Spiribirds
These are by far the most common and frequently utilized Endemic Life in the game, and they resemble chunky round hummingbirds. They have a total of four basic colors that appear on normal maps, with a special “rainbow” one that appears during rampages and arena quests. Spiribirds act much like permanent HP and stat-boosting orbs that will gradually fill up your health stamina, and attack/defense throughout the hunt.
Their colors correspond to what buff they give; green ones increase health; yellow ones increase stamina, while orange and red ones increase defense and attack respectively. The “rainbow” spiribirds will fill your health and stamina all the way. Previous Monster Hunter installments used to have nutrients as a means to increase your health permanently, while those are quicker, they do also disappear when you faint, in Rise, once you faint, you still get to keep the health and stamina you previously had. The amount of stats you can gain are also based on the Petalace you use, depicted with a gray bar extending from your health.
A wirebug flying by a stream, their cyan glow is easy to pick up
Wirebugs and Great Wirebugs
Arguably the second most important endemic life in Kamura. They allow hunters to zip and soar around both the town and hunting locales. Wirebugs are also used for the new arsenal of moves utilized by the weapons, so their existence cannot be understated. When a hunt begins, hunters have two wirebugs in their arsenal, and once one is used they go into their own separate cooldowns. But when they run out, the hunters will not be able to perform moves that use them. Great wirebugs, however, are only stationary and can be put around “Jewel Lilies” across the map; once they have been placed they will stay there even after the hunt is over; they allow hunters to zoom past large sections of the map, making travel very quick.
Luckily, sometimes, extra wirebugs can be seen in certain places across the map (they can also be spawned by your palicos given they have the “summeown endemic life skill”. you can interact with these wirebugs and they’ll add an additional wirebug to your meter, giving you one additional action. These aren’t permanent however and after a set amount of time their icon will start flashing, signaling that they will disappear soon, you can extend this time by using the “Wirebug Whisperer” skill, which can extend wirebug time while also reducing wirebug cooldown in higher levels.
A vigorwasp holding it’s nectar, the slight glow and size of the sac makes it easy to spot
Vigorwasps
A familiar face that returns from Monster Hunter World, these helpful insects can be found buzzing around certain parts of the land. They take on the appearance of a yellow wasp, but with a giant sac of green nectar it carries around. This nectar has restorative properties and will greatly heal hunters who are exposed to it. Vigorwasps are best used when you need a sudden burst of health, or as a way to keep your entire team healed up.
They function not too dissimilar to how they do in the previous game. Hunters can either press the interact button when unarmed to use them, or simply hit them with a weapon; this will cause the nectar to burst in a cloud which will instantly restore the health of hunters in the AoE, while the wasp peacefully flies away. Though in rise, the healing cloud lingers for a few seconds once the initial burst has been activated; however hunters can only get healed from it one time. In world, the cloud dissipates almost instantly after the initial burst, but a similar lingering effect can be seen by using the vigorwasp Palico gadget.
A fluttering clothfly, they’re much more distinct in the night
Clothflies, Butterflames, Cutterflies and Peepersects
These are all compiled together here because they have similar usage. Various flying insects of Kamura that can be found across the lands, these little helpers function similarly to the aforementioned vigorwasp. Clothflies resemble white butterflies with torn cloth trailing them, butterflames are red and orange with a streaky flame-like tail, peepersects fly as a group and resemble yellow moths with spots on their wings that look like eyes, while cutterflies look like red dragonflies with a sword-like tail.
They are all activated in the same manner as vigorwasps, and leave lingering dust based on the creature in question. Each creature has their own stat-boosting cloud that lingers in the same way as the vigorwasp’s. Clothflies give a defense boost cloud, butterflames give an attack boost, cutterflies will boost your affinity (critical attack rate), and lastly, peepersects will give hunters reduced stamina consumption. All these effects will last for a limited time, so it’s best to use them when you’re about to fight or are currently in battle with the monster, in order to make the most of the effects.
A blastoad out in the open space
Toads
Yet another familiar face from the previous game, these helpful amphibians appear in many spots throughout different maps, resembling horned toads of the real world. Some of their spots are also tricky as a few love hiding inside short bushes that can hide them. Their use has somewhat changed from their Monster Hunter World counterparts, where instead of interacting or hitting them, they are now picked up into the inventory which makes them far more versatile than before. Like their World counterparts, the gas they expel can affect both monsters and hunters, so practice caution when using them.
