Melding & Decorations Farming — Monster Hunter: World Guide

Melding & Decorations Farming

Welcome, seasoned hunters! As you delve deeper into the treacherous wilds of Monster Hunter: World, you'll quickly realize that optimizing your gear goes beyond simply crafting the best weapons and armor. Decorations, those tiny but mighty jewels, are the key to unlocking your true potential. This section will guide you through the intricate world of melding and efficient decoration farming, turning your hunter into an unstoppable force.

The Elder Melder: Your Decoration Hub

The Elder Melder, located in Astera (and Seliana in Iceborne), is your primary resource for acquiring specific decorations and transforming unwanted ones into something more useful. She offers several melding options, each with its own strategic advantages.

Melding Options Explained:

• First Wyverian Ritual: This is your bread-and-butter melding option. You sacrifice a set number of decorations (usually lower rarity) to receive a random decoration of a higher rarity. This is excellent for clearing out your inventory of common jewels you'll never use.
• Second Wyverian Ritual: Available later in the game, this ritual allows you to meld specific types of decorations, often requiring rarer materials like Research Points and high-rarity decorations as fuel. Use this when you're hunting for a particular skill.
• Third Wyverian Ritual (Iceborne): Introduced with the Iceborne expansion, this ritual is a game-changer. It allows you to meld decorations directly from a list, though the required materials are substantial, often involving rare monster parts and a significant amount of Research Points. This is your go-to for targeting those elusive Rarity 11 and 12 decorations.
• Awakening Alchemy (Iceborne): This unique melding option is tied to Safi'jiiva weapons. You can sacrifice Safi'jiiva materials and other decorations to generate Awakened Abilities for your Safi'jiiva weapons, further customizing their performance.

Maximizing Your Melding Efficiency:

To make the most of the Elder Melder, consider these strategies:

• Hoard Low-Rarity Decorations: Don't sell off your common decorations! They are invaluable fuel for the First Wyverian Ritual. Even a stack of Attack Jewels 1 can be turned into something better.
• Prioritize Research Points: Many melding options, especially the more advanced ones, consume a significant amount of Research Points. Actively gather environmental items, complete bounties, and investigate tracks to keep your Research Point reserves healthy.
• Target Specific Decorations: Once you have a clear build in mind, use the Second and Third Wyverian Rituals to target the specific decorations you need. Check the required materials beforehand so you can focus your hunting efforts.
• Event Quests for Fuel: Keep an eye out for event quests that reward large quantities of decorations or materials that can be used as melding fuel.

Decoration Farming: Where the Jewels Drop

While melding is crucial, the primary source of decorations will always be hunting monsters. Certain activities and monster types are more lucrative than others for decoration drops.

Best Quests for Decorations:

• Tempered Investigations: Hands down, the most efficient way to farm decorations. Tempered monsters drop Feystones (Worn, Warped, Gleaming, and Carved), which appraise into decorations. Higher threat level tempered monsters (Threat Level 2 and 3) have a significantly higher chance of dropping rarer Feystones and thus rarer decorations.
  • Threat Level 1: Tempered Great Jagras, Pukei-Pukei, Tobi-Kadachi, Kulu-Ya-Ku, Barroth, Jyuratodus, Anjanath, Rathian, Paolumu, Radobaan.
  • Threat Level 2: Tempered Legiana, Odogaron, Rathalos, Diablos, Bazelgeuse, Uragaan, Lavasioth, Azure Rathalos, Black Diablos, Pink Rathian.
  • Threat Level 3: Tempered Elder Dragons (Nergigante, Teostra, Kushala Daora, Vaal Hazak, Kirin, Lunastra, Xeno'jiiva, Velkhana, Shara Ishvalda, Ruiner Nergigante) and Deviants (Rajang, Stygian Zinogre, Furious Rajang, Raging Brachydios, Alatreon, Fatalis). These are your prime targets for the rarest decorations.
• Event Quests: Capcom frequently releases event quests specifically designed for decoration farming. These often feature multiple tempered monsters or offer guaranteed rare Feystone drops. Always check the event quest schedule! Notable examples include:
  • "The Name's Lavasioth!": Features a Tempered Lavasioth that drops a high number of decorations, often including rare ones.
  • "The Greatest Jagras": A massive Tempered Great Jagras that spews out a ridiculous amount of decorations upon defeat.
  • "A Farewell to Zinogre": An Iceborne event quest featuring a Tempered Zinogre, excellent for farming Carved Feystones.
• Guiding Lands (Iceborne): The Guiding Lands offer a continuous hunting ground where monsters can be lured and fought. Tempered monsters appear frequently, and breaking parts and carving them can yield Feystones. Leveling up regions increases the likelihood of encountering higher threat level tempered monsters.

Optimizing Your Decoration Hunts:

• Investigation Management: Always prioritize investigations with higher rewards (gold and silver boxes) as these indicate a higher chance of rare Feystone drops. Don't be afraid to delete investigations with poor rewards to make room for better ones.
• Part Breaking: Focus on breaking monster parts. Many monsters have a chance to drop additional Feystones from broken parts, especially their heads and tails.
• Geologist Skill: For quests like "The Greatest Jagras" and "The Name's Lavasioth!", equipping the Geologist skill (level 3) allows you to pick up dropped items an additional time, effectively doubling your decoration yield from those specific monster drops.
• Lucky Cat Felyne Skill: Eating for the Felyne skill "Lucky Cat" can increase your quest rewards, potentially leading to more Feystones.
• Gathering Hub (Iceborne): In Iceborne, consider doing decoration farming quests in the Gathering Hub. The increased number of You can make hunts faster and more efficient, allowing you to cycle through more investigations.

By combining strategic melding with efficient decoration farming, you'll soon find yourself with a robust collection of jewels, ready to fine-tune your builds and conquer even the most formidable challenges the New World has to offer!