Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin: Complete Guide

Everything you need to go from your first egg to a post-game team of Elder Dragons: combat rules, weapon types, egg hunting, gene building with the Rite of Channeling, and a completion checklist.

Researched September 2026 — current as of PC patch Ver.1.6.1 (November 2025, bug fixes). The free title updates ended years ago; the sequel, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, launched March 13, 2026. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

1. Combat is rock-paper-scissors. Power beats Technical, Technical beats Speed, Speed beats Power. Reading a monster's attack type is the most important skill in the game.
2. Watch what monsters do and remember it. Each large monster favors one attack type, and many switch type when they get angry or charge a big move. Your Monsterpedia records their patterns once you've seen them.
3. Carry three weapon types covering Slash, Blunt and Pierce. Switching weapons is free on your turn, and some monster parts only break to one damage type.
4. Your Monstie acts on its own unless you mount it. Mount when your Kinship Gauge is full and fire a Kinship Skill for huge damage.
5. Hunt eggs constantly. Monster Dens appear all over the field, and rare dens show up more infrequently with better eggs.
6. Pick heavy, smelly eggs. In a den, the egg's weight and smell hint at quality. Better eggs mean better genes.
7. Genes are your build. The Rite of Channeling lets you move genes between Monsties to customize skills and bonuses.
8. Do subquests as you go. They're a big source of materials, money and useful items, and there are 100+ types to complete.

Combat Basics

The attack triangle

When you and a monster target each other in the same turn, you enter a Head-to-Head. Win it by picking the type that beats theirs, and you take less damage, deal bonus damage and fill Kinship. If you and your Monstie both use the same winning type against that monster, you unleash a Double Attack: extra damage, and the monster doesn't get to retaliate.

Reading monsters:

• Most monsters have a default type (the Monsterpedia shows it once you've learned it).
• Many switch type when enraged, or when they visibly charge a big attack.
• Some monsters change type depending on which part is broken or what they're doing in the air.

Hearts, HP and fainting

Your rider and your Monstie share Hearts. If either one's HP hits zero, you lose a Heart. Lose all three and the battle is lost. Heal early; losing a Heart to a big charged attack is common in bosses.

Kinship Gauge, Kinship Skills and Mounting

• The Kinship Gauge fills as you fight, and faster when you win Head-to-Heads.
• Your rider skills (from weapons) spend Kinship.
• When the gauge is full you can Mount your Monstie. While mounted, you can use its Kinship Skill, a huge finisher.
• Save a full gauge for a monster's big charged turn or its last stretch of HP rather than firing it the moment it fills.

Buddies

Story partners join you in many battles with their own Monsties. Steam achievements ("Friend of ...") track your bond with Kayna, Alwin, Avinia, Reverto, Kyle, Cheval and Ratha itself. They act on their own, so read what they're doing and plan around it.

Weapons

You can bring three weapons into battle and swap freely between them.

The simple rule: carry one weapon of each damage type (for example Great Sword, Hammer, Bow). When you see a part that "resists" your current type, swap.

Armor and elements

• Armor sets give defense, elemental resistances and skills.
• Weapons and Monsties carry elements (fire, water, thunder, ice, dragon). Hitting weaknesses matters much more on bosses than trash mobs.
• Many Monstie genes and weapon skills scale with specific elements, so pick a theme per Monstie.

Monsties and Eggs

Finding eggs

• Monster Dens appear in the overworld. Go in, reach the nest at the end, and grab an egg.
• Rare dens (they look distinctly more special from outside) appear less often and can hold rarer eggs.
• Some monsters are exclusive to certain areas or den types, so if you can't find an egg, check where that species lives.

Choosing an egg

In the nest you can grab eggs more than once. Heavy and smelly eggs tend to be better. If the one you're holding feels light and odorless, put it back and roll again (until the den's parent comes back and chases you out).

Hatching

Take eggs to a Stable to hatch them. Each Monstie has:

• An attack type preference (Power, Speed or Technical) that it usually uses.
• Riding Actions in the field (for example flying, swimming, jumping, climbing vines, smashing rocks, or sensing hidden items).
• A gene grid of nine slots.

Expeditions

Once you unlock Expedition slots, you can send spare Monsties to gather materials and eggs while you play. Keep the stables busy.

Genes and the Rite of Channeling

Every Monstie has a 3x3 gene grid. Each gene has an element and an attack type, plus a skill or passive.