In Monster Hunter Rise, once you interact with them, they are placed into your item bar; they no longer trigger once attacked while they’re still in the wild. Instead, they function like deployable traps that expel their specific blight (debuff). There are a total of four toads, namely being: Poisontoad, Sleeptoads, Paratoads, and Blastoads (previously called nitrotoads). Each toad will expel their respective debuff, with both players and monsters being affected if they stay in the cloud. The blastoad is a special case, however, as they will emit an explosive cloud, where if the monster comes into contact with it, it takes damage while being immediately knocked down. They have multiple uses, with poisontoads being great for extra dps, while sleeptoads are great for making some breathing room and bombing the monster. Arguably however, paratoads and blastoads have the greatest value as they can give hunters big openings for attack.
A firebeetle, their ball is what tells them apart from each other
Beetles
Yet another addition from World, these crafty creatures got a bit of an overhaul, having gotten new uses. Previously, the most common would be dung beetles, which would give you some handy dung pods for your slinger, with a few variants like the firebeetle in other areas. In Rise, however, dung beetles are all but gone, and instead there are four beetles regarding the four different elemental blights: Firebeetle, Mudbeetle, Thunderbeetle, Snowbeetle.
Each blight can also be applied by wyvern riding monsters and using their elemental moves against another monster. Once the rolled up dirt has been collected from the beetles using the interact button, they can be used just like throwing knives. Upon hitting a monster it deals a good chip of damage and inflicts the monster with the respective blight: fireblight continually burns monsters, waterblight softens the monster’s hide making it easier to hit in those places, thunderblight will make nun-blunt weapons (like swords and bows), be able to stun monsters by hitting them on the head; while iceblight will slow down monster movement, especially more helpful for use against enraged monsters with quick attacks, though do be careful with iceblight as it will not effect exhausted monsters.
An escuregot with its distinct shell and coloration
Escuregot and Antidobra
These two fancy named creatures have similar effects to two previously introduced gadgets in Monster Hunter World. These two mirror the effects of the health and cleanser boosters to a degree. First is the escuregot, which can be picked up with the interact button; it resembles a green snail with a volcano-like shell. This shell spews out the healing juices the snail stores inside. Second, the antidobra, can be acquired in the same way, while it resembles a cobra that hides itself in a hole and hisses at the hunter (kind of like the wigglers in the previous game).
These creatures can be utilized by using the item bar and selecting them. Upon being used they are placed on the ground and emit their respective clouds: the escuregot releases a long-lasting cloud of healing mist which gradually heals the player. The antidobra, however, releases a smaller cloud of mist which removes debuffs from the player. The escuregot is best used for putting up a “safe spot” for players wanting to heal up while staying aggressive, while the antidobra is great in cases where the monster likes using debuffing attacks, it’s best to use these two close together so that you know the one place you can go to when the fight goes sideways.
A colony of trapbugs gathering on a stalk
Trapbugs
Often found in groups, sticking to small bamboo rods. These prickly insects will stick out their horns when threatened, and are often used to ward off, or make monsters flinch. Their uses are quite versatile as there are many situations that you could find a use for them. Like most other Endemic Life, they need to be picked up in order to be used.
Once they have been deployed using the item bar, they will scatter on the ground, resembling a ring-like formation around the hunter. Monsters who dare step onto these trapbugs are in for a world of hurt as they take small chip damage while flinching. These bugs are essentially caltrops, great for stopping monsters that try to pursue you; they can also be placed in the path of monsters trying to flee, making them flinch and fight for a little while longer. Another great use for them is as a small monster barricade as they won’t disappear after small monsters step onto them, but they will still make these small monsters flinch and be knocked back. They’re also good to use as safeguards for when you stay back to recover or sharpen, and want some protection in case the monster heads for you.
A fluffy brewhare, minding its own business
Brewhare
These fluffy and adorable creatures are only found in select areas of the locales, but their scarcity hides their usefulness and their moldy secrets. While appearing soft, brewhares are actually caked in mold, and this mold is actually what gives this creature their special factor. Its ability to enhance items.
Once the brewhare has been picked up, its effects will immediately take place. Upon your first encounter with this creature, a pop-up explaining the different items it affects will show up. These include mainly healing and some stamina-based items like rations. The effect enhances these items and makes them much more potent, allowing you to get more healing/stamina upon consumption. The effect lasts indefinitely as long as the brewhare is kept in your item bar. The mold of the brewhare might be a reference to how Penicillin was made.
