Monster Hunter Rise is the latest upcoming installment in the hit Capcom franchise. Following a massively successful pre-launch demo, the developers are gearing up for launch next month. It is rumored that the demo utilized Nintendo's brand new multiplayer infrastructure. If true, it would make MH Rise, a third-party title, the very first game to be on Nintendo's new multiplayer system which was introduced after 20 years of their previous system - "NXT," which is said to even check software compatibility for Windows 98.
The most notable new addition to the franchise is the new Wirebug utility tool. This nifty gadget builds upon the clutch claw from Monster Hunter World's smash hit expansion Iceborne, and allows for more dynamic and robust movement. Aside from allowing the player to grapple into thin air, it also introduces a whole new dimension to the player movement that was missing from all previous installments - verticality. Combined with the "Silkbind attack" moves and the "wirefall" maneuver, the wire bug serves as a quintessential multipurpose hunter tool.
The wirebug gauge determines how many uses of wirebugs the player character has available, and how long before the used up wirebug(s) become available. Situated at the bottom of the screen, this gauge is very helpful and will be crucial during hunting quests.
Wirebugs can be collected as endemic life to gain a temporary additional wirebug use in-quest. Remarkably, this addition also gives the player an extra wall bang, for a total of up to a maximum of four wall bangs. When the monster is stationary and the player receives the prompt to "Attack and Ride Wyvern," the player character can control the monster's movement using the R button, and launch it into the wall using the Y button. Upon doing so, the player must "Regain Footing" immediately by pressing the B button in order to prevent the monster from toppling over. Repeat these steps to consistently wall bang the monster. This is the new Wyvern Riding feature, which replaces the franchise classic mounting feature and adds a twist to the mechanic. Wyvern riding can also be used to bring other monsters into a ride-able state by launching monsters into each other. Monsters can then be used for jousting, which makes for a fun activity during hunts.
Wirebugs provide the player character with an incredible amount of mobility that has never been done before in the franchise. Most notably, players can now traverse terrain vertically without depending on small monster mounts or vines that make other areas accessible. Since the map design is similar to Monster Hunter World, insofar that the whole map is available at all times without any loading into new areas required, this feature is a no-brainer. However, certain weapon movesets such as the insect glaive or the gunlance explosions can be chained with wirebug swings and leaps to make for wondrous aerial traversal throughout the map.
Insect Glaive and Wire Bug Pair nice from r/MonsterHunter
Additionally, barrel bombs can also be used while swinging with wirebugs. Doing so will make the player character fling the barrel bomb directly downwards onto whatever awaits the explosion underneath. Channel your inner Bazelgeuse!
Depending on the weapon type, the buttons for using the silk bind attacks vary. For weapons that don't have an in-built aim mechanic, the wirebug silk bind attacks are performed by pressing ZL + X (light attack, 1 wirebug consumed) or ZL + A (heavy attack, 2 wirebugs consumed). However, for weapons that HAVE an in-built aim feature, such as the Light Bowgun, Heavy Bowgun, and Bow, the buttons are R + X (light) and R + A (heavy). This is important to remember so as to not mess up during hunting quests. We'll be going into detail with the movesets of each weapon in our weapons guides, so stay tuned for those!
The player character can also hang from the wire bug suspended in mid-air by pressing A after swinging. A mid-air dodge can also be performed whilst falling by aiming with the left stick and pressing B.
Last, but not least, the wirefall is a new maneuver that has been introduced to help players recover instantly from knockbacks. This could prevent the player from fainting in several situations, as it allows them to reposition immediately. This maneuver is performed by aiming in the direction to dodge towards, and pressing ZL + B.
It is still not known whether the wire bug still holds more mysteries for us, but it will all become clear once the game comes out and we have had a chance to thoroughly analyse the mechanics. There are rumors that the recently axed hot drink mechanic might take new form by environmental weather effects not influencing the player character, but rather the wirebugs. This could severely hamper the player character's movement, especially if they left their Palamute behind. All of this, however, is still subject to change. There is no confirmed proof that this feature is a part of the final game, it is all hearsay.
Stay tuned for our extensive coverage, including guides, tips, tricks, and how-to guides on Monster Hunter Rise when it comes out on March 26th, 2021 for the Nintendo Switch. Aside from MH Rise, we will also be covering MH Stories, which currently does not have a release date but is slated for release sometime in 2021.
Feel free to comment on any other cool tricks you have performed with the wirebugs, and check out our other guides on our website!
