Something you've missed, you can follow up the strongest hit of Spinning Bludgeon (the one you should always hit if you're letting it go that far) with A you can go immediately into a late stage of the Big Bang Combo. Doing this is actually stronger than a regular Big Bang Combo, albeit at a cost of a slightly higher animation commitment, and the fact that it can be difficult sometimes to position yourself properly with Spinning Bludgeon. You mention Step Smash in Charge Mode Strength not being all too impressive. I find myself using this one a lot, especially against faster monsters. It's slightly weaker than Brutal Big Bang (final hit is 310 vs 350 with the hammer you were using in the video on the head, and there's one less small hit), but a loooot faster. Can usually get a snipe in on the head even on nimble monsters like Narga or Tobi, while that can be difficult with the other attack. Though Charge Mode Courage is probably better for those monsters to begin with. Charge Mode Courage is indeed weaker as you suspected, but a lot more nimble, which has its advantages, if I use it I find myself only fully charging the third hit, as the additional hits on the first two hits of the combo aren't that impressive, and for some reason Courage takes quite a while to charge, even though it's only two charge levels. It's probably the only style I'd actually recommend Focus on personally because of that. Regarding Water Strike, haven't looked back even once to Side Smash after I got it. It's just too good. The only thing you miss out on is comboing A into X, which imo isn't that big a loss. And the ability to guard point almost anything (including projectiles, or hell, Rajangs lightning beam) is just too good to pass up. And finally, you didn't mention what is pretty much the ultimate combo on a downed monster, which is Big Bang, into charge switch for max charge immediately, into Impact Crater. Most monster downs are long enough to fully fit this in, and they're usually getting up just by the time you come down with the impact crater (be sure to readjust where you hit with that by moving your camera so you hit the head still as it gets up). For shorter downs you should probably always be defaulting to Impact Crater if you have the wirebugs, it's just that strong. Anyway, once again, great guide. Keep it up! And to everyone else, sorry for the wall of text ;)
It seems like the weapon is more complex than ever in Rise, but it’s done in a way that doesn’t make the new tech essential, which I appreciate. They raised the skill ceiling without raising the skill floor which is excellent game design IMO. Thanks for the guide Ruri, I hadn’t touched Hammer since Iceborne and this gave me the confidence to pick it back up. I made a bludgeoner build with the atlas hammer and am having a ton of fun with the new courage mode!
I've been a hammer main since the very first monster hunter and unfortunately I feel like a boomer watching all the nice things you can do, while I'm sitting there doing the basic combo on a Gold Rathian for the 1000th time.
In the words of Bruce Lee: “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times” You my friend are a legend 👌
I just spam like 5 different attacks I think, thats my limit, and in those 5, 1 of them I use it 50% of the time which is the fucking vertical spin in the air with my bug, I just like it too much and for some reason most of the bosses have hard time hitting me while im at it, its not very efficient but there is no game I know that spins in the air with a hammer as big as you xd
I did not know that, but I actually consider that kinda detrimental, I often combo big bang into charge switch into impact crater, and that would make positioning kinda awkward. Plus I do personally find having a bigger roll bad for hammer, I prefer staying close to punish. I think it's the one weapon I prefer Evade Window over Extender on.
@@Urthopify It really doesn't matter because when you roll backwards after your big bang, evade extender affects the distance off your roll and your leap equally so your spacing will always be perfect for doing the impact crater, even with evade extender 3 which I absolutely love. Also, evade window increases the of the leap as well so you can use it as a crazy invincible gap closer that gives you full charge and it's super fun.
I had just switched to the nargacuga armor and definitely noticed that I jumped about 10 feet more than expected. Just shrugged it off at the time but this makes a lot of sense.
@@supergreenproduction2847 if you're on switch. You can press the "-" button and go to the map, then select trainging area. If you want to walk there, go to the buddy plaza, theres a boat on the right of Rondine that takes you there.
The step smash wasn't in world, we had to use the level 2 uppercut for a gap closing attack. The step smash is really good since you're able to get in a hard hit on monsters that move a lot without having to time a level 2 charge.
@@tTaseric spinning bludgeon literally drove me away from hammer every time I ever tried to bonk things. I hate that move so much. My reward is… mispositioning?
No one seems to have mentioned, but the impact crater can be controlled by a directional input while you're in the air. It's really useful for waking sleeping monsters; impact crater perpendicular to the monster (as otherwise the upwards spin will hit and wake the monster) and when you're at the apex with your hammer above input the direction towards the head and you'll turn as you come down
You can still avoid getting the first hits if you're far enough. The final hits does have more range but I never thought about just changing direction that's seems good as well
This combo is probably your best damage on a down, depending on how much time you have. The full combo does more damage than impact crater, though it takes a bit more time.
The plus points of Side Smash is that it acts as an additional "Overhead" in the golfswing combo to get more damage: - Overhead 1 -> Overhead 2 -> Side Smash -> golfswing. Or it can substitute for one of the two Overhead attacks in the same combo: +) Side Smash -> Overhead 2 -> golfswing. +) Overhead 1 -> Side Smash -> golfswing. Also Side Smash can chain into golfswing anytime, but Water Strike requires successful counters to be able to chain into golfswing.
One thing to note about Spinning Bludgeon (SB) that didn't seem to be covered. The final "charge level" of SB that results in the Strong Upswing can go immediately into Big Bang III then Finisher. This is a good option for when you want to go into Big Bang but have a shorter window and can't do the entire Big Bang combo. PS: Thank you for the mention of how you get i-frames during the stance switch, that will honestly be a game changer for me
I'd like to *explicitly* point out that Water Strike has all the same combo entry paths as the Side Swing, which means you can parry right after a draw attack, as well as after any lv1 charge and its followup, or any lv2 charge.
I don't think I can express my gratitude enough when I say that these are invaluable. As a person such as I, coming from MHW to Rise, figuring out the new changes and mechanics can be rather taxing. However, these videos instantly remove that and to that, I cannot thank you enough.
I recently switched back to side smash from water strike. Here's why. Side smash has always been a massive quick KO attack, but on top of that, side smash to the X combo gives you level 2 knock ack resistance. It's a faster combo that X, X, X but the golf swing does the same damage and same KO damage. This is your go to KO combo! Side Smash, second hit of triple smash, golf swing.
Also, I'm charging 2/3 of the time, so water strike opportunities arise very rarely. It's nice to do it through a beam attack, but aside from blasting Rajang in the face when he gets angsty, side smash is better.
Charge level 2, then side Smash, then X, X. It gives you a combo that has 2 up swings in a 4 hit combo. I believe the hunter notes called it the monster KO combo or something
You missed what might actually be the Hammer's biggest punish combo: Spinning Bludgeon golf swing into big bang. It's a fantastic fallback if you don't have the wirebugs for an impact crater when the monster falls over. EDIT: Also yeah once I unlocked Water Strike I never looked back at Side Smash lol. I find that there's literally no reason not to use Water Strike over Side Smash. It effectively replaced a move I never consciously used into a staple of my arsenal.
@@coraline2770 you can only roll direct after a charge attack and you have to charge it right after the dodge to get the next lvl of charge. So you cant just roll within the charge and keep its lvl.
As a fully fledged veteran member of the bonk squad I also swapped to water strike and never looked back, there are some combo options with side smash but I don't care, some might, I don't, and please allow a heart felt thank you from all hammer mains of telling long sword users to screw off 😁
Really was a hard time getting in this game, started with bowgun, then switched to 2h sword then i switched to hammer and started watching your guide. I have so much fun now. I love the slow moves with high impact dmg. Thanks my man for the guide!
