Best Hunting Horn Build MHW: Tips & Tricks | Reddit Guide
Hey guys! Ready to become a maestro of mayhem in Monster Hunter World? We're diving deep into crafting the ultimate Hunting Horn build, drawing inspiration and wisdom straight from the Monster Hunter Reddit community. This isn't just about hitting monsters; it's about buffing your team, rocking sweet melodies, and looking awesome while doing it. So, grab your horn, and let's get started!
Understanding the Hunting Horn
Before we jump into builds, let's quickly run through what makes the Hunting Horn so unique. Unlike other weapons that focus solely on damage, the Hunting Horn is a support weapon that provides buffs to both yourself and your teammates through musical performances. Each horn has a unique set of notes and melodies, offering a wide variety of buffs, such as attack up, defense up, health recovery, and elemental resistance. Mastering the Hunting Horn involves knowing your horn's melodies, understanding which buffs are most useful in different situations, and positioning yourself effectively to support your team while still dealing damage.
The Hunting Horn’s moveset may seem simple at first glance, but it has a surprising amount of depth. You can chain attacks together to quickly build up your song queue, and you can perform different recitals and encores to unleash powerful buffs and attacks. It's also important to understand the different ways you can perform songs. The basic recital plays the song once, while the encore plays it twice, providing a stronger or longer-lasting buff. There are also variations like the self-improvement encore, which buffs your own attack and movement speed. Timing your recitals and encores properly is crucial for maximizing your buffs and keeping your team in top shape.
Another key aspect of the Hunting Horn is its ability to KO monsters. Many of its attacks deal blunt damage, which can contribute to stunning the monster and creating openings for your team to deal massive damage. The Hunting Horn’s exhaust damage is also significant, draining the monster's stamina and causing it to tire out more quickly, making it easier to land hits and control the fight. Positioning is key when using the Hunting Horn. You want to be close enough to the monster to deal damage and contribute to KO and exhaust, but you also need to be mindful of your teammates' positions so you can buff them effectively. This often means staying near the monster's head to maximize your chances of landing KO attacks while also keeping your team within range of your buffs.
Key Skills for a Hunting Horn Build
Alright, let's talk skills! When building your Hunting Horn set, there are a few skills you absolutely can't live without. These will enhance your damage output, survivability, and support capabilities.
- Horn Maestro: This is your bread and butter. It extends the duration of your buffs, allowing you to spend more time attacking and less time performing. Trust us; your team will thank you.
- Attack Boost: Who doesn't love more attack? Boosting your raw attack power will significantly increase your damage output, making you a more effective damage dealer.
- Critical Eye: Increasing your affinity (critical hit chance) is a great way to boost your overall damage. Aim for high affinity to consistently deal more damage.
- Weakness Exploit: This skill increases your affinity when hitting weak spots. Combine it with Critical Eye for maximum damage potential.
- Critical Boost: This skill increases the damage multiplier for critical hits. If you're building for high affinity, this skill is a must-have.
- Health Boost: Staying alive is crucial, especially when you're supporting your team. Health Boost gives you extra health, making you more resilient to monster attacks.
- Stamina Surge: Since playing songs and dodging consumes stamina, having Stamina Surge will help you maintain your stamina levels, allowing you to stay in the fight longer.
- Earplugs: This prevents roars from interrupting your performances. Essential for maintaining buffs during chaotic fights.
- Evade Window/Extender: These skills improve your dodging capabilities, allowing you to evade attacks more easily and maintain your position.
Reddit's Favorite Hunting Horn Builds
Now, let's dive into some specific builds that the Reddit community swears by. These builds are designed to maximize different aspects of the Hunting Horn, from damage to support.
The Damage Dealer Build
This build focuses on maximizing your damage output while still providing essential buffs. It's perfect for hunts where you want to contribute significantly to the damage while keeping your team supported.
- Weapon: Safi'jiiva Hunting Horn (with Attack, Affinity, and Health Regen awakenings)
- Armor:
- Head: Teostra's Crown Beta +
- Chest: Brachydium Mail Beta +
- Arms: Teostra's Vambraces Beta +
- Waist: Brachydium Coil Beta +
- Legs: Garuga Greaves Beta +
- Skills: Attack Boost, Critical Eye, Weakness Exploit, Critical Boost, Agitator, Horn Maestro, Health Boost
- Playstyle: Focus on maintaining your buffs while dealing damage. Prioritize hitting weak spots and using your strongest attacks. The Safi'jiiva Hunting Horn provides excellent damage and sustain, while the armor skills boost your attack power and affinity.
The Support Specialist Build
This build is all about keeping your team alive and buffed. It's perfect for hunts where your primary role is to support your team, such as difficult hunts or hunts with less experienced players.
- Weapon: Deep Vero (with Health Regen augment)
- Armor:
- Head: Velkhana Head Beta +/ Kulve Taroth
- Chest: Kushala Cista Beta +
- Arms: Velkhana Claw Beta +
- Waist: Kushala Cocoon Beta +
- Legs: Ruiner Graves Beta +
- Skills: Wide-Range, Speed Eating, Free Meal, Horn Maestro, Health Boost, Evade Window/Extender
- Playstyle: Focus on maintaining your buffs and healing your team. Stay close to your teammates and use Wide-Range to share healing items. The Deep Vero has a great song list for support, including health recovery and defense boost.
The Versatile Build
This build strikes a balance between damage and support, making it suitable for a variety of hunts. It's perfect for players who want to contribute to both damage and support without sacrificing one for the other.
- Weapon: Lightbreak Horn (with Attack and Health Regen augment)
- Armor:
- Head: Teostra's Crown Beta +
- Chest: Raging Brachydios Beta +
- Arms: Teostra's Vambraces Beta +
- Waist: Raging Brachydios Coil Beta +
- Legs: Garuga Greaves Beta +
- Skills: Attack Boost, Critical Eye, Weakness Exploit, Critical Boost, Agitator, Horn Maestro, Health Boost, Evade Window/Extender
- Playstyle: Focus on maintaining your buffs while dealing damage. Prioritize hitting weak spots and using your strongest attacks. The Lightbreak Horn provides a good balance of damage and support, while the armor skills boost your attack power and affinity.
Tips and Tricks from the Reddit Community
Alright, let's get into some pro tips that the Reddit community has shared over the years. These tips can help you take your Hunting Horn game to the next level.
- Memorize Your Songs: Knowing your horn's song list is crucial. Practice performing songs in different situations so you can quickly buff your team when needed.
- Positioning is Key: Stay close to your team to buff them effectively, but also position yourself to deal damage to the monster. This often means staying near the monster's head to maximize your chances of landing KO attacks.
- Use Your Environment: Take advantage of environmental traps and hazards to deal extra damage to the monster. For example, you can lure the monster into a pitfall trap or use a bomb to stun it.
- Communicate with Your Team: Let your team know which buffs you're providing and when you're going to perform them. This will help them coordinate their attacks and take advantage of your buffs.
- Practice Your Combos: The Hunting Horn has a variety of combos that can be used to quickly build up your song queue and unleash powerful attacks. Practice these combos to maximize your damage output.
Final Thoughts
The Hunting Horn is a versatile and rewarding weapon that can be used to both support your team and deal significant damage. By understanding the basics of the Hunting Horn, building a strong set, and following the tips and tricks from the Reddit community, you can become a true maestro of mayhem. So, grab your horn, hit the training grounds, and start rocking those sweet melodies! Happy Hunting!