High rank missions: What is the point?

[Grey Dragon]

I have two copies of this game, one for the PC, one for the PS4. This is so that I can connect with friends on different networks. On the PS4, I managed to unlock the high rank missions by beating Zora Magdaros for a second time. Unfortunately, after progressing on the PS4 and finding out what the high rank missions offered, I almost gave up.

I'm not worried about higher difficulty, but I was expecting something FUN. Instead, I have to fight the same monsters all over again, only with more health. They're not even palette swaps, but I still need the materials from the monsters for upgrades.

EDIT: I have found that using Defender gear greatly shortens the hunts while still allowing me to gather the materials.

[RIOT|Stalkermaster]

its like this with all monster hunter games, it is simply the main gameplay loop. But to answer your question the answer is yes its skipping the side quests and just doing the main missions. You only have to kill a few of the same ones a few times then its mostly new monsters.

Doing the old monsters again is how you get better armor and weapons as you need those monsters materials to get the better stuff.

and before you ask yes Iceborne is the same however the main story is mostly new monsters during its run as well. But you will need to fight old monsters again eventually

[Smaugi]

The same monsters with new attacks when most of them are still optional.
Also , how much time did you spend on low rank?
Its not even half of what the game has to offer.

[Kawalorn]

The point is to keep weaker monsters from becoming completely obsolete and unchallenging.

You barely have to fight any of the old ones if you don't want to. There is plenty new ones in High Rank.

[Grey Dragon]

My problem with this is that I still have to spend a ridiculous amount of time replaying old battles before I get to try anything new. Even with the improvements, the monsters from low rank are still obsolete. Not because they're too weak, but because they're too familiar.

Imagine playing about a third of a very long game and then being told that you have to repeat most of the previous battles before you can move on. How is this supposed to be fun?

[RIOT|Stalkermaster]

Originally posted by Grey Dragon:

My problem with this is that I still have to spend a ridiculous amount of time replaying old battles before I get to try anything new. Even with the improvements, the monsters from low rank are still obsolete. Not because they're too weak, but because they're too familiar.

Imagine playing about a third of a very long game and then being told that you have to repeat most of the previous battles before you can move on. How is this supposed to be fun?

But you dont have to repeat many. Most of them are side quests aka optionals. Your making this a bigger deal then it is.

[ase]

Originally posted by Grey Dragon:

My problem with this is that I still have to spend a ridiculous amount of time replaying old battles before I get to try anything new. Even with the improvements, the monsters from low rank are still obsolete. Not because they're too weak, but because they're too familiar.

Imagine playing about a third of a very long game and then being told that you have to repeat most of the previous battles before you can move on. How is this supposed to be fun?

the game is not for you,after story ends you ill probably leave,because that's what game consists 90% of the time,beating same monsters you ve already beaten.considering you dont even care where you spend your money,why bother complaining now?

[Hundezahn]

Low Rank and, since Iceborne, High Rank is just the tutorial. Iceborne story is another tutorial.
"Optional" quests have that name for a reason.

The amount of different monsters is not very high, because that's not the point of the game. The fun is beating ever stronger monsters and improving your skills. Until you can beat the hardest ones fast and clean.

[Shakzor]

Monsters you don't fight via assignemnts in highrank that you had to in low rank:

Great Jagras
Tobi Kadachi
Jyuratodus
Barroth
Paolumu
Diablos
Rathalos
Rathian
Radobaan

The only two you HAVE to fight "again" in the main story missions are Anjanath and Pukei Pukei.
Everything else is either via events, optionals or investigations.

I mean heck, the list of monsters you don't have to fight at all to finish the story is roughly the same with:

Dodogama
Uragaan
Lavasioth
Kirin
Azure Rathalos
Black Diablos
Tzi-Tzi-Yaku
Great GIrros

[bolabuga]

Originally posted by lil XXXRDMKING uchiha:

Originally posted by Grey Dragon:

My problem with this is that I still have to spend a ridiculous amount of time replaying old battles before I get to try anything new. Even with the improvements, the monsters from low rank are still obsolete. Not because they're too weak, but because they're too familiar.

