In Monster Hunter Outlanders, developing a robust character involves more than just leveling up. Multiple progression systems exist that affect your damage, defense, elemental abilities, and overall performance in hunts. From enhancing gear to training your Buddies, each facet is crucial to becoming a more formidable hunter.
Thankfully, the game provides ample opportunities for players to gather materials. You’re free to hunt monsters repeatedly, crafting new weapons and armor without worrying about running out of chances. If you’re still finding your footing, here are nine effective strategies to empower your character and elevate your hunting effectiveness.
Before diving into these strategies, ensure you have the necessary resources and knowledge of your character’s strengths and weaknesses, which will be essential as you progress.
To significantly boost your character’s capabilities, the first thing to do is to level them up through the character upgrade menu. This menu allows you to enhance various stats by using required materials. However, note that your character’s maximum level is tethered to your Ecology Rank, meaning just gathering upgrade materials won’t let you reach every level.
For instance, achieving character level 60 necessitates an Ecology Rank of 5. Advancing your Ecology Rank involves fulfilling specific Adventure Rank requirements and completing necessary challenges. The current Ecology Rank can be viewed both in the menu and in the bottom-right corner of your screen.
1. Increase Your Character Level and Ecology Rank
Engraving offers additional enhancements for your characters in Monster Hunter Outlanders. This feature adds effects that can amplify your performance in hunts, but activating these bonuses will cost Zenny. Prioritization is key here.
It’s wise for beginners to focus on enhancing their main character rather than distributing Zenny across all characters. If you have Midori, she’s often a strong choice due to the beneficial bonuses from her Engraving effects.
Here are some points to consider when utilizing the Engraving system:
- Focus on your main DPS character first for the most impactful upgrade.
- If Midori is frequently used, consider prioritizing her Engraving.
- Review available effects before spending Zenny to maximize efficiency.
- Save Zenny for other upgrade necessities if needed.
Keep in mind that Engraving can consume a lot of Zenny, particularly as you unlock multiple effects. There’s no rush to unlock everything, so ensure you have ample resources before making major investments in this system.
Here are a few key things to keep in mind as you embark on your adventure:
- Boost your Adventure Rank by diving deeper into the game and enjoying each moment.
- Cross off those required challenges to climb the ladder and unlock those coveted higher Ecology Ranks.
- Before you go wild upgrading your character, take a moment to check your Ecology Rank—it’s a good practice!
- As you go on hunts, ensure you’re gathering those vital character upgrade materials along the way.
Think of Ecology Rank as your ticket to world-level progression. The higher you soar in this rank, the more opportunities for character progression will come your way. It’s like unlocking new paths in a sprawling adventure—so keep pushing forward!
2. Use Engraving to Unlock Additional Character Effects
Your equipment is essential in character progression in Monster Hunter Outlanders. Weapons and armor contribute vital stats and capabilities, and certain combinations of armor pieces can activate strong set bonuses. Therefore, only selecting items based on rarity or defense values is not advisable.
Regarding weapons, always assess the elemental weaknesses of the monsters you’re facing. For example, if your target shows weakness to Thunder, equip a Thunder weapon to maximize damage output. The Forge Weapon menu enables crafting various weapon types, including Hammers and Long Swords.
Armor sets provide unique bonuses linked to the monsters they derive from. For instance, wearing three pieces of Anjanath armor enhances Fire damage, while two Rathian pieces can grant bonuses like Flawless which boosts damage by 3% when health is full.
Pay attention to these notable equipment features:
- Elemental Weapons: Prepare a range of weapons corresponding to Fire, Water, Thunder, and more based on your targeted monsters.
- Armor Set Effects: Activate bonuses by correctly combining armor pieces as per required sets.
- Equipment Upgrades: Elevate the rarity of your gear when eligible materials are at hand.
- Dismantling: Deconstruct any unwanted equipment to reclaim valuable materials for upgrades.
An excellent aspect of the game is that early-game gear can be progressed to higher rarities. Instead of immediately replacing your entire armor set after achieving a higher level, focus on gathering the needed materials and enhancing your existing gear whenever you can.
Managing multiple weapons and armor sets can get overwhelming, but the Loadout feature simplifies this in Monster Hunter Outlanders. This tool allows you to save different equipment configurations for various elemental builds.
