Monster Hunter Freedom Unite: Bow Guide by Polantaris
Version 1.3, Last Updated 2010-01-03
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Polantaris' Bow Guide

Note: No one is perfect. If I made a mistake, let me know.
Update 1.3 Changes:  Changed my E-mail.  If I didn't respond to an
e-mail before this update, please resend it to my new one at
[email protected]
I also updated a few things about the damage you deal with a bow
that I have learned recently through close observation.
See the Range section for more information on this.

Update 1.2 Changes:  Updated all names of weapons and skills that are
different between P2G and Unite.  If I miss something, let me know.

Side Note: Just for future reference...since I just got one of these.
If you are going to email me to insult my guide, me, or tell me how
everything I wrote is wrong.  Go to hell.  You will not get a response.
This is a guide that was created based on my experience and opinion
while playing the game.  I have been using Bows since Freedom 2 was released.
I created this guide to help players that are new to Bow get working with
them, and get used to them, and gain knowledge in the usage of Bows.
If you have a different way of playing, that's absolutely fine, but do not
email me and insult my methods, or my suggestions just because you feel yours
are better than mine.  I answered one of these emails, I will not answer a
second, or more.  Keep your thoughts to yourself.
That aside I still welcome corrections, and POSITIVE input and feedback.
If it's negative in any way, don't bother.
--------------
Table of Contents
--------------
0. Intro          [I0]
1. Basics         [B1]
2. Coatings       [C2]
3. Shot Types     [S3]
4. Elements       [E4]
5. Armor Skills   [A5]
6. Tactics        [T6]
7. End Game Bows  [E7]
8. Recommendations[R8]
9. Credits        [C9]

--------------
Introduction--[I0]
--------------
What is this guide?  It's a guide to assist new and continuing players 
in the use of the Bow weapon.  New since Monster Hunter 2 (Or to Americans, 
Monster Hunter Freedom 2) is the Bow.  It is a completely different weapon 
that you really don't know what to expect from.  If you've never used the Bow,
you might want to use this guide.  It gives recommendations for what to use on
every boss besides dromes, and how to play with the weapon in the first place.
It includes in-depth information about the weapon as a whole.
Basically, if you're thinking about using a Bow, this guide is probably for 
you if you've never used it before.
If you have any questions, e-mail them to me and I'll probably end up adding 
it here.  My e-mail is at the bottom of the guide.
Do not host this guide without my permission (Polantaris).
And without further wait...here's the guide!  Enjoy!
Since Unite has officially been released, I have updated the names of several
armor skills and what not, as far as I remember them.  If I make a mistake,
let me know and I will fix it.  A new template has been implemented for this.
Any name that has been changed will be read as (MHP2G-Name/MHFU-Name), without
the parenthesis.

--------------
Basics--------[B1]
--------------
Please note before reading any further:  I am not giving any formula 
information. If you need damage charts for Bows, please see this guide:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/psp/file/943356/57883
All credit goes to Boldrin ([email protected]) for that guide. 
Contact him if you have any questions about it.
I do not have the time, nor the resources, to go into an indepth analysis
to see if these numbers or anything else about it are correct, or to figure
it out on my own.

Controls - When Unsheathed, Triangle on it's own, standing still will 
unsheathe the weapon. Triangle while moving will unsheathe and load an arrow 
at once. Triangle + Circle while running will Unsheathe and perform a 
melee attack.

After Unsheathed, holding R will begin to aim. Unlike Bowguns, you can still 
move while aiming, so the D-Pad is used for aiming, and the Analog stick will 
still move you. Be aware that when you move while aiming, 
when you stop moving, your aim will be reset.

Hold Triangle to load and pull back an arrow. Release to shoot. 
Circle performs a basic melee attack, to which there is a two-part combo. 

Triangle + Circle while your weapon is unsheathed will load a coating, 
which is selected through Triangle and X in the inventory.

X while stationary is a back-hop. X while moving rolls. When you are 
loading an arrow, Square will also roll. When you are NOT loading an arrow, 
Square will sheathe your bow.

Charges - Bows are different in that they have "Charges". The longer you 
hold Triangle, the more powerful your shot becomes. Most bows have three 
levels of charges. Some have only two, while others have four. An armor 
skill called Load Up can increase the maximum of charges by one, but it 
cannot surpass four. See a damage formula chart for information on how much 
difference your charges do, but be aware that in almost every situation, a 
level 4 charge is superior to a level 3 charge which is is superior to level 
2 charge which is superior to a level 1 charge. IE: 4>3>2>1. The longer 
you hold back the string, the more damage you will do.

Revamped the Range section, if you've read it before, read it again.
Range - Range is an important factor with bows.  There is what you would call
a sweet spot where you do maximum damage.  It is believed that this spot
is where the aiming line begins to dip downward.  If you are too close,
you will do less damage.  You will also do less damage if you are too far away.
The proof in this is simple:  Try killing a Velociprey up close, at optimal
range, and then far away.  See which is faster.

Melee Attacks - Melee attacks can serve only one major purpose. Your ranged 
attacks cannot cut tails, but your melee attacks can. When the enemy is 
down, stunned, or in a trap, attacking the tail may be a good idea, 
especially if everyone is ranged or blunt. Only attack the tail when you 
know it can result in a good thing. Running up like an idiot and getting 
smacked in the face by the tail is a dumb idea, but if the enemy is unable 
to do anything, cutting it is a good thing and you can't get hit. Remember, 
you do not have as much defense as a Blademaster. You want to stay close, 
but not get hit.


--------------
Coatings------[C2]
--------------
Coatings are special equipment for Bows that work like bullets in a bowgun. 
Certain bows can equip certain coatings, not every bow can use every coating. 
There are 6 types of coatings in Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G. I'm including 
Item Combos to make more Coatings. Try to remember them. Meleeing with a 
Coating does NOT remove it. You can save the last of a status coating to 
melee it on.

