Monster Hunter Wilds has been out for a little more than a week, yet many Hunters have already completed the main story of the game! However, we doubt that they will run out of content anytime soon, as the Monster Hunter franchise is known for its intricate and very rich endgame for which Hunters must take on a whole other kind of beast: gear building. Indeed, aside from crafting armors and weapons for their character and their Palico, this game offers another way to further customize, compliment and ultimately enrich a Hunter’s adventure through the Decorations system. But how to get and how to use those decorations, you might ask? Learn everything there is to know about those curious little orbs in this guide.
An Introduction to Decorations
Decorations are a fairly recent concept in the Monster Hunter franchise, yet it is essential to understand what they are, what they do and allow and how to get them in order to experience the game to the fullest! However, many players new to the series might find the concept difficult to grasp, especially given the vast amount of information and tutorials Wilds throws at you. In this guide, we will take you through all you need to know about those strange little beads and even offer some advice and tips regarding how to get them!
What are Decorations?
Decorations are a feature introduced in Monster Hunter World a few years ago that allows for the fine-tuning a Hunter’s set. These little gems are slotted into armor pieces and grant valuable Skills (much like weapons and armors themselves) that can help compliment certain playstyles.
Flexibility and adaptability are the focus here, as decorations can do virtually anything, from enhancing your combat capability (increasing elemental damage, critical damage, making it easier to apply status effect…) to providing more passive boons that improve quality of life (increasing the number of resources you can get from a single gathering point, decreasing the amount of time it takes to sharpen a weapon…).
As such, they are an essential part of the endgame cycle of Monster Hunter in which monsters get tougher and deadlier with each Hunter Rank level.
When equipping decorations onto armor pieces, you can see what each Skill does and how it scales for each level you put in it. Pretty handy!
Decoration levels and Skill levels
It is important to note that most Skills in the game, whether granted by weapons, sets or decorations, have levels that often go up to 5 and that dictate how effective they are. However, Decorations have levels too, and they do not refer to the same thing as Skill levels.
Decoration levels: where to find them in the UI
Each decoration has a number next to its title. This number refers to the level attributed to a specific Decoration. As such, a “Fire Res Jewel [1]” decoration means that it is a level 1 decoration.
You can tell in one glance the level attributed to your Decoration thanks to the number at the end of its title.
Decoration levels, as we’ll see in the next section, and Skill levels are different:
- A Decoration level only tells you where you can slot it.
- A Skill level helps you determine the amount of stats and buffs you will get from one Decoration.
Skill levels: what they mean and how they work
A Skill level lets you know how many stats and boosts you’ll get from a specific Decoration. Let’s take the Fire Resistance Decorations for example!
The Fire Resistance Skill allows you to take less damage when hit with Fire attacks. It has three levels. Each level in the Fire Resistance Skill tree provides raw fire resistance stats:
- Level 1 gives you +6 fire resistance.
- Level 2 gives you +12 fire resistance.
- Level 3 grants you +20 fire resistance AND adds a +10 bonus to your Defense.
So, say you have a loadout composed of a helm that grants Fire Resistance level 1 and a chest piece that also gives Fire Resistance level 1:
- That would effectively add +12 Fire Resistance to your stats, as you’d have two levels in that Skill.
- If you were to add a decoration, say a level 1 Fire Res Jewel, you would instead benefit from a +20 Fire Resistance boost on top of a +10 Defense bonus for completing the Skill set!
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The Skill info section of a given Decoration gives you details about what each level in a Skill grants you.
While Decoration levels and Skill levels are completely different things. For example, you can get a level 3 Decoration that grants you only one level in a Skill. But sometimes, especially when it comes to Weapon Decorations, a higher Decoration level can mean a higher Skill level.
This Frost Jewel III grants three levels in the Ice Attack Skill, allowing you to max out it with only one Decoration! Cool!
As you’ll quickly learn, level 1 decorations often provide weaker Skills. You’ll want to focus on level 2 and level 3 Skills, as they offer the most game-breaking Skills in the game!
Decoration Slots on armor and weapons: How to Use Decorations
But let’s say you’ve found a level 3 decoration that provides you with THE perfect Skill for the build you’re going for… You’d have to own an armor piece with a level 3 slot in order to use it! Indeed, if decorations have levels, slots have them too. To use a decoration, you must have an armor piece or a weapon with a slot of the same level.
