Best Early Game Monsties in Monster Hunter Stories 3
Players will start Monster Hunter Stories 3 with some of the best Monsties already in their stables. However, they won’t be enough, and if you want to have an answer to a wider variety of problems later down the road, you’ll need to find and hatch even more Monsties, preferably ones that can cover for any weaknesses your lineup may have early on in the MH Stories 3 campaign.
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Rathalos and Tobi Kadachi
Players will start with both Ratha and a Tobi Kadachi as part of their early Monstie lineup. Both are good for the following reasons:
- Ratha’s poison attacks are great for tacking on extra DPS, and you can give him a Kutku or Rathian’s Technical fire attacks later on, making him more versatile than the average Monstie.
- Tobi Kadachis have good single-target and AoE skills while also having the ability to Paralyze enemies. Additionally, they can boost their own Thunder damage output, making them great for most fights.
Ratha is a one-of-a-kind Monstie who will serve you well even in the later stages of the game. Meanwhile, a Tobi Kadachi with good genes is more than enough to handle anything that’s weak against Thunder, up until you find a stronger Thunder-based Monstie later on.
Nerscylla
- Non-elemental Technical Monstie that inflicts Sleep
The best part of a Nerscylla’s skillset is their ability to put targets to sleep. Once a monster starts snoozing off in the middle of a fight, the next attack they take is guaranteed to be a critical hit. This alone makes Nerscyllas very valuable early in the game, especially when you’re fighting strong enemies like Feral or Invasive Monsties (assuming they aren’t resistant or immune to Sleep, that is).
If you’re looking for an alternative non-elemental Monstie, consider getting a Velocidrome for their debuffs and high crit chance.
Royal Ludroth
- Water Monstie with Power/Technical skills
Royal Ludroths are among the first Leviathan-type Monsties players will find, and these guys are especially valuable if you don’t have a Water-based Monstie in your lineup yet. Royal Ludroths can unlock Power and Technical attacks by default, so you don’t necessarily need to use the Rite of Channeling to get genes that can help you win more Head-to-Heads when fielding this Monstie.
Purple Ludroths are also quite decent for players who want a Water Monstie that can also inflict Poison, though
Purple Gypceros
- Non-elemental Power Monstie with Stun and Darkness
Much like Nerscyllas, Purple Gypceros are great for controlling the battle. Instead of Sleep, these Monsties can inflict Stun and Darkness; the former prevents enemies from taking their turns, while the latter makes incoming attacks miss more often. Purple Gypceros can also inflict Poison, giving them an extra edge when it comes to directly dealing damage to enemies.
Lagiacrus
- Thunder/Power Monstie with high crit chance and Paralysis
A Lagiacrus can serve as a Power-based alternative to Tobi Kadachis, in case you ever find yourself in need of a Thunder Monstie that can counter Speed-heavy enemies. Both monsters can deal high Thunder damage and inflict Paralysis, but with the right genes, a Lagiacrus can also inflict plenty of non-elemental critical hits.
Ivory Lagiacrus variants start with better AoE damage, while regular (or even dual-element ones) start with strong single-target damage. Before these monsters can appear in Azuria, you need to find and chase away an Invasive Plesioth hiding in a cave in Mirror Lake.