Being a good hunter in Monster Hunter World can come with its own set of perks. The game features progression via upgrading. However, this mechanic can feel confusing and is hard to use in certain scenarios. This usually happens due to a lack of in-depth game knowledge.
Your goal is to hunt down, kill, or trap certain monsters that roam in the environmental spaces. The game lets you make equipment and weapons in order to fight stronger monsters.
Monster Hunter World also features an elemental system that can be used to inflict bonus secondary damage. Just like anything else, the elemental damage can also be upgraded. However, if it’s greyed out then you are probably trying to access a hidden element without learning the Free Elem/Ammo Up skill.
As you might have guessed, the Free Elem/Ammo Up effect is upgradeable. Upon reaching maximum level, the skill draws out the entirety of the hidden element.
What is the Free Elem/Ammo Up Effect?
The Free Elem / Ammo Up effect is a skill in Monster Hunter World that can affect weapons and bows that have a hidden element. The official description of the skill is as follows:
“Unlocks your weapon’s hidden element. Also increases bowgun loading capacity. (There is a cap to loading capacity.)”
A hidden element is greyed out from the start and follows a different visual syntax than a normal one. For instance, “Explosion 180” will have a hidden element upgrade being displayed as a greyed out “Explosion (240)”. This will change as soon as the Free Elem/Ammo Up is equipped.
Each upgrade to the Free Elem/Ammo Up skill will entail the following results:
Level 1: Draws out 33% of hidden element and expands magazine size for some ammo
Level 2: Draws out 66% of hidden element and expands magazine size for more ammo
Level 3: Draws out 100% of hidden element and expands magazine size for most ammo
Decorations are your best bet when it comes to increasing the skill’s level. Alternatively, Namielle Divinity grants the complete skill free of cost.
Related: Best Ways to Farm Kjarr Weapons in Monster Hunter: World
Are Hidden Element Weapons Worth It?
In most cases, weapons with hidden elements are considered the best to use in-game. The reason is the secondary boost you get on top of the high base attack damage of the said weapon. However, you will need to go hit level 3 in order to unlock the full potential of these weapons.
There are tons of weapons and armor that possess an innate hidden element. Therefore, having the hidden element stat to your already owned weapons is a moment of rejoicing. With that said, it is not that hard to stumble upon a hidden element weapon as long as you can identify it.
All in all, you should put more of your focus on finding such weapons. There are many pieces of equipment in Monster Hunter World that can buff the Free Elem/Ammo Up effect. Therefore, try to optimize your build in order to get the most value.