Mr_Hartgraves Monster Hunter Online Beginners Guide V1.6 (!NOW WITH MORE FATALIS!) Added to and Edited by Space Avocado (www.spaceavocado.com) 1) Introduction 2) First things first 3) Ok, i've got gear, i'm ready to log on! 4) Monster Database 5) Fashion corner 6) Got something to add? 7) UPDATE! 8) Even More On Fatalis! 1)Introduction Hi I'm Frances, I'm a HR 20 who's invested over 600 hours of Monster Hunter game time. I'd like to help you, the beginner, get into this great game made by capcom. This guide is for those who just got the game and want to know everything FAST. I will not teach you HOW to play, read the instruction book for that, I will teach you how to get along in the Monster Hunter world untill you hit HR13, then, sadly, you�re on your own... Also, I've got a few e-mails about how "rude" my guide may be. I'm truly sorry to those who lack a sence of humour. This guide is "tounge in cheek" and "sarcastic", if you can't handle it, or think you can do better. Please write your OWN guide, I myself never had a "guide". I didn't "suck up" to the higher ranks, I didn't understand them, even now that I am a "higher rank" my motivations are unclear even to myself. I simply noticed a lack of good information and kindness on this wonderful game, and I wanted to give back a little of what I now know. All in all and to each thier own, if my guide helps you, GOOD, that is my intention. :) 2) First things first Ok, you just got the game and your all ready to kill the big nasty things you see on the back of the box. Well, cool it! You�re new, pathetic and weak. They will EAT you. Then everyone will hate you, and you dont want that do you? So play offline, pick a weapon, get good, figure out the camera, get some cash and some clothes, nothing says new guy like a naked guy! No one likes the new guy...even fewer like the naked new guy... 3)ok, i've got gear, i'm ready to log on! Good, hope you�re ready, you'll find out that Monster Hunter has its own online community, full of people with "HR". You need that! You want it! Do NOT ask me to get it for you! Heres how YOU get it... 1. Know a little about what�s going on in your new world. When you start, you are not ranked, being unranked means that you do not have a clue and no one likes that. Go to a town and get rank 1 by talking to the little freak at the front desk.What does rank 1 mean?In short, YOU ARE SCUM! NO ONE LIKES YOU AND NO ONE WANTS TO HELP YOU. But thats OK. It�s better than unranked. At least rank 1 means you�re trying. We all start somewhere, and unless there�s a cheat code I don�t know about,we�ve all beeen rank 1. So go on some easy 1 star quests, like gathering meat and kelbi horns. Know and accept that no one in their right mind wants to come with you (unless you find other extremely low ranked people), so dont bother begging or waiting around, just GO. Even if it means talking to yourself for a few minutes, you'll get HR,hopefully enough for HR2. Boy that was easy wasnt it? Ok, no one likes you still, but at least you dont scream out PATHETIC! See, there�s a hierarchy here, hr1 at the bottom and hr20 at the top. A few weeks and some luck/skill and you�ll be at the top. Yes, yes of course these ranks don�t mean that they�re REALLY better humans than you. But if gaining hr is your goal, then people who have already achieved this goal deserve your respect. Some 20s have been playing for half a year, you never know, and if you don�t piss them off, some of them might be bored enough to help you out and share some great tips with you,so treat them right. 2. Get a crew! Time to kill a kut-ku? Heck yea it is! Look for people around your rank 2-3-4-5-6s all should be up for quests that you�re ready for. Be wary of anyone higher.If they help you, GREAT, if not, let them be.Give them a compliment when you�ve played as long as you must to be hr 20 it feels good to get your props. It�s not like this is an accomplishment with any real-world rewards.Be courteous and if they�re feeling bored or helpful maybe they�ll lend a hand.Or better yet, they might remember you as being a non-irritating low-rank and help you in the future when you�re doing something more interesting(and difficult!) and really need their help. Above all else, it�s important to understand if they want nothing to do with you, they have nothing to gain from your quest, they probably have things that they would rather do, they firmly believe that you can handle your own dang kut-ku Everything changes at HR13...you'll see...you'll see... So, first thing, SAY "HI.� Pretty simple, but it gets things off on the right foot. Even if you dont have a keyboard you can do it. Also if you do happen NOT to have a keyboard, mention that in your "comment box", it lets people know that your not rude, just poor.... �Hi� is a much better greeting than �Help me get sm bones/iron ore/ velociprey parts/whatever else you think you can�t possibly get by yourself� It�s way too common for low-ranks to enter a town and start making demands�Don�t do this! While you might get lucky sometimes, and happen to have wandered into a town where someone was trying to decide what to do�the reaction of most people who are already in the town and probably setting up their own quests will be �uh�who the heck are you and why should I care that you can�t get your own small bones?� Trying to push around a high rank who has absolutely no reason on earth to feel compelled to help you will blacklist you for as long as they remember you. If you�re feeling sassy and want to walk into a town of high-ranked playersand post your kut-ku, go for it, but don�t get all pissy if no one joins and they all leave you for a lao+. Remember, it�s a video game and everyone is playing to have FUN� they generally want to do the most fun quests that are available to them.I can not emphasize this enough. 