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About this mod
A compilation of tweaks to every weapon for improved (I hope) balance and game feel.
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
- Changelogs
BIG IMPORTANT NOTE TO EVERYONE:
It's been a looooong time, and I'm no longer working on this mod. I am playing Iceborne, however, specifically using the Iceborne Community Edition (ICE) overhaul mod. I highly recommend it, as it makes a pile of awesome changes to weapons that I wish I had the know-how to make myself. It's pretty neat.
Anywho, I'm not going to take down HOOT, since I did spend hours and hours on it, but I have no idea how to go about updating it for current versions or what changes I'd want to make considering the existence of ICE, which I think is a much better balance mod. Thank you all for the time you spent playing using my creation; it's great to know that I made some kind of difference out there.
- Ignitehawk
ORIGINAL POST FOLLOWS:
This is a huge compilation of weapon tweaks (many of them hitstop and motion value related) that I made for myself and friends in order to make the weapons in Iceborne feel a bit more satisfying.
INSTALLATION:
- Make sure you have Stracker's Loader installed (duh).
- Download the HOOT zip file, unzip, and copy the nativePC folder into your Monster Hunter World directory, overwriting files if necessary.
- If you want one of the optional changes, you can grab one or multiple from the Optional Files folder. Simply enter the folder you want and drag the nativePC folder inside it to your Monster Hunter World directory, overwriting if necessary.
Totally legit and not at all made-up FAQ:
Q: Can you make separate mods for each weapon? OR: Can you make [this specific change]?
A: If you don't like the changes I made to a specific weapon, or you don't like one specific thing, you can either choose not to add the specific weapon folder (I have indicated the folder number next to each weapon name in the list of changes) or edit the files yourself to whatever values you like. MHW Editor makes this quite a simple affair. Of course, if you have a specific suggestion that you think would be relatively balanced and fun, feel free to share. I might implement it into the main mod if I like it.
Q: Is this mod super cheaty?
A: The changes included are pretty modest for the most part and shouldn't affect hunt times by more than mere seconds, but since this does edit a lot of motion values and stuff, I have marked this mod as a "cheat" mod. Honestly, though, if you use it online with randoms, they probably won't even notice anything aside from the clutch attack-related stuff (see very first bullet in the list of changes).
Q: Are all of the changes you made documented?
A: I didn't start writing the list of changes until the number of changes became pretty big, so some information might be missing. That said, I remember most of what I did, so even if it's not exact, the list I have provided should give you a good idea of what's different.
Q: Why should I use this over all of the other weapon balance mods out there?
A: I have no credentials to prove that I make better judgments on balance and game feel than anyone else, aside from hundreds of hours in many MH games and a fair amount of experience with a lot of different weapons (not that it means anything; MH is addictive as heck). That said, this mod does two things I haven't seen on the Nexus as of yet: it addresses every weapon type to some extent, and it focuses on hitstop as well as motion values.
LIST OF CHANGES:
My reasons/feelings regarding each change are noted beneath each bullet like so. My estimated bias level regarding each specific weapon is also noted, from zero to three stars, followed by an explanation of how I feel about the weapon. You can maybe use this to get an idea of why certain weapons have gotten more attention than others.
All Weapons
Greatsword (WP00)
Sword and Shield (WP01)
Dual Blades (WP02)
Longsword (WP03)
Hammer (WP04)
Hunting Horn (WP05)
Lance (WP06)
Gunlance (WP07)
Switchaxe (WP08)
Charge Blade (WP09)
Insect Glaive (WP10)
Bow (WP11)
Universal Bowgun Changes
Heavy Bowgun (WP12)
Light Bowgun (WP13)
Afterword:
If you read all of those changes (or even just some of them)… wow. Thank you for listening to me ramble, and I hope you weren't horrendously offended by any of my obsessive little tweaks. I spent weeks slowly accumulating these changes, and I'm rather proud of how much I've managed to do.
I think that by and large, Capcom did a pretty great job balancing the weapons, and as such I tried to keep my changes within reasonable limits. That said, if you have any further weapon tweak suggestions, feel free to post. Just remember that what I can change is limited to motion values, hitstop time, stun values, mounting damage, etc. I can't do crazy stuff like increase animation speed or completely alter movesets (as much as I'd like to). I'm just a humble spreadsheet tweaker standing on the backs of modding giants. On that note:
A HUGE Thank You to the following people:
- Stracker, for the now famous Stracker's Loader and the ClutchRework mod, which, again, this mod uses as a baseline.
- Synthlight, for MHW Editor, which allowed me to make all of these changes with a minimum of hassle (seriously, if those attacks and values hadn't been labeled I would have been completely lost).
- Jodo for MHWNoChunk, which allowed me to get access to the files I needed to make these tweaks.
- My long-time MH-playing friends, who helped me test some of this stuff and gave me feedback.
It's been a looooong time, and I'm no longer working on this mod. I am playing Iceborne, however, specifically using the Iceborne Community Edition (ICE) overhaul mod. I highly recommend it, as it makes a pile of awesome changes to weapons that I wish I had the know-how to make myself. It's pretty neat.
Anywho, I'm not going to take down HOOT, since I did spend hours and hours on it, but I have no idea how to go about updating it for current versions or what changes I'd want to make considering the existence of ICE, which I think is a much better balance mod. Thank you all for the time you spent playing using my creation; it's great to know that I made some kind of difference out there.
- Ignitehawk
ORIGINAL POST FOLLOWS:
This is a huge compilation of weapon tweaks (many of them hitstop and motion value related) that I made for myself and friends in order to make the weapons in Iceborne feel a bit more satisfying.
INSTALLATION:
- Make sure you have Stracker's Loader installed (duh).
- Download the HOOT zip file, unzip, and copy the nativePC folder into your Monster Hunter World directory, overwriting files if necessary.
- If you want one of the optional changes, you can grab one or multiple from the Optional Files folder. Simply enter the folder you want and drag the nativePC folder inside it to your Monster Hunter World directory, overwriting if necessary.
Totally legit and not at all made-up FAQ:
Q: Can you make separate mods for each weapon? OR: Can you make [this specific change]?
A: If you don't like the changes I made to a specific weapon, or you don't like one specific thing, you can either choose not to add the specific weapon folder (I have indicated the folder number next to each weapon name in the list of changes) or edit the files yourself to whatever values you like. MHW Editor makes this quite a simple affair. Of course, if you have a specific suggestion that you think would be relatively balanced and fun, feel free to share. I might implement it into the main mod if I like it.
Q: Is this mod super cheaty?
A: The changes included are pretty modest for the most part and shouldn't affect hunt times by more than mere seconds, but since this does edit a lot of motion values and stuff, I have marked this mod as a "cheat" mod. Honestly, though, if you use it online with randoms, they probably won't even notice anything aside from the clutch attack-related stuff (see very first bullet in the list of changes).
Q: Are all of the changes you made documented?
A: I didn't start writing the list of changes until the number of changes became pretty big, so some information might be missing. That said, I remember most of what I did, so even if it's not exact, the list I have provided should give you a good idea of what's different.
