Jason Hidalgo

jhidalgo@rgj.com

Technobubble covers games, gadgets, technology and all things geek. Follow Technobubble poobah Jason Hidalgo’s shenanigans on Twitter @jasonhidalgo

UPDATE: Howdy, folks. To keep this guide fresh, I've decided to expand it beyond the original sets in the official Japanese guide and add some of the interesting armor I've seen on the Interwebs and what some folks call "the YouTube." Not sure if that's related to "the Google" that Linda Katehi was obsessing over. Anywho, just scroll past the original 14 for more armor sets! Seen a cool Japanese video and want someone to translate the sets and skills that get shown? Let me know via the comments and I'll give it a look.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Part of the charm of the Monster Hunter series is pulling together a nice set of threads. Or skins. Or plate armor.

Whether it be equipping a full matching set from a monster or mixing and matching armor pieces to get that sweet combination of skills you desire, the mad science behind picking armor is a huge part of the allure behind Monster Hunter games.

Then again, the plethora of armor choices available can be overwhelming, not just for beginners but even some veteran hunters. The same thing holds true for Monster Hunter Generations, which still pumps out a good selection of gear despite not being a “G”-series (or “U” for Western folks) game.

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To help you get started, here is a selection of recommended armor from Capcom’s official Japanese Monster Hunter X guidebook. Note that some of the endgame gear are deviant pieces that require a LOT of effort to craft to their full potential. Also note that some terms used are not the official English translation but will be updated once I’m able to verify them with the Monster Hunter Generations English release. Admittedly, this can take some time with endgame stuff so feel free to send me a note if you know the English names and thou shalt be credited for it. See any errors? Send a note for those as well and you will be rewarded with the satisfaction of doing a good deed for the monster -hunting community.

Feel free to share your favorite armor sets in the comments as well and I might just add them to the list, too!

Low rank

All-Purpose Beginner Blademaster Armor 1

A set that uses a combination of Jaggi and Hunter armor parts, this armor is easy to acquire and provides a couple of useful skills for beginning hunters.

Head: Jaggi Helm

Body: Jaggi Mail

Arm: Trapper's Gauntlets

Waist: Jaggi Faulds

Foot: Trapper's Greaves

Decoration: Grass Jewel 1 x1 | 野草珠【1】

Skills: Attack Up (S) and Herb Reinforcement. This mixed ensemble still gives you the Attack +10 bonus from the full Jaggi set while adding improved health regeneration from herbs via the Trapper gear. Its Herb Reinforcement skill makes health regeneration from herbs equal to Potions and stacks with Wide Range and Recovery Up should you be so fortunate to have the requisite charms. I used this set to finish the entire Village campaign for Generations.

All-Purpose Beginner Blademaster Armor 2

Designed for added damage, this set combines Jaggi and Bulldrome parts to increase attack power.

Head: Jaggi Helm

Body: Jaggi Mail

Arm: Bulldrome Vambraces

Waist: Jaggi Faulds

Foot: Bulldrome Greaves

Skills: Attack Up (M). A full Jaggi set only grants Attack Up +10. Mixing in the Bulldrome armor increases the boost to Attack Up +15. I've seen variations where people get Attack Up (L) by using a Bulldrome Helm plus gems. This is the set I had my niece craft, which she used to go through low-rank Hunter Hub online quests with Sword and Shield as part of a two-person team with me. For someone playing Monster Hunter for the first time, she did pretty good and consistently knocked out monsters!

Low-Rank Windproof Armor

Especially ideal for Lance and Gunlance users, this armor mix combines Alloy and Ingot pieces to withstand wind pressure and grant faster sharpening speed. However, it requires use of a weapon with one gem slot.

Head: Alloy Helm

Body: Ingot Mail

Arm: Alloy Vambraces

Waist: Alloy Faulds

Foot: Ingot Greaves

Decoration: Grinder Jewel x2. Japanese: 研磨珠【1】

Skills: Windproof (Hi) and Speed Sharpening. This armor combination is great for fighting up close against Rathalos and Rathian.

Low-Rank Guard Armor

Like blocking? This armor, which is more geared toward Lance, Gunlance and Charge Blade users, just might be for you. Unlike the earlier armors, this is a straight-up set with no mixing.

