User blog:SilkyZ/Ultimate Guide to Bows

Bows are a very flexible ranged weapon, useful in group hunts as well as soloing. They possess the range to break off various parts on a monster otherwise unreachable to the melee hunter and, with charged attacks, the power to exploit any weakpoint the monster might have. Coatings, especially the Power Coating, is critical to the success of a bow-user. Like bowguns, distance also plays an important role on the damage caused to a monster.

Controls
Controls are stated from the bow being in ready position, unless stated otherwise.

X (bow not in ready position): Ready bow

X: Fire arrow

X (hold): Charge shot

A: Horizontal melee attack

A + A: Horizontal melee attack (2 times, swing left and right)

X + A (after 2 charge levels): Fire arcing shot

X + A: Apply selected coating

B (While standing still): Hop backwards

X + (any direction but back): Roll in selected direction

Y: Put away bow

R + (analog stick): Move around with arrow trajectory guide on.

R + D-Pad: Aim the trajectory guide without moving yourself.

R + X: Shoot arrow while aiming R + X (hold): Charge shot while aiming

L: Camera aims at the hunters back

L (with monster targeted): Camera aims at monster

The Basics
Using the bow is very intuitive but beginner hunters may become discouraged of it because they do not understand the damage mechanics or how to keep that optimum distance. Below are a few points to remember when using the Bow.


 * Stay a few "hops" away from the enemy, the magic number of hops to do maximum damage is 3 or 4


 * Try to memorize each monster and what they are capable of, then find the "safe point", the place you will not get hit and can still do the most damage


 * "Circling" a monster may be the safest option, use the camera (L Button) to always see what the monster is doing


 * The "roll" (B button) is your best friend, shoot that arrow and roll out of the way


 * Running too slow for you? Rolling is faster when your bow is drawn


 * Think about this, charging a bow then running to a monster or running to the monster and charging your bow. Both has its pros and cons


 * Coatings are your friends, shooting a wyvern with 5 or more poison arrows will likely poison them!


 * Stand on cliffs and ledges when fighting certain monsters, Monoblos and Diablos like to get stuck in them!


 * Stand behind rock pillars, those clumsy wyverns will never get close enough to hit you. Large mosnters can break them so always be on guard!


 * Remember what charge shot does what (i.e. Lv1-Sctr, Lv2-Rapd...)


 * The Arc Shot has a chance to KO a monster and/or drain its stamina, but they take more time to reach the target


 * Know your enemy! Shooting the right parts of a monster can mean the difference between victory or defeat.


 * Don't forget the melee attack, it is pretty strong! It can even cut tails if you learn how to use it well!


 * To reach Level 4 Charge, you'll need the Loading skill, not Load Up or Load


 * Learning how effective each shot type is against a certain monster is vital to making your hunting easier.(e.g. Barroth may be much weaker against pierce arrows than scatter arrows to reach his weak spot, which is his arms)


 * When it comes to pierce arrows, think of the imaginary line as like a crosshair for more precise, long range shots if you don't like getting "up close and personal" to your targets.

Importance of Charging
Charging your bow is a tricky thing here are some things to note:


 * Charge Level 1 will inflict 50% of your bow's Attack Power


 * Charge Level 2 will not modify your Attack Power


 * Charge Level 3 will multiply your Attack Power by 1.5


 * Charge Level 4 will multiply your Attack Power by 2.0

Pierce shots are good against large monsters or monster with an internal weakness (Lagiacurs and Nibelsnarf)
 * Shooting from a different charge may cause a different attack Just like elemental damage is good against certain monsters, so too do Scatter/Rapid/Pierce shots have specialized functions.

Rapid shots are good against monster with a single exposed weakness as well as concentrating damage on a breakable part (Barioth and Rathian)

Scatter shots are good at close range and usually against smaller monsters and groups of monsters (Jaggi, Baggi, Wroggi)

It is important for one to take note of this when planning before a quest. Using the correct shot is crucial and could mean the difference between getting stunned by a Gobel's flash or shooting off the source right from the start.