Q: Why should I use this over all of the other weapon balance mods out there?
A: I have no credentials to prove that I make better judgments on balance and game feel than anyone else, aside from hundreds of hours in many MH games and a fair amount of experience with a lot of different weapons (not that it means anything; MH is addictive as heck). That said, this mod does two things I haven't seen on the Nexus as of yet: it addresses every weapon type to some extent, and it focuses on hitstop as well as motion values.
LIST OF CHANGES:
My reasons/feelings regarding each change are noted beneath each bullet like so. My estimated bias level regarding each specific weapon is also noted, from zero to three stars, followed by an explanation of how I feel about the weapon. You can maybe use this to get an idea of why certain weapons have gotten more attention than others.
All Weapons
Spoiler:
- Clutch attacks tenderize/soften/wound (whatever you want to call it) in one go. "Heavy" weapons now flinch monsters with the first hit of their clutch attacks. Thanks to Stracker for his ClutchRework, the files for which this mod uses as a baseline.
There's been loads of discussion on the wounding mechanic, and the consensus has largely been that having to clutch multiple times in order to wound is super annoying. I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment.
- Knife attacks when mounting do slightly more damage, depending on which monster part you're hitting (still does 1 damage on resistant parts).
Ever feel like you're losing DPS when sitting on top of a monster? WELL, FRIEND… you're still gonna feel that way. But maybe a little less so now.
Show
- Clutch attacks tenderize/soften/wound (whatever you want to call it) in one go. "Heavy" weapons now flinch monsters with the first hit of their clutch attacks. Thanks to Stracker for his ClutchRework, the files for which this mod uses as a baseline.
There's been loads of discussion on the wounding mechanic, and the consensus has largely been that having to clutch multiple times in order to wound is super annoying. I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment.
- Knife attacks when mounting do slightly more damage, depending on which monster part you're hitting (still does 1 damage on resistant parts).
Ever feel like you're losing DPS when sitting on top of a monster? WELL, FRIEND… you're still gonna feel that way. But maybe a little less so now.
Greatsword (WP00)
Spoiler:
[Bias Level: ★ ★ ★ I play GS a lot. It's fun. It doesn't really need help in the hitstop department, though.]
- All Level 3 charge attacks now have mind's eye.
This might be my weapon bias, but I don't think a fully charged GS attack should bounce. When I made this change, I considered only giving mind's eye to the Strong Charged Slash and leaving the regular Charged Slash alone... but I realized that would just make the basic Charged Slash something most players choose to bypass, and I didn't want that.
- Tackle Lvl 2 and Lvl 3 are now multihits. MV, stun, and hitstop decreased to compensate. Lvl 2 should hit a maximum of two times and Lvl 3 a maximum of three. Damage and stun output should be slightly higher than vanilla if you connect all of the hits.
Yes, I like multi-hit attacks. Don't worry, I won't go overboard and make everything in the game multi-hit. My sharpness would not enjoy it.
- True Charged Slash (1st hit) hitstop has been decreased eeeever so slightly.
Hopefully this means less of those "Gogdamn it, I was a millisecond away from landing my True Charged Slash" moments. If I my modding powers had no limit, then I'd instead make it so landing the first hit of True Charged Slash would give you super armor until the end of the attack animation, but… I can't do that.
Show
[Bias Level: ★ ★ ★ I play GS a lot. It's fun. It doesn't really need help in the hitstop department, though.]
- All Level 3 charge attacks now have mind's eye.
This might be my weapon bias, but I don't think a fully charged GS attack should bounce. When I made this change, I considered only giving mind's eye to the Strong Charged Slash and leaving the regular Charged Slash alone... but I realized that would just make the basic Charged Slash something most players choose to bypass, and I didn't want that.
- Tackle Lvl 2 and Lvl 3 are now multihits. MV, stun, and hitstop decreased to compensate. Lvl 2 should hit a maximum of two times and Lvl 3 a maximum of three. Damage and stun output should be slightly higher than vanilla if you connect all of the hits.
Yes, I like multi-hit attacks. Don't worry, I won't go overboard and make everything in the game multi-hit. My sharpness would not enjoy it.
- True Charged Slash (1st hit) hitstop has been decreased eeeever so slightly.
Hopefully this means less of those "Gogdamn it, I was a millisecond away from landing my True Charged Slash" moments. If I my modding powers had no limit, then I'd instead make it so landing the first hit of True Charged Slash would give you super armor until the end of the attack animation, but… I can't do that.
Sword and Shield (WP01)
Spoiler:
[Bias Level: ★ ★ ☆ I have a friend who plays a lot of Sword and Shield, and I dabble myself. I feel like it's a severely underused weapon, especially considering how strong it is ever since Perfect Rush was introduced and subsequently buffed. That said, it's already damn near perfect in my eyes.]
- Perfect Rush final hit has had its hitstop increased slightly.
This move is crazy good. A slight hitstop increase won't hurt it.
- Falling Bash hitstop increased significantly on the second hit (WARNING: CHONKY). MV increased from 43/39 > 43/45. Second hit stun damage increased 15 > 30 (60 total for both hits).
Perfect rush has sadly invalidated this move for DPS, so hopefully these changes make it something that people want to use.
Show
[Bias Level: ★ ★ ☆ I have a friend who plays a lot of Sword and Shield, and I dabble myself. I feel like it's a severely underused weapon, especially considering how strong it is ever since Perfect Rush was introduced and subsequently buffed. That said, it's already damn near perfect in my eyes.]
- Perfect Rush final hit has had its hitstop increased slightly.
This move is crazy good. A slight hitstop increase won't hurt it.
- Falling Bash hitstop increased significantly on the second hit (WARNING: CHONKY). MV increased from 43/39 > 43/45. Second hit stun damage increased 15 > 30 (60 total for both hits).
Perfect rush has sadly invalidated this move for DPS, so hopefully these changes make it something that people want to use.
Dual Blades (WP02)
Spoiler:
[Bias Level: ★ ☆ ☆ I have a friend who plays Dual Blades and I'm starting to enjoy them myself.]
- Circle Slash MV increased 11/9/11 > 13/9/16. Hitstop of final hit increased slightly.
The Dual Blades do good damage, but that good damage has never come from the basic combo finisher. This should make it more fun to use.
- Demon Flurry (AKA Archdemon Mode mini Blade Dance) final hits MV increased 17/17 > 22/22. Hitstop on final hits increased somewhat.
This move costs meter and can't be canceled super easily. That last hit should feel better to land now.
- Spinning Rising Slash (special clutch link attack) MV increased 23/23 > 26/26. Hitstop increased somewhat.
This move takes absolute ages to get to and is mostly for upkeeping a wound on a downed monster. A buff to motion value might not be necessary, but with more hitstop, it feels appropriate to add damage as well. It's still an inferior damage option compared to Blade Dance.
Show
[Bias Level: ★ ☆ ☆ I have a friend who plays Dual Blades and I'm starting to enjoy them myself.]