3.DONT UPSWING! If you have a big sword or hammer try not to throw people in the air with it,especially the higher ups. You cant hurt them, but you sure can tick them off. You throw people with the swing that you get by pushing the stick over to the right. If you can�t control yourself with this swing, then don�t use it when people are around. Stick to up and to the left. Aside from the annoyance factor, if you�re fighting a monster with someone who�s better at it than you it�s obviously not in your best interests to throw them away from the monster. It's really the only way you can really screw up the quest besides.... 4.DIE 3 TIMES! Ok, THIS IS BIG! Maybe you've already figured this out but here it is. On any quest, no matter how many people there are,be it, just you or a full crew of 4. 3 DEATHS ENDS THE QUEST! Yep that's it!It's all over, you DO NOT pass GO, you DO NOT collect your money, no fabulous prizes. You do get 15 hr points (-10 for every time you die, so 0 if all 3 deaths are yours�) but 15 points wont get you a bloody thing so WHO CARES! So here's the rule, Die once...it's cool, 2 more to go, no one cares, no one minds, hey, poop happens! Happens to all of us...sometimes there�s nothing you can do to avoid dying.Then lets say you or someone else Dies AGAIN...well now its time to chill. Hang out at camp, mine, search for mushrooms, kill some small monsters�wait it out. 2 deaths are still not a big deal, the quest goes on, but now, if ANYONE DIES IT'S ALL OVER. So, if you have a big bad HR10 or something just whacking away kickin monster booty, LET THEM! Go wait in a nearby area, no one will respect you for getting knocked out three times in a row because you�re up in the monster�s face hacking away at it, even though your weapon is weak and barely helpful and your armor can�t protect you properly.Dont be a HERO,you�re not...not yet... Anyway, that's it in a nutshell. Overall, just be cool, know that your at the bottom,be aware that people have the right to spend their playing time the way they want to. Know your limits on a quest and try not to be the person who dies that awful 3rd time! 4) Monster Database Okay, here�s the Monster Database. I'm gonna break down how I kill these things and maybe a bit here and there otherwise... No. 1 Name: Mosswine Wild pigs covered in moss and fungus. Sometimes you will even find mushrooms growing on them. Their meat is known as a delicacy. Though normally docile, they will charge you if angered! Number of carves: 1 How to kill : sneeze What there good for: They sniff out special mushrooms...follow them...search where they sniff. Then kill them for more mushrooms ;-) No. 2 Name: Bullfango A large wild boar. Foul tempered, they will charge hunters on sight. They are aggressive and powerful, so beware! They are often hunted for their meat, which many hunters find delicious. Number of carves: 1 How to Kill: FAST! Wait until they�ve just finished charging, then get to the side or back of them and whack at �em until either they die or their buddies come after you. Get out of the way if you see them coming toward you because once they get you rolling around the screen,it�s hard to get up. What there good for: To annoy you and make you throw your controller and curse capcom for inventing them! No. 3 Name: Kelbi A herbivorous, deer-like monster. Valued for their horns, they tend to run away at the first hint of danger. They are also hunted for their meat, which is chewy but flavorful. Number of carves: 1 How to kill: Breathe Hard What there good for: Horns & hides... No. 4 Name: Aptonoth Mainly hunted for food, these monsters are preyed upon by both hunter and monster alike. Timid unless in a pack, when some may defend themselves with surprising strength. Number of carves: 2 How to kill: Slash Slash Slash, dont let them run... What there good for: Tasty Meat! Cook it up, eat it up, YUM! Hope you�re not a vegan! No. 5 Name: Apceros Hunted for their meat, which is buried under a thick, armored hide. Aggressive compared to the Aptonoth, hunting them can be a challenge. Apceros eggs are a caluable guild commodity. Number of carves: 2 How to kill: Slash Slash Slash, oh my, they�re not running, hey! Ouch,SLASH! Be careful because, unlike the other herbivores, these monsters will come head-butt you while you�re trying to kill their friends. May be wise to kill these whenever you see them because if you kill your main monster in an area where they live, they can interfere with your carving. What there good for: Meat, Med.Bones, Aggravation... No. 6 Name: Felyne Cat-like humanoids with white fur. Normally quiet unless angered, in which case they may attack. Capable of speech, they are sometimes found in the employ of humans. Number of carves: 0 How to kill:Hit them HARD! What there good for : annoying you with bombs...and NOTHING else... No. 7 Name: Melynx Cat-like humanoids with black fur. Being sticky-fingered they won't pass up a chance to steal things and take them back to their village. Easily distracted by the sight of Felvine. Number of carves: 0 How to kill: Hit them HARDER! What there good for: NOTHING, They steal from you! Keep away! Dang CATS! You can get your stuff back if you hit em.Always start swinging when you see black cats. No. 8 Name: Velociprey Aggressive, carnivorous monsters that often travel in packs. Even a master hunter should take care not to become surrounded! Wide ranging, they are found in many different climates. Number of carves: 1 How to kill: Slash away! Try to hit �em right after they leap. They�ll be less likely to leap on you or away from you as you swing. What there good for: Not much...easy kill... No. 9 Name: Velocidrome Turn ons: Fire / Turn offs: Thunder The alpha monster that leads a Velociprey pack. They are larger and have a more prominent crest. Highly territorial, but will retreat to a safe place when injured to recover. Number of carves: 2 How to kill: Hit them ALOT... What there good for: Claws... No. 10 Name: Genprey A subspecies of Velociprey found mainly in desert zones.Traveling in packs, their large fangs and claws contain a neurotoxin that is used to stun and paralyze prey. Number of carves: 1 How to kill: Slash them a