Types of Shots
Scatter Shots: Shoots a horizontal wave of arrows, strongest in the middle and weakest at the ends.


 * SctrLv1 = Shoots 3 arrows


 * SctrLv2 = Shoots 3 arrows (A bit stronger)


 * SctrLv3 = Shoots 5 arrows


 * SctrLv4 = Shoots 5 arrows (A bit stronger)

Rapid Shots = Shoots a vertical stack of arrows strongest at the top and weakest at the bottom.


 * RapdLv1 = Shoots 1 arrow


 * RapdLv2 = Shoots 2 arrows


 * RapdLv3 = Shoots 3 arrows


 * RapdLv4 = Shoots 4 arrows

Pierce Shots = Shoots a piercing arrow that hits a target multiple times. Good against large targets and to hit hidden weak points. Actual arrow flight range increased slightly.


 * PrceLv1 = Shoot 1 arrow, hits maximum of 3 times


 * PrceLv2 = Shoot 1 arrow, hits maximum of 4 times


 * PrceLv3 = Shoot 1 arrow, hits maximum of 5 times


 * PrceLv4 = Shoot 1 arrow, hits maximum of 6 times

Arc Shots = The special attack for bows, it fires a payload up high in the air and then drops it on the target (the red circles while aiming is the marker for Arc Shots).


 * Wide = Drops rocks in a 10ft circle


 * Focus = Drops rocks in a 3ft circle


 * Blast = Drops a bomb in the center of the circle

Getting Started
After you get through the Moga Tutorial, you will be able to select the bow as your weapon and begin working on upgrades. Go gathering and mining and you should have materials to make Chainmail Armor. This will up your health and give you better defence aginst most early monsters. Once you beat the Great Jaggi, you should work on upgrading your Hunter's Bow to 2 and crafting Hunter Armor. This will give you Detect with an easy option of AutoTracker by adding Jewels once you beat a Qurpeco.

Once you get to the 3Star Village Quests you have an option of 2 armors, Wroggi and Qurpeco. Wroggi improves your Rapid Shot's damage, negates Poison, and enables Shakalaka Rally. You also get the added benifit of looking like a cowboy. Qurpeco on the other hand ups Spread Shot's damage, makes you risitant to Wind, and has more defence. Depending on the armor you choose, you should focus on either the Hunter's Bow 3 or the Peckish Peco as your new defult weapon.

Belive it or not, you now have enough power to fight the Lagiacurs or any other monster before him, but if you are feeling lacking and have the option to fight Rathian, grab yourself a Queen Blaster 1. While this bow lacks the ability to use Power Coatings, it boosts Poison and has 180 attack, making up for its defincancy. Once you Fell the Lagiacurs, work on obtaining Ingot Armor and BoltSender 1 as it ups Spread and Thunder attacks. You should now have an Armor set and a Bow stong enough to compleat the rest of the Low-Village missions.

After that you should pretty much know what you are doing.

Monster Guides
The following are user suggested guides for how to take down each monster in the game. Please add your own notes as you wish!

Great JaggiThe Great Jaggi is the first "Big" monster you face. A good stratagy is to take out the smaller Jaggia and Jaggi first as this will prevent you from getting swarmed. Aim for his ears and face to break them in addition to them being his weak spots. He does a hip-check that covers quite a distance so keep your range to about 4-5 "hops".

Great BaggiBasically the same as the Jaggi, but has a sleep attabute. Stay away from the mouth to avoid dozing off.

Great WroggiBasicly the same as the Jaggi and Baggi, but poisionous. It has an ability to cough up a poison cloud that lingers for quite some time. to prevent him from making one of these traps, break the poison sac under his neck and future clouds will vanish instantly.

ArzurosThe main thing to watch for is his swipping claw attack. The attack covers some distance and tracks you. Keep circling him until you are behind him to aviod being swipped.

