Gunlance Guide How To Use Followers And Cut Monster Tails
Are you a Monster Hunter enthusiast looking to master the Gunlance, effectively utilize Followers, and become a pro at tail cutting? You've come to the right place! This comprehensive guide dives deep into the intricacies of these essential aspects of the game, providing you with the knowledge and strategies to elevate your hunting prowess. Whether you're a seasoned hunter or just starting your journey, this article will equip you with the insights needed to conquer even the most formidable monsters.
Mastering the Gunlance: A Comprehensive Guide
The Gunlance, a unique and powerful weapon in the Monster Hunter universe, is a fascinating blend of offense and defense. Unlike other weapons that primarily focus on slashing or striking, the Gunlance combines the reach and defensive capabilities of a lance with the explosive power of a gun. This makes it an incredibly versatile weapon, capable of dealing significant damage while maintaining a strong defensive stance. To truly master the Gunlance, it's essential to understand its core mechanics, different shelling types, and how to effectively utilize its various attacks and combos. The Gunlance isn't just about mindlessly attacking; it requires a strategic approach, understanding monster attack patterns, and knowing when to unleash devastating bursts of firepower. This section will guide you through the intricacies of the Gunlance, helping you to become a formidable force on the battlefield.
Understanding Gunlance Shelling Types
One of the defining features of the Gunlance is its shelling mechanic. This allows you to fire explosive rounds at your target, dealing fixed damage that ignores the monster's armor. There are three primary shelling types, each with its own unique characteristics and playstyles: Normal, Long, and Wide. Normal Shelling boasts the highest capacity, allowing you to fire a rapid succession of shells before needing to reload. This makes it ideal for sustained damage output and quick bursts of offense. Long Shelling excels in range, allowing you to hit monsters from a safer distance. Its shells also inflict more damage and have a wider blast radius, making it effective against groups of monsters or for hitting specific monster parts. Wide Shelling focuses on single, powerful shots with the largest blast radius. It's particularly effective for staggering monsters and interrupting their attacks. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each shelling type is crucial for tailoring your Gunlance playstyle to different monsters and situations. Experiment with each type to find the one that best suits your preferences and hunting style. Remember, the right shelling type can make all the difference in a challenging hunt.
Essential Gunlance Combos and Techniques
The Gunlance offers a diverse range of attacks and combos, each serving a specific purpose in combat. Mastering these techniques is key to maximizing your damage output and effectively controlling the flow of battle. The basic attacks include the standard thrust, upward thrust, and wide sweep, each offering varying reach and damage potential. However, the true power of the Gunlance lies in its combos, which seamlessly blend melee attacks with shelling. A common combo involves a thrust followed by a shell, allowing you to deal both physical and explosive damage in quick succession. The Quick Reload is another essential technique, allowing you to instantly reload your shells and continue your assault without pause. For defensive maneuvers, the Gunlance's guarding capability is unparalleled. You can block almost any attack, minimizing damage and creating opportunities to counterattack. The Guard Reload is a particularly useful technique, allowing you to reload your shells while maintaining your guard. This keeps you safe while preparing for your next offensive barrage. Furthermore, the Wyvern's Fire is a devastating special attack that unleashes a powerful explosive blast, dealing massive damage to any monster caught in its radius. However, it has a significant cooldown, so it's crucial to use it strategically. By mastering these combos and techniques, you'll be able to seamlessly transition between offense and defense, adapting to any situation the hunt throws your way.
Choosing the Right Gunlance for the Hunt
Selecting the right Gunlance for a hunt is a critical decision that can significantly impact your success. Various factors come into play, including the Gunlance's raw attack power, shelling type, sharpness, and additional stats like elemental damage or status effects. Raw attack power is a fundamental factor, directly influencing the physical damage you deal with your melee attacks. However, the shelling type is equally important, as it determines the Gunlance's explosive capabilities and playstyle. Consider the monster you're facing and its weaknesses. If the monster is vulnerable to a particular element, choosing a Gunlance with elemental damage can provide a significant advantage. Sharpness affects the weapon's damage multiplier and how frequently it bounces off a monster's hide. Maintaining high sharpness is essential for consistent damage output. Furthermore, pay attention to any additional stats or skills that the Gunlance provides. Some Gunlances may offer increased defense, while others may grant access to valuable skills like Guard or Artillery. Before embarking on a hunt, take the time to research the monster's weaknesses and select a Gunlance that complements your playstyle and the specific challenges of the encounter. Experimenting with different Gunlances is key to discovering which ones you perform best with and which are most effective against various monsters.
