is the Iceborne starting armor cheating?

[Johnny[HUN]]

I bought MH World with Iceborne, and when I started MHW I could start with the Iceborne gift armor set so I picked that. I played the game for... 10-15 hours now, and still can't buy or forge better armor than those, not even close to the Iceborne armor set, and I have never fainted once in the game (sure I will in the future...) and I feel like its cheating... I remember playing Monster Hunter Generations and how hard that game was without any starting pack compared to this, and people say MH World is harder than Generations.

[Suzaku]

Yes, the guardian armor and defender weapons were made to basically skip the base game. This was told to you when you were given the option of selecting it.

[Seamus]

It's... incredibly poorly balanced and designed and will carry you most of the way through high rank, unfortunately.

The fact it's the default option on character creation is a terrible choice.

[Seamus]

Originally posted by Suzaku:

Yes, the guardian armor and defender weapons were made to basically skip the base game. This was told to you when you were given the option of selecting it.

It's not an option of selecting it.

It's the default.

[Johnny[HUN]]

Originally posted by Suzaku:

Yes, the guardian armor and defender weapons were made to basically skip the base game. This was told to you when you were given the option of selecting it.

I dont remember reading any warning like that ... And it was the default armor set I think I mean I could change it from the very beginning but first time playing World so I had no idea if these stats are good or not.

[TheSuit]

They are endgame armors for base game

[liberator65853]

Originally posted by Suzaku:

Yes, the guardian armor and defender weapons were made to basically skip the base game. This was told to you when you were given the option of selecting it.

Only told that about the version you can buy in the armory. The default armor you start with in character creation is it and it gives no warning, at least it didn't for me.

[Emerald Lance]

Well, "cheating" is a strong word. But it definitely isn't the intended experience.

That armor exists specifically to skip the challenge of the base game; it exists for people who don't really care for the whole start-to-finish experience and just want to get to the "best" part, either because some people just like to play their games that way or because some players might want to start another character and get to the Iceborne content as quick as possible.

The downside to a new player using it is that it teaches the wrong message about the game, so when that new player eventually does get to Iceborne and that armor becomes useless, they'll have no experience with the crafting system to make suitable replacements. If that sort of thing doesn't bother you, feel free to use whatever armor you want. But if you want the intended experience, then drop the set and begin making and maintaining your own armor.

[Mu'Ammar of Carthus]

It's meant to make you buy the expansion faster.

Little do Capcom realize, it might do exactly the opposite for a lot of players, if the base game feels easy, short, and trivial, why would anyone want to buy the expansion?

[DaBa]

Originally posted by Mu'Ammar of Carthus:

It's meant to make you buy the expansion faster.

Little do Capcom realize, it might do exactly the opposite for a lot of players, if the base game feels easy, short, and trivial, why would anyone want to buy the expansion?

It's probably just a case of a stupid exec who doesn't really understand their video game and it's players, and told to do something like this precisely for the reason that was mentioned above: to get the people to buy the expansion faster. In their little heads getting to the expansion content faster = them buying it faster, there's some truth to that but we all know it's more nuanced by this, and the whole defender gear is just damaging to the experience of new players.

[GamingWithSilvertail]

If the game offers you, Its not cheating.

Regardless, Its ment for catching up to IB,

[Snake Eater]

Originally posted by DJ Soul:

It's not cheating but yes, it makes the game too easy, don't play with it. It's purpose is to skip the base game basically.

[!?!]

It's the "skip base game" armor.
Don't use defender gear if you want to actually play that content.

[Acid Lizard]

Some basic elder dragon armor is already better then this, guardian armor will not save from
temepered /arch tempered elder dragons, and 2 collaboration monsters behemoth extremoth (it is behemoth, just an extreme version and ancient leshen) (all of these are in high rank) and any master rank monster.

[Recruit "DELIVERY MAN"]

Originally posted by Mu'Ammar of Carthus:

It's meant to make you buy the expansion faster.

Little do Capcom realize, it might do exactly the opposite for a lot of players, if the base game feels easy, short, and trivial, why would anyone want to buy the expansion?

pardon my intrusion,but ins't the defender gear only avaiable for those that bought the iceborne expansion?

[Ember]

Originally posted by Recruta BR:

pardon my intrusion,but ins't the defender gear only avaiable for those that bought the iceborne expansion?

Nope. Unfortunately, it's not the case.