The latest effort from Capcom, Monster Hunter Rise, has already taken the Switch’s install base by storm with stellar sales early on. Rise has not only appeased old-school Monster Hunter fans but proved delightfully accessible for newcomers alike.
For newcomers, the game retains the light tutorial system that made Monster Hunter World more easily picked up by newcomers, but there are still a few mechanics that can be confusing. One mechanic, Sharpening, may not be immediately apparent to gamers used to Capcom’s more action-heavy affairs.
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THE RAZOR SHARP EDGE!
Sharpness has been a mechanic for melee weapons since the original Monster Hunter graced the PlayStation in 2004. If it sounds straight-forward…well, that’s because it is. Your edged weapons have an inherent Sharpness trait to them, and Sharpness will gradually deteriorate as you strike a monster. All melee weapons are affected by Sharpness, though some lose Sharpness in different ways — the Gunlance, for example, will still lose Sharpness during Shelling attacks and at a faster rate than it would during a strike.
Sharpness has two tiers, split into three levels indicated by the sword-shaped Sharpness meter on your HUD. Low-Level Sharpness consists of the Red, Orange and Yellow tiers, while High-Level Sharpness consists of Green, Blue and White, which not all weapons can achieve. Weapons at Yellow Sharpness will deal base damage, while Red and Orange are reduced by .50 and .75, respectively. Green, Blue and White will see damage multiplied by 1.05, 1.20 and 1.32 each. Some entries include a special Purple multiplier, increasing Sharpness between 1.37 to 1.50 depending on the game.
As you strike, each blow will reduce your Sharpness by Sharpness Points; however, the specific points aren’t indicated on-screen, only the gauge. For example, any regular attack that hits will reduce your Sharpness by 1, but bouncing off will reduce it by 2. Bouncing and glancing hits occur when your Sharpness is too low for the enemy’s armor rating; in essence, your weapon is too dull to pierce the monster’s skin. It’s time to get back in the hunt by sharpening your weapon!
SHARPEN YOUR SENSES!
Sharpening has always been a very deliberate process in Monster Hunter. To sharpen your weapon, you’ll have to use an item, most commonly a Whetstone. These aren’t instant-use items, though. Using a Whetstone requires the Hunter to stop what they are doing or sheathe their weapon and select the Whetstone from their radial wheel. An animation will play out of the Hunter dropping to their knee to sharpen the blade, usually with some kind of audible callout, so your teammates know what you’re doing. The animation isn’t quick, and you won’t be invincible; if an enemy strikes you before the Sharpening animation completes, you’ll be knocked off your feet and have to start the process over.
With early Monster Hunter games, Sharpening isn’t a freebie, either. Whetstones would have to be purchased at a shop or mined during missions, and they’d be consumed by a single use. You could get a Mini Whetstone on some missions as a free hunting gift, but those would only last for the duration of the hunt. Fortunately, you’re not just limited to Whetstones in early games. You can also find Knife Mackerel or harvest a fin from a Whetfish in the wild to sharpen your blade, though they would be single-use only as well.
Fortunately, the Sharpening mechanic got easier with Monster Hunter World. Whetstones are now given to each Hunter at the start of the game and remain an infinite use item in your inventory. However, Monster Hunter World still allowed the use of Whetfish Fins, which could sharpen much faster than a Whetstone. However, the Fin is not infinite and will eventually break. A higher-tier version, Whetfish Fin+, would last longer but still does not have the same infinite use as the Whetstone.
RISE TO THE CHALLENGE!
Monster Hunter Rise borrows the Whetstone and Whetfish mechanics from World, but with the added improvement of being able to Sharpen while riding your Palamute. Gone are the days of having to take a knee to sharpen before or during a fight. You could now sharpen your blade while riding your trusty companion in pursuit of a fleeing monster, making the fights feel much more grand and fast-paced. Of course, this isn’t a perfect solution. You won’t be able to pick up or use other items while sharpening, meaning you’ll have to either wait for the animation to complete or pass up valuable loot while running. You may also have to choose between healing or sharpening if a monster is particularly close.
Sharpening is just one more strange quirk of Monster Hunter that led to it becoming a cultural phenomenon. Monster Hunter has long been less about fast-paced, arcade action and more about the enjoyment of a slow, thoughtful hunt with your friends. Sharpening may seem like an odd mechanic, but it is just one more piece of the epic world-building that gamers love when banding together with their Monster Hunter party.
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