little more than Velociprey...Be careful, these monsters will stun you and leave you on the ground twitching and flashing yellow for a while. Try to avoid that. What there good for: Hide... No. 11 Name: Gendrome Turn ons: / Turn offs: The alpha monster that leads a Genprey pack.They are larger and have a more prominent crest. Found in the desert, they can paralyze prey using their toxic fangs and claws. Number of carves: 2 How to kill: You might notice all theese DROME monsters come in 3s,after you kill one,carve it,let it fade away,then wait for more they always "respawn" near where you found the first one... What there good for: Stun sac No. 12 Name: Ioprey A subspecies of Velociprey often found in subtropical zones.Sacs in their throat contain a powerful poison that drains the Health of their prey. Number of carves: 1 How to kill: CUT CUT CUT! Try to avoid them when they�re spitting purple poison clouds. Purple poison clouds suck. What there good for: Hide No. 13 Name: Iodrome Turn ons: / Turn offs: The alpha monster that leads an Ioprey pack.They are larger and have a more prominent crest. Found in tropical zones, they spit a poison that can sap the life force of prey. Number of carves: 2 How to kill : Find, kill, wait, kill, wait, KILL! What there good for: Poison sac No. 14 Name: Rathalos Turn ons: Fire / Turn offs: Dragon Damage Male wyvern that keeps a nest and patrols its territory from the air in search of prey.Its claws are filled with poison . Number of carves: 3 from body, 1 from tail How to kill: Ok, this guys the real deal, one of the baddest you'll fight early on. 1. Hit him with a paintball, he likes to fly around! You'll spend a lot of time watching this monster fly around over your head and you'll want to know where he's coming down so that you can take a shot at him! 2. Get that tail! You can chop his tail off and carve it, good times to chop it off are when he breathes fire or when hes landing. To hit him when hes landing, get in his shadow and swing your weapon, if you do it right you wont get blow away by wind. Also, when he charges you, you can run behind him and take a swing when he trips, make sure to roll away thou, as he will probably charge again! It's also fun to whack at the tail while he's breathing fire. 3. Hit him in the head, if you hit him hard enough and when hes weak enough, this will pause him for a few seconds, keep doing this with 4 people all hitting his head,or if your real good with a lance and you'll headlock him. 4. Bring a pitfall trap, the best time to place it is when hes in the air spitting fireballs, get right in his shadow and place away, then sit back and enjoy his agony. What they're good for: Just about the best armor you can get before HR13, kill as many as you can. No. 15 Name: Rathian Turn ons: Fire / Turn offs: Dragon Damage Female version of the Rathalos wyvern. Unlike its maile counterpart, it usually patrols its territory from the ground. Its tail spikes are filled with poison. Number of carves: 3 from body, 1 from tail How to kill: You kill this one much like the "los", for it is pretty much the same thing...here are a few areas to note thou, 1. It does not fly as much, but paintballs are always good. 2. IT CAN FLIP!, this is DEADLY, maybe the most deadly move any monster can do. But, it does let you know when. Before it flips it takes 2 quick steps back, GET AWAY! It's usually a good idea to hit it 2 times then roll away so that you can get a good look at what it's up to. Getting hit by a flip is NO FUN, not only will it take a good deal of you life away it will also poison you! Many times, experienced hunters have been slain by a rathian flip. 3. It's green 4. It does not give you an easy pit trap move, sooo get good at avoiding it's charge. What they're good for: Some of the second best armor you can get before HR13. (and the best pants that a female character can get!) No. 16 Name: Yian Kut-Ku Turn ons: Fire and Dragon Damage / Turn offs: Water A bird-like wyvern with a huge beak and large ears that splay open when it is angered. With its sensitive hearing it dislikes loud noises. It is smaller but faster than other wyverns. Number of carves: 3 How to kill: FAST, it's fun, the stronger you get, the quicker they die. I've done it in 30sec with a good crew. It's called a "kut-run" and you'll probly do em at some point to get quick HR. These are funny looking monsters. They seem to be real weak, but then they do their ugly awkward head-bobbing charge and spit fire at ya and they can mess ya up a little. Don't get me wrong,they're not tough, but they Can damage you. Also, you can tell when it's going to die by watching it's ears. They will drop to the side of it's head when it gets close to death. What they're good for: An easy wyvern that you can fight early on. This should be the first wyvern that you kill. No. 17 Name: Gypceros Turn ons:Everything but fire, FIRE BAD! / Turn offs: fire A wyvern that can generate bright flashes of light with its prominent head crest. Its rubbery skin resists damage, and it can spit a poisonous substance. It is quite timid, however. Number of carves: 3 How to kill: Kinda like the kut-ku, not much to it, but here's a few things, 1. It's can stun you, rotate the right analong stick(the one you kill with), to clear the stars from over your head. 2. It can poison you.It has a awkward wobbley charge, similar to the kut ku, but dont get caught laughing at it too much to get out of the way. Poison sucks. 