Create Loadouts for elemental sets, such as Water, Thunder, and Fire, to streamline your hunting process. When preparing for an encounter against a specific monster with known weaknesses, selecting your elemental loadout in advance can be game-changing.
3. Craft and Upgrade Weapons and Armor
Customization is key; character elements aren’t strictly tied to their names. For instance, a character named Pyro doesn’t have to exclusively use Fire-based equipment. Tailor your weapons and armor setups according to the monsters you’ll be facing for optimal results.
Align your weapon’s elemental type with your armor bonuses for a straightforward damage enhancement. Using a Fire weapon alongside armor that boosts Fire damage is an effective strategy for maximizing impact during hunts.
Buddies play a pivotal role in your character’s growth. These companions provide supportive abilities, including healing and elemental damage boosts, making their selection an important decision. Choose Buddies not based solely on rarity, but also based on the abilities that complement your character’s role.
If your character specializes in elemental damage, a Buddy like Ikarus is a solid option due to its elemental damage boost. Evaluate each Buddy’s abilities carefully to select the best fit for your play style.
Enhancing your Buddies can be done through the Training section by utilizing Buddy Token materials. Upgrades improve their skills, making their support even more impactful in combat scenarios.
Here are some tips to effectively manage your Buddies:
- Choose Buddies that align with your character’s needs.
- Review their abilities before selection.
- Focus on Buddies that provide substantial healing or damage enhancements.
- Use Buddy Token materials for level upgrades.
- Recruit additional Buddies through the game’s system.
More powerful Buddies can be found in the Exchange Shop, with SR and SSR options available. However, SSR Buddies necessitate more resources for exchange. Acquiring these resources through recruitment is essential, so monitor your vouchers and exchange currency carefully.
4. Create Elemental Loadouts for Different Monsters
Additionally, the four-piece effect grants a 6.5% squad buff for 60 seconds anytime an Adventurer receives a buff, making it beneficial for support-focused builds.
When selecting Visage cards, keep these considerations in mind:
- DPS Characters: Opt for cards that elevate damage or elemental damage.
- Support Characters: Seek cards that enhance healing and buffing for your squad.
- Disruptors: Target bonuses that improve Ultimate Charge Rate for more frequent ability usage.
- Elemental Builds: Pair your cards with the element of your weapon for maximum synergy.
Acquire Visage cards through Daily Hunts within the Field Hunts section, which also yields other vital progression materials.
Your progression impacts card rarity as well. As outlined, Blue cards have a 100% drop rate up to Adventure Rank 9, while Purple cards begin at a 30% drop chance at Adventure Rank 10 and increase at 10% per rank until capping at 100% at Rank 17.
At Adventure Rank 18, you will gain access to Yellow cards with a 30% drop probability. Thus, advancing through higher ranks is key to unlocking improved Visage cards.
5. Train and Upgrade Your Buddies
The Resketch function offers another advantage, enabling you to gain various additional stats. For example, you might acquire Elemental Critical Damage among other beneficial enhancements.
However, not all stats will align with your current build, so be mindful of the bonuses you obtain. You may receive effects that don’t complement your weapon or armor configuration.
Take these guidelines into account when upgrading Visage cards:
- Focus upgrades on cards that enhance your character’s specific role.
- Seek bonuses increasing elemental damage that match your weapon.
- Utilize Resketch options to attain valuable stats.
- Avoid investing heavily in cards unless you plan on utilizing them regularly.
- Assess whether the card’s effects resonate with your current gear setup.
For instance, if you wield a Water weapon, favor Visage effects that bolster Water damage rather than diversifying into elemental bonuses for other elements.
Insight is another feature that helps boost character bonuses. Access it in the character menu via the book icon. This system functions similarly to character duplicates, enabling you to earn Insight points by collecting additional copies of characters.
These points can be applied to unlock unique effects relevant to your weapon type. For instance, Bow users could choose bonuses that elevate Ultimate Charge Rate or amplify damage output.
6. Collect and Upgrade Visage Cards
Proof of Mastery is an additional system found in the Explorer section, offering character and Adventure Squad boosts.
