Builds and Best Equipment for Palicoes | Monster Hunter Rise

This is a guide to the skills and equipment to equip for your Palico in Monster Hunter: Rise (MH Rise). Learn what equipment is best to use, with best builds for master rank, high rank, and low rank.

Palico Guides
General Palico Guide	Best Support Type and Equipped Moves
List of Palico Equipment	Best Palico Builds

Best Master Rank Equipment (Sunbreak Ver. 15)

Gathering Palico Build

Weapon

F Jelly Shade X
Rarity	Melee Dmg	Ranged Dmg
9	225	255
Affinity	Element	Defense Bonus
ー	Paralysis 16	ー

A Gathering Palico's most prominent role in the field is inflicting Blights and statuses at monsters, thanks to its Buddy Move Endemic Life Barrage. With F Jelly Shade X equipped, it is possible to immobilize a monster more than once per hunt.

Armor

Felyne Majestic Set
Defense	Fire	Water
490	-4	10
Thunder	Ice	Dragon
0	0	-4

Starting at Title Update 5, the Felyne Majestic Set, crafted from Amatsu materials, has the highest defense stat for Palico armor in the Sunbreak expansion. You only have to reach MR10 to unlock the Urgent Quest for Amatsu.

Alternative Armor

Felyne Pride Set
Defense	Fire	Water
470	6	2
Thunder	Ice	Dragon
-4	-8	-4

Currently, the Felyne Pride Set is the most accessible Palico armor set that has high Defense stat prior to Title Update 5. You only need to reach MR 10 and defeat Seething Bazelgeuse to get this armor set. Upgrade to better Palico armor once you raise your MR and unlock more monsters.

Buddy Skills

List of Buddy Skills
Slots	Skill Name	Description
1	Melee-Centric (Lv.35 Attack)	Prioritizes melee attacks, making them slightly more powerful. (Doesn't stack with Ranged-Centric)
2	Attack Up (L) (Lv.15 Attack)	Greatly increases attack. (Will stack)
2	Support-Centric (Lv.40 Support)	Makes it easier to trigger Support Moves and Palamute Gear, but attack and defense are reduced.
3	Status Attack Up (Lv.20 Attack)	Increases the potency of abnormal status attacks.

We make use of eight memory slots for this build. Having Status Attack Up and Support-Centric on your Gathering Palico will allow it to easily build up Paralysis while attacking your target. Since Paralysis buildup relies on the weapon, include Melee-Centric to force your Palico to keep using melee attacks.

Buddy Moves

Recommended Buddy Moves
Move	Lv.	Effect
Endemic Life Barrage	1	Fires endemic life at monsters from a ballista. Results vary according to launched creatures.
Healing Bubble	5	Creates bubbles that pop and provide healing when touched. Bigger bubbles heal more.
Summeown Endemic Life	10	Places a fragrant pouch that entices nearby endemic life to approach.
Shock Tripper	15	Drops a lingering electric field that inflicts thunderblight on monsters within it.
Pilfer	20	A boomerang attack that steals materials from monsters.
Recommended Secret Support Move
Lottery Box	A lottery box containing scrolls. When a scroll is drawn, a random support move will be performed.

Your main goal in bringing a Gathering Palico in your hunts with this build is for it to proc statuses on monsters at least twice if possible. If you can, equip Shock Tripper to increase the chance of your Palico stunning a monster with its equipped blunt weapon!

Healing Palico Build

Weapon

F Ibushi Pure War Fan
Rarity	Melee Dmg	Ranged Dmg
10	265	295
Affinity	Element	Defense Bonus
ー	Dragon 18	ー

We recommend Felyne Ibushi Pure War Fan for Healer or Assist Palicoes for its high ranged damage stat. Since your Palico will mostly be focused on healing you and your allies, this ranged weapon is a safe choice to keep your healer alive.

Alternative Weapon

F Cursed Cloud
Rarity	Melee Dmg	Ranged Dmg
10	270	300
Affinity	Element	Defense Bonus
-10%	Water 26	ー

If you have the Sunbreak expansion's Title Update 15, Felyne Cursed Cloud from the Felyne Majestic is another alternative weapon choice for its high 300 ranged attack stat. However, it will suffer from -10% affinity.