Just a couple of Sunbreak notes for Courage Hammer: - Each strike in the ZR 3 chain that you *Do Not Charge* makes the Charging to Max quicker for the next one in the chain. The final strike kinda max charges itself. - Spinning Bludgeon has a new way to exit. you can use ZR+A (Mode switch from Normal to Courage) to Spin out with max charge into Courage. Great for a quick wirebug finisher.
Fantastic video! Some additional things I’ve noticed while playing hammer that I think are important: - Almost all the hammer’s clunky animations can be cut way shorter by either charging (ZR) or evade rolling (B). When your hammer hits the ground after an attack, that’s your cue that you can probably cancel the rest of the animation with either of those options (though I’d note that evading is typically the faster of the 2). Even the dreaded level 3 charge can be significantly shortened and made manageable. Aside from learning the monsters’ behavior, I’d argue that getting comfortable with this animation cancelling is likely the most vital skill to learning hammer. - You can slightly redirect your attacks mid-combo with the left stick. This is big for a weapon like the hammer that wants to focus almost exclusively on a single target (the head). If you start mashing a combo and realize that you’re a bit off target, just lean the left stick and your hunter will gradually adjust as they smash away. Note that this can also be used during the Impact Crater silk bind attack animation to ensure you get the tastiest smash and maximum damage. - Focus isn’t a hammer skill? Coulda fooled me. Lol
20:41 I found a tech that I wanted to tell you about. If you charge switch to yellow and go off of the ledge with the boost forward, the charge of the hammer will not change and you will be able to do an aerial attack. On that note, be careful switching to yellow near a ledge.
for someone who just got into the game im glad i found your channel the way you explain things is really easy to follow and u answer a lot of my questions with one video thank you for your hard work and effort in making these videos i really appreciate them
One thing I noticed for charge mode courage is that you can keep your charge by rolling once by doing the first charge Attack and charge again and immediately dodge, note that the window is small so in order for this to work, try it out in the training area to get the hang of it
if you just keep pressing the dodge button as you input for your next charge attack it'll work every time and it works for any of the charge attacks in courage mode, not just the first one
@@Frozirra it's not all about dps dude lol and it can fit into other playstyles better than strength. Just cuz you particularly don't see good returns when you use it doesn't mean it's trash objectively speaking
I've been playing around with some new knowledge I came across from this video and I just found out that if you maintain 3 wirebugs, it's VERY useful to go from blue charge immediately to lvl 3 yellow charge into Dash Breaker and immediately follow up with a level 3 Impact Crater using your last 2 wirebugs. I'm finding it's a satisfying way to get close into an enemy or even get behind them, go into lvl 3 Impact Crater and just 180° the camera to land the big 2 last hits right on their back.
Side smash lets you combo your attacks into x. For example a x x is possible with side smash but not with water strike. Personally, I find water strike cool but it doesn't flow well with my playstyle (although maybe I'll find smoother ways to work it in)
Glad I'm not the only one. I was excited when I first got it but realized it wasn't very useful for my playstyle. I wish they'd give us a dodge counter instead (kind of like adept style in GU) cuz if I can't parry with the charge attacks then it's useless to me lol. I'm constantly running around while charging so I rarely even have access to water strike.
@@TaqSoto for sure, I also am constantly running with charge so the chance to use water strike naturally is very limited (unless I'm fishing for the counter). All I want is a rage slash equivalent when using certain levels of charge :)
One advantage of side smash over water strike is that you can follow it up with X/Triangle attacks, which allows you to do X-A-X instead of X-X-X. It is a bit faster and allows you to get to the golf swing faster
Impact crater, big bang and golf swings are the single reason i use this weapon. When you land that golf swing right when the monster is fleeing, you just feel like you're powerful enough to hunt anything
Not sure if it was mentioned, I didn't hear it, but in courage mode, if you do a charge attack, then you follow up with another charge the next tier, you have a small opening in which you can do a roll while holding the charge button (R or ZR) and you'll KEEP the 'tier' you're in (not the charge level), so you do a side smack, then press R and roll at the same time, and now your charge attack will still be the upswing. Same for 2nd to 3rd. It's a tight window and a bit weird but it's totally a thing, practice and you'll see. Quite useful to reposition or even to be mega aggro if you have evade window.
Good guide. I’m sure it’s been mentioned but you can follow up a level three spinning bludgeon golf swing with the A button. You will perform the brutal big bang but only if the hit connects
After landing your charged jump attack from a ledge with hammer if you immediately press x you’ll go into whatever ending move that corresponded with the charged lvl you started the jump with. For example If before I jumped I had lvl 3 charge strength ,after the jump attack I press X ,immediate Charged Big Bang .
Great video. I am new to the MH series with Rise, really love the hammer. Keep thinking I need to branch out, but smashing monsters in the head is just so satisfying.
The difference between side smash and water strike They both do the same damage just with negligible differences in stun and exhaust (Side smash does 20 stun and 5 exhaust, water strike does 10 stun and 10 exhaust) Water strike is a vertical hit which I find is much easier to hit with since I find side smash whiffs underneath the monster's head You can combo into overhead smash II after side smash, but you can't with water strike. Instead you get the upswing when you successfully counter a move. You lose the ability to do this combo if you use water strike. charged side blow > side smash > overhead smash II > upswing Instead you have to do the longer combo Charged side blow > follow-up > overhead smash I > overhead smash II > upswing Side smash is better for faster combo off of level 1 charge attack, but I like the ability to counter with a hammer.
23:20 it is important to know that changing the spinning Bludgeon doesn’t not Increase your spinning hits, only your landing one; furthermore, Level 1 and no charge is same damage. Charge 2 and 3 gives you each additional damage only in the landing hit(around 10% more for 2nd charge and another for 3rd charge but no bonus for first charge). I did my testing and this is the info I came out with. Personally I don’t charge the spinning Bludgeon as the damage is not usually onThe landing hit but on the hits in between. Also this move does a good amount of Ko damage if you aim for the head.
I chuckled when you mentioned that as a hammer user the Head belongs to you. I remember learning the etiquette of weapon positioning back in the early days and it's nice to know it is still something to consider in the current range of MH games as well.
Charge mode: Courage, you can chain a series of ZR inputs into its own combo, that carry flinch free (perfect for ignoring that pesky LS that's not in position). I think there's 5 ZR inputs in the combo to completion. As always, roll out to finish faster.
Using this video before I even head off on my first hunt and I am so glad I did! Knowing how to use the hammer’s combos before I even have access to all the skills is a major plus. Waited all this time for Rise to come to Xbox. No way was I gonna go in semi-blind (IG main turned Hammer main from World). Thank you.
@@Garveyness for some strange reason, when you finish spinning bludgeon and then hit A to smack, that individual smack is the highest of all damage hits from the combo. I still don’t know why.
Maybe this is common knowledge, but there is a hidden mechanic that I have never heard anyone talk about. It's a bit difficult to explain tho. So basically it's possible to slightly charge attacks faster after a roll or to intenionall delay the charge a bit. To do this you have to hold the left stick in the direction you are rolling (while rolling) and letting go of the stick for a split second at the end of a roll. Holding the left stick forward while rolling delays the charge a bit. Might not sound like much but it's espacially good for uppercut followups after dodging trough attacks. Also this mechanic is actually in World, but it's a bit different.
