Palico has been a staple of the Monster Hunter franchise since its inception back in 2004. As the series has continued Palico’s roles have been expanded within Hunts, and their capabilities within Monster Hunter: Rise is no exception. But can you change your Palico’s support type?
No, after the character creation screen, you cannot change the Palico support type in Monster Hunter Rise. You can, however, recruit other Palicos. To hire more Palico you must go and talk to Buddy Handler Lori found in the Buddy Plaza of the Hub World.
There aren’t many tutorials in-game that describe all that you need to know about Palicos. So if you’d like to know more about Palicos, what support abilities they have, and what our recommendations for the best ones are then read on!
Related: Is Monster Hunter Rise As Good As World?
Can You Change Your Palico’s Support Type?
Unfortunately, in Monster Hunter: Rise, you cannot change your Palico’s Support type after you initially make it during the character creation screen. However, this does not mean that you are stuck using the same Palico throughout the entire game.
As you continue in the game you will be able to hire and equip new Palicos to help you in Hunts. Even though technically you cannot customize your Palico once you’ve created it, if you create a new one that is more inline with your specifications then you can use the new Palico instead of your old one.
This is particularly useful if you’re looking to maximize the potential of your build, and want every aspect, including your Palico, to synergize with it completely.
How to Hire a New Palico?
To hire a new Palico all you have to do is go to the Monster Hunter: Rise base game’s hub world, Kamura village. Navigate through the Buddy Plaza and find the NPC called Handler Lori. Talk to Lori and she will provide you with the option to Scout a Buddy.
By selecting the option to Scout a Buddy you will be able to customize your Palico and can customize them according to how you wish their skills should be. In this way, you can change your Palico and their associated Support Type.
The downside of course is that you will need to get a new Palico altogether. Those small fur-balls can be quite difficult to part from though.
Related: How To Repair Your Weapon In Monster Hunter: World
Important Facts About Palicos in Monster Hunter: Rise
Within Monster Hunter: Rise Palico has gone through a bit of a change. In Monster Hunter: World Palicos only had gadgets with them that they use in the field that can help their Hunters. This includes Vigorwasp heal, Flash traps, status buffs, and even cannon attacks these were quite limiting in terms of options for the Palico.
In games like Monster Hunter: Ultimate Generations the system is quite similar to how it is in Monster Hunter: Rise in which each Palico comes with certain skills which then can be then leveled up through playing, but there are also support moves that Palicos have. Monster Hunter: Rise, however, this system is divided into different support types and within these categories come certain skills.
According to their support type, each of these Support Palicoes receives a different set of moves. They are given a total of 5 moves, of which levels 1 and 20 depending on the type of support Palicos being used. The other three moves, which are unlocked at levels 5, 10, and 15, are randomized.
The 3 random moves your Support Palico will get, don’t depend on their type. These moves can be from any support type, even their own. The moves are already assigned when you come across a Palico. These moves cannot be changed. If you want to have different moves on your Palico, you’ll have to search for a new one.
Your Support Palico will receive 3 random moves that are unrelated to its type. Any support type, even their own, is capable of making these moves. When you encounter a Palico, the moves have already been assigned. These actions cannot be reversed. You’ll need to go for a new Palico if you wish to have different movements on it.
Types of Palico Support Types in Monster Hunter: Rise
Within Monster Hunter: Rise the different support types have been divided within 5 types.
- Healer – Concentrate on healing effects.
- Assist – Establishes traps to ensnare and harm enemies you are battling.
- Fight – Primarily focuses on combat.
- Bombardier – Prepares and detonates explosives.
- Gathering – Helps with collectibles and items needed for potions.
Before moving on to the different moves the Palicos can use let us first provide some recommendations for players from varying skill levels.
Beginner
We recommend to players who have just started Monster Hunter: Rise or are new to the franchise use the healer support Palico. Having a partner to aid with health management can go a long way when becoming acquainted with the game’s controls.
But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t keep healing items with you during hunts, the Palico only serves as a support for you to utilize and only serve to get you out of a tight spot, You should never rely on them as your main source of healing when hunting instead, you should prioritize avoiding damage as much as you can.
Experienced
For those players with a little more experience, the Assist Support Type may be the best option. This specialization is highly powerful as it allows a Palico to set traps and grants players with certain beneficial buffs like providing damage buffs along with stamina loss reductions making this quite ideal for players who use stamina-heavy weapons like the Bow.
As well as use weapons with shields attached to them like “Sword and Shield” or “Charge Blade” that require stamina to block certain attacks. This skill makes it so that you don’t lose your stamina gauge quickly within hunts and allows you to have a full stamina bar for a longer period.
