With Monster Hunter games, there are two things that people will take out of it: the giant monsters you hunt down, and the weapons that allow you to do it. For as much as we talk about the monsters, we usually don’t consider the variety of weapons the series has had over the years. Starting with only seven weapon types, it has doubled to cover a wide range of hunting options. From giant blades to transformation weapons, the series has gone up and beyond to allow for a variety of choices when you go out to hunt. While it is fun to think of the weapons we have to use, one can’t help but ask about the chances of going one step further and perhaps bring even more weapons.
Monster Hunter World did not introduce new weapons to the game, but it improved on what we have. The main thing to consider would be that while there were, so many changes done to touch up the overall game, this would also be a great time to consider new hunting options for those who want to branch out. Is this to say these should replace any of the 14 established weapons? No. But it would help to compliment what weapons came before and could allow for more variety for those who wish to have a new way to take down monsters. So what methods of hunting could we see in later installments? Let’s find out.
1) Taking a more “Hands-On” approach to Hunting
Love the Street Fighter Representation, but can we do actual punches to the monsters, please?
For as much fun as it is to hunt monsters with a variety of weapons, sometimes you want to run up to a monster and slug it across its face. The funny thing though is that punching weapons aren’t a foreign concept to Monster Hunter, since Tonfas are in Monster Hunter Frontier as an exclusive weapon. One has to wonder though if we could further expand on what Tonfas started and allow punching and kicking. The best way to explain this would be something like “Beowulf” from the Devil May Cry series. With the way the weapon is for hands and feet, this would allow the character to rush in and attack monsters while having a variety of moves at their disposal. Hell, we already have a Shoryuken featured in Monster Hunter; you could have callbacks to Ryu’s move set like the donkey kick and the aforementioned uppercut.
Came too close to making a Jojo reference while finding a picture to represent throwing weapons…
For the longest time, the closest thing you have to any kind of throwing weapons in Monster Hunter were throwing knives that could affect status ailments. The problem is that their use in hunts wasn’t seen much and it wasn’t a justified means to hunt compared to the weapons you had. Even those who use Bows or Bowguns could use special ammo or coatings to do a better job than knives could. It feels like it is time that throwing weapons had their time to shine in the series, but the question would be: which one to use? Would it be better to have throwing knives? or perhaps throwing javelins would offer something special?
Depending on how they craft it, throwing weapons could be the dual blades of ranged weapons. Something that wouldn’t hit hard, but the damage output would make it worthwhile. You could allow the weapons to have a simple melee string of hits to stab at monsters nearby you, but the bread and butter would be where the knives or javelins hit the monster. These weapons would also be lighter and you aren’t having to carry around anything that may be too heavy to put away. The only drawback to consider would be the endless supply of weapons and where the hunter keeps pulling them from. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility in Monster Hunter, but it isn’t like the throwing weapons are your standard arrows.
3) The possibilities of Hybrid Hunting: Giant Boomerang
Another throwing item that has felt rather under-utilized is the Boomerang. Boomerangs have been a requested ranged weapon to see in-game. In Monster Hunter Generations, it had its time to shine with players if they did their hunts as Prowlers. While it would be nice to see Prowlers in Monster Hunter World, it’d be amazing to see a proper use of Boomerangs in the hands of hunters. With the recent change to armor sets where gunners can wear anything, it could be the best time if any if we had our first “Hybrid Weapon.” A weapon that can do both close range and long range combat. The possibilities of boomerang weapons could range as far as how far you can throw it.
Zhu Rong from Dynasty Warriors. A fine example of how you can make a Giant Boomerang weapon work.
Depending on how big we want to make the boomerang, it could share the same concept as the Great Sword or the sword with no shield. If attacking at close range, you could swing the boomerang just like any other melee weapon. If you need to keep your distance, you can toss it to attack the monster and have it come back to you. The boomerang could be just like the bowguns where you can have light boomerangs and heavy boomerangs. The only issue that one could think of about using giant boomerangs would be how they can return to you after you throw it. Considering though that if you live in a world where airships are real and have mountain-sized elder dragons walking around, the workings of a boomerang would be the least of one’s concerns.
