Monster Hunter Hammer Tri FAQ

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-------------------------- Version history ------------------------------------
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6/4/2011: Version 0.001, Decided to start a hammer FAQ
6/5/2011: Version 0.75, Most of it complete, spent 2 hours trying to get it 
within GameFAQ's standard margins.
6/6/2011: Version 0.90, Rations are low, BUT OUR(my)SPIRITS REMAIN HIGH
6/7/2011: Version 1.00, Completed the Monster Specifics! :D
6/9/2011: Version 1.1, Updates to the organization, new armor set, monster
specifics. Neoseeker is now allowed to post this FAQ on their website.
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-------------------------- Contents of the FAQ --------------------------------
===============================================================================
*Abbreviations
*Basics of the Hammer: [HM01]
- Pros/Cons [HMPCS]
- Attacks [HMATT]
- Stun Damage [STAHM]
- Exhaust [EXHHM]
*Hammer Fighting Styles [HMFS1]
- General Strategies [GMHM1]
- Monster Specifics [MSHM1]
>Great Jaggi
>Qurupeco
>Royal Ludroth
>Barroth
>Gobul
>Great Baggi
>Lagiacrus
>Rathian
>Gigginox
>Rathalos
>Barioth
>Diablos
>Uragaan
>Agnaktor
>Ceadeus
>Jhen Mohran
>Deviljho
>Alatreon
*Online Play with the Hammer: [OROH]
- Should I? [SHHM]
*Armor skills [YESZ]
- Preferable skills [HMPSK]
- Second choice [HMSCH]
*Offline Play (Weapons/Armor) [OFFHM]
*Online Play (Weapons/Armor) [ONNHM]
*Specific Armor Sets [SPARHM]
*Credits and legal [CREDLEG]
*Contact [CONHM]

Use CTRL+F for finding a specific branch.
===============================================================================
******************************Abbreviations************************************
===============================================================================
It gets lazy typing up all the words.
MH:T/MH3: Monster Hunter Tri
CC1: Classic Controller 1
HGE: High Grade Earplugs
S+1: Sharpness+1
AuL, AuM, AuS: Attack up Large, Attack up Medium, Attack up Small respectively
AuX - Any Attack up Ability
EAU: Element Attack Up
SAU: Status Attack Up
DPH: Damage per Hit
DPS: Damage per Second
GS: Greatsword
LS: Longsword
SnS: Sword and Shield
BG: Bowgun
SW-Axe: Switch axe
KO: Knock out
L1, L2, L3: Regarding the wind up attack
*If I accidently use an abbreviation that is not listed here, try and use basic 
reading strategies to figure it out. If not, email me.
===============================================================================
****************************** Hammering Basics *******************************
===============================================================================

------------------------------ Pros/Cons [HMPCS] ------------------------------
- Pros:
*Deals nice DPH
*Can inflict stun with most attacks
*Not attacking very fast, conserves sharpness
*Mobile and fast moving with hammer unsheathed 
*Superpound has good (forward) range
- Cons:
*Slow attacker
*No shield
*Good hammering requires practice with monster and weapon
*Disruptive to teammates if not used properly online
*Tripped more often than other weapons online
*Cannot cut tails
*Only some moves can hit high up

-------------------------- Attacks [HMATT] ------------------------------------

All attacks will follow this format: 
 (Control for Nunchuck/CC1 and result), (How the 
attack will look), (Range), (Additional)
(% Damage and KO)


***For specific Damage, follow Lord Grahf’s damage formula*** 

*A/Up (times 3) while Wii-mote is Horizontal- Standard Combo. First two are 
both smashes into the ground, third is a golf swing style hit. First two pounds
have fairly good range; the third will be tricky to time (especially when the 
monster is KO'd). The third swing will launch an online teammate or Cha-Cha.
**52, 20, 65% and 15, 15, 27 KO respectively.

*(+)/L stick and X - Unsheathe/Sheathe weapon. If the hunter is mobile and you
press (+), it will be an unsheathe attack. During the unsheathe attack, the 
hunter will take a small step forward and uppercut. This attack will launch an 
online teammate or Cha-Cha. This attack doesn't inflict stun, unless the hunter 
has the Punishing Draw skill
**15%  

*Z/hold R - Windup Charge. This move will have three levels, indicated by a 
light within the hunter. No matter the level of the charge, this move WILL 
drain stamina (unless you drank a Dash juice, the skill Marathon Runner also 
slows down the stamina depletion).
**Damage and KO will depend on the level of your charge

*Release Z/R early: Level 1 smash. L1 will have minimal light and will be a 
step forward side smash.This has decent forward range. After this attack, 
there will be a follow up attack (Press A/Up), identical to the 
unsheathe attack. 
**22% and 15 KO for L1 smash, 15% for follow up, no KO

*Hold Z/R long for a Level 2 smash. L2 will have some light and will be a fast 
step forward uppercut. This is one of the only hammer moves that can 
hit high up. This has the potential to launch online teammates (Cha-Cha is 
too short to get hit by this...unless you're 
intentionally trying to hit him >_>)
**36% and 27 KO



