Eat, Hunt, Love

A selection of Dango sets and why they are good for you

Dango Power!

Eating before every hunt is a Monster Hunter tradition, which not only provides you with extra health and stamina, but also gives you several useful buffs you should not miss!

But with that many Dango to select from - which should you eat?

Here are a few set suggestions of mine to help you making preparations extra easy.

Enjoy your meal and Happy Hunting!

How to get more Dango Tickets

Make generous use of Motley Mix. You can ditch the items created that way, but you still want to take upon Yomogi's service - as she gives you a steady supply of Dango Tickets for doing so. The Dango Tickets ensure most of the time you getting the Dango skills you want.
Just... do not tell her if you actually throw her cooking away, okay?

A few Basic Insights

My Dango set recommendations are all made with having the endgame in mind.

That means having Dango Defender (High) is a must, as it grants you the effects of a level 3 Divine Blessing, reducing the damage you would receive very often. Not constantly, but with a very high chance.

As implied before, most Dango grant you boni which equal armour skills, such as e.g.

Dango Fighter <=> Constitution
Dango Feet <=> Flinch Free
Dango Polisher <=> Speed Sharpening
Dango Deflector <=> Mind's Eye
Dango Bombardier <=> Artillery

Recognising the skills they grant you allows you to substitute decorations/armour pieces with specific skills with Dango, giving you more flexibility in how you design your armour builds for skill sets.

Dango boni are deactivated for Arena Quests.

Veteran's Tip

When playing Multiplayer all hunters do benefit from the host having unlocked all or more Dango flavours then the rest. That way a veteran hunter can make Dango which are unlocked e.g. in endgame earlier available for their fellow hunters!

1. Standard Slugger

Great for Longsword (Punishing Draw) Sword & Shield, Hammer, Hunting Horn, Lance, Charge Blade (Impact Phial), Bow (Absolute Power Shot).

Dango Fighter has a great universal utility, as every weapon gameplay which uses Stamina a lot, either for dodging or blocking benefits from it.

Another very good utility has Dango Slugger which a lot of weapon can benefit from, stunning the monster more easily and creating opportunities for extra damage.

2. Gunlance Fighter

Great for Gunlance and Charge Blade.

As the name implies, this one is for Gunlance users where the Dango Slugger is replaced with Dango Bombardier, enhancing the shelling damage. And Charge Blade users benefit from Dango Bombardier too!

Veteran's Tip

Dango Bombardier is resembling more the Artillery skill and less the Bombardier skill, despite the same sounding name. Confusing, is it not?

3. Ranger's Choice (Bow)

Great for Bow.

Alternative: Dango Slugger instead of Dango Marksman. Replacing Dango Defender is also possible but not recommended, though it would increase the offensive capabilities significantly.

4. Ranger's Choice (Bowgun)

Great for Light Bowgun / Heavy Bowgun.

As a Bowgun user relies less on Stamina consumption moves, Dango Fighter gets replaced with Dango Temper for more damage. Be aware of the increased deviation.

5. Ranger's Choice (Bomberman)

Great for Light Bowgun / Heavy Bogun.

For a specialised use of Sticky Ammo with Bowgun. As an alternative Dango Temper can be replaced with Dango Slugger should you aim for a more stunning playstyle.

6. Safer Hunt

Great for difficult hunts.

Better be safe than sorry. In addition to Dango Defender and Dango Moxie it is wise to bring Dango Medic along. The extra heal can make the important difference. If you know that Aurortle are readily availabe for your hunt, you can replace Dango Moxie. Please keep in mind during multiplayer that Endemic Life which goes into the cage are available only as single entities in their spawning locations (every player can grab a wild Wirebug, but if someone else grabs an Aurortle before you could, it vanishes for you from the map until it respawns after a cooldown).

7. No Slugger, No Cry

Great for Great Sword, Longsword, Dual Blades, Switch Axe, Insect Glaive.

Dango Slugger getting replaced by Dango Polisher for all the weapon gameplay which does not utilise stunning attacks. Some might say Dango Deflector is a good alternative due to its Mind's Eye-like skill effect. But for endgame where the weapon sharpness is usually very high to begin with it would be irrelevant. Especially with Switch Axe and Insect Glaive having Mind's Eye effect by default due to their weapon specific buffs (phial + essences). And the tackle attack (only) from Great Sword does not justify Dango Slugger.

Veteran's Tip

For Rampages Dango Specialist can be a good alternative to replace Dango Slugger/Dango Polisher, to have an easier time applying status conditions to fulfill certain sub-quests requirements. Maybe worth to make a menu set number 8...?

Situational Dango

In some cases it makes sense to prepare a Dango set "on the fly", depending on what is currently available and the hunt's target. Very recommendable is the Dango Insurance when facing a monster you are uncertain whether you will survive the encountern unscathed.

Another recommendation would be to boost up your elemental defenses according to a monster's strength, like having the extra Fire Resistance when fighting Teostra, an Elder Dragon of the Fire Element e.g.

Veteran's Tip

When in Multiplayer, every player has their own special daily Dango which differs from what the others have available. So you do not need to worry about overlapping non-stackable effects when picking up a certain special Dango which the whole party will benefit from.