For instance, a reward from the Explorer Season can offer:
- 65 Physical Attack
- 32 Elemental Attack
Achieving higher Proof of Mastery ranks necessitates meeting specific conditions. Some enhancements require a predetermined level of Adventure Power, which for some upgrades may be as high as 5,220.
If your characters haven’t attained the necessary power level, focus on upgrading their stats, gear, Visage cards, and utilizing other progression systems before proceeding to rank up.
Food adds another layer of complexity when preparing for hunts in Monster Hunter Outlanders. The cooking system allows the creation of dishes with various buffs to enhance your combat performance.
Such buffs can increase damage output, improve part-breaking capabilities, lessen incoming damage, or offer other advantageous effects.
Some dishes yield a 5% increase in damage, while rarer recipes can grant even higher boosts. Other buffs might minimize damage taken by 9% or elevate damage output by 15%. However, unlocking these recipes is key for effective use, with many obtained through quest completion.
Some recipes may also demand unique ingredients; for instance, one requires 75 Heaven Berries. Consult the Local Specialty section for the ingredient locations.
In addition to food buffs, understanding the weaknesses of the monsters you’re pursuing is critical. Review the monster’s information before each hunt to determine the best elemental weapons and types for that encounter.
To illustrate, Radiant Barroth is vulnerable to Fire, so equipping a Fire weapon amplifies your damage potential. The game will also suggest weapon types for breaking specific monster parts.
7. Upgrade and Resketch Your Visage Cards
Always pay attention to Radiant monster mechanics. When you see a Radiant effect on a monster’s part, focus your attacks on that location, utilizing the specific elemental weaknesses for maximum effect.
In summary, many effective paths exist for empowering your character in Monster Hunter Outlanders. Relying on one upgrade system will fall short against tougher monsters. Enhance your character level, engage in Engraving, craft superior gear, and utilize Visage cards, Buddies, and Insights to create a well-rounded build.
Finally, always customize your equipment for the monsters you’re targeting. Having a varied arsenal of elemental weapons and armor loadouts will make encounters significantly easier, especially when facing enemies with unique weaknesses. Continuously hunt for materials and upgrade your gear to forge a capable hunting team.
Monster Hunter Outlanders provides ample opportunities to collect materials to strengthen your characters and empower your gameplay.
These nine strategies aim to streamline your progression and maximize your character build for enhanced effectiveness in battles.
Engaging with all upgrade systems is crucial for overcoming the challenging foes you will encounter throughout the game.
Remember, the right preparation makes all the difference in your hunting adventures.
8. Use Insight and Proof of Mastery
Let’s talk about Insight—a fantastic progression system that grants you additional character bonuses. You can easily find it by clicking on the book icon located in the lower-right corner of the character menu. It operates similarly to collecting character duplicates; gathering extras will earn you precious Insight points. So keep your eyes peeled for those duplicates!
With those Insight points in hand, you’ll have the power to unlock various effects tailored to your weapon type. For instance, if you’re a Bow user, you can choose bonuses that speed up your Ultimate Charge Rate or even boost your damage output. It’s an excellent way to tailor your gameplay to your style!
Each of those sweet effects comes with a point cost, which can vary. Some of the more powerful bonuses might even set you back 30 points! If you find yourself short on points, don’t fret; focus on activating the effects you can access first. Every little bit counts as you work towards mastering your character!
Hey there! Just a heads up, Insight operates differently with various characters, so it’s super important to tweak those bonuses based on the weapon and role you’re working with. If you’re diving into SR characters, you might find them a bit more user-friendly in this regard since scooping up their duplicates tends to be a lot easier.
Another cool feature to check out is called Proof of Mastery, which you’ll find tucked away in the Explorer section of the main menu. This nifty little system grants some additional bonuses to your characters and also gives a boost to your Adventure Squad, making your journeys even more exciting!
Take this as an example: one of the rewards you can snag in the Explorer Season offers some sweet upgrades:
- 65 Physical Attack
- 32 Elemental Attack
Now, just a little reminder: leveling up your Proof of Mastery rank isn’t as simple as it sounds. You’ll need to meet certain criteria to make it happen. Some of those upgrades are tied to a specific Adventure Power requirement, like needing 5,220 Adventure Power to proceed.
