Contrary to previous titles, the Light Bowgun is one of our absolute favourite Weapons in Monster Hunter Rise. We’ll always hold the older titles in high regard, probably due to a mixture of youth, nostalgia and new experiences, but we must say that the ranged Weapons in particular seem to have benefited most from the modernisation of the Monster Hunter series. Aiming is easier than ever, gathering the required ammo resources is much less of a hassle and unlike some of the previous iterations, it feels powerful enough to stand up on it’s own. All of this is helped by a fantastic selection of models that all have unique selling points, be it through ammo selection, Rapid Fire or the ability to reload whilst on the move. Some of you may be new to the series however, and said fantastic model selection might be a little confusing at first, so allow us to guide you towards the three that we’ve found perform best in the early game.
Jaeger
Before we get into our first model of choice, it’s worth detailing exactly what makes the LBG tick. Everybody can stay at a significant range and pop the target with random bullets, but where the LBG really starts to get going is it’s agility and the ability to Rapid Fire. The former is rather self explanatory; you’re able to dodge and move to a significant degree whilst wielding the pocket rocket, but it really starts to take off when this is paired with the Rapid Fire option, which will put out multiple shots of certain ammo with one button press. All of this means that targeting weak spots and dealing damage to them is very doable and if anything feels quite friendly to new hunters. All that being the case, we’re mainly going to be referencing the ammo types of these models, their ability to Rapid Fire and how these come together to form a cohesive whole.
To the point then, and we’re starting out with a LBG that, upon first inspection at least, seems a little bland. It doesn’t really require a huge amount of unusual monster parts and the actual aesthetics of the thing leave a lot to be desired, so why should you bother? Well firstly this particular model comes with the ability to Rapid Fire Normal 2 ammo, and whilst this itself isn’t a truly unique selling point, it does have another trick up its sleeve: Walking reload for Normal 2, which does exactly what it says and allows you to reload without staying still. All of this amounts to a simple yet surprisingly powerful Light Bowgun. In fact, we’d argue that whilst our subsequent models are flashier and more desirable, good old Jaeger probably out-damages them in the field.
Early Features
- Rapid Fire Normal 2 ammo.
- ALSO allows walking reload on Normal 2 ammo.
- Good raw damage.
- Additional ammo selection is limited.
- Upgrades retain the Normal 2 features.
Crafting Requirements
- Sniper Shot
- Magna Ghostprism x 2
- Dragonhusk Shard x 3
- Monster Fluid x 1
- Lightcrystal x 1
Nothing too bothersome here to be honest. The Magna Ghostprism is very likely to drop from a Magnamalo hunt, though if you’re having trouble then you’ll find them easier to locate with some Wyvern Riding. The Dragonhusk Shards are slightly more awkward, though they do have a chance to appear in almost all Low Rank quest rewards, so you’ll eventually amass a good amount of these. If you’re struggling for Monster Fluids then we’d recommend carving some Bnahabra (the annoying red flying insect things), and the Lightcrystal is once again an item that appears in quest rewards, though this time only in those 3-Stars or higher.
Advertisement
Usurper’s Crime
It makes us so happy to be able to recommend a Zinogre item again. It’s a travesty that such things are a rarity, but we often find that weapons originating from this particular monster always hit a rather awkward middle ground. They tend to come with a little thunder element of course, but never as much as those seemingly designed for a purely elemental purpose, and their raw damage is never quite up there with the best, all of which tends to be balanced out by a small addition of affinity and a little more sharpness. They’re by no means terrible, but tend to feel like a short stopping off point before the hunter moves onto bigger and better things. Happily, things are a little different when it comes to the early game of Rise, which presents us with the powerful LBG, Usurpers Crime.
We’ll get the disappointing bit out of the way first: This particular model does not have the walking reload of our previous choice. It does have Rapid Fire Normal 2 however, and opts to place its additional power elsewhere: Slicing Ammo. Those already familiar will likely be heading to their nearest blacksmith, but to the uninitiated Slicing Ammo is a shot that will stick to a body part of a monster and, after a few seconds, deal slicing damage to that area, mimicking the act of a slicing weapon having dealt the hit. Yes it is as good as it sounds, and yes you can cut off body parts such as tails through it’s usage. This, combined with the aforementioned Rapid Fire Normal 2 and a good level of raw damage, all adds up to make quite a powerful addition to your early game LBG arsenal.
