Title: How 2 Hammer 4U Author: xplodingbrain Pastebin link: http://pastebin.com/TisebWEA First Edit: Wednesday 15th of April 2015 04:52:02 PM CDT Last Edit: Last edit on: Tuesday 16th of August 2016 04:46:54 PM CDT ">tfw no tails" Edition   This guide is meant to edify those who are weak in the slam and jam that is the Hammer in the most complete manner possible. Buckle in, champ.   If you aren't here for the lecture, just skip to [[Closing]] to avoid a lot of text     The Hammer is a tool of massive damage and your ticket to being the headmaster of the hunt, so to speak. More specifically, as a Hammer user, you need to be by the head as much as you can. Your hits, while still capable of massive damage and exhausting the monster, are much better suited to striking the head of most monsters. In fact, your hits are so effective at hitting the monster's head that landing enough strikes will KO them, causing stars to appear over their head and their body to flail a bit on the floor. There are a few simple tips to keeping your head straight and the monster's concussed, so let's get started:   ======================================================================================   [[Lesson 0: Basic Concepts]]   Hammers deal blunt damage, as such you will not cut a tail. This is just how it is.   Hammers cannot block. You have no damage mitigation on your end. The only solution is to make the monster die first.   Hammers also deal two other types of status, known as KO and exhaust. As a hammer user, you need to know the difference.   KO damage is exclusively dealt to the head of a monster. This can be seen by observing a yellow burst and a distinct sound effect when striking the head with a blunt weapon.   Exhaust damage is dealt with blunt damage to any part of the monster, including the head. This damage drains the monster's stamina, which can be seen when the monster pauses and pants/drools for a moment. A low stamina monster deals less damage, moves slower, stumbles on attacks, and may be unable to perform their signature elemental moves.   Exhaust is JUST AS GOOD AS KO, but prioritize head breaks and KOs, as exhaust damage can be dealt at any time.     [[Lesson 1: Face Button Combos]]   Hammer is not a terribly intricate weapon, but it is the one that requires quite the trigger finger. We'll get into that later, but for now let's cover the basic combos that can be performed exclusively with the face buttons.   Unsheathe Attack X (while sheathed and moving) An upwards upchuck with the back of the hammer that deals decent KO and can combo into a triple pound or a slap combo after execution. Not very much movement. Careful! It can hit friendly hunters into the stratosphere!     Triple Pound X -> X -> X Basic combo. Vertical pound into another vertical pound, punctuated by an almighty golfswing. A slow startup, so you will definitely want to make sure the target isn't about to attack any time soon at all, or more realistically don't bother with this at all. This combo's starting hit and final hit deal massive ko damage so use these when you are near the head. A key thing to remember is that your golf swing will travel in a 45 degree angle relative to your hunter, resulting in some seriously awesome trick hits.   Positioning is EVERYTHING! The golf swing will also send friendly hunters flying, so be wary.   Slap Combo A -> X -> X Faster startup basic combo that leads with a slightly weaker slap. Use this when your opening isnt optimal but kinda, sorta, there. This one, like the triple pound, ends with your golf swing which still deals massive KO damage when striking the head. Please note that this combo, unlike the Triple Pound will give you super armor for the entire duration of the combo, preventing you from being staggered by light strikes.   And that's really it for the face-button exclusive combos for hammer. Now to cover the most intricate part of hammer, the Charge mechanic     [[Lesson 2: Charging the Hammer]]   Hammer has three levels of charge, Level 1 is achieved by pressing the R button and releasing it before any light shines, level 2 is when you see the first flash of light and your hunter has a small glow around them, and the final level is when your weapon is glowing brightly.   Level 1 is a right to left, forward moving, swing that is alright in all aspects. Use this for minor spacing adjustment and frequent head shots when you can. A very good tactic is to use this move to hit and run by landing the swing in the monster's head, then evading away to prep another charge.   Level 2 is a fast moving, long distance, uppercut that deals great KO damage on hit, but has a somewhat narrow hitbox. It also sends allies flying, though the narrow hitbox betrays the situational use of such an attack. Use the uppercut to close massive distances or deal KO damage. It also has innate Mind's Eye, so it's invaluable when attacking hard parts of a monster, such as Diablos's horns.   Level 3 changes depending on how you move, more specifically whether you are moving or not. - A Stationary level 3 is the super pound, a long, but easily dealt two-part attack that leads with a light upwards swing into a heavy, exhaust inducing AoE slam. This deals great exhaust damage and should be used when your opening isn't ideal because of the relative safety of the move. Beware! This move also sends allies tumbling, so be careful with its application. Just like the level 2 charge this move has ESP, making it your go-to tool for striking hard parts.   - A mobile level 3 is a pirouette punctuated by either a right to left swing or by a golfswing, depending on your timing. If you hit X before 4 complete rotations, your hunter will draw the hammer back from his left to his right, dealing alright KO damage. This backhanded swing can also combo into a triple pound, making it a better choice overall for dealing damage on a downed monster.   After 4 swings, your next attack will be a golfswing, capable of dealing massive KO damage. After 6 rotations, your hunter will stagger and stop spinning, leaving you wide open for an attack. Don't let this happen. It's better to prematurely end the string than to eat an attack. You can also ready yourself for another charge session by holding R after the golfswing .   None of the hammer charges impede your hunter's movement speed when they are being held. The only resource you need to manage while charging is your stamina, which is constantly decreasing while you are holding the charge. Constitution +1/+2 or Stamina Recovery Up can help you in your management, but are not integral to hammer play. Additionally, charging your hammer will give you minor wind resistance as well.   The key method of hammer usage is ABC - Always Be Charging, so that means when you dodge, get ready to charge. When you see the monster, unsheathe charge (R+X+A). When you are looking for an opening, you better be charging. When you golfswing, charge that sucker up again.   In short, ABC!   Why?   - Charging only costs stamina - Doesn't slow you down - Prepares you for great combos - Doesn't stop you from rolling/repositioning - Makes it look like you are doing something when you are panicking because rajang is fucking your buddy's ass.   Note: This isn't necessarily the case for higher levels of hammer play, but we won't cover that because that sense will come with repeated use. There is only so much that can be conveyed through text, and I will assume you will use ABC, only when you are in range to engage the monster.   [[Lesson 3: Comboing the Hammer(On the Ground)]]   I won't lie, hammer can feel very slow when played wrong. Proper use of charging is necessary to get the right flow for the skillful, powerful dance that is proper hammer play. They key to the flow is to remember that your combos are all capable of resetting into the charge. You can stop a combo to charge just by holding R. Keep this in mind and dont overextend your combos.   Level 1 charges can combo into different attacks for the same string, the first is lead by hitting X after releasing R, which will make you do an upwards chuck. This swing can send fellow hunters flying and is identical to your unsheathe attack. After the chuck, you can combo into the triple pound by hitting X, or you can begin charging again by holding down R. The Level 1 charge attack can also combo into the slap combo by hitting A. This is a bit weaker, but faster and more friendly for group play.   The Level 2 charge can combo into only the slap combo but can still cancel into another R charge after the 2nd hit. This is only useful as an engagement, as a level 1 into a triple pound will deal more damage and KO overall on a downed enemy than the level 2 into a slap combo. Again, the slap combo can be comboed back into an R charge at any point, so ABC.   The Super pound sadly does not combo at all, so your only option is to roll after executing it, as the recovery animation is very long and very likely to get you killed.   If you are moving when you release the level 3 charge, you will start to spin, inflicting many rapid hits that deal KO and is excellent for applying status and elemental damage. The Spin has two strings with the pre-4 rotation backhand comboing into a triple pound, and the post 4 rotation golfswing being able to be linked back to an R charge.   The pre 4-spin combo is somewhat useful on a downed monster, especially if you are holding a charge and the monster is knocked over by another player. Otherwise, avoid the spin as a whole, as the damage output and setup required is not valuable enough to offset the vulnerability onset by the attack string. That's not to say it isn't useful, just not as optimal.   The post 4-spin combo's golfswing can be linked back into an R charge and has ESP, so its got some situational uses.   [[Lesson 4: Comboing the Hammer (From air attacks)]]   The Hammer's charge can be held when going up low cliffs and when going down them as well. Depending on the level you release the R key, you can perform an air to ground combo. The first hit of all the ATG combos will be the aerial slam, followed by additional inputs on your end.   At level 1, you will do an upwards chuck and can combo into a triple pound.   At Level 2, you will be able to perform a 5 hit combo, leading with a uppercut, and going into a slap combo.   At Level 3, you will skip immediately into a golf swing, but be warned - you CANNOT link this golfswing back into your charge! Be CAREFUL.   As always, aim for the head, but don't die trying. A dead hunter is a useless hunter.     [[Lesson 5: Tips and Tricks]]   -->>Food Choices<<-- Blackbelt and Defender(Hi) are your friends. Slugger is unimpressive because it's pretty much like KO King - not effective enough.   -->>Choice Hammers<<--   - Teostra Line Blast hammers are a fucking riot, and Teostra del Torro hammer is the best in class. It looks pretty sick too.   - Nerscylla Line Sleep hammer? Awesome. Sleep, KO, and Exhaust will make a monster slow right the fuck down. Try it out, its not that bad. They also have amazing sharpness and are somewhat easy to make. Of course their damage isn't the hottest around.   -T. Zamtrios Line Paralysis hammers are in an odd spot. On the one hand, they can paralyze the monster, leading to some serious smackdown potential when fighting. On the other hand, if you KO a paralyzed monster, the paralysis will get cancelled prematurely. Use with caution.   -->>Key skills<<--   I'm going to ignore skills like AUXL or Sharpness +1 as those kinds of skills are useful on pretty much all weapons and they don't need to be repeated again.   - Stamina Thief Keeping the monster tired is tantamount to having a good hunt. Tired monster means more critical hits, and less damage taken on your end. Unfortunately, it's not that effective overall.   - (HG) Earplugs An excellent choice, as every chance to hit the monster is a chance you should be taking. When monsters roar, they tend to leave their heads wide open. Why not give them a love tap?   - Weakness Exploit An amazing choice for if you can consistently stick to the monster's head.   - Stamina Recovery Up My personal favorite, allows for quick recovery from cancelling charges as well as overall utility for making stamina management easy.   - Constitution +1/+2 A matter of taste. The reduced stamina consumption means you can hold a charge longer and rolling chunks your stamina bar less, but I prefer to have a quickly filling resource than a slowly depleting one.   - Evade Extender Absolutely amazing. As a Hammer user, your only means of defense is displacement through your rolls. Make them stronger, and you get stronger as well.   - Evasion +1/+3 Very good for sticking to a monster like flies on shit. Evasion +3 can even make skills like earplugs unnecessary. Very strong, and highly recommended.   - Taunt Another personal favorite. This makes the monster look at you. At least it feels like it. Be warned though, gives you less breathing room as a result.   - Mind's Eye Valuable, but not essential. Good for keeping momentum though.   - Gloves Off Very useful if you get struck a lot. As a hammer, you have no means to mitigate damage other than displacement and rolling, so if you could benefit from getting your shit slapped, why not have an arm burning with an awesome power?   - Challenger +1/+2 Good overall. Extra affinity and AUL for an angry monster is always nice.   - Quick Sheathing  Not really necessary.   I won't cover combo skills like Honed Blade and Steady Hand, as those are not only hard to get, but also really fucking good regardless of weapon. I'm also not going to discuss Razor Sharp and Sharpness +1. If it works on all weapons, its going to work on a hammer. Don't be dumb.   - Focus   Hammer is all about choosing the right charge. Focus can fuck up your timing for the right charge and jam you into a superpound which might not be ideal. If you like it, I won't complain, but I personally avoid this skill.   - PunishDraw/CritDraw   Can work, not a personal favorite. Hammer already does KO damage, and most of the damage comes from the end of the strings, not the start. People make it work, and so can you.   - KO King Useless. Don't bother. If you get it for free though, its not too bad.   - Partbreaker Pretty good. Go for it if you want.   [[Closing]]   Strategy: Get to the monster, stick to the monster's head, and always be charging. Prioritize head hits, but dont be shy to sneak in a few on the body to exhaust a monster. Dealing damage is better than waiting for the perfect opportunity to hit the head. Don't wait for openings, make them. As a Hammer your job is to make a monster tired and dizzy, so dont be shy and get in deep. Like, shoulder-deep at the very least.   You can also perform Air to Ground combos from jumping attacks, and you can hold a charge when going up or down small cliffs. Level 2 is the best for an AtG combo, as its a 5 hit combo.   Charging: Remember your ABCs - Always Be Charging (when in range)   Level 1s are good for quick slaps to the head, as well as comboing into a triple pound   level 2's have ESP as well as deal lots of KO damage.They also cover huge distances comparatively so use them as gap closers if you desire.   Level 3 Super pounds deal massive exhaust damage and a bit of KO, but lack the ability to combo. They have a large AoE and hit pretty hard. Use these when your openings are decent, but not ideal.   Level 3 Spins can be good but usually only if you combo using the backhand swing. Kinda Situational.   Golfswings. Land them.     Skills:   - Evade Extender - Evasion +1/+3 - HG/Earplugs - Weakness Exploit - Mind's Eye - Razor Sharp   Note: Some skills omitted due to their usefulness on every weapon.   Eat for Defender or Blackbelt, and aim for the belly of Blos or Rajang once the horns are broken.