*Stand still and release Z/R at full charge: Level 3. L3 will have an aura of 
light within the hammer. There are two types of L3 charge attacks; mobile and 
immobile. The immobile (hunter standing still) will be a two hit move. The 
first hit is a very small uppercut in which the hunter brings up the hammer. 
The second hit is what you're after, the superpound. This hit is strong, 
inflicts good stun damage and is the move that most hammer strategies are 
based around. The superpound will be a what the names implies, a superpound. 
The hunter will lift the hammer over his/her head and smash it into the ground.
This attack has splash damage. This attack has amazing range, thanks to its 
splash range. Be careful when using this move online, its great range makes it 
easier to launch teammates with. 
**20% for the first hit, No KO and 76% and 48 KO (immobile)

*Be moving with a full charge and release: Level 3 spinning attack. The 
spinning attack has the hunter, wielding the hammer in both hands and spinning. 
There are a maximum of 6 hits in the spin attack. During the spin attack, the 
hunter may choose when to follow up on it. Be careful with this move online, 
if you trap a teammate in this, it’ll be difficult for him/her to get out of 
it. The spinning involved attacks are sharpness killers, in my opinion.
**First hit will do 20%, then 10% times 5. No KO damage without Punishing Draw

*Before you reach 4 rotations with the spin attack, press A/Up for a diagonal 
slam move. Not much to say about this one. It feels awkward using this move in 
my experience. I don’t use the spin attack very often as the monster is usually 
always moving
**Not including the spins, this move will do 60% and 27 KO.


*After 3 rotations with the spin attack, press A/Up for a golfswing similar to 
the triple pound finisher. Not much to say about this either...
**Not including the spins, this move will do 90% and 48 KO.

*Z and (-)/R+X+A: go immediately into a windup charge. 

*Press (-)/Down for a hammer check. The hammer check is a simple, slam and 
withdraw using the side of the hammer.
**15% and no KO

------------------------- Stun Damage [STAHM] ---------------------------------

When most attacks of the hammer connect to the face/head of a monster, you’ll 
see a flash of yellow. Congratulations, this is your hammer inflicting stun 
damage! Getting a monster stunned is key in online play; it gives your 
teammates more time to beat up the monster! 
Some basic points with stun:
1. This is what hammers do.
2. Not all moves inflict stun.
3. Stun is affected only by sharpness and nothing else.
4. Monsters will usually fall to the ground and start shaking, trying to get 
back up.
5. A stunned monster will stay on the ground around 2 times longer than a 
tripped monster.
6. Any stun damage that is inflicted while a monster is already stunned will 
be negated. Time it so that you hit the monster with a superpound in the face 
right when it gets out of being stunned.
7. Every monster except Jhen Mohran and Ceadeus can be stunned
8. Monsters stun resistance goes up every time it gets stunned
9. Monster recover stun damage inflicted (refer to chart below)
10. Exhaust ties in with stun
____________________________________________________________________________
| Wyvern Name |  Tolerance Increase   | Duration |          Recovery         |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+---------------------------|
| Great Jaggi |120 /150 /180 /195 /210|  10 Sec  | Recovers 5 every 10 Sec   |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+---------------------------|
| Great Baggi |250 /300 /350 /400 /450|  10 Sec  | Recovers 5 every 10 Sec   |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+---------------------------|
|   Qurupeco  |130 /230 /330 /430 /530|  10 Sec  | Recovers 5 every 10 Sec   |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+---------------------------|
|   Rathian   |150 /250 /350 /450 /550|  10 Sec  | Recovers 5 every 10 Sec   |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+---------------------------|
|   Rathalos  |150 /250 /350 /450 /550|  10 Sec  | Recovers 5 every 10 Sec   |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+---------------------------|
|   Diablos   |150 /250 /350 /450 /550|  10 Sec  | Recovers 5 every 15 Sec   |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+---------------------------|
|  Gigginox   |180 /280 /380 /480 /580|  10 Sec  | Recovers 5 every 10 Sec   |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+---------------------------|
|   Barioth   |130 /260 /390 /520 /650|  10 Sec  | Recovers 5 every 10 Sec   |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+---------------------------|
|  Lagiacrus  |150 /300 /450/ 600 /750|  10 Sec  | Recovers 5 every 10 Sec   |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+---------------------------|
|    Gobul    |200 /300 /400 /500 /600|  10 Sec  | Recovers 5 every 10 Sec   |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+---------------------------|
|  R. Ludroth |200 /300 /400 /500 /600|  10 Sec  | Recovers 5 every 10 Sec   |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+---------------------------|
|   Agnaktor  |200 /300 /400 /500 /600|  10 Sec  | Recovers 5 every 10 Sec   |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+---------------------------|
|   Barroth   | 90 /190 /290 /390 /490|  10 Sec  | Recovers 5 every 10 Sec   |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+---------------------------|
|   Uragaan   |150 /225 /300 /375 /450|  15 Sec  | Recovers 10 every 15 Sec  |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+---------------------------|
|  Deviljho   |180 /330 /480 /630 /780|  10 Sec  | Recovers 5 every 10 Sec   |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+---------------------------|
| Jhen Mohran |          N/A          |    N/A   |            N/A            |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+---------------------------|
|   Ceadeus   |          N/A          |    N/A   |            N/A            |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+---------------------------|
|  Alatreon   |120 /240 /360 /480 /600|  15 Sec  | Recovers 5 every 10 Sec   |
|_____________|_______________________|__________|___________________________|


