Two questions:
Anyone have thoughts on soloing ability while using a bow? I really like the feel, but I don't want to main a support class weapon type, especially if it makes solo play a pain. I worry about crafting ammo types and whether damage output is reasonable.
I've also seen a lot of talk about SnS being more about status effects and element damage. (Not sure I entirely understand) Does this mean it's a better weapon for group play or that you'll have to fashion weapons to address the weaknesses of specific enemies to be viable? I like the speed, but want to make sure my damage is good.
Statuses are Paralyze, Poison, and Sleep, and do exactly what they sound like. For two of them, if playing solo it may be better to be using barrel bombs.
Elemental damage is like bonus damage that's tied to a monster's individual weakness to each element. The way elemental damage scales vs. raw damage means that faster hitting weapons get more out of it, while slower weapons prefer more raw damage. Because the SnS has low raw damage to begin with despite it's speed, it's encouraged to use elemental weapons if you want to match or overcome the DPS of other weapons.
No experience with Bows, but it's one of the weapons I plan to use in Ultimate too.
I would like this to catch on, but if not, oh well...
In honor and preparation of the release of MH3U, instead of talking about charms tables and all that good stuff, it would only be more appropriate to talk about our origin stories as hunters. How did you guys get into the Monster Hunter franchise? And if you want: What are some memorable events that occurred in any game previously released?
I'll just say mine:
I had a good friend who kept talking up the games, I had never heard of it until he showed off MH Freedom Unite to me. It seemed extremely difficult to play and I didnt understand the concept behind the game, but damn, their weapons were super cool. It wasnt until Monster Hunter Tri was announced for the Wii when I really got excited for the game, I looked up every but of information to prepare me for the game.
I actually went out of my way to go to a Gamestop the day the demo released and picked that up. I dont remember my original impressions of the demo beyond 'It was kick-ass'. I was well aware of the control issues, but I sucked it up and enjoyed the game regardless. Gamestop did fuck up my preorder and I ended up not getting the Classic Controller Pro, but I got used to the Wiimote.
As for memorable events:
I remember having a particularly hard time fighting the Uragaan. I lost countless times. After one of my many goes, I actually finally took it down, with 1 second left. I actually jumped out of my chair pumping my arms. Since then, life has picked up for me, and I dont think I've had much of a chance to fight it again beyond the online campaigns.
So yeah... What's your origin story?
The infamous "Gotcha Bitch!" video got me interested, but I didn't have a PSP. When Tri was releasing a friend tried to get me to grab the demo and try it out, but in the end all of the painful stuff I'd heard about the series over the years caused me to chicken out at the last second.
Fast forward to a few weeks after release, and I decide to rent it through Gamefly anyway. I tried to the single player with the Nunchuck, which was slow and I actually ended up wasting at least an hour not realizing I was supposed to do something. But learning about the gathering and combining systems (Gather meat and cook it to increase your stamina and you can stay in free hunt indefinitely! Look for mushrooms, honey, and whetstones to keep yourself going!) made that hour breeze by. Then actually falling for their emphasis on watching monsters, even stuff like the ants, and learning from their behavior and how to exploit it got to me. It was like watching an entire ecosystem (although in retrospect, the fact that most monsters don't interact or even acknowledge monsters of other species annoys me).
Then killing the herbavoirs, to Jaggis and Ludroth, to the Great Jaggi and Royal Ludroth felt natural. And somewhere around there I got hooked, and convinced 4 other friends to buy the game and play with me online. We had a good summer together.
All of those friends are getting 3U on 3DS with me, with two who already got Wii U's getting the Amazon bundle as well. Roping another means that we have a little guild of 6 to meet up weekly and go to town.
I really only stopped playing Tri because my friends and I got to high rank Jhen, Jho, and Ala and killed 'em. Since I knew that they were the last monsters in the game, I no longer had any resolve to grind them. Also, all three are really annoying to fight against with SnS, my favorite weapon, and very risky for Hammer, my second favorite.
I'll be adding Hunting Horn and Bow to my repertoire at the very least for this expansion.
