Monster Hunter Rise’s Rampage mode is one of the game’s flagship features, and it’s a vastly different experience from the usual hunt. Rampage quests are like a tower defense mode where you defend your base from hordes of invading monsters. Successfully defending the base is only half the battle, though. To get S rank and the best rewards, you’ll have to clear sub-assignments and repel each horde as efficiently as possible. Our Monster Hunter Rise Rampage tips guide will help you do just that.
Rampage Basics
Before getting to the bulk of our Monster Hunter Rise Rampage tips, here’s a rundown of how Rise‘s tower defense mode works. After your first Rampage during the 3-Star quest chain, you’re free to choose Rampage missions from the Village Quest Hub. Replaying Rampage quests gives you a chance at collecting monster materials en masse, so it’s a convenient and efficient way to gather monster parts without enduring an entire fight.
Tackling early Rampage quests solo is absolutely viable. However, it does become much more difficult when you start having to defend multiple locations. It’s still doable with the right installation setup. Online multiplayer for Rampage quests is a good idea if you’re aiming for S rank every time, though, since it’s almost impossible to complete all the Rampage quest sub-assignments on your own.
Monster Hunter Rise Rampage Tips
As always before a hunt, check out what you’re going up against and prepare your loadout accordingly. Each Rampage quest tells you what you’ll face when you accept it. The Apex monster is the one you want to prepare for the most, though. The others are essentially just fodder.
Installation Tips: Handling Monster Hunter Rise’s Rampage Weapons
Success boils down to how well you manage your installations. If you’re playing solo, give yourself one manual installation that covers each main area — the front line, for example, and definitely one that covers the main gate area. Otherwise, set up automatic installations so villager NPCs can play their part and remove the burden from you.
Cannons are great in theory. Their slow rate of fire and limited range makes them less useful than ballistae, however, unless you need them to finish a sub-assignment. The ballistae let you aim at monster heads for more points, and using the Crag attack can stun them.
You’ll access Dragonators starting at Stronghold level three and beyond. These are automatic weapons that periodically release strong fire blasts if an enemy enters their line of sight. They do have a higher cooldown rate, but you can activate nearby kilns to reduce that. These should cover essential access points, such as paths around your initial defenses and open areas where monsters could target main gates.
Save your Warriors of Kamura for bigger hordes or for when the Apex monster appears. These warriors only attack once, so you need to make it count.
Periodically swapping installations is also a good idea. It restores their health, so there’s no destruction cooldown time, and it makes adapting to threats easier. Whatever your setup, using installations is better than fighting individually. One-on-one fights take longer and wear you down faster, except when the Counter Gong sounds.
Rampage Combat and Targeting Tips
This is probably one of the most important Monster Hunter Rise Rampage tips. The game tells you to target blue monsters first, since they aim for the gates. Don’t. Green monsters target your installations, typically the ones you’re using. Their attacks make sustained assault on any enemy nearly impossible. Take green monsters out first. Red monsters can be dealt with when you have a spare moment.
Once the Counter Signal gong sounds, ditch the installations and head into battle yourself. Counter Signal increases your attack power dramatically and makes single combat more effective than installations.
Finally, a note on Buddies in Rampage quests: Some recommend using Palicoes instead of Palamutes, since they have a wider range of assist functions. I’ve had good luck with Palamutes though. Their extra damage combined with NPC installations makes it easier to take down more monsters. Experiment to see what works best for you, and just make sure to keep up with your Buddy’s equipped skills.
Rampage Sub-Assignments
The next set of Monster Hunter Rise Rampage tips is what will get you to S rank every time. Rise gives you random sub-assignments for each Rampage quest. Defeating all monsters and preserving the main gate are your primary objectives. Yet completing them will only get you B or A rank at best. You’ll need to tackle sub-assignments to get the highest S rank in Rampage quests.
These range from just surviving to inflicting specific ailments on monsters or even engaging them directly. Here’s every Rampage sub-assignment we’ve encountered so far and what they want you to do. Note the sub-assignments for specific installations require you to be using them instead of an NPC doing the work:
- Defend the final gate — Self-explanatory. Don’t let the gate fall!
- Faint less than three times — Also self-explanatory. Mind your health.
- Slay the Apex Monster — It’s in the name.
- Repel using weapons — Send at least one monster packing through direct combat.
- Repel using ballista — Slay at least one monster with a ballista.
- Repel using cannon — Slay at least one monster with a cannon.
- Repel using Wyvernfire Artillery — Set up a Wyvernfire unit once they’re available, and let it dispatch a monster.
- Gather materials — Pick up what monsters drop.
- Repel using Bamboo Bomb — Set up a Bamboo Bomb and let it destroy a monster.
- Stun a monster — The ballista’s Crag Shot (“X”) is the only way to do this.
- Inflict Elemental Blight — Inflict blight status using elemental bombs or Palico skills.
Monster Hunter Rise Rampage Skills and Weapons
Handling Rampages becomes easier over time. Repelling monsters earns you Defender Tickets. You can exchange these at Kamura’s smithy to unlock Ramp-Up Skills. These skills can increase your chosen weapon’s attack, affinity (chance of landing a critical hit), and defensive capabilities. Like with regular weapon forging, you can reset your Rampage Skills and start over if you want.
Rampage Materials dropped by invading monsters let you forge Rampage Weapons. The key difference between these and normal weapons is Rampage Weapons have more Rampage slots. Instead of choosing between attack or affinity, you can enhance both and significantly increase your weapon’s damage output.
That’s it for our Monster Hunter Rise Rampage tips guide. Be sure to check out our other Monster Hunter Rise guides, including how it’s different from World and which weapons are best suited for beginners.