++++++++++++++++++++++ Calculating stun damage ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1. Start off with the KO damage provided above, in the attacks section. 
2. Look at your weapon’s sharpness
3. Multiply the KO damage with the sharpness multiplier provided below 
(Pretend this is a cool looking chart):

Sharpness level..........Multiplier
Red......................0.5
Orange...................0.75
Yellow...................1.0
Green....................1.05
Blue.....................1.2
White....................1.32
Purple...................1.5

-------------------------- Exhaust [EXHHM] ------------------------------------

Taken (with permission) from Lord Grahf’s damage formula:

A new status ailment added to Monster Hunter Tri is called exhaust.  Exhaust
only deals with monster stamina, and instantly reduces monster stamina by
200 when you successfully inflict the status.  Exhaust works much in the same
way as KO - it requires you to use KO attacks to lower exhaust tolerance, but
does not require you to hit the monster in the head.  Any "KO attack" on a
monster will lower their exhaust tolerance.

When you successfully land enough "status hits" to reduce a wyvern's tolerance
to zero, the wyvern is then inflicted with that status ailment.  After that
status has cleared, the wyvern's tolerance resets to a higher number, making
it more difficult to inflict the same status ailment in the same battle. 
Tolerance will not increase any more than what is listed on the chart.  If 
inflicted more times than is listed on the increase chart, the wyvern will 
continue to reset at the max value listed.

____________________________________________________________________________
| Wyvern Name |  Tolerance Increase   | Duration | Total Damage |  Recovery  |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+--------------+------------|
| Great Jaggi |150 /200 /250 /300 /350|    --    | 200 Stamina  | 5 / 10 Sec |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+--------------+------------|
| Great Baggi |200 /250 /300 /350 /400|    --    | 200 Stamina  | 5 / 10 Sec |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+--------------+------------|
|   Qurupeco  |150 /225 /300 /375 /450|    --    | 200 Stamina  | 5 / 10 Sec |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+--------------+------------|
|   Rathian   |180 /255 /330 /405 /480|    --    | 200 Stamina  | 5 / 10 Sec |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+--------------+------------|
|   Rathalos  |180 /255 /330 /405 /480|    --    | 200 Stamina  | 5 / 10 Sec |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+--------------+------------|
|   Diablos   |300 /400 /500 /600 /700|    --    | 200 Stamina  | 5 / 10 Sec |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+--------------+------------|
|  Gigginox   |180 /280 /380 /480 /580|    --    | 200 Stamina  | 10 / 10 Sec|
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+--------------+------------|
|   Barioth   |180 /255 /330 /405 /480|    --    | 200 Stamina  | 5 / 10 Sec |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+--------------+------------|
|  Lagiacrus  |180 /300 /420/ 540 /660|    --    | 200 Stamina  | 5 / 10 Sec |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+--------------+------------|
|    Gobul    |180 /280 /380 /480 /580|    --    | 200 Stamina  | 5 / 10 Sec |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+--------------+------------|
|  R. Ludroth |180 /330 /480 /630 /780|    --    | 200 Stamina  | 5 / 10 Sec |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+--------------+------------|
|   Agnaktor  |180 /255 /330 /405 /480|    --    | 200 Stamina  | 5 / 10 Sec |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+--------------+------------|
|   Barroth   |150 /250 /350 /450 /550|    --    | 200 Stamina  | 5 / 10 Sec |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+--------------+------------|
|   Uragaan   |300 /400 /500 /600 /700|    --    | 200 Stamina  | 10 / 10 Sec|
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+--------------+------------|
|  Deviljho   |180 /330 /480 /630 /780|    --    | 200 Stamina  | 5 / 10 Sec |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+--------------+------------|
| Jhen Mohran |          N/A          |    N/A   |      N/A     |     N/A    |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+--------------+------------|
|   Ceadeus   |          N/A          |    N/A   |      N/A     |     N/A    |
|-------------+-----------------------+----------+--------------+------------|
|  Alatreon   |          N/A          |    N/A   |      N/A     |     N/A    |
|_____________|_______________________|__________|______________|____________|


===============================================================================
********************* Hammer Fighting Styles [HMFS1] **************************
===============================================================================
This is just an overview of what you're always expected to do as a hammer user

Basic points:
-All about the timing
-Careful not to hit teammates
-Take advantage of each monster's roar
-Hit the head to stun
-ALWAYS have your windup smash charging
-Abuse your superpound’s damage, range and mobility
-Don't hammer legs. Ever.
-Know when to hit
-Hit it some more in the head
-Keep sharpness high
-Did I mention to hit it in the head?

-Basic fighting applies (heal, evade, etc.)


----------------------- Monster Specifics [MSHM1] -----------------------------
Each monster has a different playing style, like each hunter. You should always
try to triple pound the head when the monster is stunned. Superpound it if you
don't feel like you can hit the head with the golfswing finisher. A comboing
strategy you can use on an immobile monster is: Triple pound>Immediate L1 smash
>follow up>Triple pound>Repeat. For the sake up space, I shall call this the
"infinite triple". For stun tolerance, refer to the chart provided earlier.