A puppet spider trying to intimidate the player
Puppet Spider
Resembling jumping spiders, only much larger, puppet spiders can be found crawling around in maps, more commonly in elevated regions. They present one of the most useful abilities as they can give you access to one of the core features in the game. These fuzzy spiders can be often seen raising their abdomen at hunters and producing little sounds, making them quite easy to spot. Their abdomen can release a thread tough enough to restrain monsters.
Once picked up, puppet spiders can be deployed near unsuspecting monsters in order to ensnare them. It doesn’t deal much of an initial damage, but it leaves them at a silkbound state. Once monsters are silkbound, they are able to be wyvern ridden allowing for a plethora of options. They’re best used, not at the target monster, but at another monster on the field (preferably the one where the main monster is weak to), since these monsters can be ridden to fight the target monster and leave them downed, which is much more helpful then running the target to the wall (and it’s more fun too!).
A line of lampsquid, their fast nature makes them difficult to photograph
Lampsquids
Glowing, multicolored squids are exclusively found in the waters of frost islands and nowhere else. They swim in lines and come in four colors, one of which is a rarer variation. Lampsquids can be quite difficult to get as they move quickly around the water. They provide temporary stat boosts and can only be activated by coming into contact with them as they splash you with their ink.
Much like the stat boosts of the previous Endemic Life, their color indicates what stat buff you’ll get. Red gives affinity, orange ones give armor, while green once gives a burst of health. Unlike previous stat boosts, these can stack with each other up to a cap, meaning if more and more squids run into you, the better the bonus you’ll get. The rare golden variant however, travels alone and is only rarely seen, but it’s rarity does bless hunters with a sudden burst of all the aforementioned bonuses, giving hunters a sudden competitive edge. These squids can appear quite random, so it may be up to chance whether or not you’ll be on these squids’ paths. But try to approach them as much as possible, as their buffs and healing can always be helpful.
The silky stinkmink, their white coloring makes them stand out from the grass
Stinkmink
Silky looking, squirrel-like creatures that skip around shrubbery and other places. They have a defense mechanism not too dissimilar from that of a skunk; only the scent of the stinkmink’s seem to attract monsters rather than repel them. These are more common alternatives to puppet spiders as they play kind of a similar role, that is, to make monsters fight each other.
The way stinkminks work, they can be used from the item bar once picked and upon use will cover the hunter in a white mist. This white mist seems to attract monsters as they make them instantly target you and restlessly follow you even to other zones. This functions similarly to Monster Hunter World’s “challenger mantle”, making monsters follow you, most often utilized to lead them into turf wars for massive damage. In Rise however this is much more useful, as even if the monster doesn’t have a turf war they can still be gotten into a mountable state while fighting the other monster, allowing you to use wyvern riding.
The only wailnard found in the shrine ruins
Wailnard
Similar in purpose to the stinkmink. They resemble pheasants with giant red vocal sacs and are one of the creatures you’re least likely to come across. One can be spotted at a high point in the shrine ruins. These birds unleash a deafening cry that can attract other large monsters. These play a similar role with the stinkmink because they are both used to attract monsters to one another.
The exception with the wailnard, however, is that it’s cry can attract a random monster, not a specific one like you could do with the stinkmink. But it does have an advantage in that it can be used mid-battle to attract another monster to that zone (instead of going out of your way in order to attract other monsters and lead them into each other, which is how the stinkmink is used.).
A lanternbug, affixed to a pole, their distinct glow is a giveaway to their location
Lanternbug
Creatures which are supposed caterpillars that use a sticky fluid to attach debris onto itself to make it look large. They are hard to miss since they glow a bright orange-ish red. They are almost always attached to walls or rocks and are often between “fight zones” (areas of the map where monsters are mostly situated in in order to act as an arena of sorts). Once you pick them up, they do seem to not do much at first, not even appearing in your item bar.
However, they are actually very useful to utilize before fights. Once a lanternbug has been picked up, it’ll add a “second health bar” on the top left of your normal bar. This second bar has the same colors as the lanternbug itself and acts like a mini vitality mantle from the previous game. Essentially, it acts like a secondary health bar that takes damage for you; after it is depleted, it’ll detonate, but it won’t harm the hunter. This is extremely helpful as it essentially gives you a “shield” at the start of the battle, and much like the vitality mantle, damage exceeding the second bar will not bleed into your main health bar. The bar can withstand a few light attacks or one heavy attack (depends on the monster and your base stats).
A gustcrab carrying the eyeball-like fungus on its back
Gustcrab
Crabs that carry a special fungi on its back that resembles an eyeball. The gustcrab has a mutualistic relationship with this fungus, feeding off the insects attracted to the fungus while also using the fungus as a means of protection. Once startled this crab will start rustling its shell, causing the fungus to release spores for protection.