Early Features
- Access to the powerful Slicing Ammo.
- 10% affinity is a nice addition.
- Rapid Fire Normal 2 Ammo.
- Reasonable raw damage.
Crafting Requirements
- Sniper Shot
- Zinogre Shell x 3
- Zinogre Horn x 1
- Zinogre Shockfur x 3
Generally speaking, you’re going to get plenty of Zinogre Shell and Zinogre Shockfur by simply fighting the beast a few times, so this isn’t going to be difficult. The Zinogre Horn might be a little more awkward, however it should be noted that this is all but guaranteed to appear in your loot list if you can break it’s head. Such things might initially sound a bit awkward, but it does tend to spend a lot of time with its head held still while it’s powering up. We’re sure you don’t need us to tell you what to do there, right?
Advertisement
Hidden Eye
If it was considered slightly unusual to recommend a Zinogre model to a new player, this marks a return to old faithful. We’re all too aware that we’ve recommended Nargacuga weapons in 3 out of our 4 articles so far – we’ll stop soon, honest – but these things are just so damned useful that it’s hard not to. As per usual with these things raw damage has been exchanged for a huge amount of affinity, so we’re exchanging the size of the numbers for the amount of orange ones, and whilst this alone would be enough to tempt hunter back to the black and flighty beast, this particular weapon type has a party piece: Pierce Ammo, more specifically it’s level 1 iteration, and the ability to Rapid Fire with it.
It’s probably worth explaining that Pierce ammo in particular does what it’s name might suggest; it pierces through the monster. However, on its journey through whatever you have shot it will deal multiple iterations of damage, which just might have a positive synergy with something like… Affinity, perhaps? Thus we reach the zenith of our recommendation: The Hidden Eye has a huge amount of Affinity, will use Rapid Fire to throw out multiple rounds at once, of an ammo type that hits the target multiple times on it’s way through. We’d write more here but well… Just make it, listen to the sound effects, watch the orange numbers fly and try in vain to keep a smile off your face whilst doing so.
Early Features
- Huge Affinity of 35%.
- Rapid Fire Pierce 1 Ammo.
- We’d write more here but… You’ve already gone to craft it haven’t you.
- Also comes with Attack Boost II Rampage skill.
Crafting Requirements
- Kamura Light Bowgun III
- Nargacuga Scale x 3
- Nargacuga Blackfur x 2
- Monster Bone L x 2
Thankfully things are a little easier here than say, the Blademaster style melee versions, but it’s not all plain sailing. Whilst the Scales are likely to be collected in 1 – 2 hunts max, the Blackfur can take a little longer, though Wyvern Riding will increase your chances here. Even the Monster Bone L should be fairly easy, since they start having a chance to appear in quests rewards from 4-Star onwards.
More Monster Hunter Rise…
Should Siege Hunts Return In Sunbreak? | Monster Hunter Rise
A long time staple of the series, siege hunts see one or more hunters take on mammoth opponents, often ludicrous in size and shape, whilst occupying massive, multi-tiered arenas. These have seemingly been usurped in Monster Hunter Rise, where they have instead opted for Rampages, and whilst these function in a somewhat similar fashion, they…
Our Sunbreak Monster Wishlist | Monster Hunter Rise
The sun will soon rise on the expansion for Monster Hunter Rise, Sunbreak. Having lived through far too many expansions and ultimate versions of games in this series, we’re all too aware of what these entail; greater challenges, new tiers of equipment and most importantly, more monsters. It’s this latter point in particular that interests…
Difficult Low Rank Monsters & How To Defeat Them | Monster Hunter Rise
Pushing your way through Low Rank can be tremendously difficult for those new to the Monster Hunter series. All of your friends are likely off fighting the latest version of a cataclysm approaching a small village, and yet here you are still struggling to get off the ground against base level opponents. Worse still, your…
Loading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Categories: Monster Hunter Rise, Top 5