Armor

Felyne Majestic Set
Defense	Fire	Water
490	-4	10
Thunder	Ice	Dragon
0	0	-4

Starting at Title Update 5, the Felyne Majestic Set, crafted from Amatsu materials, has the highest defense stat for Palico armor in the Sunbreak expansion. You only have to reach MR10 to unlock the Urgent Quest for Amatsu.

Alternative Armor

F Valstrax - Eclipse Set
Defense	Fire	Water
480	-2	-2
Thunder	Ice	Dragon
-2	-2	8

The F Valstrax - Eclipse has the second highest base defense for Palico armor in the Sunbreak expansion, and is an alternative for dealing with Dragon attacks thanks to its high Dragon resistance. This, however, will be much harder to access. You will need to unlock Crimson Glow Valstrax's MR70 Urgent Quest for this.

Buddy Skills

List of Buddy Skills
Slots	Skill Name	Description
2	Artful Dodger (Lv.10 Defense)	Increases the likelihood of blocking and deflecting attacks.
1	Omniresistance (Lv.10 Defense)	Boosts all resistances. Also negates the effects of Resistance Down.
1	Ranged-Centric (Lv.35 Attack)	Prioritizes ranged attacks, making them slightly more powerful. (Doesn't stack with Melee-Centric.)
2	Buddy Friendship (Lv.40 Defense)	Makes hunter's health recover as well when a self-healing move is used.
2	Attack Up (L) (Lv.15 Attack)	Greatly increases attack. (Will stack)

We make use of eight memory slots for this build. Having Artful Dodger and Omniresistance will help your Palico block and boost all resistances. Buddy Friendship ensures that you recover health whenever your Palico uses a self-healing move. Include Ranged-Centric to force your Palico to keep using ranged attacks.

Buddy Moves

Recommended Buddy Moves
Move	Lv.	Effect
Herbaceous Healing	1	Places a plant with restorative powers that continuously heals any nearby allies.
Healing Bubble	5	Creates bubbles that pop and provide healing when touched. Bigger bubbles heal more.
Power Drum	10	Sounds a drum that raises attack and defense for both hunters and Buddies.
Shock Tripper	15	Drops a lingering electric field that inflicts thunderblight on monsters within it.
Health Horn	20	Greatly recovers Buddy and player health.
Recommended Secret Support Move
Lottery Box	A lottery box containing scrolls. When a scroll is drawn, a random support move will be performed.

You will need your Palico's support to keep you alive, so we recommend you equip buddy moves like Healing Bubble. Lottery Box is the recommened go-to Secret Support Move since there is a chance that your Palico will use Kittenator, which deals 300 damage and knocks-down the monster. Power Drum can help mid-fight for a defense and attack boost. If you can, equip Shock Tripper to increase the chance of your Palico stunning a monster!

Trap Assist Palico Build

Weapon

F Jelly Shade X
Rarity	Melee Dmg	Ranged Dmg
9	225	255
Affinity	Element	Defense Bonus
ー	Paralysis 16	ー

When focusing on keeping a monster at bay, having your Palico equipped with a paralysis weapon is the way to go. This is to pair with the already existing support moves for hindering monster movement.

Armor

Felyne Majestic Set
Defense	Fire	Water
490	-4	10
Thunder	Ice	Dragon
0	0	-4

Having the highest defense stat armor is best for any Assist Palico build. The Felyne Majestic Set provides this in Title Update 5. You only have to reach MR10 and beat Amatsu to craft this buddy armor.

Alternative Armor

F Valstrax - Eclipse Set
Defense	Fire	Water
480	-2	-2
Thunder	Ice	Dragon
-2	-2	8

A good alternative armor for with very high defense and Dragon resistance for this Palico build (this is also available prior to Title Update 5). Crimson Glow Valstrax's MR70 Urgent Quest is needed to access this armor.

