve played the Monster Hunter Rise demo.)
Speaking to Senri
To play with other players over the internet, select Play Online. After that, you’ll be presented with several different options, each of which is fairly self-explanatory. Find A Lobby lets you search through all the multiplayer lobbies that are currently open. If you’re looking for a specific lobby, you can select Search By Lobby ID; this allows you to directly join a particular session by inputting its lobby ID number. You can also select Friend List from Senri’s list of options to quickly find and join one of your Switch friends.
If you’d prefer to host the session, you’ll need to select Create a Lobby. From there, you can adjust the lobby’s settings and set up a passcode if you want it to keep the session private. Once that’s done, you’ll be online and ready to take on multiplayer hunts.
Local Multiplayer
If you have a group of friends gathered together in-person, you can begin a local multiplayer session by selecting Play Locally from Senri’s list of options. Select Find a Lobby to join another player’s game, or Create a Lobby to host your own. There is also a separate option to create a lobby that requires a passcode if you want to keep the session private.
Taking On Quests Together
Once you’re connected with other players, you can embark on some quests together. The missions in Monster Hunter Rise are all categorized either as Village Quests or Hub Quests. The former are only available for solo players, so you’ll need to select from the latter when you want to embark on multiplayer hunts.
To begin a Hub Quest, one player must first accept a quest from Minoto in the Gathering Hub. After that, the other players in the lobby can join the mission by selecting it from the quest board next to Minoto’s reception desk.
Hub Quests support up to four players total, but you don’t need to have that many to embark on one; the quest’s difficulty will scale depending on how many players are in your party. Hub Quests can also be played solo if you prefer, but they will be more challenging than regular Village Quests if you attempt them alone.
There are also no restrictions to the quests you can accept. If another player chooses a quest that you haven’t unlocked in your own game yet, you will still be able to join them. However, these quests won’t be marked as complete for you (although you’ll keep any rewards and materials you’ve earned from them), so you’ll need to complete them again once you’ve unlocked them in your game.
After everyone has accepted the quest and finished any last-minute preparations like grabbing a meal from the canteen, every player will need to press the ZR button to ready up. Once the whole group is ready, the host player can begin the quest. If your squad is able to successfully complete the objective within the time limit (and without fainting three times), everyone will earn the quest’s rewards and be automatically transported back to the Gathering Hub afterward. If you’re ready to end a multiplayer session, simply speak to Senri again to leave the lobby.
Join Requests
If you’ve set off on an online quest with fewer than four people in your group and need a bit of assistance, the host player send a Join Request. This option is found under the Quests tab in the menu, and much like the flares in Monster Hunter World, it sends a signal that will allow other players to join your hunt mid-progress.
Thanks to its complex systems and traditionally convoluted interface, the Monster Hunter series has a reputation for being dense and uninviting. Although Monster Hunter Rise streamlines many elements of the series to make it more welcoming than previous installments, it can still be a bit overwhelming, particularly for greenhorn hunters who are just jumping in for the first time. If you’re new to Monster Hunter, we’ve rounded up some beginner tips to help you out in Monster Hunter Rise, as well as a few advanced tips to keep in mind once you’ve gotten the hang of the basics.
As in previous Monster Hunter games, there are two paths of progression in Monster Hunter Rise: Village Quests and Hub Quests. If you’re new to the series, it’s important to know the difference between these before you begin your adventure.
Village Quests are Monster Hunter Rise’s “story” missions. You accept these from Hinoa in central Kamura Village and complete them to advance through the narrative. These missions can only be played solo and are designed to acclimate you to the game, so you can think of Village Quests as Monster Hunter Rise’s single-player mode.
Hub Quests, on the other hand, are Monster Hunter Rise’s multiplayer missions. These are assigned by Minoto, who is stationed in the Gathering Hub in the western part of Kamura Village (just past Yomogi’s tea shop). You can also embark on Hub Quests alone if you prefer, but given that they’re intended for multiple players, they’ll be more challenging than regular Village Quests if you attempt them solo.