So much useful info in the video and comments here. I decided to main hammer through the village quest this time as Ive never seriously played it before. And man I really need to go back to the training room feels like I was just button mashing my way through the game.
Pro tip: Evade extender also increases the dash distance when going from blue hammer to yellow hammer. This makes repositioning to punish a monsters openings with a fully charged impact crater extremely easy, fast and effective!
@@austynherbst5903 Hate to break it to you, but there are no professional monster hunter players ;). You are also taking this way to seriously man. I posted this 1 week after release or something. Do with it what you want, I use it quite a bit.
The only thing I think you missed is when you're doing the spinning bludgeon, after hitting 3-4 times you can follow up the brutal upswing right into big bang III into brutal big bang. Its a lot of commitment and a LOT of damage.
Rurikhan, you’ve been living in this training room but you still havent realised you can access the training room options in the menu. you dont need to run back to the entrance every time lol
I have mained hammer since freedom unite I guess that makes me a veteran in the way of the bonk. I say this because watching your video taught me something I did not realize. Thank you you earned a gold star.
So as a half hammer main since 3u, I feel kinda called out when he said: "Im sure hammer mains will have better combos", when all I do is x, x, x, r, repeat
Really. I started with great sword so I find myself charging most of the time and doing combos when the chance arises. My favorite is changing form strength to classic and using spinning bludgeon x5 and finishing with the Big bang finisher. Either that or changing from strength to classic and using meteor crater
Hammer main in Rise with Dash Breaker, Power Stance: Strength and constantly swapping on Side Smash/Water Strike. A few things that went through my head while watching this I stay in Power Stance: Strength 99% of the time, and the reason is Step Smash. Even though it's a level 3 charge, it has very little animation commitment compared to all 3 of the other level 3 attacks, moves you forward quite a bit, and you don't need to worry about stopping to fire it off in fear of a giant animation you can't stop, like in World with Hammer Spin. Step Smash is essentially a High-damage poke where the only thing you need to sacrifice is the time in Charging up. My playstyle tends to focus on Walking attacks at mid-range while charging, then going in for Step Smshes between the attacks. I am able to keep moving, I don't need to stress about holding a specific level and not overcharging to a level i don't want, it's a bit slower of a way to play neutral with the hammer, but it's definitely been working for me I have not gone through and vigorously tested the AXX combo with Side Smash, but in all games previous to Rise if you substituted your 1st overhead smash with the Side Smash, it would lower the damage of your Upswing Combo, but give you full poise/brick wall/super armor/whatever you want to call it through the entire combo, rather than just on Overhead Smash 1 and Upswing. So in taking Side Smash over Water Strike, what you gain is the ability to poise through attacks with the full combo. Like YuGiOh Arc V "You'll still take the damage" but the animation still plays through and you get your damage out. Water Strike in comparison, if what I'm saying is all true for Rise, would be losing the ability to naturally combo out of a raw or combined A without Big Bang, but upgrade your Poise to full-on Guard If and only if you hit the guard. It's a riskier option, as the Guard Point on Water Strike ends when the strike connects with a monster, you cant poise through the attack and will simply trade with a mediocre hit compared to what hammer usually could do from there with Side Smash. Getting to the Upswing faster is definitely a boon, though it should be noted that the Guard Point has a farther range than your Upswing, and you are still dealing with Upswing's odd striking path, so you want to make sure you are slightly to the left of a monster. The range issue can mean that even when you hit the Guard Point, you still whiff the upswing, which isn't great and leaves you a bit open for follow-ups from the monster. One thing I will say, however: your upswing from Water Strike combos directly into Big Bang, so if you successfully guard point a move with high animation commitment but roots down the monster, such as Khezu's full-body Electroshock, you can Upswing into a full Big Bang before he's even done the animation. I would say even if you like Side Smash, bring in Water Strike for monsters that have a very committed move like that
Hey, I don’t think it was covered in this video, but you can actually roll out of Silkbind Spinning Bludgeon. It’s super helpful if you realize you got the position wrong or you end up in a bad spot. Loved the video! Rise is my second Monster Hunter game(4u was first, I maimed Hunting Horn) and I’ve been having a blast with the hammer. I will say, I’m excited to try it now that I actually know what half of the moves do!
Water strike is just a straight up improvement over side smash. I will add in that the follow up Upswing on water strike only happens if you get a counter, otherwise it goes into big bang.
I might have missed it and it does show in the video, but I feel it's worth pointing out that Charge Mode: Courage will deal two hits on the second (full) charge level of each charge strike. For that reason it's also better for status or elemental builds, and since your main damage imo comes from your wirebug attacks like Impact Crater it doesn't feel like choosing a less optimal build. Both hits affect your sharpness, but as hammer mains we're already on a first-name basis with our whetstones.
Reason to use side smash over water strike, muscle memory from past games. Also you’re usually charging when not in a combo so its hard to go for water strikes unless you replay for it.
The main reason to keep side smash is to skip overhead 1 and combo straight into overhead 2 into golf swing with it. It doesnt rely on getting hit and landing the parry to get your golf swing out much faster than the standard two overhead smashes into swing. Personally I still use it since I hardly ever land the parry enough times in actual hunts to justify missing out on the faster golf swing combo which is the hammer's bread and butter.
The sliding attack can be a bit annoying though. The ground of some areas is uneven, so it can happen that your character unintentionally slides while in charge mode and ruins the attack you wanted to go for.
I was at the top of a mountain and, just before the end of the hunt, my character did a slide spinning attack and I feel all the way to the ground. Got no loot in that one.
Speaking of knocking long sword users away.. Did that today. He tried again but didnt come to the head a third time. Funniest thing of the day for sure. Also, useful for knocking people out of bad stuff. Team player!
The side smash is good for clearing those tall grass patches where the spiribirds are hiding. You go direction double X in to side smash. Fastest way to clear the patchs, most all other attacks don't cover as much area. Bout the only reason I have. I still don't run it though.
About courage charge, you forgot to mention that as in GU, after doig any charged attack, you can dodge and if you press again the charge imput, you will go to to you following charge, so you can do charge attack one-dodge, go into charge, charged attack two, dodge, charge, charged attack three. it'"s very mobile. You can also go into a big bang after any golf swing (either after the X combo or final hit of normal charge spin), so that one way i mess up grounded monsters. Great vid none the less !
The reason that charged upsmash doesn't combo into the first move of bigbang is probably because of the water strike switch skill. It makes the counter "easier" to do when you are currently charging
Dashbreaker is a great closer yo stay on top of the monster. Pairs well with courage and strength to keep that charged combo up and the attacks comming
Love that runnig X-attack, one of the problems with hammer is short range and that your big hits have pretty high animation commitment, the running attack (and its followup) on the other hand is pretty damn fast, has great range compared to other hammer attacks and dels solid damage. Hammer is otherwise quite lacking with good pokes so it's a very welcome addition.
You can cancel out of any stage of Courage if you've knocked the monster, into spinning bludgeon, into that spinning strong upswing, and into late stage big bang combo for ridiculous amounts of damage.
Side smash got a good KO damage. Very reliable. Waterstrike is like a double edge sword; fun to use, but one mistake, and it will leave you open for opponent's attack. But I personally prefer water strike. Also, I use sidesmash more often when it is equipped than water strike when it is equipped.