Buddy Skills

List of Buddy Skills
Slots	Skill Name	Description
1	Melee-Centric (Lv.35 Attack)	Prioritizes melee attacks, making them slightly more powerful. (Doesn't stack with Ranged-Centric)
1	Defense Up (Lv.5 Defense)	Greatly increases defense. Also negates the effects of Defense Down.
1	Attack Up (S) (Lv.5 Attack)	Increases attack. (Will stack)
2	Support-Centric (Lv.40 Support)	Makes it easier to trigger Support Moves and Palamute Gear, but attack and defense are reduced.
3	Status Attack Up (Lv.20 Attack)	Increases the potency of abnormal status attacks.

We make use of eight memory slots for this build. A mix of damage-increasing skills with Defense Up creates a balanced offense and defense for the Palico. Support-Centric will be important in getting the palico traps out quickly.

Buddy Moves

Recommended Buddy Moves
Move	Lv.	Effect
Felyne Silkbind	1	Fires movement-hindering Ironsilk at large monsters, using a Palico-sized ballista.
Go, Fight, Win	5	Reduces hunters' stamina loss while your Palico is dancing.
Power Drum	10	Sounds a drum that raises attack and defense for both hunters and Buddies.
Shock Purr-ison	15	Sets up a shock trap that stops large monsters from moving.
Poison Purr-ison	20	Sets a trap that immobilizes large monsters and inflicts them with poison.
Recommended Secret Support Move
Lottery Box	A lottery box containing scrolls. When a scroll is drawn, a random support move will be performed.

In this build, the Palico is equipped with numerous support moves such as Felyne Silkbind and Traps for keeping the monster in check. The value of these skills increases in multiplayer, where everyone in the party will be provided an opportunity to deal continuous damage while the monster is held down. Power Drum is the general go-to for party-wide attack and defense buffs while Go, Fight, Win will help greatly in stamina management.

Best High Rank Equipment (Sunbreak Ver. 13)

Weapons

F Genie Breath

F Genie Breath
Rarity	Melee Dmg	Ranged Dmg
7	170	190
Affinity	Element	Defense Bonus
ー	Poison 15	ー

The F Genie Breath is useful especially if you have the Status Attack Up skill equipped on your Palico. This skill significantly improves your Palico's chance to induce poison status on monsters.

F Kushala Wand

F Kushala Wand
Rarity	Melee Dmg	Ranged Dmg
7	190	190
Affinity	Element	Defense Bonus
ー	Ice 15	ー

The F Kushala Wand matches the F Reddnaught Sword in terms of attack. It is a great alternative weapon if you still do not have the Reddanaught Sword.

F Reddnaught Sword

F Reddnaught Sword
Rarity	Melee Dmg	Ranged Dmg
7	190	190
Affinity	Element	Defense Bonus
10%	Dragon 20	ー

The F Reddnaught Sword is one of the best weapons for Palicoes in the game, it got one of the highest attacks with 20 Dragon elemental and a decent affinity of 10% to boot.

Armor

Felyne Valstrax Armor Set

Felyne Valstrax Set
Defense	Fire	Water
310	-2	-2
Thunder	Ice	Dragon
-2	-2	8

The Felyne Valstrax set provides the highest defense for Palicoes in the base game. It is better used against monsters with Dragon Type attacks. However, this set provides negative resistances for most of the elements. But having 155 defense is a good trade-off for having negative elemental resistance.

Recommended Support Types and Equipped Moves

Fight Type

Fight Type Palico Equipped Moves Recommendation
Go, Fight, Win	Power Drum
Shock Purr-ison	Poison Purr-ison

Healer Type

Healer Type Palico Equipped Moves Recommendation
Fleet-foot Feat	Power Drum
Herbaceous Healing	Health Horn

As you progress, you will encounter more powerful monsters so having Power Drum and/or Go, Fight, Win in Equipped Skills will help significantly in hunts.

Power Drum boosts both Palico's and Hunter's offense and defense. While Go, Fight, Win reduces hunter's stamina loss while Palico is dancing. These are must-have Palico support skills, as they provide free buffs for you and your Palico during hunts.

Fleet-foot Feat is also a great Palico skill, especially for gunners or ranged weapon users. When activated, this skill gets the attention of the Monster, giving you an opportunity to deal more damage.

The Palico types suggested above are just mere recommendations and are not absolute. If you can find those skills mentioned on other types of Palico then go for it!

