Weapon Mechanics

=Raw Damage=

Raw damage is the pure damage done without the aid of elements or secondary status effects. In comparison to elemental damage and secondary status', it is most important to favor raw damage.

=Elements=

Elements are the secondary damage that is done. Like raw damage, it is done directly. How much the element effects a monster is dependant on whether they are weak to the element or not. The elements are fire, water, thunder, dragon and ice.



Fire Element
Fire is a common element found in nature. Many species of wyverns are imbued with it, including the Rathalos, Teostra, Yian Kut-Ku, Gravios,Congalala,Rathian,Lunastra,Basarios and Yian Garuga,as well as Crimson Fatalis.

Using Flame Sacs or other flammable materials, hunters can forge weapons with fire element, as well as armor.



Water Element
Water is an element that is extremely abundant in nature. Water creatures are weak to the thunder element. Some of the water-based creatures include Plesioth, Shogun Ceanataur and Daimyo Hermitaur.

Weapons and armor can be imbued with the element of water.



Thunder Element
Thunder is an element that is rarely found in nature. Thunder is usually effective against water creatures. An example of monsters with thunder element are the Khezu,Rajang, White Fatalis and Kirin.



Dragon Element
Dragon element is special in the sense that it can be devastating only to monsters that are dragons or have dragon lineage. The only monster that fully resists the element is the Kirin. As to all others, dragon damage varies with each monster. Examples of monsters that cause dragon damage are Fatalis and Lao-Shan Lung.



Ice Element
A new element that was first introduced in Monster Hunter Freedom 2,as well as Monster Hunter 2. Ice is mostly used by snow monsters like Kushala Daora,Giadrome and Blangonga.

=Secondary Status=

Secondary status effects are indirect damage done to a living thing, hunter or monster, that cause it to react in a certain way. The secondary status are poison, sleep, stun, knock out, and freeze.

Poison


Poison is a secondary status effect that affects monsters or you by gradually losing health over a certain amount of time. Different monsters are affected differently by it. Poison time can be increased or decreased. You can also cure poison by using antidotes,bitterbugs(50%),antidote herbs(50%).

You can tell a monster is poisoned by seeing purple bubbles rising from atop its head.

You can implement the poison from a monster into your weapons. If you poison an elder dragon that has an aura(Daora,Teostra,and Lunastra) their aura will be gone until the poison effect has ended.

Monsters

 * Remobra


 * Ioprey


 * Iodrome


 * Ceanataur


 * Gypceros


 * Basarios


 * Rathalos


 * Rathian


 * Chameleos


 * Yian Garuga


 * Congalala

Sleep


Some monsters have the potential to put hunters into sleep. This allows them to get a extra hit off them. The effects of sleeping can be increased or decreased if you have armor that allows you to do so. Being interacted with, either hit by a monster or a hunter during a sleep will wake you up again.

Sleep is also a secondary status effect that you can cause to your enemies by the use of weapons or items. While an enemy sleeps, you can do necessary things such as sharpening your weapon, drinking potions, eating meat, or even taking advantage of the sleeping monster and attacking it. An added advantage of putting a monster to sleep is that the next attack dealt to it does triple the damage then normal. Placing and detonating bombs on a sleeping enemy will give it a devastating wake-up call.

Monsters

 * Gravios


 * Hypnock


 * Plesioth


 * Shakalaka

Stun


Paralysis is a secondary status effect. Also known as stun, this immobilizes you or the monster for an amount of time, allowing for free hits without fear of getting hit from either side.

You can see that yourself, or another hunter is stunned by them falling down frantically and having yellow shockwaves pass throughout your body. Stun duration can be increased or decreased by wearing armor with the appropriate skill.

You can see a creature is stunned by it being hunched over, and yellow shocks going around its body. You can stun a monster using a weapon or an item. Each monster has their own resistance to paralysis, and some stay longer than others in the stunned state.

Monsters

 * Genprey


 * Gendrome


 * Cephalos


 * Cephadrome


 * Khezu


 * Kirin


 * Vespoid


 * Great Thunderbug


 * White Fatalis

Snowman
When getting hit by an extremely cold attack and being covered by ice, it is known as Snowman. It's usually a very cold breath attack that will form a icy layer over your body that prevents you from using any items and sprinting(can be cured by using a Thawing Agent.

Monsters

 * Blangonga
 * Kushala Daora
 * Giadrome

Fart
When standing too close to an congalala, it may fart and all your items are unusable. It lasts for a while but its best to bring Deaoderant and it cures so all your items are usable.

Knock-Out


Also called dizzied or KO'd. When a monster hits you several times in succession you have a high chance of getting knocked out. This is when you become immobile for a short time, allowing the monster to get a free hit off of you. You know you are knocked out when you stand unbalanced and you have several stars circling your head. The knock out time can be diminished if you rapidly rotate the analog stick and press the X button repeatedly. If the monster is capable of attacking you several times in succession, then the monster has an advantage of knocking you out. You can also make monsters knock out by using Flash bombs. But,if you're fighting a wyvern(Example:Rathalos,Rathian,etc)you must throw the flash bomb in front of their head. Please note that bosses still can attack you in it's dizzy status(Except the dromes)but,it can easily avoided because in dizzy status,they attacks blindly.

In Monster Hunter 2, CAPCOM have implemented the knockout skill in Hammers. After hitting a monster repeatedly with a hammer on a monsters head, you have a chance of dizzying it.

=Other Effects=

Affinity Boost
Affinity Boosts are included with the weapon, and cannot be obtained as a skill. They will raise the Raw Damage of the weapon by it's percent. It also gives you a lesser chance of being able to make the monster stumble or fall. Affinity can be increased by using an armor skill(Reckless Abandon(Expert+10/+15))

Affinity Down
Affinity Downs are included with the weapon, and cannot be obtained as a skill. They lower the Raw Damage of the weapon by the percent. Affinity down also gives you a higher chance of making the monster stumble or fall.

Sharpness
Sharpness determines your weapons power over time. Low Sharpnesses will temporarily (for the quest) decrease your attack, until resharpnned. High Sharpness will still decrease your attack, though not as much. Sharpness also determines if your weapon can pierce through the shell of a Yian Garuga, or maybe bounce of a Lao-Shan's tail.

Sharpness is not included with Bows or Bowguns, as they are range weapons.

Sharpness can be increased, the time to Sharpen decreased, or even have a Sharpness Meter in skills.

Sharpness level can be increased by getting the sharpness+1(Artisan+10).

Defense Boost
Defense Boost simply raises your Defense by the amount given. You can get this boost by using items like: Armor seed, Armorskins ,Mega armorskins, Armorpills, Armor Flute, having an Armorcharm or Armortalon in your inventory, or by eating in the felyne kitchen.

Slots
Slots are room for jewels on the weapon. If you have 1 Slot, you can put one jewel in, and etc. Some jewels take 2 slots, be sure to watch for that before you go killing your PSP.