Welcome, Riders! Whether you’re just starting or deep into the journey, Monster Hunter Stories 2 offers many mechanics that can be easy to miss. These quality-of-life features, optimizations, and small secrets will help you save time, improve efficiency, and get the most out of your Monstie-raising experience. Let’s dive into 10 practical tips to make your journey smoother and smarter.
1. Skip Cutscenes (Yes, Even the Short Ones)
While most major cutscenes give you a clear prompt to skip, egg hatching and Rite of Channeling animations do not. However, you can still skip them by holding down the + button during the sequence. This is especially helpful if you’re hatching multiple eggs or channeling dozens of genes.
2. Register and Swap Equipment Sets
Like in other Monster Hunter titles, you can save equipment sets for quick swapping. Open the menu, go to Equipment, and press – (minus) to access the Set list. With 12 loadout slots, you can prepare for different element types, regions, or specific monsters (e.g., anti-Thunder or PvP-focused gear).
3. Kinship Gauge Starting Level – It’s About Experience, Not Level
Contrary to popular belief, a Monstie’s starting Kinship Gauge is not based on its level, but on how many battles it has participated in while in your party. The more battles it sees, the higher the gauge it starts with. Over time, the required battle count increases, but consistent party presence gradually boosts the starting charge.
4. Use Felyne Burrows for Mid-Zone Support
Felyne Burrows, marked with paw print icons on the map, act as mini base camps in dungeon-like areas without Catavan stands. Each includes:
- A Catavaner to save and time-skip
- A Support Felyne that fully heals your team and restores lost hearts
- A free chest with random items (unmarked on the map)
Don’t overlook these—they’re clutch in longer exploration sessions.
5. Combine Prayer & Charm Buffs
The Prayer Pot allows you to activate both a Prayer and a Charm simultaneously—and their effects do stack. When both are active, you’ll see smoke from both ears of the pot.
Important:
- Charms are on a real-time timer.
- Prayers wear off as soon as you enter any village or town—even for a few seconds. Make it a habit to reapply Prayer buffs immediately after entering a town.
6. Discard Eggs from the Egg Carton
If your egg carton is full, you won’t be able to pick up a new egg in a den. But don’t panic—you can press Y in the egg selection screen to discard unwanted eggs on the spot.
So if you find something rare in the middle of a run, no need to abandon the den. Just toss a duplicate or low-tier Monstie egg and keep going.
7. Optimize Expeditions for Daily Use
Even if you’re not specifically farming materials, choose expedition zones that offer side benefits. For example:
- Kelbi Horns and Girthy Garlic can be gathered passively for crafting high-end recovery items like Ancient Potions or Vital Essence.
Set it and forget it—you’ll come back to useful ingredients without any extra effort.
8. Use Multiplayer Quests for Monster Access
Multiplayer (Local or Online) isn’t just for co-op fun—it’s also a great way to:
- Access monsters that are harder to find in the overworld
- Get crafting materials
- Find rare monster eggs tied to specific co-op quests
Use this to target certain Monsties without relying on RNG from exploration.
9. Quest Info Is Your Friend
Quests often include useful indicators:
- Icons for day/night requirements
- Ability to mark objectives (press Y)
- Option to auto-select the closest Catavan stand (press X) for fast travel
Combining these features makes it simple to jump directly into your objectives with minimal wandering.
10. Learn From the Community
Finally, the community around Stories 2 is full of shared knowledge. Drop your own tips in forums, comments, or videos, and keep learning from others. Whether it’s an optimized gene grid or a niche monster pairing, there’s always more to discover.
Final Thoughts
With these tips in hand, your time in Monster Hunter Stories 2 will be more efficient, strategic, and fun. From hidden UI features to expedition management and advanced buff stacking, it’s all about working smarter—not harder.
Happy riding, and may your next hatch be legendary!
My Gaming Tutorials 
Leave a comment