Better Know a Weapon Part 3-Hammer-time

BY ARCHON

Monster Hunter Tri's hammer is a slow-moving (but not as slow as the Great Sword) mostly offensive weapon with a wide range of attacks.

 

Unsheathe and strike upward in one motion by pushing "x" while moving forward. Hitting "x" while standing still will prompt your character to simply retrieve the weapon from his back (though any time I'm getting out a hammer I'd want to come out swinging!). Hitting 'A' will trigger a quick horizontal strike that stops directly in front of your character; 'X' will result in a downward horizontal strike, and hitting 'A 'and then 'X' in quick succession will yield a quick two hit combo.

 

If you successfully land a downward strike, keep hitting 'X' for up to a 4 hit combo as you strike at your enemy and hit the ground, dealing elemental damage as well.

 

For many weapons holding down "R" will cause your character to block. The hammer has no blocking move so make good use of your dodges and dashes to get out of harm's way. Instead, tapping or holding "R" for a second or two triggers a wide horizontal (almost diagonal-upward) attack. Keep holding "R" and your character will crouch into position and charge this attack. Hold it long enough to see a quick flash from your hammer, and you can release a devastating spinning attack perfect for clearing out those pesky jaggis. You can even move (at a pretty good pace too) while charging this attack! Be careful though as after releasing this your character is vulnerable for a few seconds while regaining his balance. Keeping this spin-move charged also depletes your stamina.

 

This weapons has medium to short range. It has none of the reach of the Great sword or the Long sword, but it on par with the switchaxes and outreaches the simple Sword and Board (shield). Oddly, it looses effectiveness and must be sharpened after a while. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to put a nail in a board and had to stop to sharpen my hammer just to get the job done!

 

The Hammer is one of my favorite weapons and has a satisfying mix of power and varied attack. Try taking it out on your next hunt!

Monster Hunter Tri Demo Qurupeco walkthrough

BY ARCHON

Someone from Capcom-unity has posted a video that serves as sort of a walkthrough of the  Qurupeco hunter on the Monster Hunter Tri Demo. There are a lot of ways to approach a hunt and your technique will most definitely vary depending on which weapon you choose, but this video is helpful none-the-less. He takes down this difficult monster rather quickly using a switch-axe (the first several times I tried this hunt I ran out of time) and imparts techniques and tips that were both new and very helpful to me, being a Monster Hunter n00b.

For instance, did you know you can roast two steaks at once? Did you know that you can jump off a cliff at a certain point in the demo and end up in a completely new area? I didn't!

 While this is not a step by step of how to beat the Qurupeco, following his lead with bring you a lot closer to victory

Better Know a Weapon Part 1-Sword and Board

BY ZANZIBAR

1st in a 9 Part Series

The sword and shield (S&S)is the go to weapon set for versatility in melee combat. It sports the fastest attack speed of any weapon in the game along with having the fastest walking speed while the weapon is drawn as well. This is balanced out by having one of the lower attack power, 4 or 5 swings with the sword and shield combo is roughly equivalent to one swing of the great sword.

S&S has a basic 4 hit combo with 3 sword swings and a shield bash to it, there is also a horizontal slice to vertical ascending that is good for hitting things overhead. The shield can even provide some offense with a 2 hit combo . Underwater things change a little with a 3 hit combo or a shield hit followed by vertical slash that makes you rise up.  The thing to note is any time you connect with the shield it counts as blunt damage rather than slicing, if you can get some head shot with it then it will daze your quarry giving you time to get some extra damage in.

On the defensive side you do have your shield which you can use to block with, it's not as complete as the lance's shield and you will stagger and take a hit to your stamina so watch out! You can attack out from behind your shield but it's only one hit and it leaves you open. The last thing to note with this weapon set is that you don't have to sheath your weapon to use most items, simply block like normal and use your potion or trap at the right time and your ready to go.  Happy Hunting!