*****When a monster is stunned, I recommend performing one triple pound then 
start to charge for a superpound. The monster should get back up around the 
time when your charge is L3. Release the superpound on the monster's head when
it gets out of stun for a free superpound to the head. On Uragaan, you can get
off two triple pound before charging up the superpound*****

Format: Monster name
Any recommended skills
When to easily superpound head:
Harder times to superpound head:
Where to triplepound when stunned:
Difficulty to hammer in general:

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Great Jaggi))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
-Superpounding the jaggi is easy, take advantage of the tail whip, when he roars
and after he calls minions. It's also possible to just superpound him while he
is walking. Not bad for the first boss.

-His body slam can get tricky to superpound but do your best to position it
properly. Watch out for his biting attack, he will sometimes follow up on it.
Another thing that can get tricky to superpound is when he starts following you
as the positioning can get screwed up.

-No excuses on not triple pounding! His head is literally drooping down. Get 
on the Jaggi's right side, (as close to the neck as possible while still able
to hit head) and start triple pounding away!

-1/10, his head is usually low enough for you to hit (unless it's a bigger 
sized jaggi...)

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Qurupeco))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
-Darn birds and holding their heads up. A chance to hit its head would be when
Peco's doing his little dance right before blowing dust at you with his tail.
If you release the superpound right before he starts it, you should be able to 3
reach the head and not be affected by the wind. Other than that, I'd recommend 
tripping it then beating the head. The only other way I know of that you could
superpound his head would be when's landing.

-There's a slight chance you could L2 his head while he's flying. 

-Qurupeco's one of the monsters I would recommend superpounding his head while 
he's stunned. Otherwise, make sure the hammer is closer to the head than you 
are, be right up against Peco and start pounding.

-6/10, hard to hit the head but weak in general

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Royal Ludroth))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
-Everytime he turns to look at you, take your chance and superpound his head.
You can also try to superpound his head while he's walking towards you. He also
has his head low enough when he's spitting water at you (not moving). Hammering
underwater shouldn't be an issue...abuse the splash damage and the fact that
you can be level with his face.

-You could position yourself when he's doing the sideways roll so that you'd be
in superpound range when he finished the attack. Superpounding him when he's 
spitting water and charging at you is also an option...it's annoying to find
the right position though.

-When the Royal Ludroth is stunned, it flops around a little but the nose 
(weakest spot) stays still enough for you to hit it. Move a little to Ludroth's
right (improve chances of connecting with golfswing) and start hitting away.
-3/10 on land, 3/10 underwater.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Barroth))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
-Barroth requires alot of good timing to successfully hit the head. Aftr his 
roar, be at a distance so that you're abusing the superpound's splash. An 
alternative would be to start triple pounding his head when he roars...you may
be able to connect with the first and third pound (on the head, the second will
most likely hit the claws). After Barroth is done shaking mud, his head is low
enough to hit. Release the superpound when the hunter is standing just below 
the claws and you should connect. Furthermore, when Barroth is doing his tail-
attack, position yourself so that you're close to the tail on the first swing. 
That way, on the next swing, his head will be ready to smash.
-Normally, I superpound his head when he's charging at me. I do not recommend 
ir for the new players starting out because by then, Barroth will pack a punch.
The reason I do it is because I have end game gear.
-You have two options here; Stay hitting the head and attempt to break the 
scalp or go to the claws and start pounding there (claws take the most damage).
Because I usually have teammates already attacking the claws, I take the head 
(and with a Devil's Crush, it should take long after a stun to break the head).
If you have Blue or lower sharpness, be warned though, you may bounce on the 
head. Otherwise, it's easy to hit the head when it's flopping around.

-4/10, know your positionings and it shouldn't be too hard.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Gobul)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
(Evasion)
-Gobul is easy to hammer on land and in water. When you first fish him out,
you can land in two good superpounds (time it so that the superpound's first 
hit connects and the second one should also connect) On land, let Gobul charge 
you. once he turns around, superpound his face. Rinse and repeat until 
he gets stunned. When he goes under the dirt, superpound where you see a lump 
as that'shis body. Use your judgement skills and release the pound where his 
head is. 

-There aren't really any hard times to superpound...You can take a chance and 
superpound him when he charges you underwater. When Gobul is underwater and 
decides to do his spiky ballroll attack, dont bother. Gobul also has a flash
that will automatically stun in place of a roar. If you want to, put the armor
skill "Negate stun" on and when Gobul flashes, that'll be another chance to 
hit him. Normally, I usually just roll through the flash and get in a quick
first hit of the triple pound.

-When Gobul is stunned, GO AFTER THE LANTERN! It is weaker than the head and is
a breakable! Start hitting the lantern and it should break fairly quickly. Even
after it's broken, keep hitting it. Move a little to Gobul's right so that the
golfswing has a better chance of hitting.

-1.5/10 on land and 3/10 underwater.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Great Baggi)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
-Treat it as you would a Great Jaggi fight, the only difference is to there's
an opening when the Great Baggi spits his sleep gas at you (be careful!). He 
is simply a stronger great Jaggi.
-2/10 Stronger Great Jaggi, in my opinion

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Lagiacrus))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
(Evasion for that damn Hipcheck!)
-The Lagiacrus has many attacks that you can tke advantage of. One non-attack 
is when he turns around to look at you. If you're online, always release when 
he stops his attack animation, your superpound is within his head's range and
no teammates will get hit. It's worth taking a chance. A move you can take 
advantage of is the small electrical bust, the head is a sitting duck when Lagi
uses it (be wary of the electric though, also be able to tell when Lagiacrus is
doing the small burst apart from when he's doing the big electrical shock).

