Monster Hunter Rise’s Insect Glaive Doesn’t Look Impressive

I first picked up Insect Glaive in Monster Hunter Generations on the 3DS. It was such a unique experience being able to fly around and dish out damage while also being able to mount the monster for a chance to topple it down so you can deal more damage. It’s just a new experience I didn’t have in the previous entries of the game, and I absolutely loved every hunt I had with it. The next time I picked it up was when Final Fantasy XIV had a cross-over event with Monster Hunter World, and I wanted the dragoon set. It was so cool playing as a “dragoon” in Monster Hunter because I absolutely loved Final Fantasy as well.

Needless to say, the improvements of Insect Glaive from game to game have been great. The weapon’s movements have become much more fluid, which allows for more evasive maneuvers and stylish playstyle. With the kinsect and aerial combat being its base, it seemed like the weapon is screaming “sky’s the limit”. But… Monster Hunter Rise‘s Insect Glaive begs to differ. Capcom released a trailer a couple of weeks ago for the Insect Glaive, and it’s disappointing, to be completely honest.

Okay, so first of all, just a little disclaimer. This is just the trailer, and it might have been that they failed to showcase what the weapon can actually do during hunts. But that doesn’t mean that they’re saved from all the comments from the video, basically making fun of the trailer. Some of them are actually funny, but let’s get into my primary concern. Which are:

Silkbind Attacks

Silkbind attack is the new mechanic introduced in Monster Hunter Rise. By consuming a wirebug, the hunter can do certain aerial maneuvers or attacks that were previously. The other weapons have received cool attacks and buffs from this, such as the bow, which makes you feel like some kind of Legolas because you can literally vault yourself now with the wirebugs. Now you’re probably asking, “But the Insect Glaive can already vault and is already the master of aerial combat. How are they gonna improve that?” Introducing first of their moves:

Jump 2!

Silkbind Vault

Just kidding. It’s actually called Silkbind Vault, but a brilliant guy from the trailer’s comment section summarized the move perfectly. It’s basically a pole vault but quicker, and you use a wirebug for it. I don’t know about you, but this silkbind looks lame as heck. The Insect Glaive can already jump and propel itself multiple times in the air, and they gave it another jump? I actually want to see a hunter pull off a hunt without touching the ground. I assure you someone’s gonna do it.

And Lastly, Recall Kinsect

Recall Kinsect

Look, the recall kinsect move is already in the Insect Glaive’s moveset. Basically, you use the kinsect to extract the essence from the monster, then recall it so you can absorb the essence which gives you buffs. It’s built into its moveset; it’s a fundamental skill to have. So why in the world did they give it Recall Kinsect 2? Sure, this time it gives “better stuff,” but damn, why didn’t you just improve the base move and make a new move?

Conclusion

It sucks. Nothing else I can say. At this point, the Hunting Horn is a much cooler weapon. The Insect Glaive’s only point of usage is for toppling down monsters quickly, but with every weapon basically having access to aerial attacks, I think the weapon just lost its position in my weapon rack.