Monster Hunter World: let's take an in-depth look at the Switch Axe, Gunlance, Insect Glaive and Hunting Horn
Here's an in-depth look at four of the 14 different weapons you'll be able to use in Monster Hunter World fresh out of gamescom 2017.
Yesterday, we were given a look at the Charge Blade in Monster Hunter World and before that, it was the Bowgun. We'll be providing you with more information and informative videos on weapons in Monster Hunter World leading up to its release.
Today, the weapons being shown off along with some gameplay from Arekkz are the Switch Axe, Gunlance, Insect Glaive, and Hunting Horn.
Let's take a look at the Gunlance first, which is as the name suggests, part lance and part gun. The gun component is used for close-range damage which complement the stabbing and poking components of the lance. The weapon also makes use of chain attacks such as forward moving stabs or changing things up with a stab, uppercut and a diagonal slash.
It also comes with a shield which is one of the better ones in the game as it can block some attacks that other shielding weapons cannot.
Next up, we have a look at the Switch Axe. This is another weapon, like the Charge Blade, with two different weapon modes. This weapon is part axe and part sword. When used as a axe, it has great reach horizontally and vertically, while when used a sword when using an imbued Phial.
In Axe Mode, the weapon can perform many combos, but these are limited by stamina. Sword Mode, which uses the phial, is similar to the Great Sword but is much faster. That said, it is less powerful than the Great Sword. The player is also limited to the amount of time spent in Sword Mode which can be kept track of by looking at the energy meter.
When imbued with a phial, the Switch Axe's capabilities are exceeded while in Sword Mode producing different effects. These phials are paralysis, exhaust, dragon, and power.
Below you'll find more information on the Hunting Horn. One of the cool things about the Hunting Horn is it can be used to provide buffs to yourself and your team when music is played on it.
Playing notes can buff attack and defense moves, resistance to certain effects, a stamina buff, and more. Different horns have different songs and the only difficult part of this weapons is loading the songs. Luckily, the on-screen prompts will make memorizing the songs easier.
Of course, you can also bash the living daylights out of monster with it.
The next video takes a look at the Insect Glaive. Similar to the Long Sword, the weapon allows the player to perform quick attacks such as slashing and impact damage. It can also be used to jump out of the way using it as a pole. The latter move can also be used to perform a leap attack or constantly change positions for both safety and misdirection.
The weapon will also summon the Kinsect creature attached to the player's right arm to attack monsters and to extract essence. This is done by hitting a monster with the end of the weapon using impact when marks the monster. The essence will have various attributes and colors depending on where it was extracted from the monster and when the Kinsect returns, it will provide a particular buff.
Monster Hunter World is definitely one action RPG on our radar for early 2018, and has been since it was announced at E3 2017.
The game will feature the largest maps in the series, seamless transitions between zones, and four-player online co-op, It will also allow players in Japan and and western regions to play together, but the game will only be released on PS4 in Japan.
When it releases, Monster Hunter World will be made available simultaneously for PlayStation 4 and and Xbox One. A PC version will follow at a later date.