Building a strong character in Monster Hunter Outlanders requires more than simply increasing your level. There are several progression systems that can improve your damage, defense, elemental abilities, and overall hunting performance. From upgrading equipment to training Buddies, each system plays an important role in making your character stronger.
The good thing is that Monster Hunter Outlanders gives players plenty of opportunities to collect materials. You can keep hunting monsters to craft new weapons and armor without worrying about a limited number of hunts. If you are still learning the game, here are 9 ways to strengthen your characters and improve your hunting performance.
1. Increase Your Character Level and Ecology Rank
The first step to making your character stronger is increasing their level. You can do this through the character upgrade menu, where you can spend the required materials to improve their stats. However, your maximum character level also depends on your Ecology Rank, so simply collecting upgrade materials is not enough to unlock every level.
For example, reaching character level 60 requires Ecology Rank 5. To increase your Ecology Rank, you must also meet certain Adventure Rank requirements and complete the required challenges. You can check your current Ecology Rank through the menu or the indicator in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
Here are some things to remember:
- Increase your Adventure Rank by progressing through the game.
- Complete the required challenges to unlock higher Ecology Ranks.
- Check your Ecology Rank before trying to upgrade your character further.
- Collect character upgrade materials while completing hunts.
Think of Ecology Rank as a world-level progression system. The higher your rank, the more character progression options you can unlock.
2. Use Engraving to Unlock Additional Character Effects
Engraving is another way to improve your characters in Monster Hunter Outlanders. This system provides additional effects that can help increase your character’s performance during hunts. However, activating these bonuses requires Zenny, so you should be careful when deciding which characters to prioritize.
For beginners, it is better to focus on your main character first instead of spending all your Zenny on every character you own. If you have Midori, she can also be worth prioritizing because her Engraving effects provide useful bonuses.
Some tips for using the Engraving system include:
- Prioritize your main DPS character first.
- Consider upgrading Midori if you regularly use her.
- Check the available effects before spending Zenny.
- Save your Zenny if you still need it for other important upgrades.
Engraving can consume a considerable amount of Zenny, especially when you activate several effects. You do not need to unlock everything immediately, so wait until you have enough resources before investing heavily in this system.
3. Craft and Upgrade Weapons and Armor
Equipment is one of the most important parts of character progression in Monster Hunter Outlanders. Weapons and armor provide different stats and abilities, while certain armor combinations also activate special set effects. This means you should not simply equip items based on their rarity or defense value.
For weapons, always consider the elemental weakness of the monster you are hunting. For example, if your target monster is weak against Thunder, using a Thunder weapon can help you deal more damage. You can craft different weapon types at the Forge Weapon menu, including Hammers and Long Swords.
Armor also has different set bonuses depending on the monster it comes from. For example, you can combine three pieces of Anjanath armor to increase Fire damage and use two Rathian pieces to activate another useful effect. One example is Flawless, which increases damage dealt by 3% while your health is full.
You should also pay attention to these equipment features:
- Elemental Weapons: Prepare Fire, Water, Thunder, and other elemental weapons to counter different monsters.
- Armor Set Effects: Combine armor pieces to activate bonuses from two-piece or three-piece sets.
- Equipment Upgrades: Increase your equipment rarity when you have the required materials.
- Dismantling: Break down unwanted equipment to obtain materials for other upgrades.
One useful feature is that early-game equipment can still be upgraded to higher rarities. You do not always need to replace your entire armor set when reaching a higher level. Instead, collect the required materials and improve your existing equipment whenever possible.
4. Create Elemental Loadouts for Different Monsters
Once you have several weapons and armor pieces, managing your equipment manually can become annoying. Fortunately, Monster Hunter Outlanders has a Loadout feature that allows you to save different equipment combinations.
You can create separate loadouts for different elemental builds. For example, having Water, Thunder, and Fire loadouts is a good starting point because these elements are useful against many early-game monsters. When you want to fight a monster with a specific weakness, simply select the matching loadout before starting the hunt.
The Loadout feature can automatically switch your equipment and Visage cards, making it easier to prepare for different enemies. You can also create separate loadouts for your support characters instead of only focusing on your main character.
Remember that character elements are not always fixed based on their names. For example, Pyro does not necessarily have to use Fire equipment. You can adjust the element and equipment setup to match the monster you are fighting.
For better results, make sure your weapon element matches your armor bonuses. Using a Fire weapon with armor that increases Fire damage is a simple way to improve your overall damage output.
5. Train and Upgrade Your Buddies
Buddies are another important part of character progression. These companions provide additional abilities that can help you during hunts, including healing and elemental damage bonuses. However, you should choose a Buddy based on its role and abilities instead of simply picking one with a higher rarity.
For example, if your character focuses on dealing elemental damage, Ikarus can be a useful choice because of its elemental damage bonus. Other Buddies may provide different effects, so check their abilities before deciding which one to use.
You can improve your Buddies through the Training section by spending the required Buddy Token materials. Upgrading them can improve their abilities and make their support effects more useful during battles.
Here are some tips for managing your Buddies:
- Match the Buddy’s role with your character’s needs.
- Check their abilities before selecting one.
- Prioritize Buddies that provide useful healing or damage bonuses.
- Upgrade their levels using Buddy Token materials.
- Collect additional Buddies through the recruitment system.
You can also obtain higher-rarity Buddies from the Exchange Shop. Both SR and SSR options are available, although SSR Buddies require more exchange resources. These resources can be obtained through recruitment, so keep an eye on your available vouchers and exchange currency.
6. Collect and Upgrade Visage Cards
Visage cards are another equipment system that can provide additional bonuses to your characters. They become available as you progress through the main story and reach the required Adventure Rank. Similar to armor, these cards have individual stats and set effects that can improve your overall build.