• Rite of Channeling transfers a gene from one Monstie into another's slot. The donor Monstie is consumed.
• Line up three genes in a row (horizontal, vertical or diagonal) with the same element or same attack type to get a Bingo bonus that boosts that element or type.
• Rainbow genes count as any element or type for bingos.
• Channeling overwrites whatever gene sat in the target slot, so check what you're replacing first.
• Filling all nine slots earns the "Initiate's Certificate" achievement, so you'll learn this early.

Easy build formula:

1. Pick one element that suits the Monstie's natural genes.
2. Pick one attack type (usually the Monstie's preference).
3. Aim for 2 to 3 bingos of that element and type.
4. Fill remaining slots with strong passive or active skills.

Progression and What to Do When

Post-Game Content

• Elder Dragons like Kushala Daora and Teostra become obtainable Monsties.
• Deviants (special variants of classic monsters) were added through updates, alongside monsters like Oroshi Kirin, Molten Tigrex, Silver Rathalos and Gold Rathian, plus six Palamute variants.
• Wild-only fights such as Kulve Taroth and additional Fatalis encounters were added by title updates. These can't be hatched but are the hardest battles in the game.
• Multiplayer: co-op quests with another player, plus Single Battles and Pair Battles against other players.

Completion Checklist (Achievements)

Several others (Deviant Badge, Mastery Gem, Battle Gear/Armor Royalty, the "Friend of" set) have hidden descriptions on Steam; judging by the names they tie to Deviants, gear and your buddies, so expect them late. Multiplayer achievements need another player, so do them while online play is convenient for you.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Always using your Monstie's favored type. Your rider and Monstie should work together: when a monster switches type, adapt.
• Carrying three weapons of the same damage type. You'll hit a wall on parts that resist it.
• Ignoring part breaks. Breaking parts can disable attacks, stop the monster from flying, and drop rare materials.
• Grabbing the first egg you see. Check weight and smell and reroll for better ones.
• Channeling randomly. Plan a bingo layout first; a scattered grid wastes your best genes.
• Letting HP drop too low before healing. Losing a Heart to a charged attack costs more than a turn of healing.
• Skipping subquests. They give some of the best rewards in the early and mid game.

Advanced Tips

• Watch for monster "charge" turns. When a monster focuses on a big attack, pick the counter type and consider defending with your Monstie's skills.
• Double Head-to-Heads (you and your Monstie both win) are where huge damage comes from. Try to line up both attacks on the same target when you know its type.
• Hunting Horn and support skills carry late fights: buffs and healing reduce risk more than raw damage.
• Keep a "utility" Monstie in your party with useful Riding Actions for exploring, and swap to battle Monsties before hard fights.
• Use Expeditions constantly. Idle Monsties are wasted value.
• Build one Monstie per attack type for the endgame so you can always counter.
• Rare dens are worth leaving the story path for. They're the best way to get unusual genes.

FAQ

Do I need to play the first Monster Hunter Stories? No. Wings of Ruin has its own story. There are nods to the first game (your character is Red's grandchild), but it's fully standalone.

Which weapon should I use? Carry one of each damage type. Many players pair Great Sword or Sword and Shield (Slash), Hammer (Blunt) and Bow (Pierce).

How do I know what attack type a monster will use? Watch its pattern and check the Monsterpedia, which records its tendencies once you've seen them. Many monsters switch type when enraged or charging.

How do I get better genes? Hunt rare dens, pick heavy and smelly eggs, and use the Rite of Channeling to move good genes onto your main Monsties.

Is the game still getting updates? The last patches were maintenance fixes (Ver.1.6.0 added Latin American Spanish text; Ver.1.6.1 in November 2025 fixed bugs). Capcom's attention has moved to Monster Hunter Stories 3.

Is there a sequel? Yes. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection released March 13, 2026, set about 200 years later, with Ena returning.

Which platforms is it on? Switch and PC (July 9, 2021), PlayStation 4 (June 14, 2024) and Xbox One (November 14, 2025).

Sources

• Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin on Steam
• Steam news for Monster Hunter Stories 2 (Ver.1.6.1, Stories 3 announcements)
• Steam achievements for Monster Hunter Stories 2
• Monster Hunter Stories 2, Wikipedia
• Monster Hunter Stories 2, Monster Hunter Wiki