3. It "plays dead", when you're about to kill it, it will pretend to be dead, the music will stop and it will collapse. GET AWAY, it will also get back up and take most of your life with it! It may do this 1-3 times before it finally dies. What they're good for: Not much right now...and there a real pain in tha bum to capture.Power extract can be obtained and you can make mega-juice with it by combining with well done steak. mega-juice lets you run for a while without your stamina decreasing. Save your power extract to make mega juice for your powderstone carrying quest. You'll be happy you did. If you say you have mega-juice, it'll be much easier to recruit help...it'll make you sound like you know what you're doing!!! No. 18 Name: Vespoid Turn ons: Fire and Water / Turn offs: Dragon Damage An enormous, wasp-like insectoid with a poisonous stinger that stuns prey. Easily damaged, there are rarely any usable materials left to harvest from them once killed. Number of carves: 1 How to kill: Many at a time....You'll be killing them right and left just to be able to mine in peace. Most of the time they'll just explode. Once in a while they'll scream and fall to the ground intact so that you can carve them. If you want to do some serious bug-hunting for these or hornetaurs, get a poison weapon. It'll increase the chance of them dying intact. What there good for: Not much right now...aggravation later... kinda neat lookin armor No. 19 Name: Hornitaur Turn ons: Fire and Water / Turn offs: Dragon Damage A Vespoid-like monster with a thicker shell. Easily damaged, there are rarely any usable materials left to harvest from them once killed. But if you could sap their Health gradually... Number of carves: 1 How to kill: With poison, if you want to carve them...which you might be doing alot of later on... What there good for: Bladefins...but dont worry... you wont really need em...kinda neat lookin armor No. 20 Name: Khezu Turn ons: Thunder and Dragon Damage / Turn offs: Fire and Water Loathsome wyverns that live inside caves. Near blind, they detect their prey by smell. They are capable of generating electric shocks, which they use to paralyze prey. Number of carves: 3 How to kill: Easy to kill, pain in tha butt to track and capture, here's a few things to look for, 1.They mainly hang out in caves. If you can get em outside a cave you'll have a much better time killing them because they wont have a ceiling to jump up on and crawl around on. When they're on the ceiling of the cave, aside from being annoyingly out of swatting range, they can drop down on you and crush you...dang fat monsters. 2.Lightning, the good and the bad, if they shoot it, GOOD, if they're covered in it,BAD. When they shoot it,there tail attaches to the ground and it comes out of there mouth, giving you a good shot at their body for a few seconds, HACK AWAY! If they start glowing blue, GET AWAY, or you'll get hurt and flung. 3.When there about to die they go to a cave, this sucks, bear with it, it will die soon... What they're good for : Some cool looking armor, but really, not much. pale extract is good. No. 21 Name: Plesioth Turn ons: Water and Dragon Damage / Turn offs: Thunder and Fire An enormous, aquatic wyvern with wings that have evolved into fins for swimming.Although superficially fish-like, they can move on land as well. They love frogs. Number of carves: 4 How to Kill: CAREFUL!, this is one of the HARDEST hitters in the game. Keep your life bar full at all times. Plesioth doesnt do too much, but what it does, HURTS, alot. Also, when there about to die, which they do pretty fast. Their fin will go down...making it rather easy to know when to capture them. What they're good for: Making you die fast. Weeeird lookin armor. No. 22 Name: Cephalos Turn ons: Water and Dragon Damage / Turn offs: Thunder and Fire Wyverns found only in the desert. They resemble a Plesioth, but live and "swim" in sand rather than water. They seldom appear above land, but when their hearing is disturbed... Number of carves: 1 How to kill: Two words, sonic bombs, throw em when you see em stop, they will rocket into the sky and let you hit them while they lie prone on the ground. It's a little harder to get them out without bombs...you have to hit them when they pop up.You'll constantly run out of energy from chasing their fins around waiting for them to pop up..and if you miss them, they'll just go right back underground. bring bombs, it will make life easier... What they're good for: They have some parts that you need to get good swords...and it's fun to watch em fly out when you hit em with a sonic bomb. No. 23 Name: Cephadrome Turn ons: Water and Dragon Damage / Turn offs: Thunder and Fire The alpha monster form of the Cephalos.Larger and armored with black scales, they fit the appearance of a leader perfectly. Their fins hold a paralyzing toxin. Number of carves: 3 How to kill: Much like the "los" versions....only real difference is that it's darker and stronger. Look for the fin that's darker than the rest and then sonic bomb and beat the heck out of it. What they're good for: Pretty much the same thing. No. 24 Name: Monoblos (OFFLINE ONLY) Turn ons: Nothing / Turn offs: EVERYTHING! A large-horned wyvern found in desert zones. Their giant horn makes their attacks very dangerous. While they have no breath attack,their ear-splitting roar is the bane of hunters. Number of carves: 4 body, 2 tail How to kill: Chances are, if you're able to kill this, you CAN kill this. It's a smaller version of the Diablos, so look below if you need hints...To get the ability to kill it, you need to clear all the offline quests, good luck! What they're good for: Crimson horns, Make sure to knock its horn off to get one (whack it in the head). You can make some really cool Armor and weapons for killing this...but you'll either be too strong to need em, or too weak to get em. If you see someone wearing Monoblos stuff below HR13, chances are they kick butt. No. 25 Name: Diablos Turn ons: Nothing / Turn offs: EVERYTHING! A two-horned wyvern found in desert zones. They are capable of burrowing into sand to attack prey from below. It has been confirmed that they have a subspecies called Monoblos. Number of carves: 3 body, 1 tail How to kill: My favorite things to kill! Here's how I like to do it, 1.If there's a ledge in the area your in (1 or 10) and it has horns on it's head (1 or 2), get up on that ledge and wait for him to charge into the wall below you. Then jump down and hack away at him, this is a great time to get his tail! Also,you can knock