![]() ![]() They are able to charge up, indicated by the radiating energy at the tip of the lance, and dish out a strong explosive attack referred to as Wyvern's Fire. Unlike ranged weapons, Gunlances come with preset, unlimited ammo. The use of the weapon is largely similar to the original Lance. The Shelling ability can only be used from close range and reduces the weapon's sharpness with each use. Unlike Bowguns, the Gunlance cannot fire over distances. Some of the more common items may be bought from village traders, but most materials are gathered from points in the field - from ore veins, dung piles, plants, streams and corpses.Gunlances (ガンランス Ganransu), also known as GL, are long, piercing weapons with a mechanism inside which can fire an explosive round. Picking the right equipment, preparing yourself to counter the dangers of foes and environment, will be the delineating line between those who succeed and those who rage-quit in surly frustration. Planning each excursion is the key to success. Usually, hunters will be assigned the task of heading out to exterminate a single 'boss' beast, or Wyvern, or a pack of smaller creatures. Most missions directly involve killing things. Over the course of this massive game you could be dealing with over 1500 weapons, 2000 armour sets and god only knows how many different items and crafting materials in 400 different missions. For the beginner, it's overwhelming, but in actual fact, this is a tiny, tiny sliver of the options available. Delving into the blue supply box just outside your tent reveals the tip of the complexity iceberg - besides the usual map and health potions are stacked items for sharpening your weapons, drinks to regulate your temperature, rations to maintain stamina, ammo types, arrow coatings, antifreeze solutions, tranquillisers and electrical traps. Heading out into the wilderness for the first time feels like an epic undertaking. Mastering each class isn't necessary, but a passing skill with each is certainly a great boon - many monsters' tactics will render certain weapons all but unusable. Bows and bowguns offer ranged capabilities and status attacks with specific ammo types, but crowd management and melee vulnerability become important issues. Great Swords and hammers offer the greatest offensive value, but their swings are heavy and cumbersome, with mistimed smashes leaving you extremely vulnerable to punishing counter-attacks. ![]() Pick up a lance, for example, and you'll be in a tanking role - with boosted defensive capabilities coming at the cost of a limited range of attacks. These weapon types essentially take the place of classes, each dictating different tactical approaches and abilities. In ad-hoc, everyone sees the large Wyverns in the same place, but smaller monsters are seen in different positions by each player. It's basically an extended introduction to each of the 11 weapon classes, giving rookies the chance to familiarise themselves with the specific pros and cons of each. The long tutorial process ensues will stand you in good stead if you can endure the repetition. There's a gruffly narcissistic trainer who'll school new players in the basic arts of grim butchery. But the subtleties of the task in hand quickly multiply like some kind of Byzantine, fractal wedding plan. You're here to hunt monsters: giant, epic, titanic bastard monsters who'll routinely knock seven shades out of you unless you know what you're doing. On a simplistic level, the title says it all. ![]() Turns out that patience isn't just a virtue, it's a lesson well worth learning.Įven newcomers to the series will have some idea what's going on. I'm not a patient person but, oddly, the catharsis of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite's insanely sadistic learning curve has granted me a Zen-like calm. It's not been wall-to-wall fun - there have been plenty of fist-clenching moments of pure, frustrated rage - but I've thoroughly enjoyed it. There have been so many crushing defeats over the last month and a bit, so many unceremonious spankings, roastings and straight-up surprise sexings, that I feel like I've earned that extra tiny star next to my name on the Guild Card with my very own blood, sweat and tears. It seems pathetic, now I have it in front of me in black and white, but I'm feeling tremendously proud. And no, it's not an inverted rank table - two is actually the second level, the first rung on the vertical learning ladder. After 70 hours, six weeks, dozens of missions and a great deal of inventive invective I've finally made my mark on Monster Hunter.
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