Most fans of the Monster Hunter series of games would agree that one of the most important aspects of the franchise is its hunt companion gameplay mechanic. Monster Hunter Rise’s release date is looming closer, and Capcom has been doing a consistent job at sharing trailers and teasers that reveal more information about the upcoming title.
This time around, the studio posted a short clip that showcases how the Buddy Scout system in Monster Hunter Rise will work, especially since the game’s events will unfold in Kamura Village.
As revealed last year, Monster Hunter Rise will be introducing a brand-new companion called the Palamute, which means that hunters can now choose between this fierce canine or the feline Palico. What makes this system even more exciting is the fact that players can hire both companions at the same time.
Since these two companions are clearly very different, and each has their own advantages during battle, players are most likely wondering how the hiring process in Monster Hunter Rise will work, what abilities the companions will have upon hire, and what options are available.
Fortunately, Capcom recently posted a short video on the official Monster Hunter Twitter account, which demonstrated what the process is if or when hunters want to hire a companion. This can be done through the buddy handler Iori, who is a new NPC in the world of Monster Hunter Rise.
https://twitter.com/monsterhunter/status/1356512679318351874?s=20
In order to hire a companion, players must first talk to Iori, which will prompt the Buddy Scout menu to show up. From there, players can proceed to recruit whichever companion they want. Around 11 seconds of the clip, we can see that there are different options available when choosing which Palamute to recruit.
As we can see, these options largely revolve around the appearance or aesthetic of the Palamute, like the color and pattern of its fur, eye shape, color, and even tone of voice. One of the options even offers players the ability to pick which basic clothing set they want for their canine companion.
However, given the fact that hunters can craft gear and armor for their Palamute at some point in the game, this option doesn’t seem all that important compared to the others. Although it wasn’t showcased in the clip, possibly because Palicoes aren’t new to the franchise, it’s likely that the feline companions will offer the same aesthetic options upon recruitment.
According to the information we gleaned from the 31-second clip, hired Palicoes will already have an array of defensive and offensive abilities. On the other hand, the recruited Palamute companion will come with two kinds of offensive accessories. With that in mind, we have yet to see whether or not players can level up these established accessories or abilities.
We’ll just have to wait until Monster Hunter Rise officially launches. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait that much longer. This latest entry in the long-running Monster Hunter franchise is set to release this March 26, 2021 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch, although there have been rumors claiming that the title may be launched on PC as well.