his horns off by cutting close to the wall that he's stuck in. 2. The "hot blos" , once again, sonic bombs are your friends, throw one at him when he dives into the ground, just as his tail goes under the sand, and coming up...ONE HOT BLOS! Hit him in the head, or, for more hits, just behind his wings! Also, if you dont hit him with a sonic bomb, or, GASP, dont have any, GET AWAY, when he comes up he hits you HARD! 3.The "tail shake shuffle", when he charges, sometimes he will shake his tail, this is a good time to hit him, but carefully, come at him from the side, it's better once you cut his tail off...it takes some practice, but you'll find that it will get some good hits on him. What they're good for: Good sword parts, decent armor, a good time, what's not to love? No. 26 Name: Gravios Turn ons: Thunder and Dragon Damage / Turn offs: Water A large wyvern found in volcanic zones.They possess a fiery breath attack and the ability to emit a sleeping gas.They also have extremely hard scales that deflect most weapon attacks. Number of carves: 4 body, 2 tail How to Kill: Carefully, this is the biggest and baddest thing you will kill besides Lao and Fatalis(don't ask). There are a few monsters in this game that just seem to have way too many powers. It's not right. It's not fair. And it's your problem. Here's some advice on coping. 1. The tail: It's hard to get and high off the ground. The best times to go for it are when it's just finished charging, putting people to sleep, or unleashing it's breath weapon. 2. Oh yea, it has a breath weapon...Lots of monsters spit fire, but this gets a whole section and a name because it KILLS YOU! This is not some little fire ball, this is a huge flaming BEAM OF DEATH! 3. You might also have noticed that I said it puts people to sleep... well that it does, if you are asleep, there's nothing you can do. Don't panic.You'll wake up soon enough. If you dodge a sleep cloud, and you see someone sleeping,hit him with something, probly best to kick them,click the R3 button...ya know the stick you kill with. Just make sure you dont die while doing that,makes you look lame... 4. You can open it's chest up...looks pretty cool, makes it easier to hit him there...also, the chest is about the only spot to get a clean hit in with a blade weapon... What there good for: Getting higher HR's to help you...if your doing Grav, your probly close to your Lao...why? Read on.... No. 27 Name: Basarios Turn ons: Thunder and Dragon Damage / Turn offs: Water A large wyvern found in volcanic zones. They are the juvenile form of the Gravios. They have a steel-like carapace that requires powerful weapons to crack. Emits poison gas. Number of carves: 3 body, 1 tail How to kill: This is the other monster in the game that is a little overly-endowed with ways to kill you. Poison, streams of fire, it can fly and smush you, it charges, it can wiggle it's butt and hurt you. It's a smaller version of the Grav, here's where they differ... 1.You can cut it's tail off with ease, right after it charges it shakes its tail...WACK IT. A few hits and it's tail time! 2.It gives off poison instead of sleep gas...bring your antidote, you'll be happy you did... 3.It's breath weapon is smaller and it uses it less...but still,be careful 4.It hides in the ground.look for a big clump of rocks.then hit it to wake it up. What thery're good for: Ore, you can carve it off them.They look like rocks...they are rocks No. 28 Name: Kirin (ONLINE ONLY) The Kirin is said to glow a faint blue, but so few have seen it that details are scarce. it is apparently capable of calling forth lightning at will. Kirin material is very valuable. Number of carves: 2 How to kill: WITH A HAMMER! If you only have a sword, hit it in the head! this is far more dangerous... What thery're good for: Gunners...get 2 hides,if you can...there pretty rare. Also Kirin is pretty to look at.If it would stop making lightening to kill you,you'd almost feel bad about beating this pretty pony with a big ol hammer No. 29 Name: Lao-Shan Lung (ONLINE ONLY) Turn ons: Everything but dragon damage, DRAGON DAMAGE BAD! / Turn offs: DD A giant dragon few have seen and lived to tell the tale. When on the rampage it wreaks havoc on all in its path. The guild has built a fortress to repel the beast, but will it hold? Number of carves: 9 How to kill: Ok, there are many ways to skin a lao. I'll tell you what I know and how I like to do it. But, you should really take some time in town before you go to talk to the people that your going with about how they like to do it. (more on this later...) 1. LAO IS BIG! Really really BIG. You'll see...he's HUGE! You'll only be able to see a small part of him at a time while fighting him. He's bigger than you.He's bigger than your whole family. His leg is bigger than your whole family. Oh, and you can only get this quest at HR 12 and only if all your quests (at least most of em...) are done.(more on this later too...) 2.It's in a new area! A pretty simple one...but it's strange at first... just try and follow your team mates.... 3. Did I mention that he's large? Well he is, so bring LARGE barrel bombs... ALOT of em...that means bring 10 large barrels and 10 gunpowder....You'll wanna lay these at the start of each part of the fight when lao's head is coming toward you and you can't hit it yet. Nothin says "Welcome" like blowing up a bunch of large barrel bombs in someone's face.. 4. HIT THE HEAD, unless your team tells you otherwise or unless your a gunner, your probly gonna be hittin his head...It's hard to get hurt hitting the head. You can also hit the belly, but you've gotta be pretty close to the tail to hit the soft part and it's a lil tricky to stay positioned and not get trampled. 