- Circle Slash MV increased 11/9/11 > 13/9/16. Hitstop of final hit increased slightly.
The Dual Blades do good damage, but that good damage has never come from the basic combo finisher. This should make it more fun to use.
- Demon Flurry (AKA Archdemon Mode mini Blade Dance) final hits MV increased 17/17 > 22/22. Hitstop on final hits increased somewhat.
This move costs meter and can't be canceled super easily. That last hit should feel better to land now.
- Spinning Rising Slash (special clutch link attack) MV increased 23/23 > 26/26. Hitstop increased somewhat.
This move takes absolute ages to get to and is mostly for upkeeping a wound on a downed monster. A buff to motion value might not be necessary, but with more hitstop, it feels appropriate to add damage as well. It's still an inferior damage option compared to Blade Dance.
Longsword (WP03)
Spoiler:
[Bias Level: ★ ★ ☆ I think Longsword is already really good (and possibly insanely overused), but I love hitstop and LS lacks that somewhat.]
- Spirit Roundslash hitstop increased a bit.
- Iai Slash (both hits) histop increased a bit. MV increased 18/13 > 20/16 to (over)compensate.
I like hitstop. That much is obvious. If you don't like this because you want your anime sword to feel like a thousand degree knife through melted butter and not like a sword through scale, flesh and bone, you might not want to install the WP03 folder.
- Iai Spirit Slash (1st hit) hitstop increased somewhat. MV increased by 3 across the board (white, yellow, red).
It's worth noting that after some testing, it seems that a perfect Iai Spirit Slash (the one where you counter at the last moment) doesn't seem to have any hitstop, ever. I have no idea how to change this, so for now the lack of hitstop will further inform you that you successfully did the cool anime move.
Show
[Bias Level: ★ ★ ☆ I think Longsword is already really good (and possibly insanely overused), but I love hitstop and LS lacks that somewhat.]
- Spirit Roundslash hitstop increased a bit.
- Iai Slash (both hits) histop increased a bit. MV increased 18/13 > 20/16 to (over)compensate.
I like hitstop. That much is obvious. If you don't like this because you want your anime sword to feel like a thousand degree knife through melted butter and not like a sword through scale, flesh and bone, you might not want to install the WP03 folder.
- Iai Spirit Slash (1st hit) hitstop increased somewhat. MV increased by 3 across the board (white, yellow, red).
It's worth noting that after some testing, it seems that a perfect Iai Spirit Slash (the one where you counter at the last moment) doesn't seem to have any hitstop, ever. I have no idea how to change this, so for now the lack of hitstop will further inform you that you successfully did the cool anime move.
Hammer (WP04)
Spoiler:
[Bias Level: ★ ☆ ☆ I don't play Hammer a lot, but I have fun every time I do, and I'm starting to use it more often. It's such a simple and satisfying weapon.]
- Charged Jump Attack Lvl 3 is now a multi-hit move. MV, Stun, exhaust, mount, and hitstop values decreased to compensate. Output should be slightly higher than vanilla if you land three hits, and a good bit higher if you land four or more.
This was a request from a friend, and considering how hard it is to find a good opportunity for this specific attack, I think it's fun and not too broken.
- Charged Brutal Big Bang (Final Hit) partbreak modifier increased 1.0 > 1.2.
- Big Bang Finisher partbreak modifier increased 1.0 > 1.1.
- Charged Upswing partbreak modifier increased 1.0 > 1.1.
- Charged Brutal Upswing partbreak modifier increased 1.0 > 1.1.
These changes are mainly to encourage sassing charging monsters with these attacks. I also noticed that none of the hammer's moves have a partbreak modifier higher than 1.0, which feels a little weird for such a hefty weapon.
~
OPTIONAL CHANGE: Buzzhammer: This optional file contains all of the above changes in addition to the following:
> All Hammer moves that involve vertically spinning (there are only two of them) do slicing damage instead of blunt (but they can still stun things).
I liked the idea of hammer spinning so fast that it functions as a blade. This will barely affect balance and probably won't cut things super often, but it'll be hilarious when it does. Be aware that hitzones will be affected by this, so you won't do quite as much damage to a monster part with vertical spins if that part is not as vulnerable to slicing.
~
Show
[Bias Level: ★ ☆ ☆ I don't play Hammer a lot, but I have fun every time I do, and I'm starting to use it more often. It's such a simple and satisfying weapon.]
- Charged Jump Attack Lvl 3 is now a multi-hit move. MV, Stun, exhaust, mount, and hitstop values decreased to compensate. Output should be slightly higher than vanilla if you land three hits, and a good bit higher if you land four or more.
This was a request from a friend, and considering how hard it is to find a good opportunity for this specific attack, I think it's fun and not too broken.
- Charged Brutal Big Bang (Final Hit) partbreak modifier increased 1.0 > 1.2.
- Big Bang Finisher partbreak modifier increased 1.0 > 1.1.
- Charged Upswing partbreak modifier increased 1.0 > 1.1.
- Charged Brutal Upswing partbreak modifier increased 1.0 > 1.1.
These changes are mainly to encourage sassing charging monsters with these attacks. I also noticed that none of the hammer's moves have a partbreak modifier higher than 1.0, which feels a little weird for such a hefty weapon.
~
OPTIONAL CHANGE: Buzzhammer: This optional file contains all of the above changes in addition to the following:
> All Hammer moves that involve vertically spinning (there are only two of them) do slicing damage instead of blunt (but they can still stun things).
I liked the idea of hammer spinning so fast that it functions as a blade. This will barely affect balance and probably won't cut things super often, but it'll be hilarious when it does. Be aware that hitzones will be affected by this, so you won't do quite as much damage to a monster part with vertical spins if that part is not as vulnerable to slicing.
~
Hunting Horn (WP05)
Spoiler:
[Bias Level: ★ ★ ★ I adore Hunting Horn, but I've been away from it for a while because I've been trying other weapons so much recently. I don't think it needs many damage buffs considering it makes a hunting team so powerful just by playing songs. You can also raise your raw attack to pretty obscene values with a combination of Attack Up L and Self Improvement, so going too crazy with MV buffs would probably do more harm than good.]
- Left Swing now has MV equal to Right Swing (22 > 27).
I have no idea why there's such a discrepancy in damage when these attacks are basically identical. See Spyger's "Justice For Left Swing" mod for more information. Also, thank you Spyger, for reminding me about this weird detail by publishing your mod.
- Backward Encore MV increased 35 > 39 (both hits). Hitstop increased ever so slightly.
This attack makes you move in such a weird way and takes so long to use that I feel people should be rewarded for using it properly.
- Right Encore MV increased 35 > 37.
It takes a little longer to do a Right Encore, which is why everybody uses Left Encore or Forward Encore. I don't think a tiny MV boost will make it a popular option suddenly, but hey, it's only fair.
- Echo Attack given a tiny amount of hitstop.
Did you know? This is one of the few attacks in the game that has no hitstop whatsoever. Crazy stuff.
