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Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

Lance

By
Vincent Lau

No retreat, no surrender!

Overview

The Lance is an incredibly defensive weapon, packing one of the most durable shields in the game. In addition, its range is pretty impressive, able to hit even the tallest of monsters, and its balance of attack speed and power is very fulfilling. Be a strategic hitter by utilizing the powerful counterstab to punish a monster for attacking you, or be a hornet, impossible to hit, by constantly sidestepping around the monster to keep in close quarters. The possibilities are endless!

Pros

  • Shield is very durable, especially if augmented with skills

  • Possesses a jump attack, making it the only other weapon aside from Insect Glaive that can jump attack without a ledge

  • Will deal the kind of damage that the monster is weakest to! For example, if a monster’s part takes more damage from an impact weapon, then the Lance’s attack will use that figure (keep in mind the Lance will always deal cutting damage, it just uses the numbers)
    Cons

  • When the weapon is unsheathed, you walk very slowly, and sheathing time is moderately long

  • Loss of the forward combat roll

  • Weapon is very precise, making it easy to miss

**Attack** **Controls**
Unsheathing Poke Move while pressing X
Mid-level Poke X, can chain three times
High Poke A, can chain three times
Sweeping Poke X+A
Guard Crawl R+X while moving
Counterpoke R+A, time it so that it is used after the monster attacks you
Back/Sidestep B, can be used three times quickly
Forward Charge R+X+A, press B to end, press B+X to jump, press X to end with a finishing blow

Usage Tips

Lances are all about threes. Attack three times with X and/or A, then sidestep or backstep and start over again. Poke, poke, poke, hope, repeat. There are many different styles of lancing, but the big two that are common are guard lancing and evasive lancing. Guard lancers make use of their enormous shield and proper timing to unleash powerful counterstabs. Evasive lancers forego their shield entirely, and take full advantage of side and backsteps to dance around the monster and attack nonstop. No matter what, follow the rule of three!

Keep tabs on your stamina, no matter what you’re doing. Hopping around and blocking both take stamina, especially blocking a heavy attack. Things like Mega Dash Juice can help in a pinch.

Recommended Skills

Especially if you use your shield a lot, invest in Guard+1/+2 and/or Guard Up . Guard+1/+2 will decrease recoil and stamina usage when blocking, and Guard Up will make certain unblockable attacks (for example, a fire laser from Gravios) blockable. The latter is very situational, because not every monster has attacks that are unblockable, but it can come in handy. If you prefer to use the hops to evade, Evasion+1/+2 and Evade Distance Up are invaluable. Later on, skills like Mind’s Eye will be useful to pick up. The Lance, unlike other weapons such as Dual Blades, lacks any reliable attack with guaranteed ESP (the Dual Blades have Demon and Archdemon Mode, for example), and so if you are fighting a monster with particularly tough hide, Mind’s Eye will help you.

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Capcom
  • Platforms,
    3DS
  • Genre
    Action RPG
  • Guide Release
    31 March 2015
  • Last Updated
    7 December 2020
  • Guide Author
    Cassie Sun, Vincent Lau

Share this free guide:

En route to Val Habar, what begins as a bumpy ride in the great desert quickly descends into the fight of your rookie hunter’s life, as a dangerous Elder Dragon appears out of nowhere, threatening to level your ride and the town ahead.

After somehow surviving the attack, your efforts impress the Caravaneer and you’re quickly enlisted into the Caravan. Your mission? To discover the secret of a mysterious “Article”, which will almost surely involve hunting bigger and deadlier monsters in a magical, colorful world that is the world of Monster Hunter.

Overwhelmed? Not so sure what to do? This guide will give you the reference point you need to not only complete the solo campaign with flying colors, but look awesome while doing so!

  • Information regarding Key Quests for both Caravan and Gathering Hall quests.
  • Tips for becoming the best hunter possible–from preparations to Palicos.
  • Breakdown of the 14 unique weapon types and how to wield them to their full potential.
  • Detailed maps and insights for all of the major hunting grounds.
  • Inside scoop on every monster you will face in battle (select postgame monsters pending).

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