Few weapons strike the balance between utility and damage quite like the Hunting Horn. This blunt instrument can both support your team with game-changing buffs and knock down monsters with precision strikes to their skulls. Are you a soloist looking for new ways to bonk monsters into oblivion? Or are you a team player who supports your quartet and keeps them standing tall during dangerous hunts? Our Monster Hunter Now guide will surely help you master the Hunting Horn.
How to Play Hunting Horn Like a Pro
Basic Movement
As its name implies, the Hunting Horn builds its power through musical Notes. Attack monsters to generate two different Notes, which can be stocked up to four Notes:
- Screen Tap = Blue Note.
- Long Press = Orange Note.
- Keep pressing the screen to perform Sonic Waves and quickly store up Orange Notes.
- Releasing the screen will instantly trigger a Blue Note attack.
- Perform Long Press + Downward Flick to end it with a Back Slam Orange Note attack. The Back Slam is your most powerful move in terms of raw damage.
Blue Notes deal weaker damage but have higher Stun values; Red Notes are stronger. Stacking combos of Red and Blue Notes will trigger powerful Melodies depending on each weapon. Once activated, Melodies grant buffs to yourself and even your teammates — if played right. Notes reset if you faint, so staying alive is key to performing the Horn!
Advanced Techniques
As said before, each Hunting Horn has three unique Melodies. To activate one, input a specific Note sequence, for example:
| Hunting Horn | Melody Effect | Input |
|---|---|---|
| Mizutsune Horn (Poetic Bell) | Dragon Resistance Up | Blue > Blue Tap > Tap |
| Evasion Distance Up | Orange > Orange Long Press + Downward Flick | |
| Affinity Up (L) | Blue > Orange > Orange > Blue Tap > Long Press + Downward Flick > Tap | |
| Rathalos Horn (Flame Feroce) | Ice Resistance Up | Blue > Blue Tap > Tap |
| Special Replenishment (S) | Orange > Orange Long Press + Downward Flick | |
| Element Value (L) | Blue > Blue > Orange > Blue Tap > Tap > Long Press + Release |
Don’t forget to tap the Melody Effect in the menu to learn more about its details. Once a Melody is performed, the effect lasts around 5 seconds and applies only to you. But with an Echo Attack or Special Skill, you can share those buffs with nearby allies.
Echo Attack:
- Input: Long Press + Upward Flick.
- Consumes all stocked Notes, turning them into follow-up Sonic Waves attack.
- The number of follow-up Sonic Waves depends on how many Notes you’ve stocked.
- Grants Melody Effects to teammates and extends their durations for 10 seconds.
Echoing at the right time can extend buffs and KO monsters with repeated Sonic Waves. Speaking of it, that move will be your main damage loop. You can spam Sonic Waves with Tap > Long Press > Tap repeatedly.
Magnificent Trio Special Skill is the Hunting Horn’s showstopper. When activated, it:
- Deals strong damage with KO or Stun effect in quick succession.
- Shares your Melody buffs with teammates and extend their durations for 20 seconds.
In solo play, it’s all about spamming Sonic Wave and applying KO for DPS. But multiplayer hunts is where Hunting Horn truly shines. Your Melodies can give everyone bonus Defense or Attack or other buffs. Performing an Echo Attack or using Magnificent Trio at the right time can flip a tough fight in your favor.
Recommended Skills and Equipment for Hunting Horn in Monster Hunter Now
Best Armor Skills
Aside from meta skills like Hellfire Cloak with Rescucitate + Coalescene build, here are some skills to consider:
- Slugger: Boosts KO or Stun.
- Burst: Attack buffs that can be triggered instantly with Echo Attack.
- Power Prolonger: Adds +3 seconds to Melody Effects per level. However, it doesn’t affect teammate’s buffs duration.
- Blunt Force: Amplifies Echo Attack damage.
- Special Boost: Increases Magnificent Trio damage.
- Concentration: Increases Magnificent Trio fill rate.
- Critical Ferocity: Boosts negative Affinity critical hits’ damage.
The Best Hunting Horn in Monster Hunter Now
- The best Support Hunting Horns, as all three come with Special Replenishment (L) to boost Special Gauge fill rate:
- Nargacuga Horn (Hidden Harmonic): High Affinity and can buff teammates with Affinity Up (S).
- Glavenus Horn (Hell Horn): Great Fire element value despite negative Affinity.
- Teostra Horn (Teostra’s Orphee): Equipped with Blast and Element Value Up (S) to increase elemental damage.
- General use Horns:
- Diablos Horn (Duo Horn): Comes with Earplug (L) and Attack Up (S). Good Attack value.
- Tigrex Horn (Striped Dragonga): Great damage despite the negative Affinity.
- Chameleos Horn (Blessed Ocarina): The best Poison Hunting Horn.
- Somnacanth Horn (Frilled Flute): Good counter for Paralysis monsters and Element Value Up (L) increases elemental damage. The best Sleep Hunting Horn.
- Legiana (Glacial Bagpipe) or Kushala Daora Horn (Daora’s Bapophone): The best Ice Hunting Horns.