Utilizing Followers to Enhance Your Hunting Experience
Followers are invaluable allies in Monster Hunter, providing crucial support and companionship during your hunts. These AI-controlled characters offer a range of abilities, from dealing damage and drawing monster aggro to providing healing and buffs. Understanding how to effectively utilize Followers can significantly enhance your hunting experience, making even the most challenging quests more manageable. Selecting the right Followers for a particular hunt, equipping them with appropriate gear, and understanding their individual strengths and weaknesses are all essential aspects of maximizing their contribution to your team. Whether you're hunting solo or with a group, Followers can provide a significant boost to your capabilities, allowing you to tackle tougher monsters and complete quests more efficiently. This section will delve into the intricacies of Followers, guiding you on how to choose the best companions, optimize their performance, and leverage their unique abilities to conquer any hunt.
Selecting the Right Followers for Your Playstyle
The diverse cast of Followers in Monster Hunter offers a wide range of combat styles and support abilities, making it crucial to carefully select the ones that best complement your playstyle and the challenges of the hunt. Some Followers excel in melee combat, wielding powerful weapons and aggressively engaging monsters. Others are more adept at ranged attacks, providing consistent damage from a safer distance. Support-oriented Followers focus on healing, buffs, and status effects, enhancing your survivability and overall effectiveness. Consider your own strengths and weaknesses when choosing Followers. If you prefer a more aggressive playstyle, a defensive or healing-focused Follower can provide valuable support and keep you in the fight. Conversely, if you favor a more cautious approach, an offensive Follower can help you deal damage and control the flow of battle. Furthermore, consider the monster you're facing. Some Followers may be particularly effective against certain monster types or have access to specific elemental attacks that exploit monster weaknesses. Experiment with different combinations of Followers to discover which ones synergize best with your playstyle and the demands of the hunt. Remember, a well-balanced team of Followers can significantly increase your chances of success.
Optimizing Follower Gear and Skills
Equipping your Followers with the right gear and skills is essential for maximizing their effectiveness in combat. Just like your own character, Followers can equip weapons, armor, and accessories that enhance their stats and provide access to valuable skills. When selecting gear for your Followers, consider their combat style and the roles you want them to fulfill. Melee-focused Followers benefit from weapons with high attack power and armor with strong defensive stats. Ranged Followers require weapons with good range and elemental damage, while support Followers prioritize armor with skills that enhance healing or buffing abilities. Furthermore, pay attention to the skills that each piece of gear provides. Skills like Attack Boost, Defense Boost, and Health Boost can significantly improve your Followers' combat capabilities. For support Followers, skills like Wide-Range and Recovery Speed can enhance their healing and support effectiveness. Additionally, some Followers have unique skills that are specific to them, so be sure to take these into account when making your gear choices. Experiment with different gear combinations to find the optimal setup for each Follower and the specific challenges of the hunt. By carefully optimizing your Followers' gear and skills, you can transform them into formidable allies who significantly contribute to your success.
Leveraging Follower Abilities in Combat
Followers are not just passive companions; they actively participate in combat, utilizing a variety of abilities to support you and hinder monsters. Understanding how to effectively leverage these abilities is crucial for maximizing their impact on the hunt. Followers will automatically attack monsters, dealing damage and drawing aggro. However, you can also issue commands to direct their actions, telling them to focus on a specific target, use a particular skill, or prioritize healing. Some Followers have unique abilities that can be incredibly valuable in certain situations. For example, some Followers can inflict status effects like paralysis or sleep on monsters, creating opportunities for you to deal massive damage. Others can provide buffs that increase your attack power, defense, or elemental resistance. Additionally, Followers can help you with gathering resources, setting traps, and even carving monsters. During combat, pay attention to your Followers' health and status, and be ready to provide healing or support when needed. Utilize their unique abilities to your advantage, coordinating your attacks to maximize damage output and control the flow of battle. By effectively leveraging your Followers' abilities, you can turn even the most challenging hunts into manageable encounters.
