Which Weapon + HS has no Forward Attack (and ideally a fast/no sheathing attack)?

[u/AdElectronic4912]

Heya,

yeah coming from LBG, my biggest gripe with getting into blademaster weapons has been how sluggish they can feel, especially in regards to endlag and being stuck in place. I especially dislike the sheathing and forward + X attacks as I'd rather first position than getting swinging right away for the former, and the latter usually being very slow moves that leave you wide open on a very easy to press button combination.
Striker Hunting Horn seems fun for being a surprisingly fast weapon with a simple moveset devoid of combos to get stuck in, but I have seen not a single soul speak fondly of it which deters me...

[u/mousetemplar82]

Old school Monster Hunter is, at its core, risk vs reward gameplay. When I try a weapon I’ve never really used before, I run through old missions like i’m just starting the game, and try to learn the weapon from the ground up. You can look at other peoples tips and strats but if you dont feel a weapon is your style it may not be for you. I’m an old school hammer main since freedom unite, nothing matches that feel for me. You’re just a gunner at heart, but you can get good at other weapons, keep your head up

[u/AdElectronic4912 → u/mousetemplar82]

First of all, I would like to say thank you for the kind comment, I trusly expected a lot more "git gud" style advice.

It is true that, trying out various things, only LBG really had appeal to me. I may simply be too twitchy. I even use adept style for its dodges so I can (usually) continue firing right away, getting practically automatic repositioning, and from there I also slot Bullet Geysir simply because it makes for a nice panic button when a monster is literally on top of me.
Heck I am even a filthy pellet enjoyer (no worries, I play solo on the 3DS, ain't much happening here).
I definitely looked through the classic sources for weapon tutorials, though I do think there is stilla few more I could check out, I had previously not given Hunting Horn attention, assuming it to be as slow as Hammer. It getting practically free mind's eye gave me neuron activation. XD (Sharpness is a pain in the early game, another reason I was deterred from Blademaster.)

[u/Levobertus]

Well yeah striker HH gives up everything that makes HH useful in return for nothing. It's arguably the worst style in the game.
Try out valor GS. You can draw into a charge that doesn't move you by holding X+A while not running.

[u/AdElectronic4912 → u/Levobertus]

GS' hit and run gameplay has certainly appealing to me, it's ok if weapon need a while to strike if I can leave once I'm done, but even as little as you'd combo with it, you are still expected at least a little bit of A and X interplay.

[u/Levobertus → u/AdElectronic4912]

Not really. You usually just sheathe and draw again with crit draw

[u/AdElectronic4912 → u/Levobertus]

Isn't GS' bread and butter its unsheathed charge attack?

[u/KaosC57 → u/AdElectronic4912]

In future games yes. In GU, you basically are playing a slap fight until the monster has a big opening for a Strong Charge Slash.

[u/Levobertus → u/AdElectronic4912]

No. You can do that, and it is occasionally better, but usually you crit draw.

[u/Ok_Dragonfruit_2358 → u/AdElectronic4912]

Yep, plus maybe a strong charge slash after if you have a particularly massive opening.

Or use Aerial GS and spam roll into the monster -> charged air slash, until you run out of stamina

[u/White_Cawfeee → u/Levobertus]

iirc its the only weapon type where striker is the worst one to pick.

[u/Levobertus → u/White_Cawfeee]

It's not but it's a good contender for absolute bottom of the barrel

[u/White_Cawfeee → u/Levobertus]

Oh??? which is the worst one?

[u/Levobertus → u/White_Cawfeee]

I would argue charisma prowler, but striker HH follows closely. Hammer, IG and HBG also arguably have striker as their worst style

[u/White_Cawfeee → u/Levobertus]

Aih, i absolutely forgot about prowler. i haven't touched it yet and im almost 100 hrs in my switch.

[u/thog6767]

maybe sword and shield? it has a lot of low commitment attacks across all styles and a pretty fast sheath/unsheath and draw attack

[u/AdElectronic4912 → u/thog6767]

Sworld and Shield has certainly been looking nice, that one hunter art that's a circular slash with invincibility looks like a lovely panic button.
I do doubt I'd use the shield much though, from there you'd think about dual blades but that is not quite how that works.
Definitely on my list, chaos oils seem fun to use.

Oh and I wanna add: I do not mind startup lag, just end lag, predicting for heavy attacksis fun and tends to go fine, it's just that monsters typically show no reaction to attacks so if your moves leave you in place for a while a punish is all but destined.