I felt this way until I realized I wasn’t getting KOs as much, then switched back to side smash. If I could do Water Strike while charging, I'd keep it 100% though.
Most of the time i get hit while water strike i would have got hit no matter what So i prefer the strong parry over i deal a little bit more ko damage and can combo from a to x x
Couple possible notes as hammer main for first half of game. A fully charged impact crater or spinning bludgeon will hit twice on the final (biggest) hit, so it's waaay better when fully charged. Also, I feel like yellow mode hits a little faster than purple on non-charge attacks. But it's a feel thing, I haven't actually tested it to confirm.
Exclusive Hammer main here. I’ve never gone back to side smash after gaining water smash. Monster beams are a great chance to go Big Bang and as an additional psa, impact crater can be reorientated mid air which is perfect for wake up hits double damage. Position yourself in front of the head with about a roll distance away, face to the side and initiate impact crater. After the 2 upswing attacks, rotate towards the monster for a juicy juicy wake up crater hit which at full charge can do over 700dmg. 👍🏻
yeah that was my thought when i saw what Waterstrike was. Sideswipe is basically useless. It does ever so slightly more damage when leading into Big Bang, but its slower into Big Bang and lacks the counter. The counter is a bit hard to land but theres a ton of times ive accidentally landed it because i naturally hit B (xbox) after i charge attack often.
I am a Hammer main and I skimmed the comments about Water Strike. As Rurikhan said it has the Upswing Follow up, but it cam be followed in many ways. You can dodge after blue bong, also go into charge or silkbind attacks even the devastating Charge > LVL3 charge switch > Impact Crater or Spin attack. Hope this opens up some new ways to bonk that brain Hammer mains
Is it true that if you're in charge mode courage you go in to fully charged silkbind attacks regardless of your charge level? In that case charge mode courage is really good because spinning bludgeon is pretty spamable.
I wish the hammer didn't keep the sliding attack. I can get that move with the silkbind. I don't like flying over the monster whenever I try to punish a downed monster where the ground is flagged as a slope.
side smash is slightly better for combos over water strike because even though you can do a level 1 or 2 into either A button attack, you can only follow the Water Strike with Big Bang unless you hit the guard point. Charge > side smash lets you do 2nd pound into golf swing. TLDR: water strike better for making openings to fo golf swing, while side smash is better for knockdowns
I'm new to MH, I've tried to get into the series previously but this is the first one that has clicked for me (excited to go back and play older games after this, I have base game World and Gen U). I've watched this video like five or six times and I've put in 30 hours in a week and a half (only played hammer), finally played multiplayer with friends after getting to 5* in Village, my friend was using LS, staying on head and kept interrupting my big bang, I immediately thought of this video and was like no, head is mine, get yeeted lol. Absolutely loving this game, I have so much more to do and 13 more weapons to check out lol
Sad to hear everyone else lost their slide abilities, but I'm so happy my main weapon didn't lose it. I had so much fun in world with a KO/mount build and I can't wait to jump into Rise on PS5 on the 20th. Great guide as always fiver.
Side smash for me is great for dipping in hitting the head then sheathing dipping back out for monsters that constantly attack eventually it will do add up the stun damage and knock monster out without needing to combo, but that might just be me, great video thanks : )
Use of Side Smash over Water Strike: Side smash can combo into overhead smash 2 into upswing, water strike cannot. Side smash -> Overhead is a good KO combo compared to overhead 1, 2, upswing. Especially charge 1 or 2 into side smash
Side smash does a lot of KO damage and it used to take the first pound of the 3X combo so it was a shortcut to your upswing because it's a chick hit. But the utility and damage the water hit gives, it outscales the side swing in rise
Been playing hammer for a long time but unfortunately, beyond the nostalgia, really not seeing much point to power stance: courage. It just seems... kinda slow, despite saying it's supposed to be faster. I want to love it, but strength just seems to have more going for it. Regardless, Ruri didn't mention, but you can dodge while charging after a courage slam. Once, at least. You lose it after that. Maybe if you could just hold charge and roll as a full feature, that'd be great for it. It does double hits when fully charged, making it a bit better for elemental hammers, so if you really like a specific hammer with a lot of element *cough cough* GUN HAMMER ! ! ! *cough cough* it'll actually help it out a bit.
Side Smash is good because if you do level 2 charge, which is an upswing, and then A and then X and then X which is also an upswing you get 2 up swings in a 4 hit combo which is why it's called the monster KO attack.
Courage hammer allows for dodge rolls when you do the hammer spin for 2nd and 3rd chargeups, didnt notice it mentioned in any of the courage hammer bits.
Something you've missed, you can follow up the strongest hit of Spinning Bludgeon (the one you should always hit if you're letting it go that far) with A you can go immediately into a late stage of the Big Bang Combo. Doing this is actually stronger than a regular Big Bang Combo, albeit at a cost of a slightly higher animation commitment, and the fact that it can be difficult sometimes to position yourself properly with Spinning Bludgeon.
You mention Step Smash in Charge Mode Strength not being all too impressive. I find myself using this one a lot, especially against faster monsters. It's slightly weaker than Brutal Big Bang (final hit is 310 vs 350 with the hammer you were using in the video on the head, and there's one less small hit), but a loooot faster. Can usually get a snipe in on the head even on nimble monsters like Narga or Tobi, while that can be difficult with the other attack. Though Charge Mode Courage is probably better for those monsters to begin with.
Charge Mode Courage is indeed weaker as you suspected, but a lot more nimble, which has its advantages, if I use it I find myself only fully charging the third hit, as the additional hits on the first two hits of the combo aren't that impressive, and for some reason Courage takes quite a while to charge, even though it's only two charge levels. It's probably the only style I'd actually recommend Focus on personally because of that.
Regarding Water Strike, haven't looked back even once to Side Smash after I got it. It's just too good. The only thing you miss out on is comboing A into X, which imo isn't that big a loss. And the ability to guard point almost anything (including projectiles, or hell, Rajangs lightning beam) is just too good to pass up.
And finally, you didn't mention what is pretty much the ultimate combo on a downed monster, which is Big Bang, into charge switch for max charge immediately, into Impact Crater. Most monster downs are long enough to fully fit this in, and they're usually getting up just by the time you come down with the impact crater (be sure to readjust where you hit with that by moving your camera so you hit the head still as it gets up). For shorter downs you should probably always be defaulting to Impact Crater if you have the wirebugs, it's just that strong.
Anyway, once again, great guide. Keep it up! And to everyone else, sorry for the wall of text ;)
Excellent advice all around, thanks for posting!
Holy fuck I never even thought about using the charge switch before impact crater, this is a great tip 😁
There is no step smash in world
Wow, what a great comment. Thanks Bro! 😎
Thank you for this I just left LS for Hammer. Super fun already.
I got 350 hunts on the hammer and I still watch beginner guides just in case I missed something
I do the same
Eyup, same
It seems like the weapon is more complex than ever in Rise, but it’s done in a way that doesn’t make the new tech essential, which I appreciate. They raised the skill ceiling without raising the skill floor which is excellent game design IMO.
Thanks for the guide Ruri, I hadn’t touched Hammer since Iceborne and this gave me the confidence to pick it back up. I made a bludgeoner build with the atlas hammer and am having a ton of fun with the new courage mode!