Mastering the Art of Tail Cutting
Tail cutting is a crucial skill for any Monster Hunter, offering a multitude of benefits that can significantly impact your hunts. Severing a monster's tail not only provides valuable crafting materials but can also alter its attack patterns, making it easier to predict and avoid its attacks. Furthermore, some monsters have specific tail-based attacks that become much less dangerous or even impossible to perform once their tail is severed. Mastering the art of tail cutting requires a combination of weapon choice, targeting skills, and strategic positioning. You need to select weapons that are capable of dealing cutting damage, aim for the tail with precision, and create opportunities to attack without putting yourself in harm's way. This section will guide you through the intricacies of tail cutting, providing you with the knowledge and techniques needed to consistently sever monster tails and reap the rewards.
Choosing the Right Weapons for Tail Cutting
Selecting the right weapon is the first crucial step in mastering the art of tail cutting. Not all weapons are created equal when it comes to severing tails. Weapons that deal cutting damage are the most effective for this task. These weapons include the Greatsword, Long Sword, Sword & Shield, Dual Blades, Lance, Gunlance, Switch Axe, Charge Blade, and Insect Glaive. Weapons that deal blunt damage, such as the Hammer and Hunting Horn, are less effective at cutting tails, as are ranged weapons like the Bow and Bowguns. Within the category of cutting weapons, some are better suited for tail cutting than others. Weapons with long reach, such as the Greatsword and Long Sword, allow you to attack the tail from a safer distance. Weapons with fast attack speed, such as the Dual Blades and Sword & Shield, can quickly build up cutting damage. The Gunlance, with its combination of melee attacks and shelling, offers a unique approach to tail cutting, allowing you to deal both physical and explosive damage to the tail. When choosing a weapon for tail cutting, consider your playstyle and the specific monster you're facing. Experiment with different weapons to find the ones that you feel most comfortable with and that are most effective against different monster tails.
Targeting and Positioning for Effective Tail Cutting
Once you've chosen the right weapon, the next step in mastering tail cutting is learning how to effectively target and position yourself for successful tail severs. Simply swinging your weapon wildly will rarely result in a severed tail. You need to aim specifically for the tail and position yourself in a way that allows you to consistently hit it. This often requires maneuvering around the monster, anticipating its movements, and timing your attacks perfectly. One effective strategy is to focus on attacking the monster's legs. This can stagger the monster, creating opportunities for you to attack the tail while it's vulnerable. Another approach is to use traps or other environmental hazards to immobilize the monster, giving you a clear shot at its tail. When attacking the tail, pay attention to your positioning. Try to position yourself to the side or behind the monster, as this will give you a better angle for your attacks and reduce the risk of being hit by its frontal attacks. Furthermore, be mindful of the monster's tail attacks. Many monsters have powerful tail swipes or slams that can easily knock you off your feet. Learn the monster's attack patterns and time your attacks to avoid these dangerous moves. Mastering targeting and positioning is crucial for consistent tail cutting, allowing you to sever tails even on the most agile and powerful monsters.
Tail Cutting Strategies for Different Monsters
Each monster presents unique challenges when it comes to tail cutting, requiring you to adapt your strategies and techniques accordingly. Some monsters have long, easily accessible tails, while others have short, heavily armored tails that are difficult to reach. Some monsters have predictable tail attacks, while others have erratic and unpredictable movements. To effectively cut the tails of different monsters, it's essential to understand their individual characteristics and tailor your approach accordingly. For monsters with long tails, weapons with long reach, such as the Greatsword and Long Sword, can be particularly effective. Focus on positioning yourself at a distance and timing your attacks to hit the tail as it swings. For monsters with short tails, weapons with fast attack speed, such as the Dual Blades and Sword & Shield, can be useful for quickly building up cutting damage. Focus on staying close to the monster and constantly attacking the tail. For monsters with heavily armored tails, shelling attacks from the Gunlance can be a valuable tool. The fixed damage of shelling can bypass the armor and deal consistent damage to the tail. Furthermore, consider the monster's attack patterns. If a monster frequently uses tail attacks, you can use these attacks as opportunities to counterattack and target the tail. By adapting your tail cutting strategies to the specific characteristics of each monster, you can significantly increase your chances of success and reap the rewards of severed tails.
By mastering the Gunlance, effectively utilizing Followers, and becoming proficient in tail cutting, you'll significantly enhance your Monster Hunter experience and become a more formidable hunter. Remember to practice these techniques, experiment with different strategies, and adapt your approach to the specific challenges of each hunt. With dedication and perseverance, you'll be able to conquer even the most challenging monsters and claim victory in the New World!
