Common Controls
Here are the common uses for every input on the DualShock 2 gamepad.
| During Quests | In Village/Town | In Menus |
|---|
| Cross Button | Dodge roll (while not sprinting); Dive (while sprinting away from a monster); Crouch/stand up (while standing still) | Progress/skip NPC Dialogue | Cancel |
|---|
| Circle Button | Gather items (if no tool is required); Open the Item Box, Supply Box, and Delivery Box; Sheathe your weapon | Talk to NPCs; Progress/skip NPC Dialogue; Enter/exit a given area in village/town (your house, the tavern, etc.); Begin the accepted quest (when at the village/town exit.) | Confirm |
|---|
| Square Button | Use the highlighted item on the carousel (if your weapon is sheathed); Sheathe your weapon | | View item/equipment details; show armor skill menu (if an armor piece is highlighted.) |
|---|
| Triangle Button | Open the chat menu (when online;) Open the Chief's Wisdom menu (when in some village quests.) | |
|---|
| Select Button | Toggle minimap size | | Automatically sort inventory/item box |
|---|
| Start Button | Open/close menu |
|---|
| L1 Button | Snap the camera in the direction the hunter is facing | | Go to previous page in item/equipment box |
|---|
| L2 Button | Hold to open the item carousel, and press Square Button and Circle Button to cycle the active item | | Go to previous page in equipment menu |
|---|
| R1 Button | (see weapon-specific controls.) | | Show materials required to craft highlighted equipment (at a blacksmith;) Go to next page in item/equipment box |
|---|
| R2 Button | Hold to sprint | Go to next page in equipment menu |
|---|
| Left Analog Stick | Move your hunter. Move fully in a direction to jog, move lightly to walk or tip-toe | Rotate your hunter when accessing your item box |
|---|
| L3 Button | Ping your position to all hunters on the map | | |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick | Draw your weapon; attack while your weapon is drawn (see below for controls per weapon.) | | Move the camera when accessing your item box |
|---|
| R3 Button | Kick while weapon is sheathed (see weapon-specific controls.) | | |
|---|
| Direction Pad | Move the camera | Change which NPC or player to interact with (if multiple NPCs or players are in front of you) | Navigate menus |
|---|
Dodging
Dodging works the same with all weapon classes while the weapon is sheathed. Press the while moving to dodge roll in a given direction. Dodge rolling will provide a small number of invulnerability frames (i-frames.) If you press while sprinting away from a monster that has seen you, you will dive instead, which has a longer recovery time but covers more distance and provides many more i-frames.
With your weapon drawn you cannot dive (since you cannot sprint.) While attacking with a Great Sword, Hammer, Sword and Shield, or Dual Swords you can dodge roll to cancel the attack animation early; you can dodge forward or dodge roll left or right. The left and right dodge roll cancels are slower than dodging forward. While wielding a Lance, you will backhop when you hit instead of dodge rolling. If you dodge cancel a Lance attack, you can hop left, right, or back. Hold down on the left analog stick to hop back a greater distance. You cannot dodge cancel while firing a Bowgun.
Great Sword Controls
| Right Analog Stick Up | Chop: an overhead chop that puts the full weight of your weapon to bear; moves your hunter forward a step; this is one of the Great Sword's Drawing Attacks. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Down | Charged Chop Lv1: a charged version of Chop; hold the Right Analog Stick Down to charge, and release after the first charging pulse sound and before the second; moves your hunter forward a step; this is one of the Great Sword's Drawing Attacks. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Down | Charged Chop Lv2: a charged version of Chop; hold the Right Analog Stick Down to charge, and release after the second charging pulse sound and before the third, or don't release (overcharge); moves your hunter forward a step; this is one of the Great Sword's Drawing Attacks. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Down | Charged Chop Lv3: a charged version of Chop and the Great Sword's strongest attack; hold the Right Analog Stick Down to charge, and release in time with the third charging pulse sound; moves your hunter forward a step; this is one of the Great Sword's Drawing Attacks. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Left | Slash: the Great Sword's fastest attack; a horizontal slash from left to right; moves your hunter forward a step. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Right | Upswing: a high-reaching attack that can also hit monsters behind you; a vertical slash starting from the lower right up and over your hunter's left shoulder; moves your hunter backward a step. Can send other hunters airborne, which will break Paralysis. |
|---|
The Great Sword has three attacks that can chain into each other: the Chop (and Drawing Chop,) Slash, and Upswing. You can chain any one of these attacks into either of the other two indefinitely. Since the Upswing is the only attack that moves you backwards, you can alternate it with either of the other two attacks and avoid moving too far away from your starting point. This is an excellent way to focus one part of a monster, especially if that monster is locked down in some way (paralyzed, trapped, etc.)