Power - Item Max of 50. Item Combo is Empty Bottle + Nitroshroom. 
With the combo, you can get between 70-90 Power Coatings. Power Coatings 
increase your damage output, with no negative effect. I think it increases 
it by about 75%, but I need confirmation on that.

Paralyze - Item Max of 20. Item Combo is Empty Bottle + Parashroom. 
You can get 30-40 Para Coatings with the combo. Paralyze Coatings replace 
your elemental damage with a Stun effect. Every shot does 5 on the stun 
limit, at level 3 charge. (Almost 100% sure, need a confirmation on that as 
well)

Poison - Item Max of 20. Item Combo is Empty Bottle + Toadstool. You can 
get 30-40 Poison Coatings with the combo. Poison Coatings do the same as 
Paralyze by replacing your elemental damage with a Poison effect. They add 
5 on the posion limit as well.

Sleep - Item Max of 20. Item Combo is Empty Bottle + Sleep Herb. You can 
get 30-40 Sleep Coatings with this combo and the coatings. Sleep Coatings 
do the same as above by replacing your elemental damage to add a Sleep 
effect. They add 5 on the sleep limit.

Paint - Item Max of 99. Item Combo is Empty Bottle + Paintberry. Paint 
Coatings replace your elemental damage to instead act as a paintball.  
Every bow can use this coating.

Razor/Close Range - Item Max of 20. Item Combo is Empty Bottle + Knife 
Mackrel.  Razor Coatings do nothing except increase your melee damage. 
All you really need is 1, unless you accidentally shoot it. Since coatings
don't get removed by melee attacks, you can use the same Razor Coating for
all melee damage.


--------------
Shot Types----[S3]
--------------
There are three types of Shot Types. All have five levels of power. 
The higher the level the more damage and hits you will do with a single 
shot. Keep in mind that while you only load one arrow, you actually shoot 
more than one, with the exception of Pierce.

Rapid - Rapid shot is a shot that shoots arrows in a vertical line. 
The level of the shot indicates how many arrows will be shot. The only 
exception to this is Level 5, in which it only shoots 4 arrows. Rapid is a 
good shot type when you are fighting something small, or you want to hit a 
specific part, like the Wings of the enemy you are fighting.

Scatter - Scatter shot is a shot that shoots arrows in a horizontal line. 
Unlike Rapid, Scatter shoots 3 or 5 arrows, depending on the level of the 
shot. Level 1 and 2 shoot 3, while any higher shoots 5. Scatter shot is good 
against something you can be pratically on top of, or if you want to hit the 
entire enemy, regardless of where it hits. Since it always shoots more arrows
than Rapid, you generally can hit more of the enemy with a single shot. 
If you are close, you can get more hits in on a single part than with Rapid,
but if you are far away you tend to hit much less. Very small creatures like 
Dromes aren't the best idea for Scatter, you tend to miss at least one or two
arrows per shot.

Pierce - Pierce shot is a shot that shoots a single arrow that doesn't go 
away when it hits the target. It will continue through and continue to hit
the target until either a certain amount of hits are obtained, or it goes 
through the enemy. Pierce shot generally does one more hit than its level. 
What I mean is that if it is Level 3 Pierce, you will get 4 hits before the 
arrow disappears. Pierce is the worst idea for small enemies. You generally 
only get a few hits in before the arrow is going through them, and it doesn't
normally get many hits on the smaller things, like Kirin. When shooting an 
enemy with Pierce, aim for hitting it through them long-ways. Prepare to get
as many hits as possible. Shooting the wing when it's facing you is not 
optimal. Shooting the wing when it is facing 90 degrees away from you is. 
Shooting its face when its looking at you is optimal as well. Also, 
Pierce shot arcs slightly differently than other shots. It shoots higher, 
and stays up longer. Take this into consideration when you aim, the aim 
line is WRONG with Pierce shots!


--------------
Elements------[E4]
--------------
Bows are like Melee weapons in the fact that they have a perminant elemental 
attribute. When choosing your weapon, put this and your shot-type into 
consideration. If you're fighting a Kirin, don't choose a Dragon weapon 
because it has Dragon, because it might be a Pierce Bow, which makes it a 
weak choice. Always keep into mind both element and shot type.
Also, Bows don't have status inflictions as element types. Instead, they 
can get certain Coating Ups, defined in the weapon's information.


--------------
Armor Skills--[A5]
--------------
The following is some armor skills you may want to keep in mind when 
creating sets. I won't actually give any sets, because most people looking 
at this guide are probably too low rank to use any I remember/still have. 

Evade - Increases the time you cannot get hit after you roll. You can dodge 
most screams with this if it is +2, and most attacks that should hit you.

Evade Increase - Increases the distance that you roll when you do. If you
are  fighting something that follows you as it runs, this is a good idea. 
Example is Diablos. If you are far away, Evade Inc can get you out of 
the way where without it you'll get hit.

Speed Fire/Auto Reload - Removes the need to actually equip coatings. 
With it, changing to the coating in your inventory instantly equips it.

Reloading Speed+ - Increases the speed in which you equip coatings. 
Useless if you have Speed Fire.

Concentration/Focus - Increases Charge Speed. You charge to the next 
level faster.

Runner - Significantly reduces the speed in which your stamina drops from 
anything that it reduces from over time. Examples: Holding the bow string 
and running. Both are reduced.

Defensive Manuvers/Constitution - Reduces the amount of stamina lost from 
rolls. The higher the + the better. Runner is a better idea if you can gem
that in instead of this.