Head: Hermitaur Helm

Body: Hermitaur Mail

Arm: Hermitaur Vambraces

Waist: Hermitaur Faulds

Foot: Hermitaur Greaves

Decoration: Grinder Jewel x5. Japanese: 研磨珠【1】

Skills: Guard +1 and Speed Sharpening. This reduces block damage by 10 while also granting reduced knockback and stamina loss. The Speed Sharpening is optional so feel free to mix in your preferred decoration instead.

Low-Rank Bow Armor

If you enjoy getting your bow on at low rank, here’s another straight-up set to help maintain that stamina gauge. This set uses Royal Ludroth pieces that are easy to get early in the game. For Shiny Bugs, just do a Paw Pass at the desert stage and go to areas 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11.

Head: Ludroth Cap

Body: Ludroth Vest

Arm: Ludroth Guards

Waist: Ludroth Coat

Foot: Ludroth Leggings

Decoration: Hungerless Jewel x3. Japanese: 無食珠【1】

Skills: Stam Recov Up and Negate Hunger. This set keeps bow users in the fight by not only negating stamina depletion but also doubling the rate of stamina recovery.

Low-Rank Gunner Armor

This one’s aimed at Light and Heavy Bowgun users, though Bow lovers can still use it as well. It uses a mix of mostly Rathalos parts with Bulldrome leggings. It also swaps the Rathalos Cap with the Rathalos Helm.

Head: Rathalos Helm

Body: Rathalos Vest

Arm: Rathalos Guards

Waist: Rathalos Coat

Foot: Bulldrome Leggings

Decoration: Attack Jewel 1 x2, Attack Jewel 2 x1. Japanese: 攻撃珠【1】and【2】

Skills: Attack Up (M) and Weakness Exploit. This set greatly increases the damage you pump out while the Bulldrome Leggings take out the defensive penalty from the Rathalos set.

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High rank

High-Rank Aerial Style Armor

Now we’re getting to the more advanced armor sets. As a Gunner who primarily mains the Insect Glaive when I switch to Blademaster, I am loving the new Aerial Style. This melee set allows you to really take advantage of aerial shenanigans, though you have to fight one of the more annoying monsters in the game to acquire its mats. You will also need a two-slot charm or weapon if you want to gain the optional five-jewel Mushromancer skill.

Head: Plesioth Helm

Body: Plesioth Mail

Arm: Plesioth Vambraces

Waist: Nargacuga Tassets S

Foot: Plesioth Greaves

Decoration: Fungiform Jewel x5. Japanese: 茸好珠【1】

Skills: Mounting Master, Airborne, Capture Expert and Mushromancer. Now here’s a fun armor set, though the Aerial Style-using Insect Glaive lover in me might be biased. Needless to say, this is the first High Rank armor I made in the Western version of Monster Hunter Generations after sticking with the Low Rank TrapperJaggi set throughout the entire Village campaign and 5-star Hunter Hub. In addition to making it easier to mount and topple foes, you also get to consume mushrooms with Mushromancer and earn an extra reward after missions from Capture Expert. For your mushroom diet, bring a Dragon Toadstool to gain a Max Potion effect when consumed and a Mopeshroom for a Dash Juice effect when eaten. This requires a 2-slot charm if you want the Mushromancer effect, though. I've also made variations where I take out Mushromancer and swap in Negate Poison for Dreadqueen Rathian farming. Just keep in mind that it's weak against Fire and really bad against Thunder so you might want to factor that into your pre-fight meal depending on the monster you're facing. On the plus side, it's excellent against Water.

All-Purpose High Rank Blademaster Armor 1

If you literally want to look sharp, the full Glavenus (Dinovald for you MHX players) armor set just might cut it for you. This one provides two skills that focus on sharpness, allowing you to wail on monsters with a weapon that’s cutting edge in more ways than one.

