Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin features six different kinds of weapons, all of which are previously featured in other games of the Monster Hunter series. Right from the get-go players are able to choose whichever weapon type they wish to use, although everyone starts off with an Iron Greatsword. Nonetheless, the six weapon types featured in Monster Hunter Stories 2 are the:
- Greatsword (Slash)
- Sword and Shield (Slash)
- Hammer (Blunt)
- Hunting Horn (Blunt)
- Bow (Pierce)
- Gunlance (Pierce)
All defeated Monsters will allow players to build up to three weapons from the Monsters' material. Unlike the appearance of characters in Monster Hunter Stories 2, these three weapons are locked into the game's core system. Unfortunately, there is little variety when it comes to bearing arms early on, but the large pool of Monsters helps increase the variety while retaining the clear path to which weapons new players should focus on upgrading first.
The Best Weapons to Upgrade First in Monster Hunter Stories 2
The important thing to keep in mind with Monster Hunter Stories 2 is that it is a turn-based game, where the strongest attacks are going to come from the Monsties. Unless players are using end-game weapons on weaker Monsters, the damage numbers between their Monsties and their weapons will never be equal. That doesn't mean Riders can't put up some serious damage numbers with the right weapons, or that the weapons don't matter. On the contrary, weapon types and stats are vital for breaking the parts of Monsters. New players should focus on these weapons during the beginning content of Monster Hunter Stories 2.
Kulu Duda Hunting Horn
The Kulu Duda is a Hunting Horn in Monster Hunter Stories 2 built from the materials of a Kulu-Ya-Ku. The Kulu-Ya-Ku is the first "boss" Monster that players have to fight, after which the game allows players to free roam and travel to the Smithy to check out all the gear of the Kulu-Ya-Ku. If awarded with a Kulu-Ya-Ku plume, and four other points worth of material, players should sell the Kulu-Ya-Ku plume for 100 Zeni. This will allow them to purchase the Kulu Duda for 1100 Zeni, instantly increasing their damage potential.
Kulu Duda is the only weapon at the beginning of the game with a seven percent Crit Rate. Not just the only Hunting Horn, but the only weapon. In fact, no other weapon has that high of a Crit Rate percentage for a while throughout Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. Additionally, Kulu Duda comes with three unique skills perfect for countering Monster attacks while players have low-level armor:
- Iron Defense grants increased resistance to all elements, for all allies
- Blast has a chance to inflict Stun on all enemies
- Saver grants a chance of not consuming an item after use, for five turns
The Kulu Duda Hunting Horn deals blunt damage and can deal up to 29 points of raw damage once it's fully upgraded. As players travel around Hakolo Island they should be fighting other Kulu-Ya-Ku, Aptonoth, and gathering materials to sell for Zeni so they can upgrade this Hunting Horn to its final state as soon as possible.
Chicken Decapitator Great Sword
The Chicken Decapitator is the actual name of the Great Sword that can be built from the materials of the Yian Kut-Ku in Monster Hunter Stories 2. Great Swords deal slash damage, one of the three types of damages associated with weapons that help break the parts of Monsters. Defeating a Yian Kut-Ku is not easy, and most likely won't be the best course of action straight out of the gates of Mahana Village.
Players should play through the first solo mission with Ranmar, the Monster who originally belong to Kayna. Kayna and her new Monstie will re the player as they explore Hakolo Island. Adding these two extra party makes fighting Yian Kut-Ku much easier in the beginning phases of the game. Yian Kut-Ku can be found in Rare Monster Dens, but shorty after Kayna res players a Yian Kut-Ku will need to be fought as part of the main storyline. Players should seek the Chicken Decapitator in Monster Hunter Stories 2 because it:
- Deal 38 fire-type damage at its max upgrade
- Is the easiest Great Sword to acquire that deals that amount of damage
- Has the highest Crit Rate (five percent) of any Great Sword this early
Fully upgrading the Chicken Decapitator will take a little more time than the Kulu Duda, but exploring Monster Dens and gathering every material should make the job go by quickly. Other Monster materials will be needed to fully upgrade the weapon, so be sure to check in with the Smithy to see which parts are needed to upgrade each level before heading out into the wild. Players who find themselves strapped for Zeni should consider following Kelbi around in Hakolo Island for Stones, and mining everything they see. There is a repeatable Subquest that awards 1200 Zeni for players who deliver 10 Stones.
Blooming Arch Bow
The Blooming Arch Bow is a bow made from parts of a Pukei-Pukei. It is the most powerful weapon that deals pierce damage at this stage of Monster Hunter Stories 2. The Pukei-Pukei is first encountered shortly after the Yian Kut-Ku, and players shouldn't need to hunt more than two or three of the poisonous bird-like Monsters in order to have all the parts they'll need to fully upgrade this Bow. They'll have to slay a couple of Bnahabra, as the final upgrade requires three of the Monster Fluid item.
The Blooming Arch Bow is a pretty costly weapon to fully upgrade, but by now players should have gathered plenty of trade-exclusive materials or completed Subquests like the Bottle Cap Subquests to earn the necessary amount of Zeni. Additionally, fast travel will be unlocked, so players can cash in on the easy subquests with level time in between gathering materials. This Bow is 100 percent worth the price, as some Monsters early on are resistant to both slash and blunt damage. The Blooming Arch Bow's prominent features in Monster Hunter Stories 2 are:
- 42 damage at max upgrade
- Four percent Crit Rate
- Rpd-Fire/Psn Coating arrows
Bulldrome Armor Bonus Info
ittedly, the Bulldrome Hammer may be a better option for a blunt weapon this early on in Monster Hunter Stories 2, but players looking to mix and match good armor with lower grind time should put this material towards fully upgrading a set of Bulldrome Armor. Its ive skill makes winning fights much easier. The skill is HtH Master (S), causing the Kinship Gauge to fill up faster when players and their Monsties win Head-to-Heads. Bulldrome Armor generally fills up the Kinship Guage somewhat faster on its own as well. This armor makes the grind for all the Monster parts much easier, and players will find boss fights much easier to win with it on.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is available for the Nintendo Switch and PC.