Sneak - Only useful online. It reduces the frequency in which the enemy 
targets you, leaving you open to attack more and dodge less.

Pierce/Scatter/Rapid S Up - Increases the damage of the specific shot. 
If you are gemming this in, gem for the specific weapon's third level charge.

Reckless Abandon - Increases affinity, which is the percentage in which 
you do a critical hit. Higher levels increase it more.

Earplugs - Neutralizes some monster yells. High Grade Earplugs 
neutralizes all yells. Great if you're a bad yell roller (roll through yells).

Survival/Guts - Keeps you alive if you get hit from a hit that would normally 
kill you, and you have over 65 health. If you were going to die from 
the attack, you are left at one health and no recovery. 
(From mazereon: One Mega Potion and one regular potion will bring you 
back into this threshold.)

Adrenaline - Makes it so that if you are not in the threshold of Survival, 
your damage is increased.

Bullet Limit - Makes it so that your combinations that will give you 1-2 
of something, you always get the maximum. For example, Power Coatings 
can give either one or two. With this, you ALWAYS get two.

Load Up/Capacity Up - This is the armor skill that increases your charge
level. Bows that can only use level three can use level four, those that can 
only use level two can use level three. Bows that can use level four have
no use with this skill.

Elemental Attack Up - Since most Bows have a perminant element, this
is a good skill to consider having.  It's not a skill that you won't survive
without, but it's a good idea to grab if you can.


-------------
Tactics------[T6]
-------------
Before going off on any mission, there are two things to take into 
consideration. What is the monster weak to? What type of monster is this? 
Always bring either whatever the monster is weak to, or a raw weapon without 
element. By "What type of monster is this?" I mean in relation to it's size.
A tiny monster like a drome you don't want to bring a Pierce shot with. 
You want to take into consideration what type of monster it is in comparison
to the types of shots you have. Keep in mind that generally, raw type Bows 
either have a high attack, high affinity, or allow a large number of coatings.
It's a good idea to have a large armada of Bows, so that you can prepare 
for every situation. If you only have a Pierce Fire Bow against something 
that's weak to Fire but is small, you might want to consider bringing a 
Raw Bow instead. Another thing to keep in mind is what types of coatings 
you can use. It may be a good idea to bring the Tuna Bow, which gives Para 
Coating Up, to a monster that can be paralyzed easily.

If you have the inventory space, always bring the materials to make more 
Coatings, with at least Book of Combos 1+2, because the chance is not 100% 
with coatings. When fighting a monster with a group, nothing calls for a 
beat down more than when you paralyze it with that bow of yours.

Remember that you CAN cut tails with your Bow! If you are the only one 
that has that type of weapon, when you do something to it like tripping 
or paralyzing it, you may want to take that time to attack the tail with 
a melee attack. Just remember that your ranged attacks CANNOT cut the tail.

When fighting anything, learn its "optimal distance". What I mean by that 
is to learn how close you can be without getting hit by its generic attacks,
but not be a mile away. It's not the same for everything, and its size 
makes a difference. Always remember that while you may be further away 
and do less damage, it's better than dieing! You do NOT have the defense a 
Blademaster has, even if your damage is based on range. You may want to 
stand back and observe for a bit before you decide to attack close in. 
See how far it can attack standing still.

As goes with any ranged weapon, if the enemy looks at you, run. Don't 
forget that you can still charge your bow while moving. After you load 
the arrow, while you wait for the charges you can move around and do 
anything you want. Rolling is the same as putting the arrow away (Which 
you can't do, so if it leaves roll so you don't waste the coating) NEVER 
FORGET this! You have an extreme amount of mobility with the Bow class. 
There's only a few times when you should be standing still, and that's 
only because the game won't let you move. Standing still in the middle of 
a fight is almost as good as suicide.

Try not to take a lot of time aiming. If you're taking longer aiming than 
it does to charge to the max level of charging, you're taking too long. 
Standing still for long periods of time is asking for it.

You never need to aim to avoid your allies. Default aim for bow is 
directly above the head of any human-sized creature. This makes it very 
easy to do sudden shooting without aiming. 

Optimal damage and range is important. Bows don't do a ton of damage 
like Greatswords or Hammers do. Don't take silly risks to do a lot of 
damage, but don't stay a mile away and do no damage.


-------------
End Game Bows[E7]
-------------
This section will categorize every single End-Game Bow in the game.  
It will have all their stats, information, etc.  If you want information 
on a specific Bow, here's where you should look.
Template:
---
Bow Name - Slots(Number only)
Raw/Element
Affinity
Coating Up (If any)
Shot 1
Shot 2
Shot 3
*Load Up Required Shot (Indicated by the * infront of it)  
(Note, the shots go in order.  1 = Level 1 charge, 2 = Level 2 charge, etc. 
The location in the list determines that level and it's shot type.  
This is implied and will not be specified throughout the list)
Pow|Para|Pois|Slp|Raz - Missing Coatings indicate that it cannot use 
that type.  This rule Excludes Paint, every bow can use Paint.
---
Now let's begin.