Lmao same and I learned that switching from strength to normal gives you s
Same lol. Been playing Hammer for 3 years now, and I still watched this video lmao
I've been a hammer main since the very first monster hunter and unfortunately I feel like a boomer watching all the nice things you can do, while I'm sitting there doing the basic combo on a Gold Rathian for the 1000th time.
In the words of Bruce Lee:
“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times”
You my friend are a legend 👌
All these fancy techniques mean nothing if you don't have strong fundamentals, position and timing to actually bonk it in the head.
Me and you both although I used a gunlace always for Fatalist. Wish I used the gunlance more very fun. But hammer = big bang
I just spam like 5 different attacks I think, thats my limit, and in those 5, 1 of them I use it 50% of the time which is the fucking vertical spin in the air with my bug, I just like it too much and for some reason most of the bosses have hard time hitting me while im at it, its not very efficient but there is no game I know that spins in the air with a hammer as big as you xd
Something to note is that the dash you get when switching out of power mode is affected by evade extender!
Power
I did not know that, but I actually consider that kinda detrimental, I often combo big bang into charge switch into impact crater, and that would make positioning kinda awkward. Plus I do personally find having a bigger roll bad for hammer, I prefer staying close to punish. I think it's the one weapon I prefer Evade Window over Extender on.
@@Urthopify good point
@@Urthopify It really doesn't matter because when you roll backwards after your big bang, evade extender affects the distance off your roll and your leap equally so your spacing will always be perfect for doing the impact crater, even with evade extender 3 which I absolutely love. Also, evade window increases the of the leap as well so you can use it as a crazy invincible gap closer that gives you full charge and it's super fun.
I had just switched to the nargacuga armor and definitely noticed that I jumped about 10 feet more than expected. Just shrugged it off at the time but this makes a lot of sense.
You can change the training room settings if you press "+" for options and go to "training options" in the second tab
Thank you, I was wondering that
im a nub wheres the training room at ? lol cant find it
@@supergreenproduction2847 if you're on switch. You can press the "-" button and go to the map, then select trainging area. If you want to walk there, go to the buddy plaza, theres a boat on the right of Rondine that takes you there.
The step smash wasn't in world, we had to use the level 2 uppercut for a gap closing attack. The step smash is really good since you're able to get in a hard hit on monsters that move a lot without having to time a level 2 charge.
Agreed
Not gonna lie, Step Smash singlehandedly pushed Rise above World for me. I always hated spinning bludgeon so I'm so glad they gave us an alternative.
@@tTaseric spinning bludgeon literally drove me away from hammer every time I ever tried to bonk things. I hate that move so much. My reward is… mispositioning?
Sharpening your hammer will never get old for me
No one seems to have mentioned, but the impact crater can be controlled by a directional input while you're in the air. It's really useful for waking sleeping monsters; impact crater perpendicular to the monster (as otherwise the upwards spin will hit and wake the monster) and when you're at the apex with your hammer above input the direction towards the head and you'll turn as you come down
You can still avoid getting the first hits if you're far enough. The final hits does have more range but I never thought about just changing direction that's seems good as well
Mr Rurikhan, as a hammer main I am obligated to inform you that the last exit from the Spinning Bludgeon now has a combo at the end when you press A.
Lol im also a hammer main and didn't know this. What a powerful combo, thank you very much!
This combo is probably your best damage on a down, depending on how much time you have. The full combo does more damage than impact crater, though it takes a bit more time.
Came to say this- so many people don't even realize this, and it's amazing.
I was waiting for him to follow it up after every spin lol
That is beautiful.
The plus points of Side Smash is that it acts as an additional "Overhead" in the golfswing combo to get more damage:
- Overhead 1 -> Overhead 2 -> Side Smash -> golfswing.
Or it can substitute for one of the two Overhead attacks in the same combo:
+) Side Smash -> Overhead 2 -> golfswing.
+) Overhead 1 -> Side Smash -> golfswing.
Also Side Smash can chain into golfswing anytime, but Water Strike requires successful counters to be able to chain into golfswing.
Already 220h with hammer AND I CAN'T GET ENOUGH
*BONK
DONK! you mean?
One thing to note about Spinning Bludgeon (SB) that didn't seem to be covered. The final "charge level" of SB that results in the Strong Upswing can go immediately into Big Bang III then Finisher. This is a good option for when you want to go into Big Bang but have a shorter window and can't do the entire Big Bang combo.
PS: Thank you for the mention of how you get i-frames during the stance switch, that will honestly be a game changer for me
I'd like to *explicitly* point out that Water Strike has all the same combo entry paths as the Side Swing, which means you can parry right after a draw attack, as well as after any lv1 charge and its followup, or any lv2 charge.
And if you're in courage mode also after any of the first 2 downward slams with X
with water strike does it still go into the big bang combo?
I don't think I can express my gratitude enough when I say that these are invaluable. As a person such as I, coming from MHW to Rise, figuring out the new changes and mechanics can be rather taxing. However, these videos instantly remove that and to that, I cannot thank you enough.
I recently switched back to side smash from water strike. Here's why. Side smash has always been a massive quick KO attack, but on top of that, side smash to the X combo gives you level 2 knock ack resistance. It's a faster combo that X, X, X but the golf swing does the same damage and same KO damage. This is your go to KO combo! Side Smash, second hit of triple smash, golf swing.
Also, I'm charging 2/3 of the time, so water strike opportunities arise very rarely. It's nice to do it through a beam attack, but aside from blasting Rajang in the face when he gets angsty, side smash is better.
And the first attack of the golf combo is very slow.
I genuinely can't fathom water strikes utility
Charge level 2, then side Smash, then X, X. It gives you a combo that has 2 up swings in a 4 hit combo. I believe the hunter notes called it the monster KO combo or something
Unga Bunga Squad RIse Up!
Looooool god like name
me smash!!!
Hammer smash good!
@@suaveyouth Of course! We cavemen, we go bunga
More like El Kabong Squad. Use that battle cry “KABONG!!” 🔨💫💥✨
For those that don’t know
ruclips.net/video/010aaw1Ajo0/видео.html
You missed what might actually be the Hammer's biggest punish combo: Spinning Bludgeon golf swing into big bang. It's a fantastic fallback if you don't have the wirebugs for an impact crater when the monster falls over.
EDIT: Also yeah once I unlocked Water Strike I never looked back at Side Smash lol. I find that there's literally no reason not to use Water Strike over Side Smash. It effectively replaced a move I never consciously used into a staple of my arsenal.
side smash lets you do golf swing faster if you use it to cancel the golf combo
A big part about the courage mode you didn't mention is, that you can dodge quickly after a charge attack and follow up with the next charge.
Wait it retains the charge level after a dodge?! I’m going back to courage that sounds cool
@@coraline2770 if you dodge you lose the charge.
@@coraline2770 you can only roll direct after a charge attack and you have to charge it right after the dodge to get the next lvl of charge. So you cant just roll within the charge and keep its lvl.
@@Qing-Dynasty96 So you can charge attack > roll > charge attack > roll > charge attack and you keep progressing the combo?
@@gentleusurper4778 absolutely :)
As a fully fledged veteran member of the bonk squad I also swapped to water strike and never looked back, there are some combo options with side smash but I don't care, some might, I don't, and please allow a heart felt thank you from all hammer mains of telling long sword users to screw off 😁
Long sword is for chopping tails and that's about it
Really was a hard time getting in this game, started with bowgun, then switched to 2h sword then i switched to hammer and started watching your guide. I have so much fun now. I love the slow moves with high impact dmg. Thanks my man for the guide!