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[Bias Level: ★ ★ ★ I adore Hunting Horn, but I've been away from it for a while because I've been trying other weapons so much recently. I don't think it needs many damage buffs considering it makes a hunting team so powerful just by playing songs. You can also raise your raw attack to pretty obscene values with a combination of Attack Up L and Self Improvement, so going too crazy with MV buffs would probably do more harm than good.]
- Left Swing now has MV equal to Right Swing (22 > 27).
I have no idea why there's such a discrepancy in damage when these attacks are basically identical. See Spyger's "Justice For Left Swing" mod for more information. Also, thank you Spyger, for reminding me about this weird detail by publishing your mod.
- Backward Encore MV increased 35 > 39 (both hits). Hitstop increased ever so slightly.
This attack makes you move in such a weird way and takes so long to use that I feel people should be rewarded for using it properly.
- Right Encore MV increased 35 > 37.
It takes a little longer to do a Right Encore, which is why everybody uses Left Encore or Forward Encore. I don't think a tiny MV boost will make it a popular option suddenly, but hey, it's only fair.
- Echo Attack given a tiny amount of hitstop.
Did you know? This is one of the few attacks in the game that has no hitstop whatsoever. Crazy stuff.
Lance (WP06)
Spoiler:
[Bias Level: ★ ★ ★ Lance is possibly my favorite weapon. I've been wishing it had a good damage combo on downed monsters like Sword and Shield's Perfect Rush, but I understand why it doesn't. Its greatest strength is how safe it is at all times, but it's incredibly unpopular compared to other weapons because its damage is low and it doesn't have many flashy moves.]
- Finishing Twin Thrust now multihits on the second hit (typically hitting twice instead of once). MV decreased a bit to compensate. Damage output should be a fair bit higher than vanilla if you connect both hits.
It's a pretty niche move since you need tons of space for it, so this should make it feel worthwhile.
- Wide Sweep now deals blunt damage. MV increased from 20 > 26. Deals 15 stun and 5 exhaust.
This move was basically worthless in vanilla against large monsters because it was slower and weaker than a stab. Now it's a decent choice for helping to deal/upkeep stun without having to jump around during your combo, and won't cause your damage to fall off too much. Have fun slapping things.
- Reverse Attack now deals blunt damage. Deals 30 stun and 10 exhaust. Hitstop increased slightly.
This feels appropriate considering the change to Wide Sweep.
- Counter Thrust (AKA fully charged counter or right face button after Power Guard) MV raised 40 > 50, to match the MV of Finishing Thrust. Hitstop increased ever so slightly.
Now you don't have to fumble around with using Finishing Thrust as the best wakeup option and failing half of the time.
- Shield Attack MV increased from 14 > 20.
For an attack with some of the Lance's highest hitstop and longest startup time, it sure felt weak.
- Counter Claw MV increased 16 > 26. Stun increased 30 > 40.
Might be unnecessary, but this being one of the Lance's slowest and most stylish attacks, it ought to feel worthwhile. This change affects the part of the move where your shield slams into the monster after you successfully counter; the claw-grab part of the move and the regular clutching attack are still the same.
- MV of second hit of Finishing Thrust (Mounting) increased 10 > 15. Hitstop increased slightly.
- MV of last hit of Finishing Thrust (Mounting) increased 20 > 35.
Lance's mounting finisher has always felt rather pitiful compared to most weapons.
- Leaping Thrust no longer interrupts teammates as much.
Simple QoL change. Now teammates with Flinch Free Lvl 1 won't be bothered by the attack, so you don't have to feel bad about using it to approach. The regular ol' lance charge still nails people to the floor, though, so don't go too crazy.
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[Bias Level: ★ ★ ★ Lance is possibly my favorite weapon. I've been wishing it had a good damage combo on downed monsters like Sword and Shield's Perfect Rush, but I understand why it doesn't. Its greatest strength is how safe it is at all times, but it's incredibly unpopular compared to other weapons because its damage is low and it doesn't have many flashy moves.]
- Finishing Twin Thrust now multihits on the second hit (typically hitting twice instead of once). MV decreased a bit to compensate. Damage output should be a fair bit higher than vanilla if you connect both hits.
It's a pretty niche move since you need tons of space for it, so this should make it feel worthwhile.
- Wide Sweep now deals blunt damage. MV increased from 20 > 26. Deals 15 stun and 5 exhaust.
This move was basically worthless in vanilla against large monsters because it was slower and weaker than a stab. Now it's a decent choice for helping to deal/upkeep stun without having to jump around during your combo, and won't cause your damage to fall off too much. Have fun slapping things.
- Reverse Attack now deals blunt damage. Deals 30 stun and 10 exhaust. Hitstop increased slightly.
This feels appropriate considering the change to Wide Sweep.
- Counter Thrust (AKA fully charged counter or right face button after Power Guard) MV raised 40 > 50, to match the MV of Finishing Thrust. Hitstop increased ever so slightly.
Now you don't have to fumble around with using Finishing Thrust as the best wakeup option and failing half of the time.
- Shield Attack MV increased from 14 > 20.
For an attack with some of the Lance's highest hitstop and longest startup time, it sure felt weak.
- Counter Claw MV increased 16 > 26. Stun increased 30 > 40.
Might be unnecessary, but this being one of the Lance's slowest and most stylish attacks, it ought to feel worthwhile. This change affects the part of the move where your shield slams into the monster after you successfully counter; the claw-grab part of the move and the regular clutching attack are still the same.
- MV of second hit of Finishing Thrust (Mounting) increased 10 > 15. Hitstop increased slightly.
- MV of last hit of Finishing Thrust (Mounting) increased 20 > 35.
Lance's mounting finisher has always felt rather pitiful compared to most weapons.
- Leaping Thrust no longer interrupts teammates as much.
Simple QoL change. Now teammates with Flinch Free Lvl 1 won't be bothered by the attack, so you don't have to feel bad about using it to approach. The regular ol' lance charge still nails people to the floor, though, so don't go too crazy.
Gunlance (WP07)
Spoiler:
[Bias Level: ★ ★ ☆ I have a friend who has obsessed over Gunlance since Iceborne dropped. I think it's a cool weapon but weirdly designed in a lot of ways.]
- Wyvern Fire and Burst Fire (Mounting) can now cut tails.
Nobody asked for this, but I got tired of my Gunlance-wielding friend not helping with tail cuts because all he can do is spam explosions. Now he can help a little. Plus it's pretty fun to explode a tail off (and Switchaxe can do it already).
- Wyrmstake 2nd hit (stake insertion) MV increased 5 > 20. Hitstop increased a fair bit.
This is just the insertion part of the attack, not the stake damage ticks. Wyrmstake is a largely underused attack because it has weirdly specific aiming, only works well on weakened parts, and completely stops all of your momentum by ending your combo. I don't think this change will turn any heads honestly, but it might make the attack more fun and possibly worth the animation time.
- Wyrmstake Explosion now does 50 stun damage.