-It's pretty hard to nail the head when Lagi's shooting electricity from his 
mouth but it may be worth a shot. The only downside it, you may get hit by it
if: 1. He spits twice at you and you weren't ready for it or 2. a teammate
getting targetted by the attack decides to bait Lagi into shooting the shot 
your way. Most attacks the lagiacrus has are either impossible/too great of a 
risk to superpound or very easy to pound. Shadowragex10 says you can time the
superpound release during Lagiacrus's spin tackle/charge underwater to hit 
Lagiacrus's head.

-As like most monsters, position yourself a little over to the right of the 
monster so your golfswing has a better chance of hitting.

-4/10 underwater and 5/10 on land (on land Lagiacrus loses his electrical shock
and his head is a little higher up)

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Rathian))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
-Rathian is absolutely dominated by hammering. Her head is low, she stays on
the ground most of the time and her moves are easy to take advantage of. First
off, after she charges you, shadow her with a superpound ready. Release your
superpound when she stops her attack animation. Always be looking at her behind 
that way, she'll turn twice to look at you so your superpound will hit when (or
close to) she finally faces you (and just so we're clear, on the second turn
will be when she's looking at you). If she decides to shoot fireball(s) at you,
find a part where the fireballs won't touch and approach from there. If she 
decides to make a firefield, roll in towards her if you were half a roll away
from her when Rathian first started the move and get a quick triple pound first
hit in on her; if you weren't half a roll away, retreat! To add to all these,
superpound Rathian, roll away and begin charging for your superpound again; she
is pretty quick to follow up on all of her attacks. 

-The only tricky time to hit Rathian's head is when she starts flying. You have
the chance to hit her head with a L2 charge. Remember that there will be a 
small (very small)delay when releasing your L2 as your hunter needs to step 
forward.

-When triple pounding, apply the normal strategy of positioning yourself a 
little over to the right of the monster so your golfswing has a better chance 
of hitting. Another strategy would be stand on Rathian's right side and push up
against her neck while facing her head and then start triple pounding. 

-1.5/10, she was made to hammer. 

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Gigginox)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
-Oh Gigginox, how easy you are to hammer...on the ground that is. It has a 
Great Baggi styled sleep spit attack...except that it's poison. Approach Nox as
the same way though, unless Nox is more than two rolls away. Also apply the 
same strategy you would for Rathian's charge, shadow behind the charge. Release
the superpound when Gigginox is half done the first turn though. Be careful of
Gigginox's talons though, they can flinch your hunter out of a charge and they
have pretty decent (and annoying) range. You'll need HGE to not be affected by
the roar. 

-You can try to hit Gigginox while it's charging at you, it's a pretty weird
limp looking charge though (Step-PAUSE-Step-PAUSE charge). With the Gigginox,
the time to hammer it is either impossible (when it's on the roof) or very easy

-Standard triplepounding strategies apply. Position yourself a little over to 
the right of the monster so your golfswing has a better chance of hitting and
start smacking.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Rathalos))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
-The Rathalos is only pretty easy to hammer (he flies ALOT). Treat the 'Los 
like a Rathian. To get an easy superpound in, flash bomb Los while he's flying.
He'll fall to the ground and will enter a state similar to being tripped (take
advantage!). After he's exited the tripping state, he'll be confused/dazed. You
can also take advantage of this, although Rathalos might do something like his
tailwhip to counter your approach. Just a note, Rathalos will follow up every 
roar after his very first roar (when he sees you) with a jump into the sky and 
a fireball (he'll start flying). The fireball won't hit you if you're in front
of his eyes and behind 1/4 of his tail. You can either: 1.Superpound him anyway
or 2.Wait for the leap and flash bomb him.

-Like with the Rathian, the only tricky time to hit Rathian's head is when 
he starts flying. You havethe chance to hit her head with a L2 charge. Remember
that there will be a small (very small)delay when releasing your L2 as your 
hunter will step forward. Caltenburn says it's also possible to superpound
Rathalos's head while he's charging at you in the air.

-Treat it like a Rathian- When triple pounding, apply the normal strategy of 
positioning yourself a little over to the right of the monster so your 
golfswing has a better chance of hitting. Another strategy would be stand on 
Rathian's right side and push up against her neck while facing her head and 
then start triple pounding. 

-2/10, only slightly harder to hammer than the Rathian because of the flying.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Barioth)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
(Evasion to help with the approach)
-Barioth will turn twice after his moves so release the superpound when he's
halfway done his first turn and roll safely away. Other than that, there aren't
any really good time to hit him in the head. I would recommend focusing on 
breaking one or two of the wings first, this will slow Barioth down.

-Barioth will sometimes do a small jump to the sidethen start immediately
charging you. You have to be moving the second Barioth does the little hop in 
order to be able to land in the superpound. I don't recommend doing this though
as this takes very good guessing on where Barioth hops to.

-Curl up against the left side of Barioth's neck and start triple pounding. Or,
use this time to get some damage done to a non-broken wing.