5.Avoid the tail! This is the worst part and probly the only part you can die on. in fact your probly gonna die...no big deal...it's your lao afterall, and everyone that you take on it is lucky to be there...even if you die 3 times trying to get the hang of it, you can try it again, and there'll be no shortage of people to help you. this is a rare crazy cool quest which you should really try to enjoy while you have it. more on this later...also, bring a farcaster,it REALLY helps at the second dead end... 6. DONT PRESS THE RED BUTTON! Don't ask, don't worry...just keep away from it... 7. You can search the spear rack for ballista shot...but, if you're worried about all this other stuff...don't bother... 8. KILL HIM, you can also chase him off...but then you dont get to carve him...witch is ok...also, it's not up to you to kill him...it's up to your crew, you got it easy. Overall, just relax and enjoy it cus you wont get to go again till HR17, or at least untill your able to con some HR12 into taking you... Ok, now for my tactic, it's worked for me 3 times now and it's how I killed my first one. 4 SWORDS ALL ON HEAD...it's sweet and lethal, just get right behind his head so that your looking where he's looking and swing, side and over..find a rythm and it's good night lao! This is also a good way to see the ledges that you can climb on to get past the tail easy. Also it's not as messy as hitting the belly or legs. Oh yea, STAY AWAY FROM HIS LEGS! Unless you know what you're doing they will mess you up! Untill the end that is, when he's against the wall,then you can hit his legs pretty good just make sure your nowhere near them when he moves one... So that's how you fight one, now here's the big deal with lao, see you only get to do this one time, then you wait untill HR13, thinkin things are gonna be soooo cool,but what's this? Mushroom picking? Meat cooking? WTF! That's right all the old quests are back and NO LAO, that's right kids, unlike all the other urgent quests,lao will not be waiting in your next set of quests. It sucks, but there is an upside, now you get new ore and carving monsters will get you new items that you can use to make new armor and new swords and such! But, there's another downside, you can't go to the volcano till HR16, and the stuff that you can get off the monsters,ya know the cool stuff you need, guess how much of a chance you have to get it? 25%, no, %10 NO, %5 nooooo, 2-1%...yep that's right...it sucks! There it is thats why they hate you.Heck, they hate themselves and the game after awhile, just wait untill you go on a "plate-run"...what is that? You dont even want to know...maybe I'll tell you later. It's really too depressing to talk about, just enjoy being a low rank, it's really cool, everything is new and everything is fun, and don't take chumps on your lao, it really is the best quest and everyone should beg to go on it with you. On the other hand...dont use your lao as a way to mess with people.The promise of a lao is a great way to get people to help with your quests and help you get hr to get to hr12, and even to help you get the equiptment that will help you kick lao's butt...but if you're not forthright about how many/what quests you need to clear before lao...people will get sick of you and leave. Remember, it's a video game and some people playing have jobs, families, school, and bedtimes. You dont want to jerk people around so that they'll hold a grudge because you'll wanna find someone who will hang around after and get you to HR13 and take you to the volcano,they really should if they like you... 5)Fashion corner. One of the neat features of this game is that you totally get to dress yourself.You can fight naked if you want. (only do this alone or offline. In MH you are appropriately weak when fighting naked unlike SOME games that I can think of where you get "prizes" for fighting deadly battles wearing nothin but a bikini...) The armor options in the game are fun, but can be a little confusing. You can make things simple by just making and wearing the first things that you can get as you can get them...this will result in your wearing really lousy armor though. Saving items and money for good pieces can pay off. You could also just go for the highest power armor you can get...this makes sense and you'll get props from other players for your defense skills.Everyone likes someone who's obviously tryin not to die. If you want your character to look cool...you have a lot of drastically different looking options to choose from...you may have to make some sacrifices in defense to get the look you really want...but if you do things cautiously, yes, even neurotically, you can get a look that you like with a decent defense and a good combination of powers. There are other guides available online that will tell you how to get powers by combining armor. In order to make sure you dont waste your materials on armor that you wont like, you can play in the offline mode (go to "village"), get out your materials,make your armor, go to your box and check it out. If you do like it...just save your game. If you do NOT like it, go to your bed, and when it asks if you want to save, say "no". It'll ask if you want to quit without saving and you say "yes" say you're sure and you're done.Don't do any important offline quests while doing this because you wont save the results of them either. For female characters... If it bugs you at all that so many of the options available to you make your butt plainly visible while you fight...and you're sick of having male players climbing up vines behind you to peep...the basic Rathian Greaves are actually pants and provide excellent protection. Vespoid, Hornetaur, and Plesioth greaves are also full pants (very "jazzercise") and will keep you from looking ridiculously "fleshy" and vulnerable while fighting carnivorous beasts.The rathian tasset is more skirt-like than most tassets and prolly wouldnt violate a high school dress code. I have to say that while it is a little troublesome that the majority of options show off your butt (If I were really fighting...I'd want that covered up...especially in cold caves) This game is better than many in that even when you're naked, you're wearing little shorts.You dont have any super-strength thong armor, you dont (usually) get more powerful by exposing your torso (where most of your vital organs are...gosh dangit i do not understand the idea of fighting in a bra) and you get the chance to put on some nice clunky rock armor to fit in with the guys if you so choose.... 