Once you’ve completed a sufficient number of Key Quests (important missions that are denoted in the quest list by an icon next to their name), an Urgent Quest will open up. Clearing the Urgent Quest will bump you up to the next Hunter Rank, which in turn will open up a new selection of quests to do and even more challenging monsters to hunt.
Bear in mind that your Village Rank is separate from your Hub Rank; your progress in one will not transfer over to the other, so you’ll need to increase each Hunter Rank separately. However, if you focus strictly on completing Village Quests, you’ll unlock a Special License Test once you’ve hit Hunter Rank 4. Completing this quest will automatically bump up your Hub Rank to the next level, even if you haven’t completed any Hub Quests yet. However, Special License Tests are only available if your Hub Rank is considerably lower than your Village Rank.
Always Grab A Meal Before A Quest
Before you depart on a quest, it’s important to stop at the canteen and grab a bite to eat, as a quick meal could make all the difference between success and failure. There are two tea shops in Monster Hunter Rise–one in the western part of Kamura Village, and one within the Gathering Hub–but they both serve the same dish: Bunny Dango. You can select three flavors of dango per skewer, and each has a chance of granting you a temporary buff for the quest you’re about to undertake, making it a good habit to order a plate before you embark on a hunt.
The canteen
The buffs you get from eating Bunny Dango can range from extra stamina or health to an increased chance of earning more money or harvesting extra materials from the mission. The game will clearly display the percentage chance a certain buff has of activating after you eat a meal, so you’ll want to order a mix of different flavors and potentially reap multiple buffs. As you progress through the game, the canteen will begin stocking additional dango flavors with different attributes and buffs, so it’s a good idea to tailor your meal selections around what environment you’re visiting and monster you’re hunting.
Take Items From The Supply Box
Every locale you travel to for a quest features a base camp, where you’ll find a couple of helpful amenities like a tent and a supply box. The latter is especially important, as it contains various items to assist you on your mission, including first-aid meds (good for restoring health) and rations (good for temporarily increasing your stamina gauge). It’s always a good idea to consult the supply box and take some extra items before you begin your quest, as they’re completely free and are lost after the mission ends–just remember to share the supplies with any other hunters in your party.
Load Up On Subquests
In addition to standard quests, Hinoa and Minoto present a list of optional subquests for you to fulfill. These are additional objectives to work toward while you go about completing regular missions, ranging from harvesting a specific number of materials to slaying certain kinds of monsters, and they’re a great way to earn some extra resources as you play.
In the early going of the game, you can have up to five active subquests at a time. You’ll always want to have a full slate of them underway, as you’ll often complete their objectives just through the regular course of gameplay, and the rewards for these quests often include Kamura Points and Armor Spheres. The latter are especially valuable as they can be used to upgrade pieces of armor, so be sure to load up on subquests as often as you can.
Put Your Spare Buddies To Work
While only two buddies can accompany you on a quest at a time, you can recruit many more additional companions by speaking to Iori at the Buddy Plaza. Even if you don’t intend to bring them along with you on hunts, it’s a good idea to have a nice pool of reserve buddies, as you can send spare Palamutes and Palicoes off on their own gathering quests with the Meowcenaries and the Argosy.
Once the Meowcenaries are unlocked early on in the story, speak to Felyne Chief Kogarashi in the Buddy Plaza to make use of their services. For a small fee of Kamura Points, you can send a squad of four reserve buddies out on a quest. The Meowcenaries can be deployed along one of several gathering routes, each of which will yield different kinds of materials. After you’ve selected the route that appeals to you, the squad will depart, bringing items back after each quest you finish.
Speak to Kogarashi to send buddies on Meowcenary missions
The Argosy works similarly. Once it’s unlocked, speak to Rondine in the Buddy Plaza and you can ship a buddy off to barter for specific types of items. Additional resources are always handy in Monster Hunter, so if you’ve got some spare companions just sitting around, be sure to put them to work.
That isn’t the only helpful service you’ll find at the Buddy Plaza. You can also easily level up any spare companions at the Buddy Dojo. Speak to Shirubei the Palico, and you’ll be able to leave up to six buddies at the dojo at a time for training. Each training session will last as long as one quest, and once the training is complete, the buddies will level up and potentially learn new skills, making this a quick way to raise any extra Palamutes and Palicoes you have in your reserve list.