---
Wing Bow IV - 1
348 Raw
0% Affinity
Sleep Coating Up
-
Rapid Lv. 3
Scatter Lv. 5
Rapid Lv. 5
*Pierce Lv. 4
-
Pow|Slp|Raz
---
---
Jungle Bow II - 0
360 Raw
15% Affinity
-
Rapid Lv. 3
Rapid Lv. 4
Scatter Lv. 5
*Pierce Lv. 5
-
Para|Pois|Slp|Raz
---
---
Vice-Grip Bow/Showroom Model - 1
372 Raw
0% Affinity
-
Rapid Lv. 3
Pierce Lv. 4
Pierce Lv. 4
Pierce Lv. 5
-
Pow|Pois|Slp|Raz
---
---
Refined Tuna Bow/PerfectSwordfishBow - 3
288 Raw
0% Affinity
Para Coating Up
-
Rapid Lv. 3
Scatter Lv. 4
Scatter Lv. 5
*Rapid Lv. 4
-
Pow|Para|Slp|Raz
---
---
Shadow Bow "Silhouette"/Midnight Bow - 0
324 Raw
50% Affinity
-
Scatter Lv. 4
Rapid Lv. 5
Pierce Lv. 5
*Rapid Lv. 5
-
Pow|Para|Pois|Slp|Raz
---
---
Heartshot Bow III - 1
336 Raw
30% Affinity
-
Scatter Lv. 3
Scatter Lv. 3
Pierce Lv. 4
*Scatter Lv. 5
-
Pow|Para
---
---
Queen Blaster V - 2
360 Raw
0% Affinity
-
Scatter Lv. 4
Pierce Lv. 3
Scatter Lv. 5
*Rapid Lv. 5
-
Pow|Pois
---
---
Vicious Bow/Crow Bow - 0
360 Raw
10% Affinity
Poison Coating Up
-
Rapid Lv. 3
Rapid Lv. 4
Rapid Lv. 5
*Scatter Lv. 5
-
Pow|Pois|Raz
---
---
Tiger Growl/Tigrex Whisker+ - 1
384 Raw
-30% Affinity
-
Rapid Lv. 3
Pierce Lv. 4
Rapid Lv. 5
*Pierce Lv. 5
-
Pow|Pois
---
---
Hunter's Bow G - 3
278 Raw
0% Affinity
-
Rapid Lv. 3
Scatter Lv. 4
Rapid Lv. 5
*Scatter Lv. 5
-
Pow|Para|Pois|Slp|Raz
---
---
Wild Bow G - 3
338 Raw
0% Affinity
-
Pierce Lv. 2
Rapid Lv. 3
Pierce Lv. 4
*Rapid Lv. 5
-
Para|Pois|Slp|Raz
---
---
Wild Power Bow G - 2
360 Raw
0% Affinity
-
Rapid Lv. 3
Rapid Lv. 4
Pierce Lv. 4
*Pierce Lv. 5
-
Para|Pois|Slp|Raz
---
---
Tuna Bow G/Swordfish Bow G - 3
324 Raw
0% Affinity
Para Coating Up
-
Rapid Lv. 3
Scatter Lv. 4
Scatter Lv. 5
*Rapid Lv. 4
-
Pow|Para|Slp|Raz
---
---
Hunter's Power Bow IV - 0
324 Raw
0% Affinity
+30 Defense
-
Rapid Lv. 3
Rapid Lv. 4
Rapid Lv. 5
*Pierce Lv. 5
-
Pow|Para|Pois|Slp
---
---
Ebony King Blow/DiablosKingHornBow - 0
372 Raw
20% Affinity
+30 Defense
-
Pierce Lv. 3
Pierce Lv. 4
Pierce Lv. 5
*Rapid Lv. 4
-
Pow
---
---
Annhilator Bow/Exterminator Bow II - 1
384 Raw
20% Affinity
+20 Defense
-
Scatter Lv. 3
Scatter Lv. 4
Rapid Lv. 4
*Rapid Lv. 5
-
Pow
---
---
Diablos Horn Bow G - 1
372 Raw
10% Affinity
+20 Defense
-
Pierce Lv. 3
Pierce Lv. 4
Pierce Lv. 5
*Scatter Lv. 4
-
Pow
---
---
Sonic Bow IV - 2
240 Raw / 180 Thunder
0% Affinity
-
Rapid Lv. 3
Scatter Lv. 4
Rapid Lv. 4
*Scatter Lv. 5
-
Pow|Para|Raz
---
---
Khezu Bow II - 1
288 Raw / 240 Thunder
0% Affinity
-
Scatter Lv. 2
Pierce Lv. 4
Scatter Lv. 5
*Rapid Lv. 5
-
Pow|Para|Slp|Raz
---
---
Dragonwood Bow Apollo/AncientDragonwoodBow - 0
300 Raw / 180 Thunder
20% Affinity
Para Coating Up
-
Scatter Lv. 3
Scatter Lv. 4
Pierce Lv. 5
*Rapid Lv. 4
-
Pow|Para|Pois|Slp|Raz
---
---
Great Demon Bow/BeastKingThunderBow - 0
336 Raw / 130 Thunder
0% Affinity
-
Pierce Lv. 3
Rapid Lv. 4
Rapid Lv. 5
*Pierce Lv. 5
-
Pow|Raz
---
---
Sonic Bow G - 2
276 Raw / 200 Thunder
0% Affinity
-
Rapid Lv. 3
Scatter Lv. 4
Rapid Lv. 5
*Scatter Lv. 5
-
Pow|Para|Raz
---
---
Dragon Bow Solar G - 1
288 Raw / 210 Thunder
10% Affinity
-
Scatter Lv. 4
Scatter Lv. 5
Pierce Lv. 3
Pierce Lv. 4
-
Pow|Para|Pois|Slp
---
---
Ice Crystal Bow II/Icicle Bow II - 0
264 Raw / 230 Ice
0% Affinity
-
Scatter Lv. 3
Scatter Lv. 4
Scatter Lv. 5
*Rapid Lv. 4
-
Pow|Para|Pois|Slp|Raz
---
---
Abominable Bow II - 2
288 Raw / 200 Ice
0% Affinity
-
Rapid Lv. 3
Pierce Lv. 4
Rapid Lv. 4
*Scatter Lv. 5
-
Pow|Pois|Para|Slp
---
---
Daora's Ippos/Daora's Sagittarii - 1
300 Raw / 180 Ice
30% Affinity
-
Rapid Lv. 3
Scatter Lv. 4
Pierce Lv. 5
*Rapid Lv. 5
-
Pow|Pois|Para
---
---
Ucamulbas Bow/Ukanlos Bow - 0
432 Raw / 100 Ice
-40% Affinity
+10 Defense
-
Pierce Lv. 2
Rapid Lv. 2
Scatter Lv. 2
Rapid Lv. 5
-
Pow|Slp
---
---
Blango Fur Bow G - 3
276 Raw / 180 Ice
0% Affinity
-
Rapid Lv. 2
Scatter Lv. 3
Rapid Lv. 4
*Pierce Lv. 3
-
Pow|Pois|Para|Slp
---
---
Purple Warbow II/GrtPurpleEmperor II - 1
300 Raw / 210 Water
0% Affinity
-
Scatter Lv. 4
Scatter Lv. 4
Rapid Lv. 4
*Pierce Lv. 5
-
Pow|Para|Pois|Slp
---
---
Dragonhead Harp III - 3
240 Raw / 300 Water
30% Affinity
+20 Defense
-
Scatter Lv. 5
Rapid Lv. 2
Rapid Lv. 1
*Pierce Lv. 5
-
Pow|Para|Pois|Slp|Raz
---
---
Blood Pincer Bow/Eraser - 0
324 Raw / 140 Water
0% Affinity
-
Pierce Lv. 3
Rapid Lv. 4
Pierce Lv. 4
Pierce Lv. 5
-
Pow|Para|Raz
---
---
Daimyo's Warbow G - 2
278 Raw / 180 Water
0% Affinity
-
Scatter Lv. 4
Scatter Lv. 4
Pierce Lv. 4
*Rapid Lv. 5
-
Pow|Para|Pois|Slp
---
---
Blue Kut-Ku Stave III - 2
278 Raw / 200 Fire
0% Affinity
-
Scatter Lv. 4
Rapid Lv. 4
Scatter Lv. 5
*Pierce Lv. 4
-
Pow|Para|Pois|Slp|Raz
---
---
NOTE: THIS BOW IS UNOBTAINABLE IN UNITE WITHOUT CHEATING!
Devil Blos Bow/dummy - 1
324 Raw / 150 Fire
10% Affinity
+10 Defense
-
Pierce Lv. 3
Pierce Lv. 4
Pierce Lv. 5
*Scatter Lv. 5
-
Pow
---
---
Prominence Bow V - 2
300 Raw / 180 Fire
0% Affinity
-
Rapid Lv. 3
Scatter Lv. 4
Pierce Lv. 4
*Pierce Lv. 5
-
Pow|Pois
---
---
(Thanks to RaX for this!)
Courageous Faith/Courageous Dream - 2
338 Raw / 110 Fire
0% Affinity
-
Pierce Lv. 3
Scatter Lv. 4
Rapid Lv. 4
*Rapid Lv. 5
-
Pow|Slp|Raz
---
---
Kut-Ku Stave G - 1
278 Raw / 180 Fire
0% Affinity
-
Scatter Lv. 3
Scatter Lv. 4
Scatter Lv. 5
*Pierce Lv. 4
-
Pow|Para|Pois|Slp
---
---
Tyrant's Wrack/Akantor Chaos Bow - 1
312 Raw / 200 Dragon
40% Affinity
-
Scatter Lv. 4
Pierce Lv. 4
*Rapid Lv. 5
-
Pow|Pois
---
---
Glorious Triumph/Glorious Victory II - 0
338 Raw / 270 Dragon
0% Affinity
-
Scatter Lv. 2
Pierce Lv. 3
Rapid Lv. 3
*Rapid Lv. 4
-
Paint Only
---
---
Dragonbow Meteor/Dragon Bow Chaos - 0
360 Attack / 220 Dragon
0% Affinity
-
Pierce Lv. 2
Pierce Lv. 3
Scatter Lv. 5
*Rapid Lv. 4
-
Pow|Para|Pois|Slp|Raz
---
---
Black Bow G - 2
300 Attack / 160 Dragon
0% Affinity
-
Scatter Lv. 4
Pierce Lv. 4
Pierce Lv. 5
*Scatter Lv. 5
-
Pow|Raz
---

