Monster Hunter Stories 2: 6 Useful Early Game Tips

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin builds off its predecessor and the rest of the Monster Hunter franchise to make a beautiful, unique JRPG that’s really unlike anything else out there. This is a game designed for newcomers and hardcore fans. It might look simple on the surface, but there’s a lot more going on — if you’re an average JRPG player, this game can be completely overwhelming. There’s a lot of small features it absolutely does not explain, leaving you to figure out the details all on your own.

So we’re going to offer a few tips and explanations to help. These are the things I wished I knew before diving in — and they took me way too long to figure out. If you want to get more money, get huge damage buffs, or unlike even more customization options, we’ve got the tips you need below. Everything else? They do a pretty good job explaining it in-game.

One thing we don’t mention below? Don’t forget to upgrade your Prayer Pot as much as you can. Think of it like a dumpster where you can deposit your junk after each session. The more you upgrade it, the longer-lasting your bonuses will be. And those bonuses can be a life saver.

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Pay Attention To The Icons In Battle

The game does a good job explaining how to use the three types of attacks — Power, Speed, and Technical. Each type is strong (or weak) to a different type, and figuring out which to use will give you a variety of different advantages. Your Monstie will also tend to use the same type of attack every turn, so choose the right Monstie for the job once the battle gets going.

NOTE: Swapping weapons is a free action! So don’t be afraid to do it often.

But there’s more to battles than just attack type. Weapon type is incredibly important too. There are three damage types — slashing, piercing, and blunt. Equip three weapons (one of each type) so you’re prepared for any encounter. Monsters often have high defense for 2/3 of these damage types, and you’ll see what monsters are strong or weak against when you select them in battle. There are three damage type icons that will appear after hitting the enemy monster with at least one of each weapon — if the enemy monster has high defense against a certain weapon type, the icon will appear with a red slash through it. That means all your attacks are almost useless! Don’t let this happen to you. Get all three weapon types from the Blacksmith ASAP.

Hatch As Many Eggs As Possible For A 100% Bingo Bonus

This is only for hardcore Monster Hunter farmers, but this can be important even in the early game. Go to the Stable and you can edit your Monsties and review their Gene Info. This is where you can see what skills and bonuses they have. Genes are randomized and can be passed on to other Monsters, and eventually (with enough hatching) you’ll be able to score Bingo Bonuses.

If you’re lucky, you can get three genes of the same type to line up. The line can be in any direction or spot, it just needs to be three genes (of matching element / damage type) forming a straight line. If you get it, you’ll get +100% damage to that element or attack type. Breeding Monsties with bingos is basically required for the end-game, and its pretty important to understand (the basics) of genes early on. It can’t hurt to start farming great gene rolls!

NOTE: For the best possible genes (and Monsties), look for Dens with crystals outside — inside the den, try to grab an egg that’s heavy and smells good.

How To Fix The Camera

Think the camera isn’t responsive? You can improve that in the Settings.

Open the menu [X] and select [Options] -> Camera
Increase the Camera Speed! Boost it close to max to improve camera responsiveness.

Right away, the camera felt “off” to me. Boosting camera speed makes it feel much better. This can be done at any time, and might take some tweaking to get the best possible feel.

How To Make Any Armor Cosmetic

Any armor can become cosmetic armor in Monster Hunter Stories 2. You can make any armor set into a “Layer Armor” that you can equip at the Chest in your Home. Layer Armor is a Cosmetic Armor that

How To Get Any Layered Armor: In the town of Lulucion, find the Layer Vendor down the southern corridor.

This special vendor will only allow you to craft Layer Armor of sets you’ve already crafted once before. So, if you’ve crafted a set of armor, you can craft a new set of cosmetic armor and wear it.

How To Farm For Exp / Zenny Early

Early in the game, you’ll be desperately in need of Zenny. Zenny is the currency of Monster Hunter Stories 2, and you need it for basically everything. Want to craft new weapons and armor sets? You’ll need lots of Zenny.

To get the most Zenny for your time, take the “Roly-Poly Problems” sub-quest from the Quest Board. This quest can be repeated infinitely, and for each completion, you’ll get 1200 Zenny. To finish it, you just need to defeat x6 Konchu. Konchu can be found on the beach directly left after leaving the village, and on the small island to the right. It only takes two minutes tops, and you’ll earn enough Zenny to purchase any armor set and weapon you need in the early game. And you’ll need at least a piercing weapon to add to your arsenal.

NOTE: You can speed up farming by doubling or tripling battle speed. Press [+] to increase battle speed at any time.

When it comes to farming, try Trial Quests on the Quest Board. Any of them will work, you just need to learn the Monsters you’re fighting and select Monsties that are most likely to use attack types that counter them. You can start completing Trial Quests very early in the story, and you’ll earn extra Zenny while repeating them. Just defeat the monsters, collect the rewards, and make sure double / triple time is turned on for battles. That makes grinding much easier.

NOTE: All 5 monsters in your party will gain Exp whether they fight or not. Always keep your Monstie party full so you’re gaining the maximum amount of Exp per battle!

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