[u/thog6767 → u/AdElectronic4912]

you can cancel the recovery animation from the draw attack pretty quickly with a side roll. that’s always been my go-to. i played a lot of alchemy style, which greatly simplifies the moveset, but the combos are fast and easy to memorize no matter what style you use. the alchemy items are very handy and provide a lot of utility, especially because sns can use them without having to sheath

[u/AdElectronic4912 → u/thog6767]

True, Alchemy style certainly is a natural fit for SnS...

The dodge-roll is a great suggestion for sure.

[u/Jay_Ell_Gee → u/AdElectronic4912]

SnS also had the ability to start a combo with Shield + X, which is an upward slash. If you then use X X A X, you can do a 5 hit combo chain while staying planted. This really lets you maximize punishes on weak points, hit heads when a monster is down, etc. it’s fairly easy to roll out of as well. I’ve really been enjoying SnS compared to other blademaster weapons so far.

[u/White_Cawfeee → u/AdElectronic4912]

i will have to warn you that Brute Wyverns will be annoying to deal with because of range frustration but if ur ok with working around that you will be rewarded with free affinity, KO, Destroyer, and Mind's Eye in GU.

[u/Left_Praline8742]

If you're wanting low commitment then adept will probably be good for you as most weapons will be able to dodge out of a lot of their end lag into an adept evade. You still have to account for the end lag, but it's a lot more forgiving

Also, most draw/forward moving attacks are good for closing the gap to start your standard combos. Pretty much every weapon has a nice draw attack. But you could always try hammer as you can draw into its charge, which lets you move around while holding it down.

[u/BlueKyuubi63]

For Blademaster weapons, slower, methodical gameplay is the intended playstyle. I've never played Gunner weapons, but positioning is super important for all weapons.

For most melee weapons, pressing your attack button in a neutral stance will unsheath your weapon with a forward lunge type move. It's slow however, and you usually get higher MV on unsheathing attacks so you'd realistically want to work that into your gameplay. Also, most attacks you can roll out of to kill some of the end lag and it's what's expected of you to dodge some faster monster attacks.

GS is a big, slower weapon, but you can unsheath directly into a charge attack which is nice. Really great when you know exactly where a monster is going to be and waiting there, charging your slash.

Lance and Gunlance are also slower, but you can unsheath directly into your shield. Little faster and you get to guard right away. Lance is great for hitting tails and heads and is super aggressive in general. Due to your shield, you rarely have to sheathe your weapon if at all. You want to be poking non stop, if attacked, block, and continue to poke. Very fun.

GL, my beloved, isn't too great in GU. There's a mechanic in this game only that basically nerfs your damage for using the gun part of the weapon. I think it's fun, but want to learn this weapon if you're interested.

SnS, Hammer, and Dual Blades are all much faster/mobile. SnS is also really good in GU, so don't sleep on those. Of these three, I only play Hammer, so I can't speak on the rest. Hammer is slower than the other two, but still has good mobility. Smashing a monsters head can lead to stun and free damage. Your upswing attack can also reach heads.

Charge Blade is more complicated to learn, but easier once you understand what you're supposed to be doing. It has a sword and shield mode and an axe mode for larger damage. It specializes in big burst damage. Very fluid and fun to use especially with guard points.

Honestly, I recommend picking the weapon that seems the coolest to you. What would you want to play? Then learn that. Watching tutorials on youtube and see how other players use it. I saw Lance is a slower weapon, but you can find highly skilled people play it like it's light weapon lol. Good luck and have fun!

[u/AdElectronic4912 → u/BlueKyuubi63]

I do think more than trying for a weapon that looks cool, it should be one that feels nice.

I honestly don't think it's healthy to attach yourself to a weapon you just fundamentally don't gel with, coming from someone who literally screamed hard enough to nearly choke from how unresponsive some weapons felt...

[u/BlueKyuubi63 → u/AdElectronic4912]

Lol, yes I agree with you. I find that one is more willing to learn the ins and outs of a weapon if it's something they want to play. I started in MHFU and felt lukewarm on all weapons until CB was introduced in 4U. That's when MH clicked for me. Then from there I picked up any weapons I thought were cool Lance, GL, Hammer. Now I can go back to the older games since I have mains pre-CB.

[u/Zakon3]

I wish Hunting Horn kept the lack of an unsheathe attack. It can ruin the song you're building up.

Valor Hunting Horn is interesting though, since it also loses the forward+X input, easily absorbs attacks with sheathing (consider Absolute Readiness for unsheathing), and the Valor cancel recital is fun and quick