A hunter is never seen without proper equipment. In other words, your hunter in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate will always have a weapon equipped, and most players opt to wear armor. Weapons and armor both fall into one of two main categories…
Blademaster vs. Gunner
There are fourteen weapon types in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. Eleven fall under the blademaster category, while only three belong to the gunner family. Every weapon plays differently from the others. MH4U will probably start you off on the sword & shield (blademaster), because it has simple attack combos and a balanced feel. I spent very little time with the sword & shield before switching to the dual blades (blademaster), which are quick and, from my point of view anyway, fantastic for beginners. I moved from there to the long sword (blademaster), another type I’d encourage newcomers to try out.
Deciding which weapon types to try and which to avoid is completely up to the player, though. If a certain type intrigues you, give it a shot! A low-level version of each weapon type should be available in the trunk from the start of the game, and there will most certainly be ample opportunity to learn and practice any weapon you fancy.
Important: Like I mentioned above, armor also fits under either the blademaster or gunner categories. The armor you’re allowed to equip depends on your current weapon type. Don’t worry, though; any given piece of blademaster armor will have a gunner counterpart, and vice versa.
Upgrading Gear
To put it simply, weapons are upgraded with specific materials and zeni (currency), while armor is upgraded with “armor spheres” and more zeni. My only advice here? Get to know your local blacksmith and upgrade frequently! Weapon upgrades take a wide variety of branching paths based on your choices and available materials. There’s no “downgrading”, so choose upgrades carefully.
That’s all for now, folks! Next week I’ll tell you about using those weapons in combat and I’ll also delve a little bit into monster behavior. If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to leave them below! For more on Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, check out a preview here or Part 1 of this series here. See you in a week for Part 3!