That's every End-Game Bow in the game.  If you find a mistake. let me know.

-------------
Recommendations[R8]
-------------
This section, I will put a monster name, and recommend at least one Bow 
to use against it, as well as a recommended Shot Type, in case you have 
a problem with the Bow(s) I suggest. (For example, you can't get it)
Keep in mind that the bow recommendations will usually exploit the 
weakness of the enemy.  If you want to use a Raw bow, there's no problem 
with that.  I tend to use Raw Bows more often, because they are more 
versatile than the elemental bows. (More Coatings and more slots)  
I am writing these recommendations to help someone with no experience do 
the most damage they can fast, without too much requirement in strategy.  
Be aware that I am not giving strategies to fight the enemies, just 
basically information on why my recommendations are what they are, and 
what you might want to do if you cannot get the weapon I suggested, since 
the suggestions are based on the above end-game weapons.
Template:
Monster Name - Weakness
Bow Recommendation
Shot Type Recommendation
Other Notes

---
Yian Kut-Ku (Regular + Blue) - Weak to Water
Purple Warbow II
Rapid/Scatter Recommendation
Rapid to get the Ears.  If you are good at staying close, 
Scatter is a good idea, but if you are not, I then suggest Rapid.  This 
is a small monster, so your Optimal Range should be close enough that a 
level 3+ Scatter Shot should hit it completely.  If you're not sure if 
you can do good, I suggest you stay with Rapid.
---
---
Yian Garuga - Weak to Water
Purple Warbow II
Rapid Recommendation
Unlike the Kut-Ku, it is not east to stay close to a Garuga, nor is it 
recommended.  Rapid shot will be able to let you hit any part of its body 
you wish, while staying a good distance away.  Scatter will not be able to 
hit everything, and it is too small to use Pierce on.
---
---
Hypnoc/Hypnocatrace - Weak to Fire
Courageous Faith or Vicious Bow
Rapid/Scatter Recommendation
Just like the Kut-Ku, it is small and only has one breakable part.  
In this case, it's its beak.  Rapid will be able to get rid of that quickly,
which is why the Courageous Faith bow is suggested.  
Scatter is a good alternative, because it is also small and Pierce is a 
bad option because of that.  The Vicious Bow is a Raw Bow that has Rapid, 
so you can use that if you wish to, it has Poison Up in case you want to 
Poison it, and is a good alternative if you do have a Fire Bow.
---
---
Gypceros (Regular and Purple) - Weak to Fire
Courageous Faith, Blue Kut-Ku Stave III or Wing Bow IV
Rapid/Scatter Recommendation
This monster is slightly larger.  It's possible you can unlease the 
full power of Pierce shots, but I wouldn't recommend trying.  Wing Bow 
can put it to sleep easily, or you can use a Scatter Kut-Ku Bow to exploit 
it's weakness.  You can also use Courageous Faith to do exploit it.
---
---
Rathalos - Weak to Ice
Ice Crystal Bow II or Daora's Ippos
Scatter/Pierce Recommendation
An easy victim for a Pierce bow.  You can shoot straight between both 
it's wings, or from head to tail with a Pierce bow.  Of course, 
there's still the chance that the arrow will not hit every hit, but 
it's worth the risk if you're good enough.  Scatter Bow is the alternative 
if you do not feel confident in using Pierce.  With Scatter you can hit a 
single Wing with every arrow, breaking it easily.
---
---
Azure Rathalos - Weak to Dragon
Dragonbow Meteor, Black Bow G, or Tyrant's Wrack
Scatter/Pierce Recommendation
The same goes with Azure as above.  Even without Load Up, Tyrant's 
Wrack is still a powerful weapon, and it's middle charge is Pierce.  
Although you should never spam a Level 1 charge, a Level 2 charge is at 
least damaging.  Always remember to aim to get the most damage as possible,
this is especially true for Pierce shots.
---
---
Silver Rathalos - Weak to Water and Thunder
Dragonwood Bow Apollo, Khezu Bow II, or Great Demon Bow
Scatter/Pierce Recommendation
I'm not going to echo myself.  I suggest the Great Demon Bow because 
it is a powerful Rapid bow.  If you are going for something specific, 
you may want to use that bow instead of the other two, as it is easier 
to break specific parts with a Rapid Bow.
---
---
Rathian (Regular and Pink) - Weak to Dragon
Dragonbow Meteor, Black Bow G, or Tyrant's Wrack
Scatter/Pierce Bow Recommendation
Read Azure Ratahalos for Other Notes, it's almost exactly the same monster.
---
---
Gold Rathian - Weak to Thunder
Dragonwood Bow Apollo, Khezu Bow II, or Great Demon Bow
Scatter/Pierce Recommendation
Read Azure + Silver Rathalos for Other Notes, it's almost exactly the 
same monster.
---
---
Khezu - Weak to Fire
Blue Kut-Ku Stave III or Vicious Bow
Scatter Recommendation
Khezu leaves itself open ALL the time.  Because of this, you can be 
practically on top of him and not get hit (Don't stay too close, if you 
get killed because you get too close, don't blame me).  Because of this, 
Scatter is the perfect weapon against him.  I only recommend Vicious Bow 
because Poisoning him is fun.
---
---
Red Khezu - Weak to Water
Purple Warbow II or Queen Blaster V
Scatter Recommendation
Same reason as Regular Khezu.  Purple Warbow II is Water, which is its 
weakness.  There are no Level 3+ charged Scatter Bows, so Queen Blaster V 
is a recommendation because it has Poison (Which is still fun), and it 
is Scatter.
---
---
Basarios - Weak to Dragon and Water
Purple Warbow II or Glorious Triumph
Rapid Recommendation
Basarios becomes extremely easy to kill if you break the belly/chest plate.