Each armor piece has up to three slots used to house decorations. The possibilities are endless!
Each armor piece can have up to three decoration slots, offering different levels of customization. However, gear with higher-level slots often have fewer total slots, forcing you to choose between versatility and power.
- Many slots of lower levels: Some armor pieces provide many level 1 decoration slots and thus allow for precise fine-tuning of your Skills.
- Fewer slots of higher levels: Other pieces and weapons often have one high-level slots and therefore can let you equip very powerful Skills that your armor set does not already provide.
The UI can be a bit crowded at times. Highlighted in green are the different part of the UI that inform you on the level of the decoration slots on your armor pieces. There are differences in the slot icons!
Skill pools and types of decorations
The Skill pool for decorations slotted on weapons is different than the one for decorations slotted on armor pieces, with each type of decoration having their own exclusive boons.
- Weapon decorations offer combat-oriented Skills that directly connected to weapon stats and damage (Critical Draw, Elemental Attacks, Guard…).
- Armor decorations focus more on defensive capabilities (Elemental Resistance, Evasion Window, Ailment Resistance…).
How to Get Decorations
At some point in the main story of the game, Gemma, the lovely blacksmith, will let you know that you have unlocked access to the Decorations system. There three ways of gathering decorations:
- Completing Hunts/Investigations and earning orbs. This method lets you farm decorations passively as you’ll receive orbs (which automatically transform into Decorations) at the end of each hunt or investigation you complete.
- Using the Melding Pot and crafting orbs. This method is more demanding, but can save you some time if you have extra materials lying around.
- Crafting specific Decorations directly. This method is pricier and more situational but lets you craft specific Decorations so you can round up your build without leaving anything to chance.
How to earn Orbs through Hunts and how to appraise them
At the end of each Hunt, you’ll receive orbs. Those orbs will then get appraised automatically during the quest recap, thus immediately letting you know the level, Skill(s) and type (armor or weapon) of the decorations you’ve just earned.
On the map, you can see which type of orbs you’ll get before starting an investigation! You can also do so on the Rewards tab before starting a Quest.
If I were to hunt that Doshaguma, I would get a Glowing Orb as a reward… Interesting…
However, you should note that some orbs are more valuable than others! Indeed, there are several types of orbs: one for armor pieces and one for weapons. Each type of orb has 3 different levels of rarity (sounds familiar?):
- Mystery Orb (rarity 4): The lowest grade orbs that yield the most common decorations (level 1). Mystery Orbs can be earned as rewards for completing 4* Optional Quests. It is therefore pointless to farm them.
- Glowing Orb (rarity 5): The most common orbs in the postgame. They yield decent decorations when appraised (level 1 or 2). Most Investigations will provide those orbs as rewards. Additionally, you can earn them by completing 5* Optional Quests.
- Ancient Orb (rarity 6): The highest orb level (they yield decorations level 1, 2 or 3). They’ll be your highest priority as you try and perfect your build. Obtainable only as rewards for 6* Optional Quests or Investigations targeting Apex Monsters (Rey Dau, Uth Duna, Nu Udra, Jin Dahaad, Arkveld, Gore Magala).
And voila! The orbs you get as reward for completing the quest are appraised automatically. Enjoy your loot!
How to earn Orbs through Melding
But what if you hate Apex Monsters and do not want to have to fight the same six monsters over and over again? Fear not, for Vio and her Melding Pot got you covered! The sweet, sweet old lady resides in Suja in a tent with a giant cauldron. Through this NPC, you’ll be able to access the Wyverian Melding process that lets you craft your own orbs as long as you have the necessary materials!
How Melding works in Monster Hunter Wilds
You’ll need to sacrifice some decorations of your own in order to reach a certain Melding point threshold (which depends on the rarity level of what you want to craft) and get your goodies:
- Melding a Mystery Orb (rarity 4) requires 4 Melding points.
- Melding a Glowing Orb (rarity 5) requires 10 Melding points.
- Melding an Ancient Orb (rarity 6) requires a whopping 120 Melding points for weapons and 60 Melding points for armor pieces.
The amount of points you get from a decoration or a material you wish to burn largely depends on its rarity.
The more you progress in the postgame Main Quests, the more options you’ll have when it comes to Melding. Most notably, Ancient Orbs only becomes available to meld after reaching Hunter Rank 100, which requires to complete the postgame story. A tall endeavor indeed!