LagombiThis guy likes to slide around and really knock up an unsuspecting hunter. Stay to either side of him and be ready to roll and the bunny shouldn't be that troublesome.

Volvidon

Qurupeco

The first real wyvern you face, Qurupeco is tricky as he can call in other monster to fight for him. Reguardless of the monster that he calls, which could range from a Great Jaggi to a Rathian, remember your goal; Kill The Bird. Focus your attacks on Qurupeco while being aware of the other mosnter. the two main things to watch for are his Fire Jump and whenever he makes a call.

Barroth

Barroth can be a pain if you are fond of elemntal bows. With mud he is strong aginst Fire and weak to Water, but when the mud is removed, he becomes strong to Water and weak to Fire. Thier are only a few places he can get the mud back so go with a Fire bow. Stay to his sides and aim for his arms as they are his weak point.

Uragaan

Duramboros

This guy is trouble for archers. Going in you my feel that becaus he is big, it would mean he's slow; and then you will get killed. Duramboros' main weapon is his tail, which he uses as a flail. The major attack that he will do, often, is his tail-spin. This attack covers a large area and is usually followed by him leaping and flying through the air in your direction. He can be tripped in this state which will expose his weakpoint (his humps) for attack

Rathian

The Queen of the Land can be a true challange to a novice hunter, and for veterans of older Monster Hunter games, she has a few new tricks to watch for. The main attition is her new abilty to hover above the ground. While up in the air she can shoot a single fireball, poison flip, or dive at the hunter, trampaling them. Aim for her head and use spread shots to break her wings.

Rathalos

The King of the Skys likes to be in the air. He hovers more often and can perform the same moves as Rathian with the addition of a 3 fireball attack. Use flash bomb to bring him down and treat him the same as his Queen

Diablos

Gigginox

This monster can be a pain to the unsuspecting hunter. His head and his tail can both lundge out at you like a whip if you are too close. Because of this, stay to his sides and attack his wings. 'Nox can lay eggsacs that spawn in Giggis or lay poison traps much like the Wroggi. It can also climb walls and the ceiling. It can move quickly on the ceiling but won't stay there very long. Its best to just wait for it to come back down.

Barioth

He is quick. He jumps all over. But as an archer you can be quicker. Be ready to roll and aim for its wings, once broken he will trip after jumping more often leaving you more oppertunities to attack. Stay away from his head as his bites and snow vortex can put you in a difficult situation.

Royal Ludroth

Aiming for his sponge is key as he will then tire more quickly and it reduces the effective ness of his water attacks. Just watch for his rolls and you should be alright. Underwater he becomes more difficult as his charges become quicker. Use the target cam to always face him and to stay relitivly at his level.

Gobul

This river monster is a mix between an angler and a puffer fish. he can puff out the spikes on his back and roll over the hunter and use the flashbulb on his head to KO the hunter. He can also create a powerful vortex with his mouth underwater to draw in the hunter for a chomp. Stay behing him or in front on land and to the sides underwater. His lantern and spikes are weak so attack them, and breaking his lamp will prevent him from KOing you

Nibelsnarf

His mouth is huge and can suck up a large amount of sand and shoot it back out either to the front or back of him. But in his mouth is his greatest weakness, the uvula. Use sonic bombs to bring him up and to stun him. also bring along a few large barrle bombs for him to eat, they will go off in his mouth and do a large amount of damage.

Lagiacrus

Breaking his spikes should be your primary focus. This will limit his electric attacks and are also his weakpoint. Stay to his sides and be on the watch for hip checks and his coiling. He will try to distance himself from you and charge or blast you. Roll out of the way and towards him to reduce the chance of getting hit.

Agnaktor

Quest Guides
The following are user suggested guides for how to take on spacific Quests in the game. Please add your own notes as you wish!

User Armor/Bow Sets
Tell us about any Armor/Bow sets that you have come across that you thought were helpful. Please add your own notes as you wish!