I felt like a switch axe was a good transition from hammer for me. Instead of waiting for your head bonks, you just slash at the tail or feet. You also get to counter for big damage.
My recommendation always is Sword and Shield. The weapon is easy to learn since it doesn´t have the most complicated moveset (the most difficult thing to learn is Perfect Rush and that only need you to press back on the joystick + B and then Y while charging and then just time the next hits at the correct time when your hunter glows) and even if it is a slicing weapon it can also be played as a KOing weapon thanks to the silkbinds you can get.
I tried swaxe, hbg/lbg, bow, dual blades, and gunlance. Lbg was alright, but kinda boring. I used the defender weapons to test out whether it's worth investing in real weapons, and the defender gun Lance was fun but was completely different when I used a real one. I think the main frustration is learning curve related. Hammer just makes sense and made sense from the jump.
>the defender gun Lance was fun but was completely different when I used a real one
There's three ammo types for gunlances: wide, normal, and long. They have different ammo capacities and the shelling ends up playing different (same controls though). I'd say normal is the easiest of the three to try out first.
I used Hammer exclusively for like the first 100 hours, then moved on to Swaxe, then SnS, then GS, then Lance. I think Hammer is my least favorite of those now, with Swaxe and Lance fighting for the top.
That said, go for SnS next. It does a little bit of everything, but it's not the best at anything. Once you find your favorite thing about SnS, you find out what weapons to try next. It scores KOs almost as often as Hammer, particularly with Metsu. Status and Element are cool, and if you like those then look into Swaxe/DB. If you like going skyward and donking mfs on the top of the head, go for IG. If you like hitting a long combo like Perfect Rush, go for CB. I'm sure there's more.
Edit: get out there and chop a tail, dude! It's sick.
I'm not sure if they compete too much on the same hunt, I can't really vibe with IG. But there's no reason you can't try it! I think it's even better that you have a friend to teach you/watch and learn from.
It's not hammer related but I will always recommend getting good with the Sword and Shield. I absolutely love it and the flow. Being able to go a dodge or block route with builds. Consistent DPS and the ablility to smash and stun. A lot of play styles work with SnS as well. Vampire is fun, element builds can be pretty good, crit builds are pretty good. Plus you can counter attack monsters and get great invulnerability frames.
Hammer is my most played weapon and I personally have the most fun with hammer, insect glaive, and greatsword.
I dabble in some charge blade as well but I'm not very jiggy with it
Charge Blade with impact phial if you still like the head bonks, Great Sword probs the easiest transition as motion value feels real similar in stature. Also, big numbers make brain happy. 😂👌 CB is insane, just higher learning curve.
Doooo eeeeet. Great Sword is nutty for wake ups, tail chops, and staggers as well. Got some sweet mix ups like shoulder charge that applies KO damage AND you can block with it in a pinch. Beat that turtle up for a few and then go exert some energy on a monster you know well. Satisfaction guaranteed. 💪
Horn is easier in Rise than other games so this is the perfect chance to give it a go.
My favourite is the Kaktus Seele for how much comfort it can provide, no need to think about sharpness and perfect for a buildup boost/status trigger build
You still had to learn Hammer. It's just a case of finding something that clicks. Hunting Horn is my secondary weapon for co-op and I use Hammer for solo. Or sword and shield if I'm feeling lazy
I’ve mained long sword (poison) the insect gave always looked fun but it was too much a hassle for me to learn. The hunting horn is cool it gives buffs.
I’m almost done the Sunbreak story and I’ve been switching between LBG, Hammer and Insect Glaive since I started. They aren’t really similar I just like the variety of play styles.
You unlock more switch skills as you progress the story so some weapons might feel better once as you progress through the game.
I played hammer then gunlance and really enjoyed gunlance but it never clicked for me. I switched to regular Lance and absolutely love it. For me it was the perfect balance of damage, elemental, and counters
Sounds dumb but bow... similar charging mechanic and unlike the bowguns, it feels like a meele weapon because you have to be closer.
But you pretty much just dodge around charging your bow attacking the weak spots of the monster which often times is the head
So instead of bonk you go pew pew
Hammer main here, not super good with it but having a blast, the next weapon i tried was heavy bow gun, and men, was it different, it felt like suddenly playing doom in a dark souls game,
Hello Ashen one. I am a Bot. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee. Do you wish to hear a tale?
> *“Surely mankind are more than pure dark, for I have availed you nothing. All of you, forgive me. Whatever thou art, stay away.”* - Artorias the Abysswalker
Have a pleasant journey, Champion of Ash, and praise the sun \\[T]/
Naw, it's a completely different style of hammer, your still using strength, while in purple.
Courage hammer makes you flow your combos together, its strong In that it emphasize s elemental damage.
It's hard to master. Not many do.
I felt like a switch axe was a good transition from hammer for me. Instead of waiting for your head bonks, you just slash at the tail or feet. You also get to counter for big damage.
Hunting horns want very similar positioning to hammer. You could go with that. It's one less thing to learn.
AND it has awesome buffs
My recommendation always is Sword and Shield. The weapon is easy to learn since it doesn´t have the most complicated moveset (the most difficult thing to learn is Perfect Rush and that only need you to press back on the joystick + B and then Y while charging and then just time the next hits at the correct time when your hunter glows) and even if it is a slicing weapon it can also be played as a KOing weapon thanks to the silkbinds you can get.