6)Got something to add? [email protected] Note that flaming mails, virus mails, blank mails, information covered in the FAQ will be ignored. Suggestions, tips and information are welcome, and will be credited when due. Note that before you can host this FAQ on your site, do make sure that you have my permission. - This FAQ is for private and personal use. No permission is granted to reprint this FAQ in a magazine/WEBSITE or publication without my (Frances Hartgrave) prior consent. Capcom and Monster Hunter are registered trademarks of Capcom Co.LTD. Monster Hunter is a registered trademark of Capcom Co., LTD. "Playstation" and the "PS"are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Online plays requires internet connection and network adaptor for Playstation 2(sold separately). 7)UPDATE! A few people have asked why our guide says nothing about Fatalis. It does say something, it says DONT ASK, but anyway :P One of the reasons for that was cus I hadnt got my own yet, therefore I didn't know much about it, but now I do have it. The other reason is that my guide is for beginners and, beginners can't go on fatalis. But, since you liked my guide and i do know a thing or two about the famous black dragon now I'll tell you what I know.:) 1.How to get it, you need to be HR20 and have complete all your quests, you'll also get 5 guild tickets from the freak at the desk for doing this. Then you need to have killed 50 rathalos and 50 rathian,they can be of any kind at any time, so this wont take you all that long, I only had to kill 15 of each...Then it will appear, without fanfare in your event quest menu. 2.A full crew helps, HR20s are nice. People who know what they are doing is even better. But I like to take new people, fresh HR17s, you can smell thier fear. :) 3.YOU NEED A GUN! Fatalis will kill you in one hit, bummer eh. So get a gun with clust shot and bring alot of what it takes to make more! 4.4 of em! Yep, there are 4 fatalis quests, witch means you can fight it 4 times to kill it,you can do them in any order. You get the most "stuff" in the 4th one.(ballista/cannon/gate/dragonator) 8)EVEN MORE ON FATALIS! <submitted by Sanjuro333 (the elder)> 1) How fast can you kill Fatalis? aka Killing Fata in the fewest rounds. It is definitely possible in 2 rounds. If everybody shoots off around 70-80 clust2s, a kill is assured before the end of Round 2. Even with as few as 60 rounds fired, it is still possible, as long as ballistas or cannons are also fired. I found that the best scenario/stage to do it is the very first quest,with one courtyard. In this stage, everybody is just concentrating on Fata,shooting off a constant stream of clust 2s. This way, he is either on the ground,or occasionally trying to get up to fly, and he gets hit again and falls. Presumably he takes damage when he hits the ground too. This is sort of like head-locking, maybe a Fata-lock? In my experience, the later stages with two courtyards, although different in flavor, are not as optimal because of time wasted when he flies between the two of them. The damage taken when the gate hits or when the nator hits, may not compensate for the time and the opportunities lost for clust 2s. 2) How much HP does Fata have? Based on other research, I've estimated that a Clust 2 does around 2000HP damage. From the amount of clust 2 hits needed to kill Fata, it is estimated he has around 1 million HP. (1 million is a nice round number too). It is very unlikely that he can be killed in just one round. Assuming everybody fires off 102 clust 2s (they would need to be very fast with combining and reloading, maybe a Genesis armor set might help I don't know) and don't miss, that's still 408 x 2000 = 816,000 points of damage. Still not enough to kill him in one round. 3) What armor should I wear? Some people fight Fata in the nude as they probably figured that if they get hit they die anyway. However I found that the Rathian/Rathalos gunner armor combo with +25 fire resistance is not only affordable and easy to make,but very good at taking a fireball hit and surviving! I have tested it out by standing in front of him, some distance away when he is on the ground and he fireballs me directly. This reduces my health to 1/3, and 2 megapotions will get me back to full health. I deduce therefore that a fireball does around 200 HP worth of damage (since the armor is 50, I'm at 150 health, and there is +50 fire-resistance,giving me 250 points of protection, and I'm down to 50). A glancing hit will do less damage. The rule is, if the total armor and HP > 200, the chances are that you can survive a fireball. As for a bite/tail swipe etc. it is invariably fatal to a gunner. I haven't meleed Fata, nor am I likely to, to discover how bad this is.Most advanced gunners go for a full Genesis/Glyph set to go against Fata - the reasons are for the important reload+2 skill. Also, the armor gives protection against a fireball, and the female version has slightly more fire-resistance. 