Try Out Weapons At The Training Area
Monster Hunter Rise features 14 different weapon types, each of which has its own distinct feel and moveset. If you’re new to the series, it can be overwhelming figuring out which of these weapons is right for you, but the game makes it a bit easier to decide by letting you test them out in the new training area.
Battling the Toadversary in the training area
While Hinoa gifts you a long sword shortly after you begin the game, you’ll find one of each weapon type waiting for you in your item box right from the outset, giving you a chance to try them all out at the training area. You can access the area from the boat in the Buddy Plaza, and it features a mechanical training dummy called the Toadversary that you can spar against. The Toadversary’s settings and AI are adjustable, so you can tweak its attack pattern as needed, making this a great way to familiarize yourself with the game’s different weapons before you bring them on an actual hunt.
The training area is also a great place to practice using the Wirebug, Monster Hunter Rise’s signature innovation. Not only can you use the Wirebug to launch yourself toward a monster and pull off Silkbind attacks, but it’s also useful for reaching elevated areas around the game’s different locales. The training area is bordered by high cliffs, so take some time to scale them to really get a handle on the Wirebug.
Utilize Endemic Life
Each locale in Monster Hunter Rise is home to a diverse array of flora and fauna, including what the game calls endemic life. These critters come in many varieties and confer some helpful benefits during your quest; pick up the clothfly, for instance, and you’ll gain a temporary defense boost, while the vigorwasp will restore some of your health.
A truckload, one of the endemic life you can find in Monster Hunter Rise
Some endemic life can even be used to gain the upper hand in battle. For example, the Tricktoad releases a scent that draws another monster’s attention to it, making it a great decoy to activate when a monster is bearing down on you. Be on the lookout for all the different kinds of endemic life as you explore each area in Monster Hunter Rise and utilize them to your benefit.
Advanced Tips
Mastering The Wirebug
As briefly touched on, the Wirebug is an important new element in Monster Hunter Rise, and you’ll come to rely on it frequently when playing. This versatile tool makes traversal feel much quicker and more freeing than previous Monster Hunter games. When your weapon is sheathed, you can use the Wirebug to launch yourself into the air at an angle (by pressing ZR and X) or straight ahead (by pressing ZR and A). You can also use the Wirebug to initiate wall-running. Launch yourself at a wall, and your character will automatically run across it when you hold the run button down. This depletes stamina very quickly, however, and your character will do a fancy leap off the wall once your stamina gauge runs out.
When your weapon is drawn, you can use the Wirebug to execute Silkbind attacks–flashy special moves that will deal some serious damage to monsters. Each of the game’s 14 different weapon types has its own distinct Silkbind attacks, and they’ll come in handy in the heat of battle. The Wirebug can also be used to break your fall; if you get knocked back by a monster’s attack, press ZR and B to quickly regain your footing. It’s a lot to remember, but with a little practice, it’ll soon become second nature.
Motley Mix It Up
In addition to Bunny Dango, the canteens in Kamura Village serve up another dish called a Motley Mix. Ordering this allows you to cook up spare materials like raw meat into consumables such as rations. Not only is this a good way to recycle extra items you may have, but Yomogi will also give you a bonus each time you order the Motley Mix: a Dango Ticket. You can redeem these for a free order of Bunny Dango, and you’ll have an increased chance that a buff will activate when you use a ticket–which will come especially in handy as you climb up the Hunter Ranks and take on fiercer monsters.
Switch Up Your Switch Skills
As you progress through Monster Hunter Rise, you’ll unlock Switch Skills. These are alternate attacks that you can swap in and out of your moveset, not unlike the Hunter Arts in Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. Each weapon has a different set of Switch Skills that you’ll unlock as you progress through the game, and they can vary pretty dramatically, so be sure to experiment with them often to find the one that best suits your playstyle.