Head: Glavenus S Helm

Body: Glavenus S Mail

Arm: Glavenus S Braces

Waist: Glavenus S Faulds

Foot: Glavenus S Greaves

Decorations: Handicraft Jewel 2 x3. Japanese: 匠珠【2】

Skills: For taking down enough Glavenus monsters to create this set, your efforts will be rewarded with Sharpness +2 and Heavy Polish (which I guess sounds better than my original rought translation "Strong Grinding"). In addition to gaining two additional levels of sharpness, using a whetstone or other sharpening item will grant you extra strength for a limited amount of time. Otherwise, you can try to gem in Speed Sharpening as well. This armor is especially ideal for Bushido mode as you won’t need to gem in Evasion. Just remember that you'll need 8 Great Maccao Hide+ as well, which you should easily acquire from the 4-star double Great Maccao Hub quest, "So Notable: Great Maccao."

All-Purpose High Rank Blademaster Armor 2

Now we're getting into the Deviant sets, which require hunting tougher versions of certain monsters and leveling them up to unlock some cool skills. First off is the "Black Flame King" Rathalos — or Dreadking Rathalos in the Western version of the game. That is such a cool name. Just as cool is the skill set this sucker comes with. Once again, you get three skills with one of them being a twofer. This set is on fire.

Head: Dreadking Helm

Body: Dreadking King Mail

Arm: Dreadking Braces

Waist: Dreadking Faulds

Foot: Dreadking Greaves

Skills: So what do you get with this set? First are HG Earplugs for folks who want to continue the fight without being affected by monster roars. It also comes with Weakness Exploit for extra damage to vulnerable enemy parts. Then you get Dreadking Soul, which grants Attack Up (L) and Windproof (Hi). This set is all about getting you up close and personal to the action without pause. It also doesn't have any slots, which honestly makes sense lest it become OP. Easily one of the best armor sets in the game.

All-Purpose High Rank Blademaster Armor 3

This set is from the “Jinmetsujin” Glavenus or Dinovald, which roughly translates to Ruinous Ember Blade or something. That’s the kind of name that makes me want to stand atop a telephone pole and do hero poses. Folks in the West know it as the Deviant Hellblade Glavenus, which sounds nice, too. Anyway, here ya' go.

Head: Hellblade Helm

Body: Hellblade Mail

Arm: Hellblade Braces

Waist: Hellblade Faulds

Foot: Hellblade Greaves

Skills: This set comes with Heavy Polish, which has no relation whatsoever to our friends from the wonderful country of Poland. For added survivability, it also features Divine Blessing, which grants a 25 percent chance to receive 30 percent less damage when hit. Lastly, it also comes with Hellblade Soul, which is three skills in one but only two of those apply to Blademasters. That would be Sharpness +2 and Speed Sharpening with the third skill, Shot Booster, being a Bowgun and Bow skill.

High Rank Status Dual Blade Armor

OK, so I understand that a straight-up armor build can be boring for some folks. But the skills for the Dreadqueen Armor is just oodles of fun. As someone who totally loves Status sets, I absolutely adore this one, which I like calling the "PPP" or Purple Poison Princess" set, or Prince, I guess, which actually sounds fitting, too (Purple Rain, baby). You technically get three skills but one of them is actually two skills in one so you actually get four overall. While this can work with any status weapon, it’s especially effective for Dual Blade users or folks who like rocking a Sword and Shield weapon such as the paralyzing Deathprize. I like this armor so much, I made two Level 10 sets for Blademaster and Gunner.

Head: Dreadqueen Helm

Body: Dreadqueen Mail

Arm: Dreadqueen Braces

Waist: Dreadqueen Faulds

Foot: Dreadqueen Greaves

Skills: Alright, so what do we have here, hm? First you get Critical Eye +2, which increases your affinity by 20 percent. Then you get Status Crit, which makes critical hits increase status infliction by 20 percent. Next is Dreadqueen Soul, which grants Status Atk +2 and Wide-Range +2. Like that girl that Bell Biv DeVoe likes to sing about, this set is poison. Farming for this armor inspired me to create my first Negate Poison armor set, which makes Dreadqueen fights more manageable. By the way, the Gunner variant is good, too.

All Purpose High Rank Gunner and Bow Armor

OK, so Deviant armors are nice and all but what about stuff that's easier to get? And how about some love for ranged hunters? Well, here you go my friends. This one primarily uses high-rank Rathalos Armor parts with Shagaru Greaves. Throw some Forceshot Jewels into the mix and you’ve got a set designed to really pump out some damage for Bow and Bowgun users. This one swaps the Rath S cap for the helm version.