If you find your characters falling short of that power mark, no worries! Just keep enhancing their weapons, armor, Visage cards, and explore any other progression systems available before you give it another shot. You’ve got this!
9. Use Food Buffs and Target Monster Weaknesses
Food can be a fantastic way to boost your performance right before you embark on your hunt. In Monster Hunter Outlanders, the cooking system allows you to whip up a variety of dishes that come with unique effects. These tasty buffs can help you deal more damage, make it easier to break parts from your foes, lessen the damage you take in battle, or grant you other beneficial perks that can truly make a difference.
Some scrumptious dishes can provide a neat 5% boost to your damage output, while those rarer recipes may offer even more powerful enhancements. There’s a whole treasure trove of food buffs that can help lessen the damage you take by 9% or ramp up your damage by a whopping 15%. It’s all about choosing the right meal before heading into action!
Of course, remember that you’ll need to unlock the recipes before you can start cooking up those tasty meals. Most of these delicious recipes come from completing various quests, so it’s a smart idea to take a peek at your available missions and tackle the objectives to expand your culinary repertoire.
Some of your favorite recipes might even require certain special ingredients. For instance, there’s a damage-boosting recipe that calls for a hefty 75 Heaven Berries. Be sure to check out the Local Specialty section to locate where you can snag these ingredients, so you’re always ready to cook when the moment strikes!
Alongside food buffs, it’s crucial to get a grasp on the weaknesses of the monsters you’re about to face. Before diving into a hunt, take a moment to check out the monster information. This gives you a clearer insight into which elemental weapon and weapon type will give you the edge you’re looking for during your battle.
As a quick example, Radiant Barroth is particularly vulnerable to Fire-based attacks, meaning wielding a Fire weapon will really help you lay on the damage. Plus, the game has handy weapon recommendations specifically designed to help you break particular parts of monsters, so you’ll always know the best way to approach each hunt.
Let’s dive into some weapon recommendations tailored to target monster parts effectively. Knowing which tool to use for each body part can really turn the tide in your favor during battles.
- Bow and Heavy Bowgun: These are fantastic choices if you’re aiming to dismantle a monster’s wings. Their range and precision make wing-breaking a breeze.
- Hammer: A heavy hitter perfect for smacking the monster’s head and body into submission. It’s all about delivering those stunning blows!
- Long Sword: This weapon excels at hitting those forelegs, hind legs, and even the tail. It’s versatile and gives you a solid edge in close encounters.
- Great Sword: A powerful option that can help break various significant monster parts. It’s all about the big swings!
- Dual Blades: Perfect for swift attacks on the legs and tail, these blades offer speed and finesse, making your strikes much more effective.
- Lance: A great choice if you’re looking to target the legs and other key monster features. Its defensive capability also allows you to hold your ground.
- Charge Blade: This one’s a beast for targeting specific monster parts, making it a strategic weapon choice during hunts.
Don’t forget to keep an eye on Radiant monster mechanics during your hunts. Whenever you notice that characteristic Radiant effect shimmering on a certain body part, lock on to it! This is your cue to unleash fury using the monster’s elemental weakness.
For instance, if the Radiant effect lights up the monster’s head, you should absolutely focus your efforts there. Similarly, if it pops up on its hands, quickly adjust and target that area instead. Stay agile and responsive to their cues!
In Monster Hunter Outlanders, there’s a myriad of ways to beef up your characters, so zeroing in on just one upgrade path might not cut it when you’re up against tougher foes. It’s crucial to level up your character, invest in Engraving, craft top-notch gear, and don’t forget about utilizing Visage cards, Buddies, and Insight to bolster your strength.
Most importantly, tailor your equipment to the monster you’re hunting! Having a variety of elemental weapons and armor sets in your arsenal will significantly ease those battles—especially when confronting foes with varying weaknesses. Keep at it by hunting, gathering materials, and continuously upgrading your gear to form a powerful and cohesive team.
If you’re diving into the world of Monster Hunter Outlanders, you’re in for a treat! This game offers a rich and immersive experience that brings the thrill of hunting legendary monsters right to your fingertips. Prepare to embark on epic quests, team up with friends, and unleash powerful attacks as you face off against formidable foes. Let’s gear up and get ready to hunt!