There are so many Monsties in Monster Hunter Stories 2 that the game can be daunting. It’s like the feeling players get while playing the Pokemon games. Both of these Switch series share a lot in common in this regard, although the number of Monsties available is nowhere near Pokemon’s.
And like Pokemon, there are some Monsties that are better than others that players should prioritize. It’s not just strength in battle either. Monsties unlock new ways to travel like swimming across small channels of water or jumping over gaps. What then are the best ones to get in the early stages of this new Capcom game?
10 Velocidrome
Velocidrome is the first Monstie players will acquire. It was owned by Kayna who named it Ranmar. It basically looks like a blue raptor with an orange Mohawk. Velocidrome's specialty is Speed, which is important because not a lot of early wild monsters have this trait.
Also unique to this creature is its Jump ability, allowing it to perform small hops to giant leaps. It also moves pretty quickly in the field.
9 Yian Kut-Ku
Yian Kut-Ku looks like a created wild monster that only this series could come up with. It is unlike any dinosaur or animal that comes to mind. Its distinctive giant beak is also one of its strongest skills. That ability is called Rock Breaker and it allows players to smash through rocks.
This can create shorter paths or even unlock secret ones. It’s a Technical Monstie, which is very common early on, but it has fire powers as well to make it more unique. It also has the Monster Search ability which can help find certain monsters in the field.
8 Bulldrome
Bulldrome looks like a giant boar kind of like the one from the anime classic film, Princess Mononoke. It is a Power Monstie but only has about medium average strength. It may not look as cool as some of the other Monsties as it is just a pig at its core, but Bulldrome's Dash ability is amazing. It allows players to speed through areas in a flash.
Bulldrome is hard to steer so it’s not a perfect mount but it gets the job done for the early sections of Monster Hunter Stories 2.
7 Royal Ludroth
The Royal Ludroth somewhat looks like a giant Komodo Dragon with a bunch of bananas for a mane. It’s a hard monster to miss in the wild. This should be the first Monstie captured to allows players to cross water via its Swim ability.
It’s like getting that feeling when Surf was unlocked in the original Pokemon games. The Royal Ludroth unlocks a lot of exploration possibilities. It should also be noted that it is a Power water elemental. It takes a lot longer to get a climbing Monstie, which is like a mid-game ability.
6 Pukei-Pukei
Pukei-Pukei looks like a monstrous feathered chameleon. This Monstie is more chameleon-like as they can change appearance whenever. It has the ability Roar, which acts like the Repel item in the Pokemon games. This is useful when players may not want to fight any monsters in the field.
Pukei-Pukei is a Technical Monstie with a poison specialty. It’s a good Monstie to throw out just to poison an enemy monster and gain an advantage.
5 Nargacuga
Nargacuga is kind of like a bat dragon. It feels inspired by the titular dragon from How to Train Your Dragon. There are many reasons besides the look and black color of it. It’s also a Speed Monstie and can even use Stealth.
This ability turns the party invisible in order to avoid fights, so it's kind of like Roar but better. Leveling Nargacuga up makes it one of the strongest Monsties in the game.
4 Arzuros
Arzuros is a giant monster bear with tons of unique colors as if it fell into multiple paint factory vats. It’s hard to miss in the field. Another cute trait about Arzuros is that it always has its tongue out, giving it a lovable derpy quality.
This Monstie is a Power type and if leveled up, Arzuros can be stronger than Bulldrome. It has the unique ability Honey Search that is useful if players need honey for any reason. Arzuros can also use Rock Breaker like Yian Kut-Ku.
3 Great Jaggi
The Great Jaggi is a classic monster in the Monster Hunter series. This version makes it look like an extra fuzzy purple raptor. It is a Technical fighter with decent stats for the beginning of Monster Hunter Stories 2.
The reason to keep the Great Jaggi around is for its Nest Search. If players fight a monster in the field and wonder if they have eggs around, this can help them seek out the nearby nests.
2 Qurupeco
Qurupeco is like a more monstrous and exaggerated version of a dodo bird. In the first Monster Hunter Stories, it was one of the main Monsties via a friend.
It is a Technical fighter that also has the specialty of fire. It doesn’t have anything truly unique as Yian Kut-Ku is also a Technical/fire type and is close in stats. Qurupeco's ability, Monster Search, was also already covered. It’s still a good early Monstie given these facts though.
1 Kulu-Ya-Ku
Kulu-Ya-Ku is the second Monstie players will acquire via their first egg. It’s a little startling to see a Monstie hatch as a baby but then be an adult in battle. It doesn’t make sense but neither does a lot of things in Monster Hunter Stories 2.
Kulu-Ya-Ku is a Technical monster. It also has the Nest Search ability like Qurupeco and even seems to be based on the same type of animal, the dodo bird. To be fair, Kulu-Ya-Ku looks more like a raptor crossed with a dodo.