Thats exactly how I was on MHW glad you're enjoying the hammer
16:41 WHAT?! I had no idea! This... Being able to use the Charge Switch to eat attacks and go in is going to open up a lot of possibilities.
Just a couple of Sunbreak notes for Courage Hammer:
- Each strike in the ZR 3 chain that you *Do Not Charge* makes the Charging to Max quicker for the next one in the chain. The final strike kinda max charges itself.
- Spinning Bludgeon has a new way to exit. you can use ZR+A (Mode switch from Normal to Courage) to Spin out with max charge into Courage. Great for a quick wirebug finisher.
So as I take it Courage is kind of like GS with its true charge slash combo
Fantastic video! Some additional things I’ve noticed while playing hammer that I think are important:
- Almost all the hammer’s clunky animations can be cut way shorter by either charging (ZR) or evade rolling (B). When your hammer hits the ground after an attack, that’s your cue that you can probably cancel the rest of the animation with either of those options (though I’d note that evading is typically the faster of the 2). Even the dreaded level 3 charge can be significantly shortened and made manageable. Aside from learning the monsters’ behavior, I’d argue that getting comfortable with this animation cancelling is likely the most vital skill to learning hammer.
- You can slightly redirect your attacks mid-combo with the left stick. This is big for a weapon like the hammer that wants to focus almost exclusively on a single target (the head). If you start mashing a combo and realize that you’re a bit off target, just lean the left stick and your hunter will gradually adjust as they smash away. Note that this can also be used during the Impact Crater silk bind attack animation to ensure you get the tastiest smash and maximum damage.
- Focus isn’t a hammer skill? Coulda fooled me. Lol
20:41 I found a tech that I wanted to tell you about. If you charge switch to yellow and go off of the ledge with the boost forward, the charge of the hammer will not change and you will be able to do an aerial attack. On that note, be careful switching to yellow near a ledge.
Hammer is the weapon for people who like their neurons activated by excessive levels of dopamine, AND I LOVE IT.
Nothing hits quite like getting a K.O with the golf swing
for someone who just got into the game im glad i found your channel the way you explain things is really easy to follow and u answer a lot of my questions with one video thank you for your hard work and effort in making these videos i really appreciate them
One thing I noticed for charge mode courage is that you can keep your charge by rolling once by doing the first charge Attack and charge again and immediately dodge, note that the window is small so in order for this to work, try it out in the training area to get the hang of it
if you just keep pressing the dodge button as you input for your next charge attack it'll work every time and it works for any of the charge attacks in courage mode, not just the first one
Courage sucks, don’t use it. It doesn’t provide the DPS that Charge mode:Strength.
@@Frozirra it's not all about dps dude lol and it can fit into other playstyles better than strength. Just cuz you particularly don't see good returns when you use it doesn't mean it's trash objectively speaking
I've been playing around with some new knowledge I came across from this video and I just found out that if you maintain 3 wirebugs, it's VERY useful to go from blue charge immediately to lvl 3 yellow charge into Dash Breaker and immediately follow up with a level 3 Impact Crater using your last 2 wirebugs.
I'm finding it's a satisfying way to get close into an enemy or even get behind them, go into lvl 3 Impact Crater and just 180° the camera to land the big 2 last hits right on their back.
Side smash lets you combo your attacks into x. For example a x x is possible with side smash but not with water strike. Personally, I find water strike cool but it doesn't flow well with my playstyle (although maybe I'll find smoother ways to work it in)
Noted. Thank you for the input. I haven't gotten water stike yet.
Glad I'm not the only one. I was excited when I first got it but realized it wasn't very useful for my playstyle. I wish they'd give us a dodge counter instead (kind of like adept style in GU) cuz if I can't parry with the charge attacks then it's useless to me lol. I'm constantly running around while charging so I rarely even have access to water strike.
I find that most openings are too small to be able to link combos and I find that getting an occasional counter is nice
@@TaqSoto for sure, I also am constantly running with charge so the chance to use water strike naturally is very limited (unless I'm fishing for the counter). All I want is a rage slash equivalent when using certain levels of charge :)
@@novapane Oooo that would be dope too.
One advantage of side smash over water strike is that you can follow it up with X/Triangle attacks, which allows you to do X-A-X instead of X-X-X. It is a bit faster and allows you to get to the golf swing faster
Impact crater, big bang and golf swings are the single reason i use this weapon. When you land that golf swing right when the monster is fleeing, you just feel like you're powerful enough to hunt anything
I've not gotten used to the timing of water strike yet but i can certainly see the power that comes with it.
Rurikhan sir, you can change training settings in the start menu. No need to go back to the entrance ;)
The real tips are always in the comment
oh my god this changes everything
Not sure if it was mentioned, I didn't hear it, but in courage mode, if you do a charge attack, then you follow up with another charge the next tier, you have a small opening in which you can do a roll while holding the charge button (R or ZR) and you'll KEEP the 'tier' you're in (not the charge level), so you do a side smack, then press R and roll at the same time, and now your charge attack will still be the upswing. Same for 2nd to 3rd. It's a tight window and a bit weird but it's totally a thing, practice and you'll see. Quite useful to reposition or even to be mega aggro if you have evade window.
Man all of your guides have made my game play better. I'm just starting with hammer so I figured I'd stop here first to learn from the best.
Perfect timing! Started playing hammer last night.
Good guide. I’m sure it’s been mentioned but you can follow up a level three spinning bludgeon golf swing with the A button. You will perform the brutal big bang but only if the hit connects
After landing your charged jump attack from a ledge with hammer if you immediately press x you’ll go into whatever ending move that corresponded with the charged lvl you started the jump with.
For example If before I jumped I had lvl 3 charge strength ,after the jump attack I press X ,immediate Charged Big Bang .
When you do the Big Bang combo you can slightly turn each hit in case the monster is flopping whilst on the ground or gets moved by something
Great video. I am new to the MH series with Rise, really love the hammer. Keep thinking I need to branch out, but smashing monsters in the head is just so satisfying.
The difference between side smash and water strike
They both do the same damage just with negligible differences in stun and exhaust (Side smash does 20 stun and 5 exhaust, water strike does 10 stun and 10 exhaust)
Water strike is a vertical hit which I find is much easier to hit with since I find side smash whiffs underneath the monster's head
You can combo into overhead smash II after side smash, but you can't with water strike. Instead you get the upswing when you successfully counter a move.
You lose the ability to do this combo if you use water strike.
charged side blow > side smash > overhead smash II > upswing
Instead you have to do the longer combo
Charged side blow > follow-up > overhead smash I > overhead smash II > upswing
Side smash is better for faster combo off of level 1 charge attack, but I like the ability to counter with a hammer.
23:20 it is important to know that changing the spinning Bludgeon doesn’t not Increase your spinning hits, only your landing one; furthermore, Level 1 and no charge is same damage. Charge 2 and 3 gives you each additional damage only in the landing hit(around 10% more for 2nd charge and another for 3rd charge but no bonus for first charge). I did my testing and this is the info I came out with.
Personally I don’t charge the spinning
Bludgeon as the damage is not usually onThe landing hit but on the hits in between. Also this move does a good amount of Ko damage if you aim for the head.
I chuckled when you mentioned that as a hammer user the Head belongs to you. I remember learning the etiquette of weapon positioning back in the early days and it's nice to know it is still something to consider in the current range of MH games as well.
