Monster feast: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate canteen food upgrade guide | Technobubble

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There's a Japanese expression that goes, "You can't go to war on an empty stomach."

The fact that there's an almost eerily similar-sounding English expression just goes to show you the universal importance of chowing down.

It's the same case for the Monster Hunter video game. Yes, you can certainly fight without filling your belly. But unless you're the type of hunter who gets a Chris Matthews-style thrill up your leg with naked monster hunts or are simply a glutton for punishment, you will normally want to eat a meal before going out to face the game's fearsome beasts.

That's because eating at the canteen gives nice bonuses to your life and stamina bars as well as various buffs to make your hunting go more smoothly. Whether it be defense boosts, sharply increasing your attack when your health is low or making incredibly tough enemies more susceptible to flinching, there are oh-so many reasons to scarf down those laughably large portions of hunter grub prior to battle (As a general rule, meat combinations typically raise attack, grain combos raise defense and the rest typically have elemental bonuses).

To maximize the effects of eating and give you more flexibility with dining choices, however, you'll want to upgrade the quality of the food ingredients at the canteen when you get the chance. This is especially true if you want to max out the HP bonus you get from food by increasing the "star quality" of your meals.

From ranking up those ingredients to getting your grubby paws on that fancy barbecue spit for roasting 10 pieces of meat at the same time, here's a list of ways to upgrade every ingredient item at Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate's canteens for hunters who want eat big and eat good.

GRAIN AND VEGETABLES

Actually, it might be more accurate to call it bread and vegetables for Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. This is a pretty straightforward upgrade as all you need to do is go through three village quests. You'll know you've got the right quest, too, because it will have a fish icon when you highlight it. The best part is that the same missions upgrade both ingredients so it's like getting two for the price of one. You know, kinda' like watching a Super Bowl halftime show and seeing Right Shark and Left Shark.

1. The Stinking Seltas: Hunt a Seltas (2-star village quest)

2. Najarala Hunt: Hunt a Najarala (4-star village quest)

3. Rathalos Renovation: Capture a Rathalos (5-star village quest)

MEAT

Another straightforward upgrade, except you have to go through the Gathering Hall quests instead of the village. Depending on your level, the last two might be a bit tougher because Gathering Hall monsters are stronger than their village counterparts. The only actual threat here, though, is the monster my group has affectionately dubbed Rob Van Dam — Emerald Congalala — after seeing it Five-Star-Frog-Splash a cousin to death many, many, many times. It's one of a kind.

1. Bite Your Tongues: Deliver 6 Popo Tongues (2-star Gathering Hall quest)

2. Advanced: Purge and Binge: Hunt a Tetsucabra and a Zamtrios (3-star Gathering Hall)

3. Apes of Wrath: Hunt a Kecha Wacha and an Emerald Congalala (4-star Gathering Hall quest)

FISH

Go fish! In addition to missions, you'll need to do a villager request via the old Wycoon. That means you'll need to get some mats but nothing too difficult, really. As the saying goes, "Teach a man to fish and he'll be able to get Felyne Medic, Weakener, Defender or Riser if he eats it with bread." Or something along those lines.

1. Road Work: Capture a Gendrome (3-star village quest)

2. Pick Your Poison: Hunt an Iodrome (5-star village quest). Finishing this quest will unlock the villager request "Street Cook" at the Wycoon cart. Once unlocked, fulfilling the request requires 2,500 caravan points (which you can earn via free hunt Expedition missions at the Everwood) 2 Frost Sacs and 3 Flabby Hides.

To get Frost Sacs: You have a chance to acquire the item via:

— Zamtrios shiny drop: 30 percent

— Carving a low-rank Zamtrios: 16 percent per carve

— Main or subquest reward for finishing 4-star village mission "An Ice Surprise": 14 percent

To get Flabby Hides: Finishing the 4-star village mission "The Walls Have Eyes" should guarantee you 1 Flabby Hide in the post-hunt rewards. You also get a chance for Flabby Hides via:

— Breaking its head: 67 percent from mission rewards

— Carving a low-rank Khezu: 50 percent per carve

— Capturing: 32 percent chance from mission rewards.