This amount of stun is the same as a single Lvl 2 sticky shot. I think it'll make Wyrmstake more fun.
- Overhead Smash now does 10 stun damage.
This change is mainly for solo players without teammates who help with stun. With Wyrmstake being difficult to land, there will be lots of times when you can't deal stun damage. While 10 isn't much, it'll stop the monster's stun counter from ticking down if you can land it occasionally. This attack still technically does slicing damage, but if you've seen the animation you'll understand why I felt like a bit of stun damage was also appropriate.
- Wyvern Fire now launches teammates into the air instead of sending their butts to the ground.
The downside is you no longer get a million iframes when this hits you. The upshot is you have control of your character again almost immediately and you get a mid-air attack. I think the benefits largely outweigh the downsides and this will lead to more fun for everyone involved.
Show
[Bias Level: ★ ★ ☆ I have a friend who has obsessed over Gunlance since Iceborne dropped. I think it's a cool weapon but weirdly designed in a lot of ways.]
- Wyvern Fire and Burst Fire (Mounting) can now cut tails.
Nobody asked for this, but I got tired of my Gunlance-wielding friend not helping with tail cuts because all he can do is spam explosions. Now he can help a little. Plus it's pretty fun to explode a tail off (and Switchaxe can do it already).
- Wyrmstake 2nd hit (stake insertion) MV increased 5 > 20. Hitstop increased a fair bit.
This is just the insertion part of the attack, not the stake damage ticks. Wyrmstake is a largely underused attack because it has weirdly specific aiming, only works well on weakened parts, and completely stops all of your momentum by ending your combo. I don't think this change will turn any heads honestly, but it might make the attack more fun and possibly worth the animation time.
- Wyrmstake Explosion now does 50 stun damage.
This amount of stun is the same as a single Lvl 2 sticky shot. I think it'll make Wyrmstake more fun.
- Overhead Smash now does 10 stun damage.
This change is mainly for solo players without teammates who help with stun. With Wyrmstake being difficult to land, there will be lots of times when you can't deal stun damage. While 10 isn't much, it'll stop the monster's stun counter from ticking down if you can land it occasionally. This attack still technically does slicing damage, but if you've seen the animation you'll understand why I felt like a bit of stun damage was also appropriate.
- Wyvern Fire now launches teammates into the air instead of sending their butts to the ground.
The downside is you no longer get a million iframes when this hits you. The upshot is you have control of your character again almost immediately and you get a mid-air attack. I think the benefits largely outweigh the downsides and this will lead to more fun for everyone involved.
Switchaxe (WP08)
Spoiler:
[Bias Level: ★ ★ ☆ I've started playing a lot more Swaxe since Iceborne. I think some of the changes they made going from older games to Iceborne are wack (being forced to morph to sword after an axe morph sweep is lame) but it's still a fun weapon. I also think axe mode doesn't feel quite as gratifying anymore, so I'm hoping to help with that.]
- Axe: Heavy Slam MV increased 72 > 80. Partbreak modifier increased 1.3 > 1.4.
By Gog, this attack should hit like seven trucks for how glorious and lengthy the animation is. However, I am a reasonable man, and a slight damage/partbreak buff will have to do.
- Axe: Overhead Slash MV increased 48 > 55.
This attack has always been a staple for quick damage on a mobile monster, and it needs a little love so that Axe mode feels more useful when monsters are actively fighting you.
- Axe: Rising Slash MV increased 31 > 32. Partbreak modifier increased 1.0 > 1.1.
Just buffing the uppercut, nothing to see here. As a side note, this attack actually had an MV of 32 in MHGU.
- Axe: Wild Swing (Left) now has a bit more hitstop than Axe: Wild Swing (Right). Buffed both right and left swings MV 21/23 > 22/24.
For some reason the left swing does more damage but had less hitstop. Weirdness. I'm keeping the uneven damage numbers, but increasing the MV a bit to make up for the chunkier hits.
- Axe: Morph Sweep tweaked and buffed. First hit is the same, but second hit MV decreased 70 > 62 and third hit MV increased 35 > 58. Hitstop on both hits increased somewhat. 2nd and 3rd hit partbreak modifier increased 1.0 > 1.1.
If you remember what it felt like to hit monsters with Morph Sweep in older titles, that's the feeling I'm trying to emulate here. This attack will be a tad slower now, but a heck of a lot more fun to land.
- Zero Sum Discharge [Mounting] (Stab) now has a bit of hitstop. Just a smidgen.
- Sword: Heavenward Flurry (2nd hit) MV increased 35 > 44. Hitstop increased slightly.
This move has become a bit less useful in Iceborne due to the addition of the clutch link attack, which generates a pretty huge amount of meter in addition to its other benefits. Heavenward Flurry was never meant to be a damage combo considering how sluggish it is, but the second hit looks like it ought to really hurt things, so I made it hurt things.
- Sword: Heavenward Flurry [Amped] (2nd hit) MV increased 38 > 48. Hitstop increased slightly. Partbreak modifier increased 1.0 > 1.1
Same reason as previous edit, but AMPED.
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[Bias Level: ★ ★ ☆ I've started playing a lot more Swaxe since Iceborne. I think some of the changes they made going from older games to Iceborne are wack (being forced to morph to sword after an axe morph sweep is lame) but it's still a fun weapon. I also think axe mode doesn't feel quite as gratifying anymore, so I'm hoping to help with that.]
- Axe: Heavy Slam MV increased 72 > 80. Partbreak modifier increased 1.3 > 1.4.
By Gog, this attack should hit like seven trucks for how glorious and lengthy the animation is. However, I am a reasonable man, and a slight damage/partbreak buff will have to do.
- Axe: Overhead Slash MV increased 48 > 55.
This attack has always been a staple for quick damage on a mobile monster, and it needs a little love so that Axe mode feels more useful when monsters are actively fighting you.
- Axe: Rising Slash MV increased 31 > 32. Partbreak modifier increased 1.0 > 1.1.
Just buffing the uppercut, nothing to see here. As a side note, this attack actually had an MV of 32 in MHGU.
- Axe: Wild Swing (Left) now has a bit more hitstop than Axe: Wild Swing (Right). Buffed both right and left swings MV 21/23 > 22/24.
For some reason the left swing does more damage but had less hitstop. Weirdness. I'm keeping the uneven damage numbers, but increasing the MV a bit to make up for the chunkier hits.
- Axe: Morph Sweep tweaked and buffed. First hit is the same, but second hit MV decreased 70 > 62 and third hit MV increased 35 > 58. Hitstop on both hits increased somewhat. 2nd and 3rd hit partbreak modifier increased 1.0 > 1.1.
If you remember what it felt like to hit monsters with Morph Sweep in older titles, that's the feeling I'm trying to emulate here. This attack will be a tad slower now, but a heck of a lot more fun to land.
- Zero Sum Discharge [Mounting] (Stab) now has a bit of hitstop. Just a smidgen.
- Sword: Heavenward Flurry (2nd hit) MV increased 35 > 44. Hitstop increased slightly.