4) To Flail in Spectacular Fashion
While ranged weapons are almost outnumbered 5-to-1, there is another kind of weapon that somehow has even less representation in-game: blunt weapons. It’s weird to consider, but all we have are Hammers and Hunting Horns. So it would be a nice to add more weapons that can break off parts of the monsters and include more KO options. The question would be: what other kinds of blunt weapons would you use? A ball and chain combo would be neat to see, but we could take that a step further and add a brand new “transformable weapon.” One in which allows you to have what would be like two separate play-styles.
Can’t go wrong with a good Ol’ Ball and Chain weapon.
Enter the Flail. Much like how part of the Charge Blade’s move set almost emulates the Sword and Shield, the flail would play almost like a mix between the Hunting Horn and the Switch Axe. It would be a giant blunt weapon to smash against the head of monsters, but one that might build up a charge as you attack the monster. From there, you can choose when you want to deploy the chain and drops the ball on the ground. Whether if the ball drags around with you, you carry it with you or is at a fixed location, you can then swing around the ball and do more powerful attacks that could also cover a wide area around you. It would be a fun way to take down monsters while inflicting them with KO.
5) Whipping monsters into submission
Only one proper representative to showcase this weapon here.
Another weapon suggestion that is a melee weapon with some range to it would be the whip. A weapon that is rather popular in fiction, a whip is a tool designed to strike animals or people to help aid in guidance or exert control through pain compliance or fear of getting whipped. You can say there are those who use the whips for more than just control as they are workable weapons in their own right. For as much as a regular whip can do in the right hands, part of me wonders the form it should take in Monster Hunter. Would it be like Catwoman or Indiana Jones? or would you add something extra to it to make it more intimidating?
For as great as a regular whip would be in-game, another variant of whips would attach a sword which can break off into fragments and cut enemies from a distance. While we wouldn’t be going “Ivy-levels” of how to use the Chain Sword, it could provide a fascinating approach to using the sword itself. Start off by attacking the monster at close range while switching out to the chain sword to strike monsters from a distance. Otherwise, you can have a few ways you could make the whip by itself work like a charm and provide a means to keep your distance from rampaging monsters while whipping them into shape.
6) Fighting Monsters with Monsters!
In the time leading up to Monster Hunter Generations, Capcom announced that Palicos as playable for the first time ever. While it wasn’t game-changing by some, it was a welcomed change to have a whole new style of hunting with a whole new move set. It is unknown (and unlikely) that we’ll see Prowlers return soon, but it makes one wonder if they might further expand on doing hunts when you’re not using your hunter. It’s fun to be a hunter, but we could enable another playable character we can use. There was a tease for two possible weapons that could have been in Generations, with one of them being a weapon that allowed you to command a Hunting Hound.
Go Mr. Fluffykins! Bite that tail off that monster!
It is possible that this could still work, but part of me feels like commanding a hound might be too technical since it would almost be like having someone else doing the hunt for you. So why not allow for a different possibility where perhaps instead of using a hunter, you perhaps use monsters instead? While this would allow for a variety of new possibilities to use those you hunt, the only limitation would depend on whether or not you can use the main staple of monsters or limited to small monsters like Jaggis. Still, if Monster Hunter Stories can give you the chance to hunt with monster companions, why not allow the main staple do so too? I want to punch monsters in the face with Brachydios!
7. Where’s My (Mini-)Dragonator!?
If you are someone who has had the pleasure of hunting down gigantic Elder Dragons, you know of that special weapon. Even if it’s used once during a hunt, it packs one hell of a punch: the Dragonator. Something about being able to puncture a monster with a powerful piercing attack is an amazing feeling when it lands. The only shame is that outside of those hunts (or in World where it is almost like an assist in the arena), we don’t get to see it used much. Wouldn’t it be great if we had a spin-off of this weapon you can take with you on the go?
Now imagine having one of those spears attached to a weapon and you can use it to impale monsters as you wish.
Whether if you call them Charge Rams or Mini-Dragonators, the function would emulate its much bigger counterpart. You use a weapon that fires the ram with built up pressure. You can attacks either with short bursts or you can charge up for a more powerful blast. These could set it up where the weapon would operate like the Gunlance where after several shots, you need to reload or wait for pressure to build up again, forcing hunters that use this weapon to pick their moments. There were other suggestions like “pointing it upwards” or “use the weapon to launch self off ground, but part of me would want to keep it simple for now and expand on it later on.