-7/10, Barioth is very fast. Fortunately, the head is low though and there are 
ways of crippling Barioth to make him slower.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Diablos))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
(Focus for more superpounds)
*A quick note: I don't recommend hammering Diablos at all. His head takes VERY
little impact damage so the fight will take considerably longer. Not to mention
that you can't triplepound him without bouncing once he has been Sonic bombed
so there will be an increased chance of your teammates flying everywhere. If
you MUST hammer, so be it.

-Diablos is yet another monster that turns twice after a charge. Abuse the
splash of the superpound for this as the head is somewhat high up. Sometimes,
you can lure Diablos into spearing it's horns into a wall/pillar and it'll be 
stuck. Use this time to land in superpounds

-You could try and go for superpounding the head when Diablos charges at you.

-Do not triplepound/superpound the head. Triplepound (or at least aim for) the
stomach of Diablos as this is its weakest part. If you're online and your team-
mates are already working on the belly, attack the neck.

-5/10 an easy monster to hammer, it's just that hammering isn't particularly 
effective.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Uragaan))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
-SO many opportunities to smash his head in...where to start. Uragaan moves
very slow so it's easy to land in a superpound as it's walking towards you.
Occasionally, Uragaan will turn and using it's tail, release explosive rocks.
Either roll through the tail and get a quick triplepound starter on his head 
(assuming you're using a White Sharpness or higher weapon so you don't bounce)
or if you're further away, avoid the rocks and superpound him. After every roar
Uragaan will do two chin slams, first slam his right side and then the left.
Approach from Uragaan's right side, stay out of the slam's way and then release
your superpound. It should hit just as the second chin slam finishes. Take
advantage of Uragaan's Mega chin slam attack (where he lifts his chin slowly 
into the air and then slams it down). Stay a length equal to half of Uragaan's
body away from his head...when the head slams into the ground, approach it and
superpound away (be wary of any explosive rocks around you, the megachin 
automatically sets them ALL off). And finally, the fire/sleep fart attack. 
Uragaan's head is a sitting duck, go out and triple/super pound it. Be careful
not to get too close, the fart reaches far enough to hit you if you're too 
close.

-It's risky and could force you to heal up alot of damage but...you can hit his
head while he's rolling around. You'll need Evasion armor skills if you decide 
to do this. 

-You have choices here...1. Triplepound Uragaan's chin (Stand a little to his
right, so you have a better chance, blah blah blah...time it so that your first
hit successfully hits Uragaan's chin, the other superpounds should hit if you 
do this) for a chance to break the chin- you need White or higher sharpness to
not bounce off the chin.
2. Superpound anything BUT the chin to do more damage; the stomach to where the
tail begins is where the most damage happens. 

-1.5/10 You can't spell "Easy to hammer" without Uragaan!...wait...

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Agnaktor))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
-Superpound Agnaktor when it decides to fire the straight laser. Get near the
end of Agnaktor's tail. Release the superpound a second after his attack 
animation is done and the superpound should hit the head...Abuse your L2 attack
for this fight, Agnaktor is a PAIN to land superpounds with. Sonic bomb Agna
when he's underground and not in rage mode. He'll enter a state similar to that
of being in a pitfall trap.

-After Agnaktor is done firing it's 360 degrees laser, he'll wait a couple of 
seconds then get his lower half of his body out of the ground. Your chance 
comes the moment he lifts, release your superpound (abuse the splash!)

-His head is such a small target, I don't even bother with triple pounds. You
will also most likely end up on Agnaktor's right side of the body...

-8.5/10, his head is tiny and there aren't much chances to superpound.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Ceadeus))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
-Just aim at whatever you can hit (preferably the beard). I also recommend not
hammering this monster as he is fairly fast moving. In the final area, be wary
of his turns, he will do a small body check with each turn if you're more than
50-60 degrees (?) from his head. 
-N/A
-N/A
-7/10, the hammer isn't that effective as you're not stunning Ceadeus anytime
soon.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Jhen Mohran)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
-Another monster that I would not (strongly) recommend to not hammer. There are
going to be only a couple of hit zones people will be attacking so the hammer
can get pretty disruptive. If you insist on hammering...hit the spine cracks.
Once they break, start firing the cannons! The reason I say this is once the
spines break, the only parts of Jhen's body that will still be a spine hitzone
are the VERY top of where the spine cracks were. The hammer cannot constantly 
keep hitting that high. If you choose to continue attacking where the spine
crack used to be, you'll be hitting the body hitzone, a far weaker one. I've
run some damage calculations and you won't be out damaging the cannons unless
you're using the Devil's Crush (P), have purple sharpness, Attack up Large, at
least a might seed active, and have adrenaline+2. Even with everything that has
been mentioned above +A powertalon/powercharm, might pill active and a mega
demondrug active, you're still only doing around 40 more damage than a cannon.
As for Jhen+, you'll still do less damage than a cannon with ALL THOSE ACTIVE.
In short, use the cannon after the spine has broken.

-When Jhen is on land and you can hit the arms, attack the arms. For Jhen+, be
sure that you have the Devil's Crush (P) at purple sharpness, powercharm/talon
in your inventory and at least a might seed active. Otherwise, beat on it a
little then lob cannons when it's in range.