These are only found in the lava caverns and the sandy plains. They aren’t the most useful of endemic life, though they have great niche uses of their own. Battle-wise, they can be used but their use is rather limited, because if you place one down they’ll fire off a gust that sends players flying upwards at great speed, good for getting out of a pinch, but not much else, unless it’s a constant way to launch yourself and deal silkbind damage. Its main use however, is as a means of traversal in conjunction with wirebugs; as the height it launches you at can be extremely useful for scaling heights and cliffsides.
An aurortle carrying its signature anthill
Aurortle
Seldom seen turtles which are exclusive to the flooded forest and lava caverns. These reptiles carry anthills on their backs and slowly walk around spots on the map. The most prominent spot you can find one in the ancient forest is inside the giant temple. This turtle is not of much use in earlier hunts where carting (fainting) is rare, but instead it truly shines during later points of the game.
Once these turtles have been picked up, they will give you a “second chance” during a battle. Once you’ve been struck with a fatal blow, it’s anthill will absorb damage for you, letting you return briskly to the fight without having to cart. This is extremely useful for monsters with devastating attacks that can one-shot you, especially more helpful for ranged weapon users who are much more likely to get one-shot by a monster’s attack. Once the fatal blow has been dealt and you have this turtle, it also won’t count as a faint towards your remaining tries.
A tricktoad flaring up and releasing gas to get the attention of monsters
Tricktoad and Flashflies
Two vastly different organisms that serve similar roles mid-combat. Tricktoads resemble floating giant tadpoles that flare up its fins when disturbed, releasing a white gas similar to that of the stinkmink. Flashflies, however, are also another monster taken from the previous game, which are blindingly glowing insects that fly sporadically in small clusters. They have two somewhat similar purposes, which is that they are both used to cause a quick diversion for the hunter mid-fight.
Tricktoads first and foremost, act like an immortal decoy for monsters to attack. Once it’s activated (either by interacting or attacking it, as it cannot be put into your inventory), it’ll “aggro” the monster, making the monster focus all it’s attacks on the tricktoad, it itself cannot die and will only stop making the monster attack it once it’s stopped expelling gas. Flashflies, on the other hand work exactly like a flash pod, attacking or interacting with them while the monster is facing the flies, and the monsters will become blinded for a few seconds, making it attack randomly and without any tracking. Both of these are best used when the monsters are enraged, giving you ample time to attack them while they are distracted. Flashflies also have the added benefit of making flying monsters come crashing down, leaving them vulnerable for a short while.
Echobats flying in groups above the ground, they will start glowing red once on a monster
Miscellaneous Life
These creatures are more simple use organisms that are found in only one respective locale for each. First is the Giganha, which are only in the flooded forest which act like the waters’ piranhas. Second is the Echobat, which are small creatures that fly in groups throughout the lava caverns. Last is the pincercrab, which stick around the walls of the sandy plain, holding their cannon-like shells high.
All of them behave differently compared to the previous creatures here, not being able to be picked up or activated normally, instead requiring special conditions to activate. Giganha are ferocious fish that are triggered by placing raw meat in waters; they will ravenously consume the meat while hurting and staggering both hunters and monsters caught in the frenzy. Echobats will fly over monsters that come near them; they can only be activated by wyvern riding another monster and attacking them on the spot of the bats. While pincercrabs will activate once, run over with your wirebug, use their shell cannons to fire dirt at opposing monsters.
The seldom seen felicicrow, perched on a branch
Conclusions and Others
Apart from those aforementioned, there are some other Endemic Life, the effects of which, are useful for the end of hunts. First are the commonly seen lizards, ranging from: rock, boulder and scale lizards. The order of which is based on their rarity (from most common to rarest), each lizard determines the chances of how rare the materials you get are. There are also ‘lucky life” which are very rare creatures that appear randomly through hunts. You know one is in the area when a pop-up states that lucky life has been found, an icon will shortly appear on the map, showing it’s location. The Fortune Owl will give you extra currency at the end of the hunt, while the Felicicrow will give you more hunting rewards at the end of the quest.
Overall, the extra additions to the endemic life found here are welcome changes from their debut in Monster Hunter World. This, along with the switch skills, are mechanics that me and many fans wish will continue over the next games in the series. The diversity these mechanics bring makes the game feel not only much more engaging, but much more natural, as well, as you are utilizing ecology to best foes of the very same ecosystem they share.