This move has become a bit less useful in Iceborne due to the addition of the clutch link attack, which generates a pretty huge amount of meter in addition to its other benefits. Heavenward Flurry was never meant to be a damage combo considering how sluggish it is, but the second hit looks like it ought to really hurt things, so I made it hurt things.
- Sword: Heavenward Flurry [Amped] (2nd hit) MV increased 38 > 48. Hitstop increased slightly. Partbreak modifier increased 1.0 > 1.1
Same reason as previous edit, but AMPED.
Charge Blade (WP09)
Spoiler:
[Bias Level: ★ ★ ★ I loved Charge Blade in 4U and Generations Ultimate. In World/Iceborne it feels… off. My theory is that all of the monsters got faster while Charge Blade's axe attacks remained stuck in slow-land, and it no longer feels safe or even worthwhile to use the axe. I'm still unsure if there's a good way to make it feel more comfortable.]
- Charge Blade Impact Phials MV increased 4/9 > 5/10. Partbreak modifier on impact phials and element phials increased 1.0 > 1.1.
Incidentally, 5 for the first two axe phial attacks and 10 for AED is the exact value they had in older games. I'm unsure why they were nerfed. The slight partbreak multiplier is mostly for taste; I like seeing monsters get wrecked by phial explosions.
- Impact/Element effects from charged sword and SAED can now cut.
My headcanon is that these shockwaves are sharper than most. Probably won't affect balance much, but will make cutting tails a bit easier.
- Charged Double Slash (2nd hit) hitstop decreased to match the first hit.
Reasons for this are twofold. First, I feel like part of Charge Blade's problem is that it gets stuck in hitstop and can't guard point. Second, hit number two of Charged Double Slash actually does less damage than the first, but has more hitstop. It's just weird.
- Sword: Spinning Slash and Sword: Sliding Slash hitstop decreased.
Same reason as above: too much lag on an attack that activates a guard point. I didn't want to do this because I love hitstop, but I think it will be helpful to the weapon.
- Savage Axe Slash MV increased 30 > 40.
This attack has the weirdest motion and actually moves you backward. Something this sluggish that you can whiff half the time shouldn't have a crappy MV like this.
- Savage Axe chainsaw ticks MV increased 5 > 6.
Axe mode is clunky and needs all the help it can get. If this makes it more appealing, why not.
~
OPTIONAL CHANGE: Wacky Savage Axe Mode: This optional file contains all of the above changes in addition to the following:
> Basic axe attacks have more hitstop and slightly raised MV.
> Savage Axe chainsaw ticks have 10 MV instead of 6.
> Savage Axe chainsaw ticks hit far more often per swing.
> However, each tick has drastically increased hitstop. Recommend caution, as you will not be able to evade out of successful hits easily.
This optional change is meant to make Savage Axe Mode feel super visceral and fun for punishing monsters. I made it optional because it's a pretty substantial edit and might turn some people off. I don't use it myself because I find it too obtrusive, but it was a fun side-project.
~
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[Bias Level: ★ ★ ★ I loved Charge Blade in 4U and Generations Ultimate. In World/Iceborne it feels… off. My theory is that all of the monsters got faster while Charge Blade's axe attacks remained stuck in slow-land, and it no longer feels safe or even worthwhile to use the axe. I'm still unsure if there's a good way to make it feel more comfortable.]
- Charge Blade Impact Phials MV increased 4/9 > 5/10. Partbreak modifier on impact phials and element phials increased 1.0 > 1.1.
Incidentally, 5 for the first two axe phial attacks and 10 for AED is the exact value they had in older games. I'm unsure why they were nerfed. The slight partbreak multiplier is mostly for taste; I like seeing monsters get wrecked by phial explosions.
- Impact/Element effects from charged sword and SAED can now cut.
My headcanon is that these shockwaves are sharper than most. Probably won't affect balance much, but will make cutting tails a bit easier.
- Charged Double Slash (2nd hit) hitstop decreased to match the first hit.
Reasons for this are twofold. First, I feel like part of Charge Blade's problem is that it gets stuck in hitstop and can't guard point. Second, hit number two of Charged Double Slash actually does less damage than the first, but has more hitstop. It's just weird.
- Sword: Spinning Slash and Sword: Sliding Slash hitstop decreased.
Same reason as above: too much lag on an attack that activates a guard point. I didn't want to do this because I love hitstop, but I think it will be helpful to the weapon.
- Savage Axe Slash MV increased 30 > 40.
This attack has the weirdest motion and actually moves you backward. Something this sluggish that you can whiff half the time shouldn't have a crappy MV like this.
- Savage Axe chainsaw ticks MV increased 5 > 6.
Axe mode is clunky and needs all the help it can get. If this makes it more appealing, why not.
~
OPTIONAL CHANGE: Wacky Savage Axe Mode: This optional file contains all of the above changes in addition to the following:
> Basic axe attacks have more hitstop and slightly raised MV.
> Savage Axe chainsaw ticks have 10 MV instead of 6.
> Savage Axe chainsaw ticks hit far more often per swing.
> However, each tick has drastically increased hitstop. Recommend caution, as you will not be able to evade out of successful hits easily.
This optional change is meant to make Savage Axe Mode feel super visceral and fun for punishing monsters. I made it optional because it's a pretty substantial edit and might turn some people off. I don't use it myself because I find it too obtrusive, but it was a fun side-project.
~
Insect Glaive (WP10)
Spoiler:
[Bias Level: ★ ☆ ☆ Insect Glaive has never felt great to me as a weapon. I think the Kinsect is a silly tacked-on mechanic that takes the player's focus away from the actual glaive. Despite that, I want it to be strong and balanced, and it's always felt underpowered to me in this game.]
- Triple Up extract buff's duration has been doubled (90 seconds > 180 seconds).
That buff is super annoying to upkeep. This will help. Thanks to Fexty, as I basically lifted this edit from his Insect Glaive tweaks.
- Descending Thrust's midair hit now hits multiple times for 10 MV each (from a single 14 MV hit).
Credit again goes to Fexty for this idea.
- Overhead Slash MV increased 30 > 35.
This big ol' swing didn't feel very strong.
- Tornado Slash (2nd hit) MV increased 45 > 47. Partbreak modifier increased 1.0 > 1.2.
I don't want the Glaive to be all about spamming this attack, but a bit of damage and partbreak can't hurt.
- Strong Thrust MV increased 11/12 > 11/16. Hitstop increased on the second hit.
This is still a quick little poke, but you'll now feel it a bit more when you YANK the weapon out.
- All six hits of Strong Jumping Advancing Slash were buffed by 1 MV each, for a total of 6 more MV if you land all of the hits. Final hit mount value increased 20 > 25.
This move is more about repositioning than damage and mounting, but it still felt weak and largely not worthwhile. I'm not trying to make glaive into Aerial Supremacy: the weapon, but its aerial moves shouldn't be a waste of time.