Imagine playing about a third of a very long game and then being told that you have to repeat most of the previous battles before you can move on. How is this supposed to be fun?

the game is not for you,after story ends you ill probably leave,because that's what game consists 90% of the time,beating same monsters you ve already beaten.considering you dont even care where you spend your money,why bother complaining now?

Something along the above answer. BUT considering you are asking WHY, i can supose you are searching for a reason to stay, so i will try to help in this way.

I supose your question is, how can so many people still play if thats what the game can offer??

For me: I would never play a game, for too much time, if i knew that is what the game could offer, HOWERVER, when i started play MHW (my first) i didnt know that, and turns out that killing the same fuc...ing monster that completely annihilate you "at first", using differents kinds of weapons, which translate in complete different experience in game, is so much fun............ (now i have 2 thousand hours of gameplay doing this same sh........t and still having some fun)

[FauxFurry]

Originally posted by Grey Dragon:

My problem with this is that I still have to spend a ridiculous amount of time replaying old battles before I get to try anything new. Even with the improvements, the monsters from low rank are still obsolete. Not because they're too weak, but because they're too familiar.

Imagine playing about a third of a very long game and then being told that you have to repeat most of the previous battles before you can move on. How is this supposed to be fun?

Boss Rush/Gauntlets are a repeat of every major battle fought right before end game. Enough people find that concept enjoyable for it to be employed in games since at least 1988.

[DLOZanma]

Originally posted by Grey Dragon:

Imagine playing about a third of a very long game and then being told that you have to repeat most of the previous battles before you can move on. How is this supposed to be fun?

You mean the whole Megaman series? Or Okami?
"I bought a game that is entirely based about repeating boss battles on 2 different systems: i have to repeat boss battles and i don't like that". What? Why would you even buy it?
Also i'm waiting to see you fight Vaal Hazak in low rank missions.

[Grey Dragon]

Originally posted by DLOZanma:

"I bought a game that is entirely based about repeating boss battles on 2 different systems: i have to repeat boss battles and i don't like that". What? Why would you even buy it?

I actually had a lot of fun with the low rank missions. Unfortunately, I have now reached the point where the enemies are so familiar that I can't really improve my skills against them any further.

I ended up using Defender gear to shorten the familair battles as much as possible, so that I can get to the new monsters as soon as possible. This has helped somewhat.

[dyne2alex]

Originally posted by Grey Dragon:

Originally posted by DLOZanma:

"I bought a game that is entirely based about repeating boss battles on 2 different systems: i have to repeat boss battles and i don't like that". What? Why would you even buy it?

I actually had a lot of fun with the low rank missions. Unfortunately, I have now reached the point where the enemies are so familiar that I can't really improve my skills against them any further.

I ended up using Defender gear to shorten the familair battles as much as possible, so that I can get to the new monsters as soon as possible. This has helped somewhat.

how long are your hunts?

[Grey Dragon]

A typical hunt lasts me about 15-25 minutes, although using defender gear reduces this to less than 10 minutes.

Simply ignoring the optional quests means that the only decent gear I can get is Defender gear, which is rather overpowered and makes new battles too short and too easy. The only time I ever use it is when I'm fed up of fighting a particular enemy.

[dyne2alex]

Originally posted by Grey Dragon:

A typical hunt lasts me about 15-25 minutes, although using defender gear reduces this to less than 10 minutes.

hmmm, I do have a friend who is similar to you. He enjoys Dark Souls but doesn't really like Monster Hunter because once he reads the patterns of the bosses and beats them, he doesn't really find joy in fighting them again.

For most people who really enjoy this game to a point of putting hundreds of hours into it, we love shaving down our kill times. Sometimes even without the end timer screen, we can feel when we've completely suppressed a monster and it fills us with joy, esp when that monster was a tough mosnter at first. I still remember the first time I felt like I demolished a monster in MH4U (and I was still bad at monster hunter after 500 hours in that game) because it was such a thrill to not JUST dodge everything, but to PUNISH all the openings I could and just watch the never ending flinches and stuns.

I had another friend who played through the entire story of iceborne with just high rank weapons and armor. Every litle thing could kill him, but he enjoyed being on that edge of life and death. That guy was probably more similar to my other friend than he was to me and your typical monster hunter forumer