The Charged Chop is the Great Sword's strongest single attack, and the slowest to execute. The timing for Lv1 and Lv2 is generous, but Lv3 requires precise timing to execute. Additionally, each charge level will provide an attack and sharpness buff: see the Weapon Reaction Value section of the Weapons page for more details.
Guarding against a monster's attack with the Great Sword will reduce its sharpness. You move more slowly with the Great Sword drawn. Drawing and Sheathing the Great Sword is slower than other weapons.
Longsword Controls
| Right Analog Stick Up or Left or Right | Chop 1: swing the Longsword over your head; this is also the Longsword's Drawing Attack. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Up or Left or Right (after Chop 1) | Chop 2: same as Chop 1, but faster. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Down | Fade Slash: slash from left to right and hop backward. |
|---|
| R3 Button | Thrust: thrust the Longsword forward. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Up (after Thrust) | Upward Slash: swing the Longsword upward. |
|---|
| R1 Button | Spirit Slash 1: swing the Longsword from left to right. |
|---|
| R1 Button (with Spirit Gauge) | Spirit Slash 2: swing the Longsword from right to left; push the R1 Button after Spirit Slash 1. |
|---|
| R1 Button (with Spirit Gauge) | Spirit Slash 3: swing the Longsword horizontally twice and once overhead; push the R1 Button after Spirit Slash 2. |
|---|
The Thrust is your primary chaining move: both Chops and the Fade Slash chain into it, and the Upward Slash can only be performed after one.
Landing attacks with the Longsword will build your Spirit Gauge. Once the Spirit Gauge is filled, you will activate a ×1.25 attack and sharpness buff which will last for 30 seconds (the sharpness buff applies to bouncing/hitslow/hitstop.) You can also use the Spirit Gauge to perform Spirit Slashes: each Spirit Slash will deplete some of the Gauge when executed. Spirit Slash 1 is the only one that can be executed when the Gauge is empty, but it will be half as strong. The Spirit Gauge will naturally deplete over time.
Hammer Controls
| Right Analog Stick Up | Slam 1: bring the Hammer overhead and pound the ground; this is also the Hammer's Drawing Attack. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Up (after Slam 1) | Slam 2: pound the ground again after Slam 1. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Up (after Slam 2) | Golf Swing: the Hammer's strongest attack, and the single strongest attack motion in the game; swing the Hammer upward on your right side, like a right-handed golfer; Can send other hunters airborne, which will break Paralysis. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Down | Side Swing: the Hammer's fastest attack; swing the Hammer horizontally on your right side. |
|---|
| R1 Button | Charged Swing 1: a short downward swing; hold and release R1 Button before the first charging pulse sound; if the Hammer is sheathed, this will draw it and begin charging. |
|---|
| R1 Button | Charged Swing 2: the same attack as Charged Swing 1 with second upward swing; hold and release R1 Button after the first charging pulse sound, but before the second. The second swing can send other hunters airborne, which will break Paralysis. |
|---|
| R1 Button | Superpound: quickly swing the Hammer upward and bring it crashing down; hold and release R1 Button after the second charging pulse sound while standing still. |
|---|
| R1 Button | Spin: begin to spin out of control for up to five total spins; hold and release R1 Button after the second charging pulse sound while moving. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick (while spinning) | Golf Swing: the Hammer's strongest attack, and the single strongest attack motion in the game; swing the Hammer upward on your right side, like a right-handed golfer; move the Right Analog Stick in any direction while spinning. Can send other hunters airborne, which will break Paralysis. |
|---|
While weak, the Side Swing does chain into Slam 1. The only weapon that exclusively deals blunt damage. Charging with R1 Button consumes stamina, and can be dodge canceled. Many Hammer attacks deal KO damage to Monsters: see the Additional Weapon Mechanics section of the Weapons page for more details.