-7/10, hammer isn't very effective on Jhen Mohran 

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Deviljho)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
-Deviljho isn't THAT hard to hammer. L2 charges are good to hit with Jho's head
with and with the superpound's splash, you shuld be able to hit Jho a good
number of times. Concerning Jho's hipcheck, position yourself so that you're 
far enough to not get hit by it but close enough so the splash hit from the
superpound will hit. Release the superpound when Jho does a little growl during
the end of the attack. To elaborate on hitting Jho with L2s, sneak one in every
time he finishes a move and decides to step back and look at you.

-Hitting Jho is hard in general, he doesn't give you much time to position
yourself after a move is complete. After Jho finishes up his Dragonbreath, you
can attack depending on your location. If you're under his stomach when he
finishes: You should have a superpound ready. Move up and release the
superpound when he starts doing a little head shake. If you rolled through:
Get in a quick triplepound starter.

-You want to be Jho's left side and up against his neck. Be sure to hit with
the first pound. While you're triplepounding, don't mash the attack button too
fast, slow down your pounding just a bit or you'll might miss the golfswing. 

-6/10 Pretty fun to hammer too.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Alatreon)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
(Focus, Punishing/Critical Draw, he's always running around)
-Alatreon's head is normally high up. Very high up. Fortunately, he has some
opening to get an easy head hit. When Alatreon finishes roaring, he'll drop his
head for second. Use this as a free hit to the head (be careful of any lava)
The fireball is another example. Approach Alatreon from the side when he takes 
two steps back. Release as soon as you can to get a hit off on the head.
Alatreon will drop from flying when he is flinched twice or when he finishes
his multiple icicle drop from outside the map. Release the superpound when 
Alatreon stops flapping his wings, I believe. Otherwise, there are two walls
on each side of the map. If Alatreon has at least one horn, he'll get his horns
stuck in the wall if he charges it. Hit the head if Alatreon has his horns
stuck in the wall.

-Most if not ALL of Alatreon's moves are able to be hit by a superpound or L2
hit. The timing for each takes ALOT of practice and if you miss, you'll 
probably be taking an attack. When he turns around is an opportunity to L2, 
superpound or golfswing. I'm not able to abuse the tricker openings (sadface).
Fortunately, you can always ask around the message board for them (Be sure to
use the gamefaqs provided search bar first, the board users don't take too
kindly in questions that can be easily avoided)or search yourself.

-Triplepounding Alatreon while stunned takes ALOT of practice. From what I've
seen and somewhat done, you have to be on Alatreon's right side (opposite wings
). Place yourself at the point where the neck begins. Just BARELY hit your 
triplepound on the head so that you also just barely hit your second pound and
you'll hit your golfswing if you time it correctly.

-7.5/10 Not much openings and even stunned Alatreon is hard to take advantage
of. 

===============================================================================
************************* Online Play [OROH] **********************************
===============================================================================
The specific online role of the hammer is to hit the head, causing a stun so 
that the rest of your hunting group (and you) can take advantage of the 
temporarily crippled monster. Standard courtesy applies (Saying sorry when you 
launch someone, etc.). You’re a hammer, not the king of the world.

------------------------- Should I? [SHHM] ------------------------------------
This part will cover some questions as to when you should/shouldn’t do 
something hammer related online.

Q: There’s a hunter using a _____ and attacking the head, should I superpound 
anyways?
A: It should depend on the weapon they’re using...I would superpound anyone but
a Greatsword user about to land in a level 3 charge. You can always judge by 
looking at their weapons. If they’re using a Mid Game weapon and you’re using 
an End Game weapon, chances are you’ll out damage them. Use your judgment 
skills on which weapon will out power the other. This is not to say go out 
and be rude by always superpounding the Lance user to oblivion.

Scenario: You’re hunting a relatively small monster such as the Great Jaggi. 
Q: Should I still hammer? 
A: You don’t want to be hammering something that small unless you plan to not 
use the superpound. It can get pretty disruptive with you always trying to hit 
the head but ending up sending your teammates flying. If you must superpound, 
position it so that no teammates get hit.

(Those are the only thing I could come up with, I’ll add more as questions are 
asked)

===============================================================================
************************** Armor Skills [YESZ] ********************************
===============================================================================
Now we get to the good part...the hammer’s choice of armor skills. Hammer 
specific skills definitely help with hammering and making you look like you 
know what you’re doing.

--------------------- Preferable choices [HMPSK] ------------------------------
Low rank specific (Offline, < HR31): AuX, Critical Eye, Evasion, HGE, 
Sharpness+1. Skills that raise your attack always help. Evasion because 
everyone loves evasion and HGE and S+1 are universally helpful hammer skills.
HGE, S+1, AuX, and Focus are all skills that will boost the hammer’s ability 
to land in superpounds and maximize damage and/or KO. These are only hammer 
specific skills; skills such as Evasion, trap Master, etc. should be accounted 
for if you need them.
*Some people might not recommend HGE and Sharpness+1 in low rank

High rank: Attack up, Sharpness+1, HGE/Earplugs, Evasion, Focus. Look above for
an explanation. As always, Trapmaster, Cap Guru, etc. are always choices is you
need them.