Charge mode: Courage, you can chain a series of ZR inputs into its own combo, that carry flinch free (perfect for ignoring that pesky LS that's not in position). I think there's 5 ZR inputs in the combo to completion. As always, roll out to finish faster.
Using this video before I even head off on my first hunt and I am so glad I did! Knowing how to use the hammer’s combos before I even have access to all the skills is a major plus. Waited all this time for Rise to come to Xbox. No way was I gonna go in semi-blind (IG main turned Hammer main from World).
Thank you.
You forgot the spinning bludgeoned last cancel in to Big Bang finisher, which actually does a ton of damage.
Well I guess I'm about to double my damage output in the next hunt thanks for the tip!
@@Garveyness for some strange reason, when you finish spinning bludgeon and then hit A to smack, that individual smack is the highest of all damage hits from the combo. I still don’t know why.
I tried the hammer out just to see how it worked. I had so much fun after getting the basics. And now it's my main weapon.
Maybe this is common knowledge, but there is a hidden mechanic that I have never heard anyone talk about. It's a bit difficult to explain tho.
So basically it's possible to slightly charge attacks faster after a roll or to intenionall delay the charge a bit. To do this you have to hold the left stick in the direction you are rolling (while rolling) and letting go of the stick for a split second at the end of a roll. Holding the left stick forward while rolling delays the charge a bit.
Might not sound like much but it's espacially good for uppercut followups after dodging trough attacks. Also this mechanic is actually in World, but it's a bit different.
So much useful info in the video and comments here.
I decided to main hammer through the village quest this time as Ive never seriously played it before.
And man I really need to go back to the training room feels like I was just button mashing my way through the game.
Pro tip: Evade extender also increases the dash distance when going from blue hammer to yellow hammer. This makes repositioning to punish a monsters openings with a fully charged impact crater extremely easy, fast and effective!
How can this be a pro tip if no pro has ever used this or found it useful? More like niche casual tid bit
@@austynherbst5903 Hate to break it to you, but there are no professional monster hunter players ;). You are also taking this way to seriously man. I posted this 1 week after release or something. Do with it what you want, I use it quite a bit.
The only thing I think you missed is when you're doing the spinning bludgeon, after hitting 3-4 times you can follow up the brutal upswing right into big bang III into brutal big bang. Its a lot of commitment and a LOT of damage.
I know a lot went into this video, but please make more videos this in depth for all of the weapons! Great video!
Rurikhan, you’ve been living in this training room but you still havent realised you can access the training room options in the menu. you dont need to run back to the entrance every time lol
I have mained hammer since freedom unite I guess that makes me a veteran in the way of the bonk. I say this because watching your video taught me something I did not realize. Thank you you earned a gold star.
So as a half hammer main since 3u, I feel kinda called out when he said: "Im sure hammer mains will have better combos", when all I do is x, x, x, r, repeat
Really. I started with great sword so I find myself charging most of the time and doing combos when the chance arises. My favorite is changing form strength to classic and using spinning bludgeon x5 and finishing with the Big bang finisher. Either that or changing from strength to classic and using meteor crater
Hammer main in Rise with Dash Breaker, Power Stance: Strength and constantly swapping on Side Smash/Water Strike. A few things that went through my head while watching this
I stay in Power Stance: Strength 99% of the time, and the reason is Step Smash. Even though it's a level 3 charge, it has very little animation commitment compared to all 3 of the other level 3 attacks, moves you forward quite a bit, and you don't need to worry about stopping to fire it off in fear of a giant animation you can't stop, like in World with Hammer Spin. Step Smash is essentially a High-damage poke where the only thing you need to sacrifice is the time in Charging up. My playstyle tends to focus on Walking attacks at mid-range while charging, then going in for Step Smshes between the attacks. I am able to keep moving, I don't need to stress about holding a specific level and not overcharging to a level i don't want, it's a bit slower of a way to play neutral with the hammer, but it's definitely been working for me
I have not gone through and vigorously tested the AXX combo with Side Smash, but in all games previous to Rise if you substituted your 1st overhead smash with the Side Smash, it would lower the damage of your Upswing Combo, but give you full poise/brick wall/super armor/whatever you want to call it through the entire combo, rather than just on Overhead Smash 1 and Upswing. So in taking Side Smash over Water Strike, what you gain is the ability to poise through attacks with the full combo. Like YuGiOh Arc V "You'll still take the damage" but the animation still plays through and you get your damage out.
Water Strike in comparison, if what I'm saying is all true for Rise, would be losing the ability to naturally combo out of a raw or combined A without Big Bang, but upgrade your Poise to full-on Guard If and only if you hit the guard. It's a riskier option, as the Guard Point on Water Strike ends when the strike connects with a monster, you cant poise through the attack and will simply trade with a mediocre hit compared to what hammer usually could do from there with Side Smash. Getting to the Upswing faster is definitely a boon, though it should be noted that the Guard Point has a farther range than your Upswing, and you are still dealing with Upswing's odd striking path, so you want to make sure you are slightly to the left of a monster. The range issue can mean that even when you hit the Guard Point, you still whiff the upswing, which isn't great and leaves you a bit open for follow-ups from the monster. One thing I will say, however: your upswing from Water Strike combos directly into Big Bang, so if you successfully guard point a move with high animation commitment but roots down the monster, such as Khezu's full-body Electroshock, you can Upswing into a full Big Bang before he's even done the animation. I would say even if you like Side Smash, bring in Water Strike for monsters that have a very committed move like that
Just tried hammer yesterday. Im loving it and this is great timing!
Went from hating the hammer to absolutely loving it after this guide, cheers!
Hey, I don’t think it was covered in this video, but you can actually roll out of Silkbind Spinning Bludgeon. It’s super helpful if you realize you got the position wrong or you end up in a bad spot.
Loved the video! Rise is my second Monster Hunter game(4u was first, I maimed Hunting Horn) and I’ve been having a blast with the hammer. I will say, I’m excited to try it now that I actually know what half of the moves do!
Thank you for this video! I'm a sns main who's trying to branch into using the hammer and I was struggling with it, but this helped a lot!
Water strike is just a straight up improvement over side smash. I will add in that the follow up Upswing on water strike only happens if you get a counter, otherwise it goes into big bang.
I almost never used the spinning bludgeon thinking it is a trap but after learning you can escape it. I am going to be using it more. Thanks!
I might have missed it and it does show in the video, but I feel it's worth pointing out that Charge Mode: Courage will deal two hits on the second (full) charge level of each charge strike. For that reason it's also better for status or elemental builds, and since your main damage imo comes from your wirebug attacks like Impact Crater it doesn't feel like choosing a less optimal build.
Both hits affect your sharpness, but as hammer mains we're already on a first-name basis with our whetstones.
Reason to use side smash over water strike, muscle memory from past games. Also you’re usually charging when not in a combo so its hard to go for water strikes unless you replay for it.
The main reason to keep side smash is to skip overhead 1 and combo straight into overhead 2 into golf swing with it. It doesnt rely on getting hit and landing the parry to get your golf swing out much faster than the standard two overhead smashes into swing.
Personally I still use it since I hardly ever land the parry enough times in actual hunts to justify missing out on the faster golf swing combo which is the hammer's bread and butter.
Don't play hammer just here to learn and help out the algorithm 👍🏽
The sliding attack can be a bit annoying though. The ground of some areas is uneven, so it can happen that your character unintentionally slides while in charge mode and ruins the attack you wanted to go for.