Hunting Horn Controls
| Right Analog Stick Left | Swing Left: swing the Hunting Horn from below and on the right, up and to the left. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Right | Swing Right: swing the Hunting Horn from below and on the left, up and to the right; this is also the Hunting Horn's Drawing Attack. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Up | Overhead Slam: swing the Hunting Horn up over your head and slam it down on the ground; the Hunting Horn's strongest attack. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Down | Jab: stab the mouthpiece of the Hunting Horn forward; the fastest of the Hunting Horn's attacks. |
|---|
| R1 Button | Begin Recital: swing the Hunting Horn off your shoulder to the right, with the Horn pointing backward, entering Recital Mode; this will begin to play Note 1 of the Horn; while in Recital Mode, you can move slowly, and move the Right Analog Stick to swing the Hunting Horn and change which note you're playing. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Left or Right (in Recital Mode) | Note 1: swing the Hunting Horn horizontally in a circle to the left or the right; when the motion is complete, you will begin to play Note 1 of the Horn. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Up (in Recital Mode) | Note 2: swing the Hunting Horn overhead; when the motion is complete, you will begin to play Note 2 of the Horn. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Down (in Recital Mode) | Note 3: swing the Hunting Horn forward and up, holding it vertically; when the motion is complete, you will begin to play Note 3 of the Horn. |
|---|
| R1 Button | End Recital: swing the Hunting Horn to your left onto your shoulder, ending Recital Mode. |
|---|
The Hunting Horn can enter Recital Mode to play songs with a variety of buffs. Each Hunting Horn has three notes of different colors, though the first note will always be either White Note or Purple Note. Play a combination of two to four notes to activate a buff. Play the same song twice, or while the first stage of its buff is still in effect, to apply the second stage of the buff: for some songs this will extend its duration, for others it will apply a stronger version of the buff. You can chain some songs into others if one ends with the same note color the other starts with (the Self Buff song must always be played in full.) See Additional Weapon Mechanics section of the Weapons page for the full song list and descriptions of the buffs.
You move more slowly with the Hunting Horn drawn; if you play the Self Buff song (two Note 1s) you will move at normal jogging speed while drawn. Some Hunting Horn attacks deal KO damage to Monsters: see the Additional Weapon Mechanics section of the Weapons page for more details.
Lance Controls
| Right Analog Stick Up, Left, or Right | Level Thrust: thrust the Lance forward, level with the ground; this is also the Lance's Drawing Attack. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Down | Upward Thrust: thrust the Lance upward. |
|---|
| R3 Button | Charge Attack: begin charging forward, dealing damage as the Lance collides with monsters; press Circle Button or Square Button to cancel the Charge. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick (while charging) | Charge Attack Thrust: the Lance's single strongest attack; thrust the Lance forward while charging, ending the charge. Can send other hunters flying, which will break Paralysis. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick movement (while guarding) | Guarding Thrust: thrust the Lance forward while guarding. |
|---|
The Level and Upward Thrust can be chained together in any combination, up to three times (E.G. three Levels, Level→Up→Up, etc.) It is common to use hopping to reposition, and keep focusing on the part of the monster you want to hit. The Charge Attack Thrust can be hop cancelled.