Head: Rathalos S Helm

Body: Rathalos S Vest

Arm: Rathalos S Guards

Waist: Rathalos S Coat

Foot: Shagaru S Leggings

Decorations: Forceshot Jewel x6.

Japanese: 強弾珠【1】

Skills: Giant enemy crabs just might have to watch out for this set’s potential massive damage. You get three skills starting with Attack Up (S), which is ‘aight I guess. But you also get Normal Up, which powers up Normal shots for Bowgunners and Rapid Arrows for Bow users. Rounding out the skill set is Weakness Exploit, which ramps up your damage even more. The nice defense for a Gunner set is an extra plus. Requires a 1-slot charm for placing 6th Forceshot Jewel.

High Rank Pierce Gunner Set

Aaaand we're back to another Deviant set. Well, partly Deviant, to be more accurate. So you want an armor set that’ll pierce the heavens? Then try this mish-mash of gear from various monsters that’s geared toward Pierce gunners. You'll just need to hunt a monster that folks in the Land of the Rising Sun like to call the "Spearbreaker" or the Stonefist Daimyo Hermitaur for Western audiences. Unlike most of the sets in this list, this also requires some luck with a certain type of Talisman.

Weapon: LV3 Seregios 1-slot Heavy Bowgun recommended | Japanese: 叛逆砲イーラレギオン

Head: Stonefist Cap

Body: Mizutsune (Tamamitsune) S Vest

Arm: Stonefist Guards

Waist: Stonefist Coat

Foot: Akantor R Leggings

Decorations: Pierce Jewel x1, Pierce Jewel 3 x1 (in 3-slot charm), Dilemma Jewel x2. *Requires 3-slot Timeworn Charm with Spear Crusher +3

Japanese: 貫通珠【1】 貫通珠【3】窮地珠【1】

Skills: This puppy grants several skills, starting with Bubbly Dance. The skill grants you immunity from Mizutsune's (Tamamitsune for MHX players) Bubble Status Large, which is the blight that makes it difficult to move. However, it also grants you the milder Bubble status, which provides benefits to evasion when you dodge. To build on that, the set also grants Resuscitate, which gives you Attack +20 when you have a status ailment active. Skill No. 3 is Pierce Up, which lets bowgun and arrow pierce shots deal 1.10 times damage. Lastly, you get Stonefist Soul, which is a multilayered skill. This activates Razor Sharp, which is more of a Blademaster perk but also comes with Recoil Down +2 and Divine Blessing.

High Rank Bow Set

Outside of the almighty Teostra Bow, one thing folks who played Monster Hunter X will notice was the popularity of the Shagaru bow. Raw attack power of 230 plus 25% affinity is definitely nothing to scoff at. This set is designed to work well with the bow thanks to its particular set of skills — skills that you can acquire over a long monster-hunting career.

Weapon: THE DESIRE (LV3 Shagaru 1-slot Bow) recommended

Head: Shagaru R Cap

Body: Uragaan S Vest

Arm: Rathalos R Guards

Waist: Shagaru R Coat

Foot: Ukanlos Leggings

Decorations: Charger Jewel 1 x2, Charger Jewel 3 x2 (one in 3-slot charm), Flawless Jewel 2 x1. *Requires 3-slot Timeworn Charm with Pellet Up +4

Japanese: 短縮珠 【1】and【3】無傷珠【2】

Skills: The two key skills for this set are Focus and Pellet/Spread Up. Focus shortens charge time for weapons by 20 percent. Pellet/Spread Up increases Spread arrow damage by 1.30 times (or Pellet shot damage by 1.20 times otherwise). After these two, you can be a bit more liberal with the other skills (some folks, for example, like to add on Weakness Exploit and Challenger). This particular set also comes with Attack Up (S), which grants +10 attack. It also comes with Peak Performance, which gives a +20 attack bonus when you’re in full health, the idea being that you’ll be fighting at range and shouldn’t get hit as much.

Moar, er, more armor

What’s better than 14 armor sets to try? Even more armor sets to try that’s what. Part of the fun of figuring out armor sets in Monster Hunter is to see what the crazy folks in the Interwebs are using. I’ll start to list some of the more interesting ones I’ve seen online here. Got one you like or perhaps want me to translate? Leave a request in the comments and I shall give it a look!