I was at the top of a mountain and, just before the end of the hunt, my character did a slide spinning attack and I feel all the way to the ground. Got no loot in that one.
Speaking of knocking long sword users away.. Did that today. He tried again but didnt come to the head a third time. Funniest thing of the day for sure. Also, useful for knocking people out of bad stuff. Team player!
I’m new to monster hunter rise and I chose hammer and this is the best vid I could find to help me learn thx you so much!!
The side smash is good for clearing those tall grass patches where the spiribirds are hiding. You go direction double X in to side smash. Fastest way to clear the patchs, most all other attacks don't cover as much area. Bout the only reason I have. I still don't run it though.
About courage charge, you forgot to mention that as in GU, after doig any charged attack, you can dodge and if you press again the charge imput, you will go to to you following charge, so you can do charge attack one-dodge, go into charge, charged attack two, dodge, charge, charged attack three. it'"s very mobile. You can also go into a big bang after any golf swing (either after the X combo or final hit of normal charge spin), so that one way i mess up grounded monsters. Great vid none the less !
The reason that charged upsmash doesn't combo into the first move of bigbang is probably because of the water strike switch skill. It makes the counter "easier" to do when you are currently charging
Excellent guide. Nice to see others as enthusiastic about hammer as myself.
It looks like the charge mode: courage attacks are doing multiple damage ticks at once, which is great for element/status hammers.
Dashbreaker is a great closer yo stay on top of the monster. Pairs well with courage and strength to keep that charged combo up and the attacks comming
Excellent guide!!! I never even knew the Disengage Charge Switch gave you invincibility frames! :o
Love that runnig X-attack, one of the problems with hammer is short range and that your big hits have pretty high animation commitment, the running attack (and its followup) on the other hand is pretty damn fast, has great range compared to other hammer attacks and dels solid damage. Hammer is otherwise quite lacking with good pokes so it's a very welcome addition.
You can cancel out of any stage of Courage if you've knocked the monster, into spinning bludgeon, into that spinning strong upswing, and into late stage big bang combo for ridiculous amounts of damage.
Damn love your style, def gonna watch this whole series you did a great job :)
Side smash got a good KO damage. Very reliable. Waterstrike is like a double edge sword; fun to use, but one mistake, and it will leave you open for opponent's attack. But I personally prefer water strike.
Also, I use sidesmash more often when it is equipped than water strike when it is equipped.
I felt this way until I realized I wasn’t getting KOs as much, then switched back to side smash. If I could do Water Strike while charging, I'd keep it 100% though.
Most of the time i get hit while water strike i would have got hit no matter what
So i prefer the strong parry over i deal a little bit more ko damage and can combo from a to x x
The guide having infos on how to yeet off longsword users makes it an excellent guide.
Couple possible notes as hammer main for first half of game. A fully charged impact crater or spinning bludgeon will hit twice on the final (biggest) hit, so it's waaay better when fully charged. Also, I feel like yellow mode hits a little faster than purple on non-charge attacks. But it's a feel thing, I haven't actually tested it to confirm.
Exclusive Hammer main here. I’ve never gone back to side smash after gaining water smash. Monster beams are a great chance to go Big Bang and as an additional psa, impact crater can be reorientated mid air which is perfect for wake up hits double damage. Position yourself in front of the head with about a roll distance away, face to the side and initiate impact crater. After the 2 upswing attacks, rotate towards the monster for a juicy juicy wake up crater hit which at full charge can do over 700dmg. 👍🏻
yeah that was my thought when i saw what Waterstrike was.
Sideswipe is basically useless. It does ever so slightly more damage when leading into Big Bang, but its slower into Big Bang and lacks the counter.
The counter is a bit hard to land but theres a ton of times ive accidentally landed it because i naturally hit B (xbox) after i charge attack often.
New with the ps4 release, I feel like I got better with this video, thank you!
I am a Hammer main and I skimmed the comments about Water Strike. As Rurikhan said it has the Upswing Follow up, but it cam be followed in many ways. You can dodge after blue bong, also go into charge or silkbind attacks even the devastating Charge > LVL3 charge switch > Impact Crater or Spin attack. Hope this opens up some new ways to bonk that brain Hammer mains
Is it true that if you're in charge mode courage you go in to fully charged silkbind attacks regardless of your charge level? In that case charge mode courage is really good because spinning bludgeon is pretty spamable.
I wish the hammer didn't keep the sliding attack. I can get that move with the silkbind. I don't like flying over the monster whenever I try to punish a downed monster where the ground is flagged as a slope.
It is a nightmare for hammer mains any type of slope I agree. I liked it in World but here just feels like its interrupting
side smash is slightly better for combos over water strike because even though you can do a level 1 or 2 into either A button attack, you can only follow the Water Strike with Big Bang unless you hit the guard point. Charge > side smash lets you do 2nd pound into golf swing.
TLDR: water strike better for making openings to fo golf swing, while side smash is better for knockdowns
I'm new to MH, I've tried to get into the series previously but this is the first one that has clicked for me (excited to go back and play older games after this, I have base game World and Gen U). I've watched this video like five or six times and I've put in 30 hours in a week and a half (only played hammer), finally played multiplayer with friends after getting to 5* in Village, my friend was using LS, staying on head and kept interrupting my big bang, I immediately thought of this video and was like no, head is mine, get yeeted lol. Absolutely loving this game, I have so much more to do and 13 more weapons to check out lol
I've been debating goss harag hammer or dual blades. Now I know which one!
Sad to hear everyone else lost their slide abilities, but I'm so happy my main weapon didn't lose it. I had so much fun in world with a KO/mount build and I can't wait to jump into Rise on PS5 on the 20th. Great guide as always fiver.
Side smash for me is great for dipping in hitting the head then sheathing dipping back out for monsters that constantly attack eventually it will do add up the stun damage and knock monster out without needing to combo, but that might just be me, great video thanks : )
Use of Side Smash over Water Strike: Side smash can combo into overhead smash 2 into upswing, water strike cannot.
Side smash -> Overhead is a good KO combo compared to overhead 1, 2, upswing. Especially charge 1 or 2 into side smash
Courage mode also switches your hammer into iOS instead of android
Side smash does a lot of KO damage and it used to take the first pound of the 3X combo so it was a shortcut to your upswing because it's a chick hit. But the utility and damage the water hit gives, it outscales the side swing in rise
Been playing hammer for a long time but unfortunately, beyond the nostalgia, really not seeing much point to power stance: courage. It just seems... kinda slow, despite saying it's supposed to be faster. I want to love it, but strength just seems to have more going for it. Regardless, Ruri didn't mention, but you can dodge while charging after a courage slam. Once, at least. You lose it after that. Maybe if you could just hold charge and roll as a full feature, that'd be great for it. It does double hits when fully charged, making it a bit better for elemental hammers, so if you really like a specific hammer with a lot of element *cough cough* GUN HAMMER ! ! ! *cough cough* it'll actually help it out a bit.
Side Smash is good because if you do level 2 charge, which is an upswing, and then A and then X and then X which is also an upswing you get 2 up swings in a 4 hit combo which is why it's called the monster KO attack.
Courage hammer allows for dodge rolls when you do the hammer spin for 2nd and 3rd chargeups, didnt notice it mentioned in any of the courage hammer bits.
Amazing video just started rise and switched from CB to Hammer