You move more slowly with the Lance drawn. Drawing and Sheathing the Lance is slower than other weapons.
Gunlance Controls
| Right Analog Stick Up, Left, or Right | Level Thrust: thrust the Gunlance forward, level with the ground. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Up, Left, or Right (while moving) | Advancing Thrust: charge a short distance forward, thrusting the Gunlance forward and slightly upward at the end of the charge; this is also the Gunlance's Drawing Attack. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Down | Upswing: swing the Gunlance upward. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Down (after a hop or while guarding) | Load Shells: load all shells into the Gunlance chamber. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Up, Left, or Right (after Upswing or while guarding) | Upward Thrust: thrust the Gunlance upward. |
|---|
| R3 Button | Fire Shell: fire a Gunlance Shell. |
|---|
| R3 Button (while guarding) | Wyvernfire: begin charging Wyvernfire; use the Left Analog Stick to aim precisely. |
|---|
The Upward Thrust is a useful defensive move: if performed after an Upswing, you can hold R1 Button to immediately guard afterward. Wyvernfire is a powerful blast of four explosions in a line, which has massive recoil. Wyvernfire cannot be fired again until the Gunlance has cooled down. See the Additional Weapon Mechanics section of the Weapons page for more details.
You move more slowly with the Gunlance drawn. Drawing and Sheathing the Gunlance is slower than other weapons.
Sword and Shield Controls
| Right Analog Stick Up #1 | Slice 1: swing the Sword overhead. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Up #2 | Slice 2: swing the Sword from left to right; move the Right Analog Stick Up after Slice 1. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Up #3 | Slice 3: bash with the Shield and swing the Sword overhead; move the Right Analog Stick Up after Slice 2. Can send other hunters flying, which will break Paralysis. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Left or Right | Revolving Slice: the Sword and Shield's strongest attack; spin while stepping forward and slicing horizontally in front of you. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Down | Jumping Slice: leap forward, slicing your Sword downward; this is also the Sword and Shield's Drawing Attack. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick | Rising Slice: swing the Sword upward; move the Right Analog Stick in any direction after a Jumping Slice. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick | Rolling Slice: swing the Sword upward; move the Right Analog Stick in any direction after a dodge roll. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick | Guard Attack: swing the Sword from right to left with your Shield up; move the Right Analog Stick while guarding. |
|---|
Any of the three Slices, the Jumping Slice, the Rising Slice, and the Rolling Slice can chain into the Revolving Slice. The Jumping Slice-Rising Slice combo can chain into Slice 1.
Dual Swords Controls
| Right Analog Stick Up | Slice 1: swing your right-hand Sword. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Up | Slice 2: swing once with each Sword; move the Right Analog Stick Up after Slice 1. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Up Up | Slice 3: alternate three swings between each Sword; move the Right Analog Stick Up after Slice 2. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Left or Right | Revolving Slice: spin three times, swinging your Swords outward. Move the Right Analog Stick Left to spin toward the left, Right to spin right. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Down | Charging Slice: rush forward with both Swords and swing them out to either side. This is also the Dual Swords' Drawing Attack. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick | Rolling Slice: swing your right-handed Sword upward; move the Right Analog Stick movement in any direction after a dodge roll. |
|---|
| R1 Button | Demon Mode: enter or leave Demon Mode, in which all attacks are altered (per the table below.) |
|---|
| Demon Mode Attacks |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Up | Demon Slice 1: swing your right-hand Sword. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Up | Demon Slice 2: swing once with each Sword; move the Right Analog Stick Up after Demon Slice 1. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Up | Demon Slice 3: alternate three swings between each Sword; move the Right Analog Stick Up after Demon Slice 2. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Left or Right | Demon Revolving Slice: spin six times, swinging your Swords outward. Move the to spin toward the left, to spin right. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick | Demon Rolling Slice: swing your right-handed Sword upward; move the in any direction after a dodge roll. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Down | Fury Combo: the Dual Swords' strongest combo; unleash a flurry of Sword swings while standing in place. |
|---|
The Charging Slice can combo into Slice 1 and the Revolving Slice.