This sweet, sweet old lady and her froggy friend will help you take care of all your Melding needs!
Using Materials as fuel for Melding
If you don’t feel like sacrificing decorations in order to obtain new ones, you can also fill the Melding Meter through other means.
- Melding tickets: The ever elusive Melding tickets (Silver or Gold), obtainable through NPC trading, provide tremendous amounts of Melding points but are quite rare.
- Materials and Monster parts: You can also opt for swapping out decorations for precious materials or certain Guardian Monster Parts.
Tips for melding in Monster Hunter Wilds
Here are some tips when it comes to melding, so that you can get the best out of the materials you’ve gathered throughout your journey!
- Upcycle your duplicates through melding if you don’t need them. Over time, you’ll accumulate many decorations you already have. Do not hesitate to part with them, especially if they fulfill a very specific niche.
- Use your level 1 Decorations as melding fodder. Because you’ll only earn low-level decorations in early and mid-game, you’ll find your inventory filled with level 1 versions of decorations you can get as level 3 versions. Of course, be mindful of what you already have and don’t throw away decorations until you have a better version of them.
- Do not use rare materials as melding fuel. As said previously, you’ll be able to use certain materials as melding fuel. Be very careful what materials you decide to sacrifice as some of them are used to gain access to secret armor sets! Generally, don’t discard anything that is not found on Monsters (check the descriptions of the items before you use them in the melding process).
- Avoid using melding unless it’s for Ancient orbs. As tempting as it might be, you’ll regret it. Be patient and you’ll soon enjoy boosted odds of getting level 3 decorations through Ancient orbs (and you’ll need materials to craft them)! Of course, a Glowing Orb here and there doesn’t hurt…
Ah… Vio and her frog are a welcome sight after a productive hunt!
How to craft decorations
Lastly, at some point, you’ll unlock the option to craft specific decorations in exchange for Melding points. You have several options when it comes to crafting:
- Crafting level 1 decorations: At first, after completing the postgame story, you’ll only be able to craft level 1 decorations in exchange for 20 Melding points.
- Crafting level 2 decorations: If you reach Hunter Rank 100, you’ll get to meld level 2 decorations if you turn in 80 Melding points.
While pricey, crafting is great if you’ve been struggling to get a specific Skill and can spare the Melding points!
What Skills to look out for
That said, you might be wondering what Skills are worth looking for. While every playstyle and most loadouts are viable, we recommend you look out for some of those Skills when building your gear, as they are somewhat generic and yield good results for most builds.
Best Weapon Skills
- Attack Boost: A Skill with 5 levels that simply boosts your Attack stats by fixed amounts (in addition to Attack percentages if you max out the Skill). Simple yet very effective, pretty much always a fine choice!
- Elemental Attack: A set of Skills with 3 levels each that boosts the elemental attack of a given element by both fixed amounts and certain percentages. A must-have if you’re going for an elemental build!
- Critical boost: A 5 level Skill that boosts the damage your critical strikes inflict on the monster by a fixed percentage. Incredible value!
Best Armor Skills
- Weakness Exploit: A Skill with 5 levels that boosts your affinity (or critical rate) when hitting weak points or wounds on the monster. The boost should pretty much be always active, since you’ll be looking to hit weak points most of the time.
- Partbreaker: A Skill with 3 levels that makes it easier to break parts of a monster (tail, claws…). Also boosts the damage you do when inflicting Focus Strikes on wounds! Good for damage AND farming monster parts!
- Flayer: A Skill with 5 levels that makes it easier to inflict wounds (glowing red spots) on monsters and deals big burst of additional non-elemental damage. Pretty universal and versatile, as taking advantage of wounds also grants materials for armor and weapon crafting!
- Burst: A 5 level Skill that gradually increases attack and elemental damage if you continuously deal damage to a Monster. This is an outstanding Skill for Elemental builds! It also synergizes very well with fast-attacking weapons.
- Agitator: A Skill with 5 levels that boosts your attack power and your affinity everytime a Monster becomes enraged. You might not realize it, but Monsters get angry quite often during a Hunt. This Skill capitalizes on that and gives you a pretty much free statboost as long as you deal damage to the Monster.
And there you go! Thank you for reading this guide on how to get and use decorations in Monster Hunter Wilds to the end. We bid you a safe journey in the Forbidden Lands!