------------------- Second choices [HMSCH] ------------------------------------
*Not low rank*
Critical Draw, Punishing Draw, Speed Sharpen. Critical Draw and Punishing Draw 
are Greatsword skills but if you’re facing a monster that enjoys running across
the map, forcing you to always sheathe your weapon, these can come in handy. 
The more time you spend sharpening, the more time it has to recover stun damage
. Like mentioned previously, these are some skills a hammer user might find 
useful and normal, everyday multipurpose skills can be used if you feel the 
need to. 


===============================================================================
------------------------- Offline Play [OFFHM] --------------------------------
===============================================================================
Format:(Armor path)
(Weapon path)

*(1 star quests): Hunter and Alloy
(1 star quests): Iron Hammer/Bone Hammer paths

*(2 Star quests): Jaggi and Alloy
(2 Star quests): Bone Bludgeon/War Hammer

*(3 star quests): Barroth, Qurupeco
(3 star quests): Bone Bludgeon, Plume Flint

*(4 star quests): Barroth, Qurupeco, Great Baggi
(4 star quests): Vodyanoy Hammerfang, Peco Flint 

*(5+ star quests): Barioth, Rathalos, Lagiacrus, Helios (mixed with 
Lagiacrus chest and gemmed for HGE and S+1 with no negatives
(5+ star quests): Vodyanoy Hammerfang, Red Bludgeon, Breath Core Hammer

===============================================================================
------------------------ Online Play [ONNHM]-----------------------------------
===============================================================================
Format:(Armor path)
(Weapon path)

*(< HR9): Alloy, Qurupeco and Jaggi
(< HR9): Plume Flint

*(HR9 - HR18): Barroth, Great Baggi
(HR9 - HR18): Peco Flint, Ludroth Splashhammer, Bone Bludgeon

*(HR18 - HR30): Rathalos, Barioth
(HR18 - HR30): Red Bludgeon, Vodyanoy Hammerfang, Breath Core Hammer 

*(HR31 - HR40): Over forged Qurupeco, Barroth+
(HR31 - HR40):Red Bludgeon+, Fang Hammer Echo, Breath Core Hammer 

*(HR40 - HR50): Over forged Rathalos, Barioth+
(HR40 - HR50): Pulsating Core, Fang Hammer (Upgrade as much as you can)

*(HR51+): (At this point of the game, you shouldn’t be using full armors,
except for Vangis) Vangis, Helios+, Over forged Helios waist/legs
(HR51+): Alatreon Metamorph, Devil’s Crush (P)

*Note: You can choose Alatreon Metamorph or Devil’s Crush. Alatreon Metamorph 
has more sharpness and Dragon power (Element shouldn’t matter that much on a 
hammer) but Devil’s Crush has more Power. I’ve run some damage calculations and
it seems that Alatreon Metamorph should be used over Devil’s Crush on Uragaan, 
Rathalos and Rathian. Metamorph’s damage comes close to Crush’s damage on 
monsters weak to dragon.

===============================================================================
**********************Specific armor set [SPARHM] *****************************
===============================================================================
Format for armor:
Head.......... (Slots)
Chest......... (Slots)
Arms.......... (Slots)
Waist......... (Slots)
Legs.......... (Slots)
Talisman:

Most people use this combination:

Helios+.....OOO
Helios+.....---
Helios+.....---
Helios......---
Vangis......OOO
Talisman:

Add a handicraft jewel in the weapon slot and you’ll have HGE and Sharpness+1. 
You have 6 slots to work with and any talisman. Very customizable.

However, if you want a specific helm...:
(Whatever).....???
Helios+........---
Helios+........---
Helios.........---
Helios.........---
Talisman:

Currently, you have no helm, no talisman and the skills HGE and Sharpness+1.

Personally, I use:

Helios+.....--- Onslaught Jewel (+5 Attack)
Helios+.....---
Vangis......---
Helios......---
Vangis......--- Onslaught Jewel (+5 Attack)
Talisman: +7 Attack

This gives me AuL, S+1 and Earplugs. Replace the arms with Helios+ if you need 
HGE. You’ll have to trade off AuL for AuM if you want HGE though.

Sh4uir recommends:
Helios+.....--- Onslaught Jewel (+5 Attack)
Helios+.....---
Vangis......---
Helios+.....OOO
Helios+.....--- Onslaught Jewel (+5 Attack)
Any Talisman

This set will have Earplugs, AuM (15 points) and Sharpness+1. It's easier to
acquire AuL on this set since you'll only need atleast Attack+5 in your 
talisman.
===============================================================================
******************** Credits and Legal [CREDLEG] ******************************
===============================================================================

This may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private 
use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly 
without advance written permission from sunfalcon9. Use of this guide on any 
other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and 
a violation of copyright.

Copyright 2011, sunfalcon9
This guide may only be posted on (as of so far): 
www.gamefaqs.com
www.neoseeker.com

Thanks to:
Coachroche for organization ideas.
Lord Grahf since he’s in everyone’s credits...and his many graphs.
Cha-Cha.
GameFAQS message board. 
You for reading.

===============================================================================
************************ Contact [CONHM] **************************************
===============================================================================

Email: sunfalcon8(at)hotmail(dot)com
Email me for any suggestions, comments, fixes, hammers, etc. 

Now that you’ve officially finished reading my FAQ, go Hammer something!