- Kinsect: Mark Target buffed overall. MV increased 5 > 18. Stun increased 5 > 15. Exhaust increased 5 > 10. Hitstop increased slightly.
This is the attack you use to mark a monster at close range. It was completely awful for damage, interrupted combos and generally made people sad, myself included. I hope now it will feel good to use.
- Dodge Slash MV increased 17 > 20. Now has Mind's Eye.
If you ever use this to dodge at the proper time, you shouldn't be punished with a bounce. That would be depressing. It's also just a cool move and I want to encourage people to use it.
- Kinsect attacks now deal 10 exhaust damage each (from 0).
Now keeping your kinsect on the monster will wear them down over time. It's a small bonus, but a welcome one for a weapon that needs some help to stay competitive.
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[Bias Level: ★ ☆ ☆ Insect Glaive has never felt great to me as a weapon. I think the Kinsect is a silly tacked-on mechanic that takes the player's focus away from the actual glaive. Despite that, I want it to be strong and balanced, and it's always felt underpowered to me in this game.]
- Triple Up extract buff's duration has been doubled (90 seconds > 180 seconds).
That buff is super annoying to upkeep. This will help. Thanks to Fexty, as I basically lifted this edit from his Insect Glaive tweaks.
- Descending Thrust's midair hit now hits multiple times for 10 MV each (from a single 14 MV hit).
Credit again goes to Fexty for this idea.
- Overhead Slash MV increased 30 > 35.
This big ol' swing didn't feel very strong.
- Tornado Slash (2nd hit) MV increased 45 > 47. Partbreak modifier increased 1.0 > 1.2.
I don't want the Glaive to be all about spamming this attack, but a bit of damage and partbreak can't hurt.
- Strong Thrust MV increased 11/12 > 11/16. Hitstop increased on the second hit.
This is still a quick little poke, but you'll now feel it a bit more when you YANK the weapon out.
- All six hits of Strong Jumping Advancing Slash were buffed by 1 MV each, for a total of 6 more MV if you land all of the hits. Final hit mount value increased 20 > 25.
This move is more about repositioning than damage and mounting, but it still felt weak and largely not worthwhile. I'm not trying to make glaive into Aerial Supremacy: the weapon, but its aerial moves shouldn't be a waste of time.
- Kinsect: Mark Target buffed overall. MV increased 5 > 18. Stun increased 5 > 15. Exhaust increased 5 > 10. Hitstop increased slightly.
This is the attack you use to mark a monster at close range. It was completely awful for damage, interrupted combos and generally made people sad, myself included. I hope now it will feel good to use.
- Dodge Slash MV increased 17 > 20. Now has Mind's Eye.
If you ever use this to dodge at the proper time, you shouldn't be punished with a bounce. That would be depressing. It's also just a cool move and I want to encourage people to use it.
- Kinsect attacks now deal 10 exhaust damage each (from 0).
Now keeping your kinsect on the monster will wear them down over time. It's a small bonus, but a welcome one for a weapon that needs some help to stay competitive.
Bow (WP11)
Spoiler:
[Bias Level: ★ ☆ ☆ I don't play this weapon much because I feel too squishy with it, but after many, many attempts to get along, I feel like Bow and I are finally beginning to understand one another. I don't think I could make considerable changes to it without breaking the game horribly, though.]
- Mounting Finisher (Lvl 1 through 4) MV increased 5/15/30/45 > 20/40/60/80.
You should pretty much always be landing a level 4 charge when mounting, which is 80 MV... still not that strong compared to other mounting finishers. I know Bow has an "aerial" attack that can be used any time, but it's not really a great move and certainly doesn't justify the weapon having an awful mounting finisher.
~
OPTIONAL CHANGE: Dragonsmasher: This optional file contains the above changes in addition to the following:
> Dragonpiercer, instead of piercing the monster and hitting multiple times, now hits once for a huge amount of damage, partbreak, and stun (comparable to Wyvernsnipe Type 2).Exact values (Lvl 1 through 4) displayed below:
Motion Value: 100 / 130 / 160 / 200
Partbreak Multiplier: 1.1 / 1.2 / 1.3 / 1.4
Element/Status Multiplier: 1.0 on all (as opposed to 0.3 per tick).
Stun Value: 30 / 50 / 70 / 90
NOTE: This makes Bow crazy good for wakeups, but not quite as good as Greatsword or Heavy Bowgun with Wyvernsnipe Type 2. This is a strange and drastic change, and as such, it's optional. That said, I like this one quite a lot. It feels like a great damage top-off to Bow's usual damage combo at medium distance… or a powerful option for sass. It's also more consistent since it can be used effectively on any monster regardless of size.
~
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[Bias Level: ★ ☆ ☆ I don't play this weapon much because I feel too squishy with it, but after many, many attempts to get along, I feel like Bow and I are finally beginning to understand one another. I don't think I could make considerable changes to it without breaking the game horribly, though.]
- Mounting Finisher (Lvl 1 through 4) MV increased 5/15/30/45 > 20/40/60/80.
You should pretty much always be landing a level 4 charge when mounting, which is 80 MV... still not that strong compared to other mounting finishers. I know Bow has an "aerial" attack that can be used any time, but it's not really a great move and certainly doesn't justify the weapon having an awful mounting finisher.
~
OPTIONAL CHANGE: Dragonsmasher: This optional file contains the above changes in addition to the following:
> Dragonpiercer, instead of piercing the monster and hitting multiple times, now hits once for a huge amount of damage, partbreak, and stun (comparable to Wyvernsnipe Type 2).Exact values (Lvl 1 through 4) displayed below:
Motion Value: 100 / 130 / 160 / 200
Partbreak Multiplier: 1.1 / 1.2 / 1.3 / 1.4
Element/Status Multiplier: 1.0 on all (as opposed to 0.3 per tick).
Stun Value: 30 / 50 / 70 / 90
NOTE: This makes Bow crazy good for wakeups, but not quite as good as Greatsword or Heavy Bowgun with Wyvernsnipe Type 2. This is a strange and drastic change, and as such, it's optional. That said, I like this one quite a lot. It feels like a great damage top-off to Bow's usual damage combo at medium distance… or a powerful option for sass. It's also more consistent since it can be used effectively on any monster regardless of size.
~
Universal Bowgun Changes
Spoiler:
Heavy Bowgun and Light Bowgun share a single file for ammunition data. As a result, changing one will change the other. Changes that affect both gun types are listed here.
- Normal Ammo Lvl 2 and 3 MV increased 20/34 > 21/35.
Yes, it's a mere 1 MV buff, because Normal is commonly and easily outclassed by both other ammo types. I don't think this will hurt anything.
- Slicing Ammo partbreak modifier increased 1.0 > 1.3. Now does light knockback (negated by flinch Free 1).
This ammunition isn't meant to outpace a regular ammunition type in terms of damage, but I don't see why it shouldn't break parts really well, especially considering its main purpose is to cut tails. Also, there was no reason for it to heavily flinch teammates. That's just annoying.