With Rapid, this becomes extremely easy.  Since attacking it after it is 
broken results in more damage, you will want to continue to attack that 
once it is broken.
---
---
Congalala - Weak to Fire
Courageous Faith or Blue Kut-Ku Stave III
Rapid/Scatter Recommendation
I recommend using Rapid, but Courageous Faith is a hard weapon to get
compared to the enemy you are fighting. You want to break the head piece 
with FIRE to recieve special rewards.  The next best option is Scatter.  
---
---
Green/Emerald Congalala - Weak to Ice
Ucamulbas Bow or Abominable Bow II
Rapid Recommendation
Same reason as above, except in this case you do have Rapid Ice Bows.
Breaking the head with Ice will give special rewards as well, so the 
above remains true.  A good idea is to stay away from the rear end...it's 
much worse than regular Congalala.
---
---
Daimyo Hermituar - Weak to Fire and Thunder
Blue Kut-Ku Stave III, Great Demon Bow or Annhilator Bow
Scatter/Rapid Recommendation
Take this into note now:  You cannot break Hermituar shells with a Bow.
It is impossible.  Because of this, you want to break the claws.  
Rapid shot is a good idea for this, and a Scatter shot is a good alternative.
The claws are small, and so is the monster in general, a Pierce shot 
probably won't be as effective.  Annhilator Bow is an amazing Rapid Bow,
it's a good idea to bring it if you can.
---
---
Purple/Plum Daimyo Hermituar - Weak to Ice
Ucamulbas Bow, Abominable Bow II or Annhilator Bow
Rapid Recommendation
Same information as above, the shell is still unbreakable by bows, 
but the claws are not.  You can get some good shots in at almost all
times with a Rapid Bow.
---
---
Shogun Ceanatuar (Regular and Red/Terra) - Weak to Thunder
Sonic Bow G, Khezu Bow II or Great Demon bow
Rapid/Scatter Recommendation
Shogun can be really annoying when it comes right down to it.
It's fast, unpredictable, and painful.  Rapid is a priority so you can
break the claws as fast as possible, because when it's angry, it can 
practically hit you no matter what you're doing, or where you're going.
Scatter is a good shot for knocking it down easily, you can hit both of 
its legs at once, then you can wail away on its arms while it's down.  
Try to bring Para Coatings, it being Paralyzed is a giant plus when 
fighting it.
---
---
Blangonga - Weak to Fire
Blue Kut-Ku Stave III or Courageous Faith
Scatter/Rapid Recommendation
Breaking it's fangs is a very good idea, and the best (and possibly the 
only) way to break them is with a fire weapon.  Apparently breaking the
fangs stops this monster from summoning Blangos to assist it in combat.
(RaX)    After the fangs are broken, shooting both legs on one side with 
a Scatter shot is a great idea.  Since practicaly the only thing you 
can hit when  it's on its side are the leg/arm, it's easy to trip him.
---
---
Brown/Copper Blangonga - Weak to Ice
Ucamulbas Bow or Ice Crystal Bow II
Scatter/Rapid Recommendation
Same as above.  Just remember that Brown and Regular Blangongas are 
two different monsters.  The same stratgey won't work, but tripping 
it will leave the same oppertunities.  Note that Brown Blangonga does
not summon Blangos.
---
---
Plesioth (Regular and Green) - Weak to Thunder + Paralyze 
(No extra damage from Para, but easy to start the status effect on it)
Dragonwood Bow Apollo
Pierce Recommendation
One of the biggest monsters in the game.  Because of this, 
it's very easy to get a full Pierce shot to...well pierce it.  
Dragonwood Bow Apollo has Para Coating Up, which is great for you 
and your team when fighting a Plesioth, not to mention that it's weak 
to Para.  Aim for the head at all times, and make sure your shot 
will go straight through, and you'll have little to no trouble at all.
---
---
Naruga Kuruga/Narga Kuga - Weak to Fire and Thunder
Blue Kut-Ku Stave III or Devil Blos Bow
Any Shot Type.
Because of the long tail, a correctly aimed Pierce shot will go 
straight into a Naruga and never leave.  Note:  Don't try to cut 
the tail of Naruga, it has over 1300 health and it'll never happen 
if you're the only one trying to do it.  Remember that it's just 
like a Tigrex, in the fact that both its arms can be broken.  
It's hard with a Naruga, but possible, so keep trying.  Don't stick 
on top of it, it's unpredictable.
---
---
Tigrex - Weak to Thunder
Dragonwood Bow Apollo or Great Demon Bow
Pierce/Rapid Recommendation
Pierce for the same reason as Naruga, you can get all of it down 
because of it's tail, but make sure it's facing the right way...or 
you will do very few hits.  Rapid shot is great to break the arms fast.
Aim for the same arm and unleash and they will break easily.
---
---
Diablos (Regular and Black) - Weak to Ice (Black is weak to Poison as well)
Abominable Bow II, Daora's Ippos or Ucamulbas Bow
Rapid/Pierce Recommendation
Rapid shot against Diablos is a good idea.  You can break the horns 
easily with it.  On the other hand, you can use a Pierce bow and easily
get it to hit every single hit, with few troubles.  Even if you attack 
from wing to wing you can probably get all the hits in.  Scatter is just
inferior compared to the other options, only use it if you have an Ice 
bow that's scatter and nothing else.
---
---
Monoblos (Regular and White) - Weak to Thunder (White is Weak to Poison too)
Great Demon Bow or Dragonwood Bow Apollo
Rapid/Pierce Recommendation
Almost the same reasoning as Diablos, except with this, you can use 
Dragonwood Bow Apollo, which has Para Coating Up.
---
---
Gravios (Regular and Black) - Weak to Water (Black is weak to Poison as well)