Related: How To Capture Monsters In Monster Hunter: World
List of Unique Palico Skills and Abilities
Every Palico you enlist comes with a unique set of moves and skills. The Palico Moves in Monster Hunter: Rise is listed below:
| Ability Name | Effect |
|---|---|
| Rousing Roar | This move empowers you and fellow hunters by unleashing a terrifying roar. |
| Whirlwind Assault | Spins around using their weapon to create a whirlwind, then slams into monsters. |
| Power Drum | Plays a drum that increases attack and protection for both hunters and Buddies. |
| Fleet-foot Feat | Attracts the attention of a monster, evades their attack, and then mounts a counterattack. |
| Furr-ious | Your Palico develops a furr-ious personality. In this condition, their assault power dramatically increases |
| Herbacious Healing | Adds restorative abilities that heal nearby allies for a certain amount of time. |
| Mega Boomerang | Throws a powerful boomerang at enemy dependent on the weapon attack type. |
| Vase of Vitality | Places a vase that heals several status afflictions. To feel its effects, stand in the smoke. |
| Shock Purr-ison | Utilizes a shock trap that restricts huge monsters from moving. |
| Health Horn | Utilizes a shock trap that restricts huge monsters from moving. |
| Felyne Wyvernblast | Palico-sized Wyvern blast shells are fired at monsters, causing explosions when they strike. |
| Camouflage | Temporarily conceals your Palico avoids being seen by monsters, protecting them from attack. |
| Shock Tripper | Inflicts Thunderblight on monsters inside a persistent electric field. |
| Giga Barrel Bombay | Charges at the monster with a Giga Barrel Bomb |
| Felyne Silkbind | Uses a Palico-sized ballista to fire movement-inhibiting Ironsilk at huge creatures. |
| Go, Fight, Win | While your Palico is dancing, it slows down the stamina loss experienced by hunters. |
| Poison Purr-ison | Lays a trap that immobilises huge monsters and poisons them. |
| Endemic Life Barrage | Launches endemic life from a ballista at monsters. Results differ depending on the launched creatures. |
Recommended Skills
In this section, we’ll be recommending certain Palico Skills based on their levels.
Best Palico Skills – Level 1
- Herbaceous Healing.
- Felyne Silkbind.
The greatest choices for your first skills are Herbaceous Healing and Felyne Silkbind, and you can only gain those on Healer and Assist Palicos, respectively. Although Herbaceous Healing doesn’t offer much to restore your health, it allows you more time to continue battling your target enemy.
However, for more seasoned hunters, Silkbind is the greatest option because your Palico fires a web of threads that slows down enemies and makes movement difficult.
Best Palico Skills -Level 5
- Healing Bubble
- Zap Blast Spinner
- Go, Fight, Win
If at all possible, always choose Healing Bubble. The Palico produces multiple bubbles, making it a reliable way to replenish a lot of your health and assist other party members.
The mobile bombs used by Zap Blast Spinner can cause monsters to flinch and even aid in breaking components, making it a powerful support talent.
Go, Fight, and Win decreases stamina consumption, a seemingly simple buff, but one that is crucial in the majority of significant monster battles. It’s a useful addition to several armor sets from the middle and end of the game.
Best Palico Skills – Level 10
- Power Drum
- Vase of Vitality
Although Power Drum is among the level 10 skills that is slightly less impressive it is still a good pick especially considering its effects, this skill increases attack damage of hunters along with defense.
Vase of Vitality is ranked rather low by some players, yet some monsters can affect your status in almost every High-Rank hunt. You can avoid making potions that take up additional inventory space by using the Vase’s healing abilities, which are always useful.
Best Palico Skills – Level 15
- Shock Purr-ison
- Shock Tripper
- Flash Bombay
A top-tier skill called Shock Purr-ison allows your Palico to set up a shock trap, which is useful for capture missions and standard slaughter tasks. Shock Tripper produces an electromagnetic field that causes Thunderblight, whereas Flash Bombay is essentially a free Flash Bomb.
Best Palico Skills – Level 20
- Poison Purr-ison
- Health Horn
Additionally, the level 20 skills are fixed, so what you receive is dependent on the support class you select. The best choices are Healer and Assist, just like with the level 1 skill. The Assist skill Poison Purr-ison is a poison variation of Shock Purr-ison, and Health Horn significantly restores both your and your Buddy’s health.
Related: How to Get Armor Spheres in Monster Hunter: World
Ultimately, it’s impossible to change the Support Type of the Palico that you started the game with. However, you can hire new Palicos later and equip them with the Support Skills that you wish to maximize your build.
We hope our guide gave you all the requisite knowledge that you wanted to help you conquer the fierce beasts in the Monster Hunter: Rise. Till next time! Ciao.