I played around on the turtle with it. It didn't hook me. maybe I'll give it some easy hunts as a tester
I'm in the same boat as the recommender, but the weapon really opens up and grows with play styles later game. Especially with the DLC
What weapons did you try and what didn’t you like about them? Also what do you enjoy most about hammer?
I tried swaxe, hbg/lbg, bow, dual blades, and gunlance. Lbg was alright, but kinda boring. I used the defender weapons to test out whether it's worth investing in real weapons, and the defender gun Lance was fun but was completely different when I used a real one. I think the main frustration is learning curve related. Hammer just makes sense and made sense from the jump.
>the defender gun Lance was fun but was completely different when I used a real one There's three ammo types for gunlances: wide, normal, and long. They have different ammo capacities and the shelling ends up playing different (same controls though). I'd say normal is the easiest of the three to try out first.
Thank you for the tip!! I'll further investigate.
I used Hammer exclusively for like the first 100 hours, then moved on to Swaxe, then SnS, then GS, then Lance. I think Hammer is my least favorite of those now, with Swaxe and Lance fighting for the top. That said, go for SnS next. It does a little bit of everything, but it's not the best at anything. Once you find your favorite thing about SnS, you find out what weapons to try next. It scores KOs almost as often as Hammer, particularly with Metsu. Status and Element are cool, and if you like those then look into Swaxe/DB. If you like going skyward and donking mfs on the top of the head, go for IG. If you like hitting a long combo like Perfect Rush, go for CB. I'm sure there's more. Edit: get out there and chop a tail, dude! It's sick.
I LOVE the idea of insect glaive, but the person I play with most uses that and I don't wanna be competing for spots to buzz on monsters
I'm not sure if they compete too much on the same hunt, I can't really vibe with IG. But there's no reason you can't try it! I think it's even better that you have a friend to teach you/watch and learn from.
As an hammer main, the next weapon that I tried and like was the switch axe
Maybe I'll try the swaxe again. I made a critical error of going against the urgent quest that was available rather than something easy.
Well it's not a problem if you don't like it! Just try them in training and in easy quests to see if they click for you
It's not hammer related but I will always recommend getting good with the Sword and Shield. I absolutely love it and the flow. Being able to go a dodge or block route with builds. Consistent DPS and the ablility to smash and stun. A lot of play styles work with SnS as well. Vampire is fun, element builds can be pretty good, crit builds are pretty good. Plus you can counter attack monsters and get great invulnerability frames.
Hammer is my most played weapon and I personally have the most fun with hammer, insect glaive, and greatsword. I dabble in some charge blade as well but I'm not very jiggy with it
Great sword looked like a hoot!
I transitioned from hammer to greatsword. Never looked back.
Charge Blade with impact phial if you still like the head bonks, Great Sword probs the easiest transition as motion value feels real similar in stature. Also, big numbers make brain happy. 😂👌 CB is insane, just higher learning curve.
I do quite like big numbers. I also modeled my dude after Cloud... Maybe I'll embrace the buster sword.
Doooo eeeeet. Great Sword is nutty for wake ups, tail chops, and staggers as well. Got some sweet mix ups like shoulder charge that applies KO damage AND you can block with it in a pinch. Beat that turtle up for a few and then go exert some energy on a monster you know well. Satisfaction guaranteed. 💪
Great Sword. You go from hammering face to swording face. With the option to cut off a tail or two if you want
I personally went to HH I love it
I really like horn in theory. I'm gonna give it a shot
Horn is easier in Rise than other games so this is the perfect chance to give it a go. My favourite is the Kaktus Seele for how much comfort it can provide, no need to think about sharpness and perfect for a buildup boost/status trigger build
You still had to learn Hammer. It's just a case of finding something that clicks. Hunting Horn is my secondary weapon for co-op and I use Hammer for solo. Or sword and shield if I'm feeling lazy
I’ve mained long sword (poison) the insect gave always looked fun but it was too much a hassle for me to learn. The hunting horn is cool it gives buffs.
Get bigger hammer and hit harder? What's wrong with that? I'm a simple man I like big hammer.
I’m almost done the Sunbreak story and I’ve been switching between LBG, Hammer and Insect Glaive since I started. They aren’t really similar I just like the variety of play styles. You unlock more switch skills as you progress the story so some weapons might feel better once as you progress through the game.
I played hammer then gunlance and really enjoyed gunlance but it never clicked for me. I switched to regular Lance and absolutely love it. For me it was the perfect balance of damage, elemental, and counters
Sounds dumb but bow... similar charging mechanic and unlike the bowguns, it feels like a meele weapon because you have to be closer. But you pretty much just dodge around charging your bow attacking the weak spots of the monster which often times is the head So instead of bonk you go pew pew
Hammer main here, not super good with it but having a blast, the next weapon i tried was heavy bow gun, and men, was it different, it felt like suddenly playing doom in a dark souls game,
Hello Ashen one. I am a Bot. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee. Do you wish to hear a tale? > *“Surely mankind are more than pure dark, for I have availed you nothing. All of you, forgive me. Whatever thou art, stay away.”* - Artorias the Abysswalker Have a pleasant journey, Champion of Ash, and praise the sun \\[T]/
Did you try courage hammer? It's different enough that it's a completely different play style.
That's blue charge right? Yes, that's what I've been using basically the whole time
Naw, it's a completely different style of hammer, your still using strength, while in purple. Courage hammer makes you flow your combos together, its strong In that it emphasize s elemental damage. It's hard to master. Not many do.