For example, the Pukei-Pukei Visage set provides different bonuses depending on how many pieces you equip. Its two-piece effect increases Ultimate Charge Rate by 5%, which can be useful for Disruptor characters that need more time to charge their abilities.
Meanwhile, its four-piece effect provides an additional 6.5% squad buff for 60 seconds when the Adventurer receives a buff. This makes it useful for builds that rely on supporting the entire team.
When choosing Visage cards, consider the following:
- DPS Characters: Prioritize cards that increase damage or elemental damage.
- Support Characters: Look for cards that improve healing and squad buffs.
- Disruptors: Consider Ultimate Charge Rate bonuses to activate abilities more frequently.
- Elemental Builds: Match your cards with the element used by your weapon.
You can obtain Visage cards through the Daily Hunts feature in the Field Hunts section. These activities also provide other materials needed for character progression.
Card rarity also depends on your progression level. According to the drop rates shown in the guide, Blue cards have a 100% drop rate up to level 9. Purple card chances start at 30% at level 10 and increase by 10% with each level until reaching 100% at level 17.
At level 18, you can start getting Yellow cards with a 30% drop chance. Therefore, keep progressing through higher-level content if you want to collect better Visage cards.
7. Upgrade and Resketch Your Visage Cards
Collecting Visage cards is only the beginning because you can also upgrade and resketch them to improve their stats. This system allows you to adjust your cards based on the build you want to use.
Card upgrades require specific materials, so make sure to collect them through hunts and other activities. Once you have enough resources, open the Visage menu and select the card you want to improve.
The Resketch feature is particularly useful because it allows you to obtain different additional stats. For example, you might get Elemental Critical Damage or other bonuses that improve your character’s performance.
However, not every stat will be useful for your current build. Some bonuses may not match your weapon or equipment setup, so pay attention to the effects you receive.
Here are some things to consider when upgrading Visage cards:
- Upgrade cards that match your character’s role.
- Look for elemental damage bonuses that match your weapon.
- Use Resketch to obtain additional stats.
- Avoid investing too many materials in cards you do not plan to use.
- Check whether the card’s additional effects match your current equipment.
For example, if you are using a Water weapon, prioritize Visage effects that improve Water damage instead of investing in bonuses for another element.
8. Use Insight and Proof of Mastery
Insight is another progression system that provides additional character bonuses. You can access it through the book icon in the bottom-right corner of the character menu. This system works similarly to character duplicates because collecting additional copies can provide Insight points.
You can spend these points to unlock different effects depending on your weapon type. For example, Bow users can select bonuses that increase Ultimate Charge Rate or improve their damage output.
Each effect requires a certain number of points, and some of the stronger bonuses can cost as much as 30 points. If you do not have enough points, focus on activating the available effects first.
Insight also works with different characters, so make sure to adjust the bonuses based on the weapon and role you are using. SR characters can be easier to develop in this system because obtaining their duplicates may be more accessible.
Another progression feature is Proof of Mastery, which you can find through the Explorer section in the main menu. This system provides additional bonuses to your characters and Adventure Squad.
For example, one Explorer Season reward provides:
- 65 Physical Attack
- 32 Elemental Attack
However, increasing your Proof of Mastery rank requires you to meet certain conditions. Some upgrades require a specific amount of Adventure Power, such as 5,220 Adventure Power.
If your characters have not reached the required power yet, continue upgrading their weapons, armor, Visage cards, and other progression systems before trying again.
9. Use Food Buffs and Target Monster Weaknesses
Food is another way to improve your performance before starting a hunt. Monster Hunter Outlanders has a cooking system that allows you to prepare dishes with different effects. These buffs can increase damage, improve part-breaking efficiency, reduce incoming damage, or provide other useful bonuses.
Some dishes offer a 5% damage increase, while certain higher-rarity recipes can provide even stronger effects. There are also food buffs that reduce damage taken by 9% or increase damage by 15%.
However, you need to unlock the recipes before using them. Most of these recipes are obtained through quests, so make sure to check your available missions and complete the required objectives.
Some recipes also require special ingredients. For example, one damage-related recipe requires 75 Heaven Berries. You can check the Local Specialty section to find where these ingredients are available.
Besides food buffs, understanding monster weaknesses is equally important. Before starting a hunt, check the monster information to see which elemental weapon and weapon type are recommended.
For example, Radiant Barroth is weak against Fire, so using a Fire weapon can help you deal more damage. The game also provides weapon recommendations for breaking specific monster parts.
Here are some useful weapon choices based on the target part:
- Bow and Heavy Bowgun: Suitable for breaking monster wings.
- Hammer: Effective for breaking the head and body.
- Long Sword: Useful for attacking the forelegs, hind legs, and tail.
- Great Sword: Can help break several major monster parts.
- Dual Blades: Useful for attacking the legs and tail.
- Lance: Can target the monster’s legs and other parts.
- Charge Blade: Another option for breaking specific monster parts.
You should also pay attention to Radiant monster mechanics. When a Radiant effect appears on a specific body part, lock onto that part and attack it using the monster’s elemental weakness.
For example, if the Radiant effect appears on the monster’s head, focus your attacks there. If it appears on the hands, change your target accordingly.
There are many ways to strengthen your characters in Monster Hunter Outlanders, and focusing on only one upgrade system will not be enough when facing stronger monsters. You should improve your character level, invest in Engraving, craft better equipment, and make use of Visage cards, Buddies, and Insight.
Most importantly, always prepare your equipment based on the monster you are hunting. Having different elemental weapons and armor loadouts will make battles easier, especially when dealing with enemies with different weaknesses. Keep hunting, collecting materials, and upgrading your equipment to build a stronger team.