By the way, I got those percentages from the official Japanese Monster Hunter guide book, if anyone's curious.

3. Hunter's Heaven: Hunt a Tigrex and a Zinogre (3-star Gathering Hall quest)

DAIRY

Milk does a body good. Unless you're lactose intolerant. Fortunately, hunters are like Chuck Norris and do not suffer from something so silly as lactose intolerance. It's so freaking unfair. Yes, I'm lactose intolerant. Yet one more fail in the genetic lottery for yours truly.

1. Shipshape Skin: Hunt a Gypceros (3-star village quest): Doing this mission unlocks the Villager Request "Milk Does a Hunter Fine" at the Wycoon cart. Turning in the request requires 2,000 caravan points, 2 Gloamgrass Roots and 3 Kelbi Horns.

To get Kelbi Horns, just hunt and carve Kelbi or get them as rewards from the 2-star village quest "Kelbi Cure-All." To get Gloamgrass, harvest it from plant gathering spots. I recommend either the Sunken or Volcanic Hollow maps.

2. Hanging by a Thread: Hunt 2 Nerscylla (4-star village quest)

3. Egg-straction: Final Mission: Deliver 3 Wyvern eggs (6-star village quest): I'm not going to lie, this is easily the most annoying food upgrade requirement in this entire game. Doing this involves carrying a fragile Wyvern egg three times through Konchus, Remobras, Rhenoplos and Iopreys while large rocks progressively block your path. Did I mention you have to scale walls? And did I mention you have to face a frenzied Rathalos and Rathian (I ended up just exterminating them both with the rage of a thousand suns after they broke my eggs twice and poisoned me to boot).

I also got knocked off a ledge and poison spat twice by Remobras in the same mission. I also dropped an egg once due to the simple fact that I'm an idiot and didn't check my stamina while running. Oh yeah, all that happened in one mission. Whoever designed this quest deserves to be hogtied while their nose hairs are plucked one by one. OK, maybe that's too harsh. Pluck them two at a time. Yes, I'm bitter! And yes, cool story, bro. Anywho, to unlock the mission:

Step 1: Finish the 2-star village quest "Chip off the Old Blockade" by slaying 8 Konchu.

Step 2: Talk to the Val Habar armorer to unlock the "Egg-straction: Gargwa" egg delivery mission. Finish it and talk to the armorer again.

Step 3: Talk to the Cheerful Toverian in Harth to unlock "Egg-straction: Herbivores." Finish that mission and talk to the Cheerful Troverian again.

Step 4: Talk to the Cheeko Sands Armory cat to unlock "Egg-straction: Wyvern." Finish the quest successfully and talk to the cat again.

Step 5: Talk to the Cathar Elder to Unlock "Egg-straction: Final Mission." Schedule an anger management session with a local psychotherapist then go deliver those Wyvern eggs!

DRINK

Drinks aren't available at first but show up after you finish the Dah'ren Mohran urgent quest and unlock 4-star high-rank missions at the Gathering Hall. Quick food for thought: While the localized Monster Hunter games use drinks like cola, the original Japanese versions actually use sake or alcohol. I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I hunt freaking ginormous monsters. Stay thirsty, my friends.

1. Splendid Sootstone: Deliver 4 Sootstone ores (4-star Gathering Hall quest)

2. Pyres Beware: Hunt a Rathian and Rathalos (5-star Gathering Hall quest)

3. Advanced: Heaven and Earth: Hunt a Pink Rathian and Azure Rathalos (6-star Gathering Hall quest)

FANCY SPIT

Sick and tired of roasting pieces of meat one by one? Sounds like you need a fancy spit my friend. No, not that kind of spit you hooligan. A fancy spit is a canteen upgrade that lets you roast 10 pieces of raw meat at a time. Now that's efficiency. Just be careful as doing it wrong means you'll have 10 pieces of burnt steak as well. To get the Fancy Spit, you'll need to finish the 4-star village quest "Troverian Trouble" which involves hunting a Rathian.