High Rank Palico Best Skills

Skill Name	Type	Level	Slots	Description
Health Up (L)	Defense	10	2	Increases maximum health. (WIll stack)
Status Attack Up	Attack	20	3	Increases the potency of abnormal status attacks.

We will still utilize the five skill memory slots to buff our Palico's Health and Abnormal Attacks.

This is especially helpful if you chose F Genie Breath as your Palico's weapon and for Assist Type Palicoes with Poison Purr-ison equipped.

Best High Rank Equipment (Pre-Update 2.0)

Weapons

F Jelly Shade S

F Jelly Shade S
Rarity	Melee Dmg	Ranged Dmg
6	150	170
Affinity	Element	Defense Bonus
ー	Paralysis 12	ー

The F Jelly Shade S is mid-tier among the high rank weapons, but it's useful because of its paralysis attribute. Because Palico attacks are consistent, there's a chance that a monster might end up getting stunned due to its constant attacks. It has stronger ranged damage, making it safer for your Palico as well.

F Golden Gadget

F Golden Gadget
Rarity	Melee Dmg	Ranged Dmg
7	185	165
Affinity	Element	Defense Bonus
ー	Thunder 5	ー

The F Golden Gadget is the strongest Palico weapon on offer during mid game. Obtained by beating the mighty Rajang, this is a good balance compared to those with higher damages as it has 0% affinity compared to their negative affinity.

Armor

Felyne Stealth Set S

Felyne Stealth S Set
Defense	Fire	Water
220	6	0
Thunder	Ice	Dragon
0	0	0

Before reaching endgame of High Rank, the Felyne Stealth Set S offers good protection. While it is 5 points lower than the Magnamalo Set and Tigrex S Set in terms of defense, its neutral resistances means it'll be good against any foe you come up against. Make sure to get those Buddy Tickets for it!

Felyne Narwa Set

Felyne Narwa Set
Defense	Fire	Water
260	4	2
Thunder	Ice	Dragon
8	-6	-8

The Felyne Narwa set is the second strongest armor set in the game. It provides good resistances to fire, water, and thunder elemental attacks but are lacking from dragon and ice resistances. Make sure to keep this in mind when facing monsters with these elements.

Best High Rank Equipment (4★ to 6★ Quests)

Weapons

F Narga Shuriken S

F Narga Shuriken S
Rarity	Melee Dmg	Ranged Dmg
6	140	160
Affinity	Element	Defense Bonus
20%	ー	ー

F Narga Shuriken S's affinity makes up for its relatively low melee damage. The 20% critical chance is one of its best features, it should serve you well through in early high rank quests.

F Goss Hammer S

F Goss Hammer S
Rarity	Melee Dmg	Ranged Dmg
6	190	170
Affinity	Element	Defense Bonus
-5%	Ice 10	ー

The F Goss Hammer S almost ties with the Tigrex Whammer S in terms of damage, but has a better affinity compared to it, as well as a bonus Ice Element. It's the better damage choice of the high damage dealing weapons.

F Almudron Branch

F Almudron Branch S
Rarity	Melee Dmg	Ranged Dmg
6	165	185
Affinity	Element	Defense Bonus
ー	Water 25	ー

The F Almudron Branch boasts a decent melee and a good range attack for midgame high rank. But where it really stands out is its 25 Water element, making it a perfect Palico weapon when facing Magnamalo, which is weak to Water elemental attacks.

Armor

Felyne Tigrex S Set

Felyne Tigrex S Set
Defense	Fire	Water
230	4	0
Thunder	Ice	Dragon
-4	2	-2

The Felyne Tigrex S set is a good choice because it has well-rounded elemental resistances compared to other armor with 115 defense points available for Palicoes.

Support Type

Assist

At this point, you should be more experienced and have a plethora of healing items and strong damage. Switching to an Assist Palico will allow you to make the most of your higher equipment by giving you openings to attack your opponent.

Recommended Skills

Skill Name	Type	Level	Slots	Description
Health Up (S)	Defense	5	1	Increases maximum health. (WIll stack)
Defense Up	Defense	5	1	Greatly increases defense. Also negates the effects of Defense Down.
Health Up (L)	Defense	10	2	Increases maximum health. (WIll stack)

This build assumes that you have a Level 10 Palico by now with four skill memory slots.

