Understanding Skills and Decorations — Monster Hunter: World Walkthrough

In Monster Hunter: World, your hunter's effectiveness is determined not just by their weapon and armor, but by the intricate system of skills and decorations. Skills provide passive bonuses that can drastically alter your combat capabilities, from increasing your attack power to improving your defensive stats or granting unique utility. Decorations are special items that slot into your armor and weapons, allowing you to customize your skill build. Mastering this system is paramount for tackling the game's most challenging monsters.

Skills are primarily gained through your equipped armor pieces and weapons. Each armor piece, and sometimes weapons, will have a set of skills associated with it, often with multiple levels. For example, the Attack Boost skill can be leveled up to increase your raw attack power. Some skills are straightforward, while others have more complex effects. It's essential to understand what each skill does and how it synergizes with your playstyle.

How Skills Work:

Skill Points: Each armor piece and weapon contributes points towards various skills. When the total points for a specific skill reach certain thresholds (e.g., 10 points, 20 points), the skill activates or levels up.
Skill Tiers: Skills are often categorized into tiers, with higher tiers offering more potent effects. For instance, Attack Boost Level 1 might give a small attack increase, while Level 4 provides a more significant boost and a critical hit rate bonus.
Negative Skills: Be aware that some armor pieces or weapons might also come with negative skills, which can hinder your performance. These can sometimes be offset by other skills or decorations.

Decorations: The Key to Customization

Decorations are consumable items that can be slotted into your armor and weapons to add or enhance skills. They are obtained through various means, including completing quests, defeating monsters, and especially through the Melding system at the Smithy. Decorations come in different sizes, corresponding to the number of slots available on your gear.

Slot Sizes:

Level 1 Slots: Can fit decorations that provide a small amount of skill points or a single level of a specific skill.
Level 2 Slots: Can fit decorations that provide more skill points or multiple levels of a skill.
Level 3 Slots: Can fit the most powerful decorations, often providing significant skill point boosts or multiple skill levels.

Types of Decorations:

Decorations are typically named after the skill they provide, often with a number indicating their strength or the number of skill points they grant. For example, an Attack Jewel 1 might give +1 Attack, while an Attack Jewel 4 could give +4 Attack. Some decorations are more specialized, offering a combination of skills or unique effects.

Building Your Skill Set:

The art of building a strong character in Monster Hunter: World lies in understanding how to combine armor, weapons, and decorations to achieve your desired skill set. This is often referred to as creating a "build."

Identify Your Goal: What do you want to achieve? More damage? Better defense? Faster healing?
Choose Core Armor/Weapon: Select gear that provides the foundational skills for your goal.
Slot Decorations: Use your available decorations to fill in the gaps, maximize skill levels, and offset any negative skills.
Experiment: Don't be afraid to try different combinations. The Hunter's Notes can be invaluable for checking skill effects.

Where to Get Decorations:

Decorations are a vital part of endgame progression. You'll primarily acquire them from:

Quest Rewards: Many optional and event quests offer decorations as rewards.
Monster Carves and Captures: Some monsters have a chance to drop decorations.
Tempered Investigations: These high-difficulty investigations are the best source for rare and powerful decorations.
The Melding Pot: You can trade in excess materials and decorations to meld new ones.

Understanding skills and decorations is a continuous learning process. As you acquire new gear and decorations, revisit your builds to optimize your hunter's performance against increasingly formidable monsters.