Red Herring Dango

Some Dango have very limited and questional benefits you better skip. They taste fishy...

Dango Moneymaker
While the 20% Zenny bonus seems significant in solo hunts, it makes no sense to pick this up while hunting in multiplayer.

Dango Bulker
Gives ATK+15 for 30 seconds after 5 seconds posing.

Dango Booster
Gives ATK+10 and DEF+15 for 10 minutes once the hunt starts.
Effective usage time in average 5-7 minutes (unless it is a quest which uses the arena map).
Sunbreak Expansion Note: Hopping Skewers reduce usage time per level.

Dango Weakener
In theory, on paper, not that bad. But will not work with multiple targets.
Also I rather recommend to enhance your combat abilities instead of hoping that your target will be weaker than it would be normally. Good luck in looking for the legendary elusive 1HP monster!

Dango Summoner
The extra loot is not worth it, despite the chance for Orbs/Gems on maps where the creatures appear.

Dango Bird Caller
Whether you are >>this<< or <<this>> close to a Spiribird to get its effects should not really matter.

Dango Reviver
If you already take into account and count on it that you will go down before your teammates, you are clearly doing something wrong. Please coordinate with your fellow hunters if your Fortify gameplay is accepted by them.

Dango Connector - Sunbreak Expansion Flavour
DEF+15 at level 4 is too little to make a significant difference.

Dango Driver - Sunbreak Expansion Flavour
Pretty irrelevant when you are at the verge of carting and irrelevant when you are not.

Sunbreak Menu

With the Sunbreak expansion new flavours and a new feature await you.

Hopping Skewers can make new and existings sets more exciting by enhancing the effects of Dango skills. They also change the activation chances a little, but for that very reason we have a steady and sheer endless supply of Dango Tickets.

While it seems not much changed at first, there are now new possibilities which you can fit even better your personal playstyle. This guide will not be enough to show everything, but I will show you at least how it changed my existing menues and two interesting examples of new ways to enjoy Dango.

Enjoy your meal and Happy Hunting!

8. Elgado Slugger

As you can see, not much has changed from the previous signature menues of mine.

Instead of using Dango Fighter for the extra Stamina, I got fond of the new Dango Defender which can be a very reliable lifesafer! Best you test out what works more for you between the Standard Slugger and the Elgado Slugger.

The Hopping Skewers reduce the Slugger effect significantly, but so it also increases your defense. If you prefer a more offensive approach, put the Dango Slugger on top while keep the rest of the order as it is.

9. Elgado Bombardier + Guardian

Little changes also for what you know as Gunlance Fighter set and Safer Hunt set. I just like to give them a special mention here so you understand the pattern at hand, where the new Dango Defender plays a great role for survivalbility while the Hopping Skewers are great to adjust from hunt to hunt whether you want to play more defensive or more offensive.

Important Note

Please take note that for these two sets I do not recommend using Hopping Skewers at all, to maintain a great balance and ensuring that the desired skills of the bottom Dango are triggered properly.

Dango Insurance for example still works at Level 1 with Hopping Skewers - but it changes from a reliable safe into a "it may safe you, or maybe not" effect. Please read the descriptions carefully as the four different Dango levels can change the effects drastically.

10. Power Rangers' Choice

In stark contrast to the defensive sets before, these Power Rangers' Choice are a great example how you could utilise the Hopping Skewers to maximise your attack output.

Naturally the same principle would work with e.g. Dango Bombardier and Dango Hurler and Specialist.

11. Darkside's Sweets

Dango Defender (Hi) is a pure placeholder which should be exchanged with whatever weapon's best Dango choice is. What you see here is a set which I would not recommend, but still consider mentionworthy.

It is basically a short timed booster set, where you as hunter go straight for your target without caring about collecting Spiribirds more than what you would get on your way to the target anyroads.

Dango Bird Caller at level 4 does not only makes it easier to grab Spiribirds while you "fly by", but it also enhance the effects reliably. Pair that with Dango Booster and one more attack enhancing Dango like e.g. Dango Bombardier for Charge Blade, and you get a set almost perfect for quick hunts.

Consider this an encouragement to give the new Hopping Skewers a try with various combinations. You might be surprised about some new Sunbreak combo effects!

P.S.: Hopping Skewers reduce the usage time of Dango Booster significantly.

12. Elgado Usagi Special

Last but not least, a set which focus on the Swap Switch Skill feature while maintaining a high defense. While the set does not seem any special at all - take this hint: pair it with armour-set builds which give effects depending on afflictions and your Switch Skill status. There are more than you might expect, and some weapons benefit from than others - but when they do...

DANGO POWER!

Forgot to Eat? Got You covered!

In case you have forgotten to eat before a hunt: you still can make up for it by eating inside your camp's tent! You will not be able to get the daily Dango special, but it is still worth it for the extra Health and Stamina boosts nonetheless!

Afterword

I hope these set suggestions of mine do help you having an easier time when preparing for the next hunt. It certainly has some benefits just to pick a fitting set, rather than to scroll through all available Dango again and again before every hunt. I wish you a good time, and like always ~

Happy Hunting!