More health is always good to have for Palicos as they're more support based, so having them stay alive means that they're constantly supporting you.

Support Type

Assist

By now your Palico should be level 20 upwards, and Poison Purr-ison is a much more useful move compared to Health Horn, so stick to Assist Type when you shift into them mid-game.

Recommended Skills

Skill Name	Type	Level	Slots	Description
Health Up (L)	Defense	10	2	Increases maximum health. (WIll stack)
Status Attack Up	Attack	20	3	Increases the potency of abnormal status attacks.

This build is for Level 25 Palicos with five skill memory slots.

Here, we trade the rest of the health and defense for Status Attack Up, which is most useful if you use Jelly Shade S, as it increases the chances of monsters getting paralyzed. While it's more effective with Palamutes, having Palicos have this skill doesn't hurt as well.

Best Low Rank Equipment (1★ to 4★ Quests)

Weapons

F Aknosom Rapier

F Aknosom Rapier
Rarity	Melee Dmg	Ranged Dmg
2	80	80
Affinity	Element	Defense Bonus
ー	Fire 10	ー

Start your Palico with F Aknosom Rapier, there are a bunch of monsters in early game that are weak to fire.

F Ludroth Paw

F Ludroth Paw
Rarity	Melee Dmg	Ranged Dmg
2	80	80
Affinity	Element	Defense Bonus
ー	Water 10	ー

The F Ludroth Paw is especially useful when dealing with Monsters that are weak to water. This weapon is on the same level as the F Aknosom Rapier so feel free to switch between the two when hunting.

F Barioth Knife

F Barioth Knife
Rarity	Melee Dmg	Ranged Dmg
2	85	85
Affinity	Element	Defense Bonus
15%	Ice 10	ー

The F Barioth Knife has 15% affinity, making it a decent weapon in early game. With this weapon, your Palico gets a 15% chance to deal 25% more damage every critical hit, which are fairly high odds at this point of the game.

Armor

Felyne Basarios Set

Felyne Basarios Set
Defense	Fire	Water
56	2	-2
Thunder	Ice	Dragon
2	2	-2

The Felyne Basarios Set has well-rounded elemental resistances, and a decent early game defense, so it's a good all-around set.

Felyne Rathian Set

Felyne Rathian Set
Defense	Fire	Water
56	6	2
Thunder	Ice	Dragon
-2	2	-4

If you want your Palamute to be well-equipped for Magnamalo, you can give them a Felyne Rathian set with a higher fire resistance.

Support Type

Healer

For the early game, while you're still getting your bearings, the Healer Palico is the best type to go with.

If you run out of healing items or are suddenly inflicted with a status ailment, you'll want to have a Palico with Vase of Vitality to remove the status effect and an Herbaceous Healing or Health Horn. These skills are especially useful when you have not farmed for healing items yet.

Recommended Skills

Skill Name	Type	Level	Slots	Description
Attack Up (S)	Attack	5	1	Increases attack. (Will stack)
Health Up (S)	Defense	5	1	Increases maximum health. (WIll stack)
Defense Up	Defense	5	1	Greatly increases defense. Also negates the effects of Defense Down.

At this point, you should have only three skill memory slots, and this build assumes you've gotten to at least Level 5 with your Palico

These are the best three skills that you can get with a Level 5 Palico. These skills aren't that important, and it's better to get a Palico that will meet your skill builds for later on.

Monster Hunter Related Guides

All Builds and Best Equipment

•　Weapons marked withNEW have been updated. •　Weapons withUP have been reviewed and does not warrant an updated build from the Bonus Update.

All Weapon Build Guides
Great Sword NEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank	Long Sword NEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank
Sword & Shield NEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank	Dual Blades NEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank
Hammer NEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank	Hunting Horn NEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank
Lance NEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank	Gunlance NEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank
Switch Axe NEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank	Charge Blade NEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank
Insect Glaive NEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank	Bow NEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank
Light Bowgun NEW Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank	Heavy Bowgun UP Low Rank | High Rank Master Rank

Other Builds

Other Build Guides
General High Rank Builds and Best Equipment	Buddy Equipment Builds Palico | Palamute