The Great Wirebug
In addition to your two standard Wirebugs, Monster Hunter Rise features a larger variant called the Great Wirebug. You’ll periodically receive a handful of Great Wirebugs from Senior Hunter Hanenaga in Kamura Village, and they can be used to reach remote areas around the game’s different locales. Place a Great Wirebug in a spot where you see jewel lilies glowing and it will launch you much higher than a regular Wirebug could, often to an otherwise inaccessible part of the map. These out-of-reach areas often contain something of note, such as rare materials to harvest, so remember to make use of Great Wirebugs anytime you see the opportunity.
Wyvern Riding
One of Monster Hunter Rise’s key new features is Wyvern Riding, which gives you the ability to hop on top of a monster and temporarily control it. There are two primary ways to set a monster up for Wyvern Riding: You can connect with enough Silkbind attacks until it’s ensnared, or you can lure it into a fight with another monster.
Once a monster is weakened and glowing, press A when near it to initiate Wyvern Riding. This is an important tactic to keep in mind as you hunt monsters; not only can you launch the beast you’re riding into a wall, dealing a lot of damage to it, but you can also command it to attack another monster. This is a good way to soften up tougher foes, and monsters that you attack while Wyvern Riding will drop extra materials on the ground, which will come in handy when crafting equipment.
Monster Hunter Rise is out now on Nintendo Switch, with a PC version coming in 2022. We’ve got a number of other guides to help you out, including a buddy explainer and tips for fighting every monster in the game, so be sure to check those out before you set off on your adventure.
The next game based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic fantasy series is The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. Developer and publisher Dadelic Entertainment just released a new trailer with gameplay footage during the Future Games Show. Set in the years after The Hobbit and just before The Lord of the Rings, this original game focuses on Gollum’s escape from Barad-Dur in the land of Mordor, where he was forced into slavery by Sauron’s army. Throughout his journey, he’ll sneak, climb, and attack foes from the darkness to evade the legions of Sauron and come to grips with his mental state.
Set for release in 2022, the next game based on the Lord of the Rings forgoes heavy action and the real-time strategy gameplay from other titles and is more about the introspective perspective of the infamous hermit Gollum. In this game, the experience is more of a narrative-driven stealth action title that centers around Gollum in-between the significant events that occurred on Middle-earth. In the newest trailer, we get see some of the locations that Gollum will explore in Mordor, and who he’ll encounter along the way.
Before the trailer’s release, GameSpot had the opportunity to check out an extended preview of the game in action, which focused on an early level in the main story. In this demo, we saw a lengthy sampling of the gameplay pillars of the game, which focuses on stealth, platforming, and traversal, and the many moral decisions that Gollum has to confront. As in the films and the source material, Gollum is an agile and nimble character who can quickly climb walls and even wall jump to reach higher ground. He can also use the shadows to conceal himself to hide from orcs and then pounce on them when their guard is down. But unlike characters like Gimli, Legolas, or Aragorn, Gollum is not a capable fighter, and he can be quickly bested when engaging in a fight head-on. So it’s best to stick to quick attacks from the darkness to overcome the odds.
In addition to platforming stealth and combat, LOTR: Gollum also takes time to examine the character’s unstable mental state, following years of isolation and unnaturally extended life. Throughout key moments during your adventure, Gollum will be presented with moral choices that he’ll have to mull over. In the gameplay demo, we saw this presented as an internal conflict with his negative and positive thoughts, offering either more aggressive or passive solutions. Your choices here can open up some specific gameplay ramifications, such as having to sneak past orcs or choosing to eliminate them one-by-one to make your trek easier. However, as the developers stated during the presenation, some of the “correct” choices may lead to some unintended consequences that could impact Gollum and the other characters he meets on his adventure.
Gallery
The other characters he’ll meet in the game are a combination of original characters and known figures from Tolkien lore. During the presentation, Gollum encountered a Dwarf named Grashneg, who is also trapped within Barad-Dur. During some key moments, Gollum and other allies will have to work together to overcome the odds, and in this case, Grashneg’s increased size and strength give Gollum the means to pass certain obstacles. Along with new characters, noteworthy villains like Shelob will also make an appearance in the game. While the character of Gollum is well-established, we haven’t seen a game focus on his experience of being an outcast, and this game looks to offer an exciting portrayal of one of Lord of the Rings’ most compelling characters.
