Upcoming adjustments to the game balance
Thank you for always playing and enjoying Monster Hunter Now! Part of our plan for this game is to release regular major updates every three months. Our first major update, out this December 2023, will bring new weapon types and even more new monsters to hunt!
With the addition of new weapon types and monsters, we decided to adjust the game balance of existing monsters and weapon types based on your feedback and data in order to bring you an even more enjoyable experience.
In Monster Hunter Now, we believe it’s important to achieve a good balance between the various weapon types. Some of the things we particularly paid attention to in development were:
・Are the characteristics of each weapon type being expressed accurately?
・Are the strengths of a particular weapon type too advantageous (or disadvantageous) beyond the original intent?
While we took care to tune and balance things before launch, sometimes further adjustments are needed, based on how people are actually playing the game, and we believe that if any weapon type has deviated too far from its original intent, it should be strengthened, weakened, or otherwise adjusted. Our idea of balance is not to make all weapon types equal in strength. We believe that it is acceptable for certain weapon types to be temporarily rated higher than others, as long as it is not too extreme, adds depth to the gameplay, and allows for a variety of options for players. However, when a particular weapon type has an advantage over others for a sustained period of time, it may be necessary to make adjustments in a way that fills the gap and achieves balance.
With all of this in mind, we decided to adjust the balance between close-range and long-range weapons as the main focus of this major update. Ideally, we want to achieve the following balance:
・With close-range weapons, a higher risk of taking damage should be offset with an exhilarating play experience with more destructive and consecutive attacks.
・With long-range weapons, a lower risk should require a more strategic approach to battle, in which hunters need to take into consideration how to best inflict damage.
Currently, the development team feels that the close-range weapons are at too much of a disadvantage compared to the long-range weapons in terms of both risk and damage in hunts.
To rebalance, long-range weapons have been adjusted to create the need for more accurate aiming, while close-range weapons have been adjusted to lessen the risk and difficulty in using them and to allow for a more fitting attack performance.
Upcoming changes with the winter 2023 major update: Fulminations in the Frost
Changes to existing weapon types
Sword & Shield
◆ Why we’re making these changes
With the addition of lances in this update, there will now be two weapons that can also guard. Adjustments will be made to the guard performance of sword & shield weapons to highlight their more technical nature.
・The overall damage reduction rate when guarding against enemy attacks will be reduced.
・A perfect guard will now be possible with well-timed guarding against enemy attacks. A perfect guard reduces damage more than normal guarding and activates the Offensive Guard skill (this is also the case with lances).
・You will be able to transition from guard to backstep quicker than before.
Great Sword
◆ Why we’re making these changes
The great sword requires some risk in return for inflicting large damage with a single blow, but currently there seems to be a slight imbalance between risk and return. These adjustments will slightly reduce the risk when attacking.
・The window of Knockback prevention(significantly reducing damage and preventing flinch reactions) when tackling will now begin sooner.
・The transition from a charged slash to the next level of charged slash will be quicker than before.
・You will be able to evade more quickly after a charged slash.
・After a jumping wide slash (achieved by tapping after a tackle) you will now be able to move into a charged slash by tapping and holding.
Hammer
◆ Why we’re making these changes
Like the great sword, this is a high-risk weapon. Without taking away from that, some adjustments have been made to compensate for its short reach and risk.
・When using lock on and charging your hammer, you will now be able to move toward the locked on target more smoothly.
・You will be able to evade more quickly after all attacks.
Bow
◆ Why we’re making these changes
The bow is intended to be a somewhat technical long-range weapon that requires the player to adjust their position and distance in order to target weak points, but as it stands, attack performance is sufficient without having to aim at weak points from a distance. With that in mind, we adjusted it to make it more important to maintain an appropriate distance and position and to accurately aim at weak points. In turn, we have also made improvements, including making perfect evades more advantageous, which had been a point of frustration for hunters.
・Damage reduction when there is distance between you and a monster will be greater.
・All large monsters will be more resistant to shots aimed at their non-weak parts.
・A perfect evade will now increase the charge level by two.
・The speed of rapid arrows will be slightly increased for better accuracy when attacking the target part.
Light Bowgun
◆ Why we’re making these changes
As with the bow, adjustments were made to account for the fact that it is easier to generate sustained firepower from a lower risk position, and once you have the skills for the bowgun (Recoil Down and increased Reload Speed), it is easier to generate even greater firepower. In turn, we improved the perfect evade bonus, just as we did with the bow.
・Damage reduction when there is distance between you and a monster will be greater.
・All large monsters will be more resistant to shots aimed at their non-weak parts.
・Achieving a perfect evade when your ammo is maxed out will grant a bonus of +1 to the number of ammo.
Long Sword
◆ Why we’re making these changes
The current consensus around this weapon seems to be that when handled well, it is one of the most powerful of all weapons, but when not handled skillfully, it is difficult to generate power. This aligns with how we intended the strengths and weaknesses of this weapon to be expressed, so we did not make any particular adjustments this time.
Changes to monsters
All large monsters
・Strong roars of each monster are now effective over a wider range.
Other changes
・The formula for calculating the rate of increase in damage when skills that increase attack power by a multiplier (e.g. Sneak Attack, Special Boost, etc.) are stacked has been changed.
・It will take slightly longer to evade just after getting up from heavy damage (when the hunter is thrown back).
・The window of invincibility after reviving will be slightly longer.
・It will be easier to launch an appropriate attack based on your proximity to a monster.
・Some of the rewards for Daily Quests will be increased:
1) Sharp Claw, Wingdrake Hide: increased from 3 to 5
2) Machalite Ore, Monster Bone M: increased from 1 to 3
3) Dragonite Ore, Monster Bone L: increased from 1 to 2
That’s everything for this update! Our goal is to create a game in which hunters get to fully enjoy the range of their chosen weapon type, while occasionally wanting to reach for others. In addition to the new dual blades and lances, we encourage you to try out the other weapon types as well!