- Recover Ammo Lvl 1 and 2 healing value boosted 30/50 > 80/100.
Few people use Recover Ammo over Wide Range with potions, and for that reason, I'm buffing it. Become the gun-healer you were always meant to be.
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Heavy Bowgun and Light Bowgun share a single file for ammunition data. As a result, changing one will change the other. Changes that affect both gun types are listed here.
- Normal Ammo Lvl 2 and 3 MV increased 20/34 > 21/35.
Yes, it's a mere 1 MV buff, because Normal is commonly and easily outclassed by both other ammo types. I don't think this will hurt anything.
- Slicing Ammo partbreak modifier increased 1.0 > 1.3. Now does light knockback (negated by flinch Free 1).
This ammunition isn't meant to outpace a regular ammunition type in terms of damage, but I don't see why it shouldn't break parts really well, especially considering its main purpose is to cut tails. Also, there was no reason for it to heavily flinch teammates. That's just annoying.
- Recover Ammo Lvl 1 and 2 healing value boosted 30/50 > 80/100.
Few people use Recover Ammo over Wide Range with potions, and for that reason, I'm buffing it. Become the gun-healer you were always meant to be.
Heavy Bowgun (WP12)
Spoiler:
[Bias Level: ★ ★ ☆ Ever since I discovered shotgun + shield, I've been rather fond of Heavy Bowgun. I've started experimenting with different ammo types recently as well. Having a big gun feels pretty good.]
- Mounting Finisher MV increased 35 > 80.
If you have the guts to throw yourself at a monster's face with your ranged weapon and slap it in midair, your mounting finisher deserves to be half-decent.
- Wyvern Ammo can now cut tails. Partbreak modifier on secondary hit of Wyvern Ammo increased 1.0 > 1.1.
See Gunlance Wyvern Fire change, and have fun blasting tails off.
- Wyvern Ammo now sends teammates flying into the air instead of sending them flying to the ground.
Just like Gunlance.
- Wyvernsnipe Type 2 has been made more convenient/easier to use. For reference, vanilla Wyvernsnipe Type 2 has four possible MV outcomes (which I will call Lvl 3 through Lvl 0):
Lvl 3: Proper distance + good hitzone (243 MV)
Lvl 2: Wrong distance + good hitzone (147 MV)
Lvl 1: Proper distance + bad hitzone (98 MV)
Lvl 0: Wrong distance + bad hitzone (81 MV)
The new values are as follows:
Lvl 3: 250 MV
Lvl 2: 220 MV
Lvl 1: 100 MV
Lvl 0: 90 MV
This makes getting to the proper distance less of a factor (but still rewards players for using critical distance if they can). I've found that in the heat of battle, laying down on the floor to line up this attack is often not worth the trouble because of the critical distance requirement, especially in arena fights where space is limited. This should alleviate that and maaaaybe make Snipe Type 2 worth the mod slot it consumes.
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[Bias Level: ★ ★ ☆ Ever since I discovered shotgun + shield, I've been rather fond of Heavy Bowgun. I've started experimenting with different ammo types recently as well. Having a big gun feels pretty good.]
- Mounting Finisher MV increased 35 > 80.
If you have the guts to throw yourself at a monster's face with your ranged weapon and slap it in midair, your mounting finisher deserves to be half-decent.
- Wyvern Ammo can now cut tails. Partbreak modifier on secondary hit of Wyvern Ammo increased 1.0 > 1.1.
See Gunlance Wyvern Fire change, and have fun blasting tails off.
- Wyvern Ammo now sends teammates flying into the air instead of sending them flying to the ground.
Just like Gunlance.
- Wyvernsnipe Type 2 has been made more convenient/easier to use. For reference, vanilla Wyvernsnipe Type 2 has four possible MV outcomes (which I will call Lvl 3 through Lvl 0):
Lvl 3: Proper distance + good hitzone (243 MV)
Lvl 2: Wrong distance + good hitzone (147 MV)
Lvl 1: Proper distance + bad hitzone (98 MV)
Lvl 0: Wrong distance + bad hitzone (81 MV)
The new values are as follows:
Lvl 3: 250 MV
Lvl 2: 220 MV
Lvl 1: 100 MV
Lvl 0: 90 MV
This makes getting to the proper distance less of a factor (but still rewards players for using critical distance if they can). I've found that in the heat of battle, laying down on the floor to line up this attack is often not worth the trouble because of the critical distance requirement, especially in arena fights where space is limited. This should alleviate that and maaaaybe make Snipe Type 2 worth the mod slot it consumes.
Light Bowgun (WP13)
Spoiler:
[Bias Level: ☆ ☆ ☆ I've barely touched this weapon. From what I've seen and heard, Capcom hasn't really given it the love it deserves and it's always carving out a weird niche for itself in order to do good damage. I don't know enough about that to feel comfortable making big changes.]
- Wyvernblast Counter: Large and Extra Large explosions have had their partbreak modifiers increased 0.5 > 1.0 to match the Small and Medium explosions.
I'm pretty sure explosion size is determined by the strength of the monster's attack that triggers the Wyvernblast. I have no idea why Capcom would nerf the partbreak values specifically on the more successful counter attacks. If you counter a big hit, I say you earned that cool part break.
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[Bias Level: ☆ ☆ ☆ I've barely touched this weapon. From what I've seen and heard, Capcom hasn't really given it the love it deserves and it's always carving out a weird niche for itself in order to do good damage. I don't know enough about that to feel comfortable making big changes.]
- Wyvernblast Counter: Large and Extra Large explosions have had their partbreak modifiers increased 0.5 > 1.0 to match the Small and Medium explosions.
I'm pretty sure explosion size is determined by the strength of the monster's attack that triggers the Wyvernblast. I have no idea why Capcom would nerf the partbreak values specifically on the more successful counter attacks. If you counter a big hit, I say you earned that cool part break.
Afterword:
If you read all of those changes (or even just some of them)… wow. Thank you for listening to me ramble, and I hope you weren't horrendously offended by any of my obsessive little tweaks. I spent weeks slowly accumulating these changes, and I'm rather proud of how much I've managed to do.
I think that by and large, Capcom did a pretty great job balancing the weapons, and as such I tried to keep my changes within reasonable limits. That said, if you have any further weapon tweak suggestions, feel free to post. Just remember that what I can change is limited to motion values, hitstop time, stun values, mounting damage, etc. I can't do crazy stuff like increase animation speed or completely alter movesets (as much as I'd like to). I'm just a humble spreadsheet tweaker standing on the backs of modding giants. On that note:
A HUGE Thank You to the following people:
- Stracker, for the now famous Stracker's Loader and the ClutchRework mod, which, again, this mod uses as a baseline.
- Synthlight, for MHW Editor, which allowed me to make all of these changes with a minimum of hassle (seriously, if those attacks and values hadn't been labeled I would have been completely lost).
- Jodo for MHWNoChunk, which allowed me to get access to the files I needed to make these tweaks.
- My long-time MH-playing friends, who helped me test some of this stuff and gave me feedback.