While in Demon Mode, attacks will not bounce, though they will make the bouncing sound if the hitzone is hard enough, and deplete as much sharpness as bouncing would. You also will be immune to Wind Pressure. Demon Mode will constantly consume Stamina while active, and will automatically deactivate when your Stamina runs out. If you deplete all your Stamina during a Demon attack, the attack will continue as normal, and Demon Mode will deactivate afterward. If you are attacked, sent flying, etc. when Demon Mode depletes your Stamina, you will not exit Demon Mode (and not recover any Stamina) until you begin to stand back up.
Bowgun Controls
| R3 Button | Fire Bowgun: fire the currently loaded ammo. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Up | Melee: swing the bowgun in front of you. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Down | (Re)load: load the currently selected ammo. Reload time is the same regardless of the chamber size, whether you are loading a different type of ammo, or reloading ammo you already have some of in the chamber. |
|---|
| L1 Button | Third-person Reticle: hold to show the aiming reticle; move the reticle with the Direction Pad while standing still; moving the will snap the reticle in the direction your hunter is facing. |
|---|
| L2 Button | Cycle Ammo: hold to highlight your available ammo; press the to cycle upward and the to cycle downward. |
|---|
| R1 Button | First-person Aiming: toggle First-person Aiming; use the or the Direction Pad to aim, and the to zoom in and out (if you have a Variable Scope installed.) |
|---|
Light and Heavy Bowguns have the same controls, but differ in several ways: drawing and sheathing takes much longer with Heavy Bowguns, and you will move faster with a Light Bowgun drawn, and Light and Heavy Bowguns have different attachments. Light Bowguns typically have less Attack, faster reload time, and can load a smaller variety of damaging shots than Heavy Bowguns. You will begin a quest with no ammo loaded. When you cycle ammo types, if you release the L2 Button on a different ammo type, any ammo you had loaded will be unloaded.
Normal Shot and Pierce Shot are subject to Critical Range: if you fire too close or too far away from the monster, your shots will deal less damage. See the Bowguns section of the Weapons page for more details.
Bowguns can have several attachments installed. The Variable Scope allows you to zoom in and out while in First-person Aiming (the lowest zoom has a wider field of view than normal.) A Light Bowgun can also have a Long Barrel or Silencer: the Long Barrel increases the Bowgun's Range stat by 1 (see the Bowguns section of the Weapons page for more details) and reduces Shot deviation, while the Silencer reduces the likelihood that a monster will spot you when you fire the Bowgun. A Heavy Bowgun can also have a Power Barrel or Shield: the Power Barrel increases Attack and reduces Shot deviation, while the Shield will automatically guard against monster attacks.
Bow Controls
| Right Analog Stick Down | Fire Arrow: hold to charge the Bow, and move to the neutral position (or release) to loose the arrow. Each pulse sound will indicate the next level of arrow: no pulse is Lv1, the first pulse is Lv2, etc. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Up #1 | Arrow Sweep: sweep an arrow from left to right. |
|---|
| Right Analog Stick Up #2 | Arrow Slash: slash an arrow from right to left; move the Right Analog Stick Up after Arrow Sweep. |
|---|
| L1 Button | Third-person Reticle: hold to show the aiming reticle; move the reticle with the Direction pad while standing still; moving the will snap the reticle in the direction your hunter is facing. |
|---|
The type of Arrow you fire when releasing the Right Analog Stick will depend on the Bow. Also, the Load skill is required to fire Level 4 Arrows. There is a minor bug with the Bow: if you stop moving while charging a shot, you will be stuck in place for a second. This can be avoided by dodge rolling, or loosing the shot as you stop moving.
Arrow Sweep and Arrow Slash deal Cutting damage, and can potentially cut monster tails.
