How To Use The Hammer In Monster Hunter Rise

Hammers are usually pretty slow weapons, but this isn’t exactly the case in Monster Hunter Rise. While Hammers are indeed big and pack quite a punch, they grant surprisingly great mobility in the game, making them a great weapon if you know how to position yourself properly. Which is not as straightforward as it may seem, as Hammers have some unique properties that will force you to adapt to a new playstyle, especially if you’re coming from blades.

So, what is that makes the Hammer such a unique weapon in Monster Hunter Rise? Let us find out.

Overview

As already mentioned, Hammers in Monster Hunter Rise do not make you as slow as you might have expected. Their good mobility makes it easy to move around the battlefield while avoiding damage. This is actually pretty important, as it is not possible to guard or unleash counterattacks with the Hammer: your mobility is your only defense. Mastering movement is also extremely important for offense, as the Hammer’s attack range is extremely short, so you will have to get closer to monsters that you have to with other weapon types.

The lack of defensive options isn’t the only thing that makes the Hammer a weapon that is not exactly suited for beginners. As it only deals blunt damage, it is impossible to cut the monsters’ tails, forcing you to focus your attacks on the head for the maximum possible damage.

Charge!

The Charge Attacks are the most important techniques to master for the Hammer. You can start charging by holding the ZR button and unleash a very powerful attack by releasing the button once you have achieved at least a level one charge. The type of attack changes with the level of charge, indicated by the small icon below your Stamina Bar. In Monster Hunter Rise, you can also unleash two special Silkbind Attacks while charging, the Silkbind Spinning Bludgeon and the Impact Crater. The first, performed by pressing ZL and X while charging, is a spinning attack that can deal huge damage with the right positioning. The second one, performed by pressing ZL and A while charging, unleashes a powerful single attack that deals more damage depending on the charge level.

Stamina Is Never Enough

Charging the Hammer in Monster Hunter Rise comes at a Stamina cost. Since the only defensive options you get with this weapon are dodges, you will have to be extremely careful in managing your Stamina. Use the mobility granted by the weapon to position yourself properly so that you won’t have to resort to dodges.

Stuns For Breakfast

With the Hammer, it is incredibly easy to stun monsters. This is what you should aim to do at all times, as stunning monsters leaves them open to all sorts of attacks. As such, try to focus on the head as much as possible to stun the monster more quickly. Hitting the monster properly with the Hammer will also sap their Stamina, making them slower and easier to hit.