Berserker Barrage Gunner Armor

With apologies to Wolverine. As someone who started playing Monster Hunter by exclusively gunning at first, I still have a soft spot for Bowguns in my heart. This armor is tailored toward the Eldra/Lost Musket, which looks like the non-status shooting cousin of one of my favorite Light Bowguns ever, God’s Isle.

Weapon: Eldra/Lost Musket [亡国の宝銃バイジン] (3 slots)

Head: Barrage Earring (Loading +10, Def: 22 to 51)

Body: Battle Vest S (Recoil +2, Anti-Theft +3, 2 Slots, Def: 22 to 53)

Arm: EX Arc Guards (Recoil +2, Chance +2, Light Eater +3, Def: 36 to 67)

Waist: Hermitaur Coat R (Recoil +6, Reload Speed -5, Def: 22 to 53)

Foot: Hermitaur Leggings R (Recoil +6, Reload Speed -5, Def: 22 to 53)

Talisman: Recoil +4, 3 slots

Decorations: Artillery Jewel 1 x5, Irregular Jwl 1 x5

Armor Skills: Recoil +3, Load Up, Haphazard, Artillery Novice, Reload Speed -1

Hunter Style: Striker

Hunter Arts: Full House III, Absolute Evasion, Absolute Readiness

Food Skills: Felyne Bombardier

If you’re a closet pyromaniac, chances are, you’ll love this set. It basically reduces recoil, lets you load extra ammo, powers up you internal shots and gives a boost to your Crag Shots (the Musket rapid-fires Crag LV1). Admittedly, getting the Eldra/Lost Musket, Barrage Earrings and a Recoil +4 Talisman with 3 slots can be a bit of a pain. Then again, your reward is that you get to have as much fun as this guy did in this Japanese video. For the Musket, you’ll need to get your grubby paws on an Extravagant Artifact via the Meownster Hunter game. Barrage Piercings, meanwhile, require clearing all 10 Arena quests with Rank A or better. For the Talisman, well, Sakura method charm farming the “Coal-Hearted” quest is your best friend. Otherwise, you can just stick with Recoil +2 and use any 3-slot Talisman you have.

Power Overwhelming Blademaster Set

I first found out about this set after I got asked by a Redditor a while ago to translate the skills in this Japanese video featuring a hunter using this set. My, my, what do we have here? Admittedly, putting it together is a bit of a pain because of the Hayabusa Feather, which requires you to clear all Village Quests. This will then unlock the Yukumo Chief’s 6th Request Log mission “Out of the Fry Pan,” which requires you to fight a Deviljho, Tigrex and Nargacuga before you can add the Hayabusa Feather to your cap. Yikes.

Head: Hayabusa Feather (Expert +15, Def: 20 to 51)

Body: Silver Solmail (Tenderizer +1, Critical Up +3, Stun -2, No Slots, Def: 66 to 128)

Arm: Silver Solbraces (Tenderizer +2, Critical Up +2, Stun -2, 1 Slot, Def: 66 to 128)

Waist: Vaik Faulds S (Sharpness +4, 2 Slots, Def: 46 to 108)

Foot: Silver Solgreaves (Tenderizer +3, Critical Up +2, Stun -2, 1 Slot, Def: 66 to 128)

Talisman: Sharpness +5, 3 slots

Decorations: Razor Jwl 1 x1, Tenderizer Jwl 3 x1, Critical Jwl 1 x3

Armor Skills: Critical Eye +2, Razor Sharp, Weakness Exploit, Critical Boost

This is a pretty straightforward with one simple goal: pumping out damage. Lots of damage. Critical Eye +2 increases affinity by 20 percent while Critical Boost raises the damage of critical hits. Razor Sharp halves the rate at which your weapon loses sharpness, allowing you to inflict higher damage longer. Weakness Exploit also boosts affinity when striking monster weak points. I’ve seen this set used with Switch Axes (Sword Mode for the win!) as well as Great Swords. If you’re willing to drop sharpness, you can also swap in different pieces to get either Crit Chain or Bludgeoner. For speed running, eat for that Felyne skill that boosts damage at the beginning of a quest and you’ll be inflicting the kind of massive damage to take down historically accurate giant enemy crabs faster.