The Master’s Test(Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Quest)
Alright, so a friend of mine here on tumblr is having trouble with The Master’s Test, a difficult quest in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. For those of you struggling with it, hopefully this will help.
PLEASE NOTE: I main the Charge Blade/Charge Axe in MH4U, and this is how I completed this quest. Other weapon users will have different strategies, strengths, weaknesses, and loadouts. If you have trouble with the Charge Blade/Axe, or it’s a weapon you’re unfamiliar with, try a different weapon. Don’t push yourself out of your area of expertise.
That being said, the loadout I used, as well as the items I carried, will be below the cut. Good luck Hunters!
Alright, first things first: The weapon. Chernobog’s Scythe Charge Blade. Fully upgraded, honed for Life. Base damage w/o armor is 828, with 250 Sleep damage, and an Affinity of 45%. One decoration slot available.
Next, the armor. Grand Mizuha set(G Rank Chameleos armor). All five pieces are sitting at level 11, with 143 defense per piece. Helm, chest, and gloves have all available slots filled with Grinder Jewels(providing 8/10 needed for Speed Sharpening, which makes using your whetstones a “one and done” event). Belt slots are loaded with Earplug Jewel 1(3/15 for HG Earplugs, the armor set providing the other 12/15 needed for the skill), and the two slots in the boots are Heat Res Jewel 1(2/10 Heat Resistance) and Grinder Jewel 1(giving you Speed Sharpening mentioned earlier).
The talisman: +10 Psychic, second skill is unimportant. Loaded with three Psychic Jewel 1(Providing the skill Autotracker, which makes it impossible for you to lose a monster and negates the use of paintballs).
Now, on to the items: As always, you should carry ten each of Potions, Mega Potions, and Honey as well as your Powertalon, Powercharm, Armortalon, and Armorcharm. Lifepowder and Dust of Life are welcome, as well as some Max Potions and an Ancient Potion. For this particular fight, these items are a must-have: A full stack of Smoke Bombs, Large Barrel Bombs, Large Barrel Bomb+, one of both trap types, Nulberries, Adamant Pills, Dung Bombs, and Tinged Meat. Portable Steam Bombs and Whetstones are also necessary for this fight.
If you know how to use them against Diablos, bring some Sonic Bombs, too. You shouldn’t really have much space left, but if you can fit some Mega Dash drinks in, I highly recommend it.
Before you go into the fight, try and eat for Pyro AND Foodie. If you can get one but not the other, eat for Pyro(Meat and alcohol). Also, and this is important, grab either a defense or offense Wystone AND the Drive Wystone. You cannot put a monster to sleep when it’s Apex.
Now, for the fight itself. Prepare your aft end, for this WILL be a close call. Once you’ve looted the chest in the base camp, pay attention to the positions of the monsters in the next room. The left door will put you by the Seregios, and the right door by the Diablos. You’ll want to take out the Seregios first, as that razor-sharp pinecone is physically weaker than the Diablos. Wait for both of them to have their backs to you, then quickly go out the left door and use a Smoke Bomb. Get the Seregios’ attention and periodically sheathe your weapon to drop another Smoke Bomb. If you’re quick about it, the Seregios will be ready to carve before you run out of Smoke Bombs. Quickly carve the body and go off to one side of the arena away from the Diablos. While you still have the smoke cover, drop a Tinged meat, then go after the Diablos.
At this point, you’ve probably fought some Diablos before, so you should be roughly familiar with its patterns. That being said, this one will hit like a runaway freight train, especially when it’s Apex. If you can avoid as many hits as possible while getting a few in yourself, you should be able to get the sucker to fall asleep. Stack some bombs on its head(Make sure you save some for Deviljho) and let loose with an Ultra burst(Five phials loaded into the shield, five phials filled. If you’re not sure what an Ultra is, check this video). If you’re familiar with Ultra bombing, then you should be able to gauge the distance between you and the bomb’s blast radius. If you gauge it correctly, you won’t get blasted as well as the monster. Gauge it wrong, you get sent flying. Either way, save a few bombs for the Deviljho and get off as many Ultras as you can onto the sleeping monster’s head.
Some time during your bout with the Diablos, Deviljho MAY appear in the arena. If it happens quickly enough, he may go straight for the meat you planted a little bit ago. Either way, quickly use a Smoke Bomb(if you have any left) and plant a Tinged Meat. Then, lure the Diablos to the side of the arena opposite Deviljho. You’ll be able to use the arena’s divider, but you MUST be quick about it. If you aren’t fast enough, Jho will break free of their paralysis and/or Diablos will run you down. Or, alternatively, you’ll have both monsters on one side and you on the other... or all three of you locked into one half of the arena. Neither of those last two options are pleasant. With good timing on your part, you’ll be able to lock the Diablos in one half of the arena with you. Doing so should give you time to kill and carve it, but only if you act fast. Do it right, and it’ll just be you and Jho.
You’ve fought some Deviljho before, right? Right. Still, it’s a good thing you’ve brought some brown pants. You... did bring brown pants, right? Since the other two monsters are out of commission, it’s just you and Jho. No doubt you’ve already used some of your Mega Potions and will have to quickly craft some more without getting ripped to shreds. Keep your Wystones and dung bombs ready at all times, and don’t worry about sparing the barrel bombs. When Deviljho is snoozing away, stack them on his head and crack that skull with an Ultra or three. Don’t be afraid about getting aggressive, cause you still have to beat the clock as well as the monsters. If you haven’t used them by now, use those two traps on Jho once you’ve knocked the Frenzy out of him. They’ll give you a chance to pile on some damage. If you can, scatter some Tinged meat around the Arena. The small window of time that provides may be enough to tip things in your favor.