Purple Warbow II
Rapid Recommendation
Rapid is a good choice.  Although the enemy is extremely large 
(In which case you can use a Pierce if you really want to), 
if you break it's chest you do double damage to the chest.  Rapid 
is the only good idea for this.  You can get most, if not all arrows 
to hit the chest once you break it and do extreme amounts of damage fast.
If you are close, and you see black smoke coming out of it, run away 
because it's about to do an explosion attack.
---
---
Rajang - Weak to Ice
Ucamulbas Bow or Abominable Bow II
Rapid Recommendation
Rapid is a great choice against Rajang, because you can break the horns
easily with it.  The Horns and the tail are the only breakable parts, 
but the horns are basically the only choice you have as a Bow user.  
Breaking the horns gets easy if you can shoot them far away and still hit,
because Rajang goes everywhere.
---
---
Volganos/Lavasioth - Weak to Water and Para
Blood Pincer Bow or Tuna Bow G
Pierce Recommendation
Think of Plesioth, except really annoying and lives in Lava.
That's Volganos for you.  Volganos is exceptionally weak to Paralyze, 
in the fact that although your shots don't add extra Para to the counter
than normal, he has a low threshold before he gets paralyzed.  
Take advantage of this with a bow like the Tuna Bow G, which has Para
Coating Up.  If you don't have one of those, just bring a Water Pierce bow,
which is useful since it's so big.
---
---
Kirin - Weak to Fire and Water
Blue Kut-Ku Stave III or Dragonhead Harp III
Scatter Recommendation
Dragonhead Harp III is the only bow that gets more use out of 
Level 1 charges than Level 3.  Since Kirin is so fast to move, 
you can take that advantage out on him easily.  This is the only time
I recommend spamming Level 1 charges, when you have that bow.  
If you don't want to do that, the Blue Kut-Ku Stave will do good enough.  
Shoot it on the side at all times, it has no wings so shooting to the 
head will miss most shots.
---
---
Kushala Daora - Weak to Dragon and Thunder
Dragonbow Meteor or Tyrant's Wrack with Load Up
Scatter/Rapid Recommendation
The main objective against a Kushala is to break it's horns.  
That's easily done with anything but Pierce.  It's also more weak to 
Dragon than Thunder, so focusing with Dragon is a better idea.  
You can paralyze it, which is why Dragonbow Meteor is a good idea.
---
---
Chameleos - Weak to Dragon, Fire, and Para
Any Dragon Bow
Any Shot Type
Chameleos is easy with any shot type or bow.  It tends to stand still 
and move for only bouts at a time so it makes it easy to line up the 
perfect shot many times.  You may want to take Para Coatings or a Neutral 
Bow with Para Coating Up, to make it even easier.
---
---
Teostra - Weak to Dragon
Dragonbow Meteor or Tyrant's Wrack with Load Up
Scatter/Rapid Recommendation
Teostra is much like Kushala, you want to break the horns first to negate 
it's shield.  You can also do this with Poison, but that's temporary.  
It has big wings, so Scatter can easiy hit those as well.
---
---
Lunastra - Weak to Dragon, Ice and Poison
Dragonbow Meteor or Tyrant's Wrack with Load Up
Scatter/Rapid Recommendation
See Teostra, basically the female form of him.  Same strategy for the 
most part.
---
---
Yamatsukami/Yama Tsukami - Weak to Ice and Dragon
Ucamulbas Bow or Dragonbow Meteor
Scatter/Rapid Recommendation
Pierce is a bad idea only because its hitspots are small and although 
he is big, I personally cannot tell if you hit him fully with a Pierce 
arrow.  Sometimes it takes until the arrow is in the middle of him to 
even hit him once, even though visually you've hit him already.  Since 
Scatter and Rapid disappear on impact, they are guaranteed hits.
---
---
Akantor - Weak to Dragon
Any Dragon Bow
Any Shot Type
Akantor is big and husky.  Any shot type will hit him fully, unless 
you miss.  Akantor is an easy monster to cut the tail off, even with a 
Bow.  Since he is so big, unless he is doing a tail whip his tail is 
usually open for a melee attack.  Learn how to detect when it is a good 
idea and you can easily cut his tail with a Bow.  
---
---
Ucamulbas/Ukanlos - Weak to Fire
Any Fire Bow
Any Shot Type
Ucamulbas is just like Akantor in every regard, except some of his attacks. 
His tail is the same way as Akantor's is as well.  Learn when to attack 
it and you will be able to easily cut it off without any trouble.  Don't 
be reckless, but you can use any weapon you feel is good.
---
---
Shen Gaoren - Weak to Dragon
Dragonbow Meteor, Black Bow G, or Tyrant's Wrack without Load Up
Pierce Recommendation
Shen Gaoren is almost as easy as a piece of pie when you have a Pierce Bow.
ALWAYS aim for his shell.  When it is broken twice, you do double damage.
The bows I recommend, make sure you fire on the Pierce Charge, which is 
either Level 2 or 3, and you'll be fine.
---
---
Lao-Shan Lung - Weak to Dragon
Dragonbow Meteor, Glorious Triumph or Tyrant's Wrack with Load Up
Rapid/Scatter Recommendation
There are 3 spots you need to aim for with a Bow.  Meleers normally 
cannot hit the Shoulders or Back with their weapons, so it's your job 
to break those parts.  A Pierce bow is a bad idea for most breaks, so a 
Rapid or Scatter bow will do the job.
---
---
Fatalis (Any Color) - Weak to Dragon
Any Dragon Bow with Rapid
Rapid Recommendation
The best place to hit a Fatalis is the face.  The best idea for this 
is with a Rapid Bow, because it is small and you shouldn't be anywhere 
near it if you like living.
---
I hope this helps someone!

