Monster Hunter Rise is not the first game in the Monster Hunter series to have a memorable cast of non-player characters, but with the release of its expansion Sunbreak, it is the first mainline title to let the hunter bring them along on quests as “followers”. Each follower has access to several weapons and brings their own unique style to every hunt they go on.

It is vital that the hunter choose the right followers for the right situations, as each one possesses unique strengths and weaknesses. For instance, you wouldn’t want to bring a follower that specializes in DPS along with you for their support abilities.

While every follower is useful in their own ways, some are definitely more effective hunting partners than others. With that in mind, let’s get right into my list of the top 5 followers in Monster Hunter Rise/Sunbreak.

5. Fugen

Elder Fugen is the leader of Kamura Village and a proud former hunter. His determination to protect his village from the Rampage is boundless, as is his desire to see the hunter thrive.

Fugen is a damage powerhouse as far as followers go, always staying on the offensive and attacking as much as he can. He is also equipped with a bag of toads that he uses to apply various status ailments to whatever monster he is fighting, such as poison, paralysis, and sleep.

Strengths:

• He is great at drawing aggro from monsters since he tends to stay on the offensive.
• His bag of toads enables him to temporarily immobilize monsters through status ailments like paralysis, allowing the hunter to further increase their own damage output.
• Fugen can also inflict passive damage on monsters through the use of poisontoads, technically increasing his DPS.

How to access:

Once you have completed the 5 Star Master Rank Hub Quest “Witness by Moonlight” Fugen will offer you the first quest in his follower questline. Once all of those are completed, he will become selectable as a follower.

4. Fiorayne

Fiorayne is the first follower the player will get to fight alongside as she accompanies you during many quests throughout Sunbreak’s story. She is a very proud royal knight of the Kingdom and will make sure that you don’t forget it.

Given that Fiorayne is the first follower the player will hunt alongside, it makes sense that she fits the typical “all-rounder” archetype. She does not excel at any particular thing, but also has no serious weaknesses. All in all, she’s a reliable choice that fits decently well in any situation.

Strengths:

• She only acts as necessary, meaning that she won’t needlessly throw herself into danger.
• While she does not provide healing particularly often, she is still capable of providing support to the hunter.
• Her general “Jack of All Trades” hunting style means she is always a decent pick for the hunter’s team.

How to access:

Fiorayne is available to follow the hunter by default as soon as the followers feature is unlocked.

3. Luchika

Luchika, like Fiorayne, is a knight of the Royal Order. However, unlike her very expressive counterpart, Luchika is much more stoic, rarely showing any substantial emotion. However, that does not make her any less effective in the field.

Luchika is arguably the strongest follower for DPS. She is incredibly effective at range, but can still fight up close with a gunlance. While she cannot provide any healing support to the hunter, she more than makes up for it with her offensive capabilities.

Strengths:

• She is almost always attacking when she is engaged in combat with a target monster since her ranged weapons allow her to stay out of danger while maintaining her offensive.
• Luchika is the most effective ranged follower, with many of her skills being exclusively useful for ranged weapons.
• She is great at drawing aggro away from the hunter since she is constantly on the offensive.

How to Access:

Luchika is available to follow the hunter by default as soon as the followers feature is unlocked.

2. Utsushi

In Kamura Village, Utsushi is responsible for training brand new hunters, including the player! As such, he is bound to hold a special place in any hunter’s heart. He constantly lets the hunter know that he is proud of how far they’ve come. 

Utsushi is the most unique follower for a couple of reasons. First, he is the only follower that has access to every single weapon type in the game, though he is weaker with weapons like the Light and Heavy Bowguns and Gunlance than other followers. Second, he is the only follower that has access to both a red and blue switch scroll just like the player, allowing him to bring more variety to his combat than any other follower.

Strengths:

• Utsushi has access to more switch skills than any other follower, making his combat abilities more varied compared to the other followers.
• Since he has access to every single weapon type, he can be utilized in virtually any way the hunter sees fit.
• When using the Hunting Horn, Utsushi can provide the hunter with buffs to both their raw and elemental attack.

How to Access:

Once you have completed the 4 Star Master Rank Hub Quest “In Search of the Doctor” Utsushi will offer you the first quest in his follower questline. Once all of those are completed, he will become selectable as a follower.

1. Hinoa

One of the two Kamura Village quest handlers, Hinoa is in charge of the village quests. Her positivity in the face of danger makes her a central part of Kamura Village’s spirit and of the hunter’s support back home.

In the field, Hinoa is the quintessential support follower. When wielding her Hunting Horn, she is able to provide the hunter with ample healing to keep them in the fight.

Strengths:

• Unquestionably the best support follower in the game as she can continuously buff and heal the hunter with her Hunting Horn.
• Hinoa has access to healing powders, meaning that she can still heal the hunter even if her healing songs are unable to be used.
• Her healing also affects other followers, meaning she can seriously help out followers like Luchika that have low health pools.

How to Access:

Once you have completed the 4 Star Master Rank Hub Quest “Ice Wolf, Red Moon” Hinoa will offer you the first quest in her follower questline. Once all of those are completed, she will become selectable as a follower.

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