8. All good things come in pairs. Even Bowguns.
If there were any weapons that got a massive buff in Monster Hunter World, it was the Bowguns. While “moving and shooting” sounds like a basic action, it wasn’t until this most recent entry you could finally do that. Using a bowgun doesn’t turn the game into a third person shooter, but it stills allow you to have a better chance to avoid those attacks while dumping ammo into the monster. Where there are differences between the light and heavy versions, it feels like the series is long overdue for a new bowgun type. So why not take the good ol’ John Woo approach and dual wield?
And don’t say dual wielding crossbows is impossible if we show how it can work fine in Hyrule Warriors.
The concept for Dual Wielding Bowguns (or as some have called it: “Hand Bowguns”) is straightforward. You would have the Monster Hunter equivalent of Handguns in both hands and can use it to attack monsters from a distance. Because the bowguns are much smaller than the regular sized bowguns, the damage output would not be as significant in comparison. Much like the Dual Blades though, it isn’t the raw attack power as it is for the number of attacks it can put out while also being much lighter compared to the other bowguns. Because of this, you might have an ability like the Long Sword where you can evade while performing an attack. As for mods you could apply, perhaps one could be one to extend out the clip or makes reloading faster. Either way, it would be neat to give gunners another actual gun to use.
9) Reaping the monster
For those of you who have played Monster Hunter games, you already know Scythes already exist. The issue though is that the scythes are still apart of long swords, and it can feel weird to see pole-arm weapons using the same motions. It’d be nice see the farming tool turned to weapon of Death gets expanded on to showcase how deadly it can be. The question for this weapon would be if it should go big or could have the potential to be one more Hybrid weapon. And when it comes to talking about “Transforming Scythe Weapons,” one particular web series comes to mind.
Yeah… Could have shown Ruby’s Scythe, but Qrow’s looks more killer in comparison.
It takes a few levities to roll with something that would be a mix of a Gunlance and Ruby’s Crescent Rose from RWBY. Something like a Scythe that would not only have a long reach and a giant blade but at the end would be an opening to fire at monsters. While it would be a fun to see a Scythe-Shaped Gunlance, part of me also would find it fun if perhaps instead of having ammo to fire at monsters, perhaps it could take a page out of Squall’s gunblade where with each swing, attacks could do additional damage by using the ammo inside. No matter the form it takes, another pole weapon would be a fun weapon to see come to Monster Hunter.
10. Charging into battle with nothing but a Shield on your back.
For the longest time, the shield part of weapons didn’t see much action outside of defense. While they aren’t meant to be offensive, shields in media today are taking off as workable weapons in their own right. Captain America, Spartans, and even Goofy, we’ve seen a wide showcase what you can do with the giant hunk of metal strapped to your arm and using it as a blunt instrument of pain. It would be nice to see more Shield-Type Weapons in-game, but it could be more fun to have just the shield itself with no additional weapons. And while small shields would be a fun idea, a bigger shield would probably be the better way to go.
Could have gone with Captain America, but Goofy knew how to use that shield of his.
Much like the Lance, the Shield would allow you to take attacks from monsters. The bonus here, however, would be that without the said lance, the shield user has more movement options in terms of counter-attacks. While the tradeoff would be a lack of reach compared to other weapons, it can still be fun to run up to monsters and sock them in the face. Perhaps, you could even allow the shield to protect from back attacks when you have it strapped to your back. It wouldn’t negate the damage but could soften the blow. Either way, it would be fun to see how players can use the shield and how we could use more “Defense turned Offense” weapons.
Conclusion: Does Monster Hunter need more weapons when we already have 14?
It is fun to speculate the possibilities, but we have to ask ourselves one question: Is it necessary? With what we already have, another weapon type would mean many more hours of having to design a whole weapon tree while ensuring a balanced weapon. When Charge Blade entered Monster Hunter, players called the weapon, “overpowered” and had many players going to it as their primary weapon. These weapon suggestions aren’t meant to replace what we have, but to compliment what is already there. It is difficult to say if we will see more come out later on, but much like the new kinds of monsters that find their way into Monster Hunter, you can say the same thing about the ways to hunt them down.
So what do you think? What kinds of weapons would you like to see come to a future Monster Hunter game? Be sure to leave a comment down below and follow us here at Culture of Gaming for more on Monster Hunter and other gaming editorials.