-------------
Credits------[C9]
-------------
The guide itself was written by Polantaris.  My e-mail is 
[email protected].  If you see an error, or would like 
clarification on something, please e-mail me.  If you ask a question 
that is answered on this guide, you will NOT get a response unless I'm 
feeling nice.  If you would like another section on something related 
to Bow, let me know.
Thanks to:
Capcom for making this amazing game.

Ner'zhul of Minegarde for a Correction

pikachuwei of Minegarde for a Correction

eyjaynizel of Minegarde for an Armor Skill suggestion

RaX of Minegarde for several fixes, as well as a Bow I somehow missed.

Pride from Minegarde for the suggestion to add the last 2 sections, 
although I was going to do it anyway, I was lazy until you said something.

Mazereon from Minegarde for the tip about Survival.
Want to be here?  Give me a legitimate suggestion to add or a correction.

The following are allowed to have this guide on their site.  If you are 
not on this list, and I see my guide on your site, I'm gonna get pissed.  
Just ask for permission, I'll probably be fine.  Don't change the contents 
of this guide.  If you want something changed, let me know I'll do it and 
upload a change to the correct people/sites.
GameFAQs.com
Minegarde.com
neoseeker.com
sites.google.com/site/monsterhunteroutpost/
I recently allowed several sites to upload my guide, but I forgot the
names of the sites.  If I forgot to add your site name here, please
tell me.

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite: Bow Guide by Polantaris
Version 1.3, Last Updated 2010-01-03