4) What ammo to use? Well, this is pretty straightforward as cluster 2 is the basic bread and butter ammo for Fata. I found that I can save a little time by putting my husks and claws right at the top of my inventory, so when I hit combine, the first item is already selected, and a minimum of keypad strokes will get the 3 combines done. (Oh, yes,bring 4 combo books of course). I calculated that in the best case, you can save as much as a minute of time wasted searching for items to combine in the 15 minute battle. And that translates to more shots.What other ammo might be good? Clust 3s are useful to have, but they seem to add 1000 pts of damage, and you can carry a maximum of 13. Crags are useful too,but because they explode only after you get a good hit, and not on proximity like clusters, they are not so reliable at distance unless you are sure you can hit the dragon. Sometimes when I'm carrying a few crag 2s and 3s I save them for when he comes really close and I can shoot them all right in his face. This is usually standing on the ledges, when his face can come close and yet not hit you at all. Pierce is the other ammo that is useful, but barely so. My estimates for pierce ammo damage is very preliminary, but I seem to have something around 500-1000 damage for Pierce 3 and you do need to get as many hits as possible.So it's not that useful. Some people think that stun and poison may work on Fatalis,but I'd say give those a miss. Also, don't forget that gunners can combine on the move.In fact the best time to combine might be while you're relocating to another position after firing off your 3 clust2s. 5) What gun to use? Well this is based on personal preference, but the most popular gun is the ubiquitous Vor Cannon(get this after you survive one or two fatalis attacks). It's versatile in range of ammo, powerful and fast reloading. About the only drawback I can think of is that it is a heavy bowgun, which means you can't run around with it drawn. Some people use the YKK cannon or a Flechette gun, but I think the drawback of slow reload is pretty significant. I don't know how good Dragon S is on Fata, I don't even think it's good on Lao, so the use of a Flechette can't really be recommended. As for gun attack factor,the clust 2's damage seems independent of the gun. Imagine the cluster shots as bomblets that you launch at a target. The damage is therefore determined by the bomb and not the gun's power. (It may be that since clust 2s do 2000 pts of damage,the gun's attack is a small fraction of this, and does not become that significant) Attack factor does seem to matter when using Normal, Pierce or Stun though. I've seen people using Maelstroms (144 max modded up attack) and clust 2s on Fatalis. The one advantage of a light bowgun (Grenade and Titan launchers are popular as they have very fast reloads,My personal favorite is the Titan :-) is that you can run around with it drawn. For those people who like to run in the courtyard, or who don't seem to be able to dodge and roll very well (I'm one of them!), the light bowgun is preferable. One important and noticeable difference between a light and heavy bowgun though: heavy bowguns have a much straighter, flatter and longer trajectory, presumably because they have more power,higher muzzle velocity etc. Therefore when you shoot at a high target,the shot does not drop as much as with a light bowgun. When using a light bowgun,you need to give more allowance for the drop of the shot. At extreme range,sometimes it may not even get close to the dragon at all,compared with a heavy bowgun. 6) What are good positions to take up? Some players I know bring farcasters to speed up the process of getting back to camp at the beginning and loading up on ballistas. I've not experimented much with this.As for positions and tactics, I've seen experienced players who just stay on the courtyard, hovering close to Fata, rolling away occasionally, yet always staying away from his deadly bite or 'wiggle of death' as some call it. Experience does teach players to anticipate Fata's moves of course. As for me, I usually start by staying on the ledge close to camp and firing away at him until he moves out. Then I'd go to the opposite ledge and hit him until he comes close and then I'd get off a few ballistas on him. Because I have good fire-resistance, I'm happy to stay on a ledge where he cannot hit me except with a fireball. The camp ledge is more dangerous as sometimes Fata can hop onto it! So my favorite perch is the ballista ledge. When he moves far away, then I get off and follow him around. I've known some players who just stay at these ledges. This seems to piss off Fata unduly, as he concentrates a lot of his time trying to get at these players.This is an ideal opportunity for other players to be on the courtyard peppering his back with clust 2s. In fact, in some rounds I've played,with one player on each ledge, Fata seems to get caught in between the two, and spends a lot of time stuck in the space in front of the gate, trying to get at both, Meanwhile everybody is spraying him with shots. He gets angry, bites but misses, tries to fly up, gets hit and falls down screaming,and repeats the cycle. 7) What about meleeing Fata? I don't even want to give my answer to this :-) 8) Why do people call Fatalis 'fatty'? Some pedants want to call him by his full name, but 'Fata' is almost always acceptable.When in doubt, it's Fata, not Fatty. Some others take great offense if you call him 'fatty' and may even refuse to take you along. Typical scenario: (HR17, newly minted, enters town with his YKK cannon. A few HR20s are lounging around) HR17: fatty anybody? HR20: No fatty, sry but I have fata and you're not coming Another HR20 goes to the board and puts up khezu+: Here's a fatty for you Yet another HR20: I think he means lao. lao's fat right? So,if you have to beg other people for 'fatty',don't! It's always safe to beg for 'fata' instead. But in the first place, why beg? Begging for a quest demeans you in the eyes of some pompous and arrogant HR20s.Don't do it either! (This is similar to the ever-irritating 'volcano+?' first question that some HR13-15s ask when they enter a town with an HR20. This is not a good way to start a conversation) Be nice at all times.Get to know some HR20s who are nice. They do exist you know. Do some other quests first with them to get to know them.At least if they're rude to you while you've been nice,you can always leave town with your head high. Also, there is a rumor that if you call Fatalis 'fatty' he finds out about it and you will be trampled and flattened by him in your first outing. So who's fat now? I don't care. But I think Fatty is just stupid. I call him Fats when I'm with people I know. I've already been flattened a lot by him. =====