Welcome back, Riders! If you’re venturing through the vibrant and dynamic world of Monster Hunter Stories 2, there are several game mechanics and nuances that can quietly shape your experience. This guide offers five essential insights that aren’t always apparent from the outset, yet they can dramatically influence your efficiency, your party development, and your mastery of the game’s systems. Whether you’re just starting out or well on your way through the story, these tips will help you play smarter and get the most out of every encounter.

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1. Instantly Spot Which Monsters Can Be Hatched

When you start encountering a wide variety of monsters, it’s easy to get excited and wonder: Can I add this to my team?Not every monster in the wild can be hatched, and rather than wasting time chasing false leads, there’s an easy way to know for sure. Open your Rider’s Notes and flip between two key sections: the Monsterpedia and the Monstiepedia.

The Monsterpedia contains all the monsters you’ve encountered. Look closely—any monster that can be hatched will have a small blue egg icon next to it. If that icon’s missing, the monster can’t be turned into a Monstie, simple as that. This little tip can save you a ton of time and streamline your scouting efforts when planning out future team compositions.

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2. How to Make Monsters Retreat (and Why It Matters)

Capturing monsters doesn’t work the traditional way in this game. Instead, you’ll want to force them to retreat to a den, where you can nab their egg. One of the most common methods to encourage a retreat is by using a paintball, which temporarily boosts the monster’s retreat chance for three turns. Use it when the monster is low on health so you can end the battle within that window.

However, this method isn’t foolproof. To increase your odds of forcing a retreat, dig into your Monsterpedia. On the second tab of each entry, you’ll find specific conditions to improve retreat chances. This could mean breaking a specific part (like the head or tail) with a matching weapon type, or even defeating the monster with a certain Monstie. These details are easy to overlook, but they make a huge difference, especially when farming rarer creatures or hunting for duplicates with better genes.

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3. Double Attacks: What You’re Missing

Double attacks are powerful—they block enemy actions, build kinship, and deal solid damage. You probably know the basics: if you and your Monstie use the same attack type (Power, Speed, Technical) and are both targeted, you’ll likely trigger a double attack. But it’s not as straightforward as matching types.

To guarantee a double attack, you need to check a few boxes:

• Are either you or your Monstie being targeted? No target means no double attack.
• Are you and your Monstie targeting the same enemy and the same part of that enemy? If one goes for the tail and the other for the head, the double attack won’t trigger.
• Are you winning the head-to-head? Mismatching attack types (e.g., Speed vs Power when Power wins) will prevent a double.

For example, if the enemy is targeting your Monstie, your job is to make sure your attack type matches your Monstie’s, and you’re both hitting the same part. If you’re the target, adjust your Monstie’s move accordingly. Done correctly, this sets up reliable double attacks, and with the right conditions, you can even chain them across turns. That’s a game-changer.

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4. Egg Quality: Understand What That Smell Really Means

Eggs are more than just a path to new Monsties—they’re your best shot at building a genetically superior team. The game gives you clues, but some are misleading if you only rely on the in-game tutorial.

Navirou’s commentary is the best indicator of egg quality. Contrary to what the tutorial suggests, a stinky egg is a goodegg. That’s right—phrases like “This reeks!” or “Pungent!” signal that you’ve picked up an egg with better genetic potential. Additionally, a heavier egg is more likely to carry rare genes or rainbow slots.

So next time you’re digging through a den, pay attention to:

• Weight (heavier is better)
• Smell (stronger is better)

It may feel counterintuitive, but in this case, worse-smelling = better stats.

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5. Don’t Sleep on the Prayer Pot

Lastly, let’s talk about a feature that often goes ignored: the Prayer Pot. This little shrine isn’t just a flavor piece—it’s a critical system that can tilt the odds in your favor.

When you pray, you can also offer charms. These charms provide buffs (like higher drop rates, kinship gains, etc.), but more importantly, using charms regularly levels up the Prayer Pot itself. It can go up to level 20, and each level boosts the effectiveness of all charms.

If you’ve been ignoring this mechanic, now’s the time to fix that. Dump in excess charms—even in bulk if needed—to raise the level. I recommend doing this in batches to watch the upgrades unlock in real time. A high-level Prayer Pot becomes especially valuable late-game, where the charm effects start making a real difference in tough fights and rare hunts.

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Final Thoughts

These five tips are just the beginning of mastering Monster Hunter Stories 2, but they each give you a meaningful edge. From optimizing your egg hunts and monster retreats to getting the most out of your battle system and support tools, each one adds strategic depth to your gameplay. Keep these in mind as you progress, and don’t forget—there’s plenty more guide content on the way. Stay sharp, ride strong, and happy hunting!