Catherine Hu
Diving into Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is an incredible experience, but let me warn you right now: the difficulty ramps up much faster than previous entries. I remember stepping out of the Azuria starting village, encountering my first enraged Feral Monster, and getting absolutely flattened in one turn because I was still wearing that basic leather Hunter’s Armor.
In the early game, your Zenny (money) and monster parts are extremely limited. You simply cannot afford to waste resources crafting every single shiny new weapon you see at the smithy. You need a focused, optimized build to carry you through the first 15 hours of the story until the High Rank endgame finally opens up.
In this guide, we will break down the weapon damage triangle, reveal the absolute most cost-effective early game armor sets to forge, tell you where to find basic upgrade materials, and show you how to bypass the tedious initial grind using the XMODhub PC Trainer.
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Editor’s Note:
By Catherine Hu, Senior Editor at XMODhub.
Our guide team has theory-crafted the best starter loadouts on the latest Steam build of MHS3. Remember that upgrading armor is just as important as forging new sets! Always check the smithy for Level 2 and Level 3 upgrade requirements. If you find yourself completely out of Zenny to pay the smithy, our [MHS3 Fast Zenny Farming Guide] has you covered.
Quick Answer: Best Starter Gear to Forge
(Standing at the smithy before a major boss fight? Here is the TL;DR on exactly what you should craft right now.)
- •Best Overall Early Armor: The Yian Kut-Ku Set (Provides excellent Fire Resistance and the “Health Boost” passive skill to prevent one-shots).
- •Best Early Slash Weapon: The Buster Sword (Great Sword) – Delivers high raw damage and is incredibly easy to upgrade using basic ore instead of rare monster parts.
- •Best Early Blunt Weapon: The Kulu Bludgeon (Hammer) – Essential for breaking monster armor and legs early on.
- •Best Early Pierce Weapon: The Hunter’s Bow – Allows for reliable Pierce damage and applies status effects (like Poison or Sleep) without consuming rare scales.
The Combat Triangle: Slash, Blunt, and Pierce
Before you spend a single Zenny, you must understand the weapon system in Twisted Reflection. Unlike mainline Monster Hunter games where you might “main” one weapon type for 500 hours, MHS3 requires you to carry three weapons simultaneously.
Every monster body part has a specific weakness. Hitting that weakness not only deals massive damage but also leads to a Part Break, which knocks the monster down and guarantees extra crafting materials at the end of the battle!
- Slash Weapons (Great Sword, Sword & Shield): Best for cutting tails and damaging soft, fleshy monster bellies.
- Blunt Weapons (Hammer, Hunting Horn): Absolutely essential for smashing armored heads, crab shells, and rock-like appendages.
- Pierce Weapons (Bow, Gunlance): Used for piercing thick hides, armored wings, and knocking flying wyverns out of the sky.
The Golden Rule: Never forge three Great Swords. Your early game loadout should always consist of One Great Sword (Slash), One Hammer (Blunt), and One Bow (Pierce).
Top 3 Best Early Game Armor Sets
Do not hold onto the starting Hunter’s Armor. As soon as you defeat these specific monsters in the Azurian plains, head straight to the smithy.
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1. The Velocidrome Set (The Speedster)
How to get it: Hunt Velocidromes in the first open-world area and gather their hides.
Why it’s great: It provides the “Speed Boost (S)” passive skill. In MHS3, attacking first can mean the difference between winning a Head-to-Head clash or getting your Monstie knocked out. It also requires very common materials to reach Level 3.
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2. The Yian Kut-Ku Set (The Survivor)
How to get it: Defeat the Yian Kut-Ku boss in Chapter 2 and farm its den.
Why it’s great: The first major difficulty spike in the story involves fire-breathing monsters. The Kut-Ku set boasts excellent base Fire Resistance and usually comes with “Health Boost (S)”, giving your Rider a much-needed HP buffer against devastating Area-of-Effect (AoE) attacks.
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3. The Azurian Defender Set (The Tank)
How to get it: Forged purely using Iron Ore and Earth Crystals found at basic mining nodes.
Why it’s great: If you are having terrible RNG getting monster parts to drop, this pure-ore set is your savior. It offers the highest raw physical defense in the first 10 hours of the game. It lacks elemental resistances, but it will keep you alive against heavy-hitting Feral Monsters.
Best Early Weapons to Craft (By Damage Type)
- Slash – The Bone Great Sword / Golem Blade:
It might look basic, but the Bone upgrade tree scales incredibly well early on. It has high raw damage, features a great charge-attack skill, and doesn’t require you to farm specific elemental sacs. - Blunt – The Kulu-Ya-Ku Hammer:
Hammers are mandatory for breaking rocks and monster armor. The Kulu Hammer is incredibly cheap to craft, provides a slight affinity (critical hit) bonus, and easily staggers early-game bosses. - Pierce – The Iron Gunlance:
Gunlances in MHS3 allow you to build up “Shelling” charges for massive burst damage that ignores monster defense. The Iron tree is cheap to upgrade and handles flying wyverns perfectly.
Farming Early Upgrade Materials (Iron & Crystals)
Even if you have the monster parts, the smithy will also demand basic ores to process the upgrades.
- Iron Ore: Found in the gray mining outcrops scattered across the starting Azuria plains.
- Earth Crystals: Found primarily inside Monster Dens. Always bring a Monstie with the “Ore Search” riding action so these nodes appear on your mini-map.
The Early Game Grind: Zenny & Drop Rates
Crafting the Yian Kut-Ku set and a weapon of each type sounds simple, but you will quickly hit the progression wall.
Every armor piece requires specific monster drops (like Kut-Ku Scales or Monster Bone M). If RNG is not on your side, you might have to hunt the exact same monster five or six times just to get a single chest piece. Furthermore, upgrading these items drains your Zenny rapidly. Many players find themselves completely broke before Chapter 3, forced to grind low-level mobs for pennies.
Skip the Grind: XMODhub Crafting Hacks
Look, you are playing Twisted Reflection to hatch rare Monsties, explore the breathtaking world, and uncover the story. You are not playing it to hit the same low-level Velocidrome for three hours just to afford a Level 2 sword upgrade.
Monster Hunter Stories 3 Trainer & Cheats (Twisted Reflection) | XMODhub
If you want to skip the early-game poverty phase and dress your Rider in the best gear immediately, the XMODhub PC Trainer is your ultimate shortcut.
How to Bypass the Smithy Grind:
- Download and launch the [XMODhub Monster Hunter Stories 3 Trainer].
- Start your game, load your save file, and stand in front of the hub town smithy.
- Toggle “Set Zenny to 9,999,999”. You will instantly become a millionaire, easily affording any upgrade fee.
- Toggle “Ignore Crafting Requirements”. This incredible cheat tricks the smithy into thinking you have 99 of every monster part in your inventory.
You can instantly forge the best armor sets and weapons without ever having to farm the materials. Upgrade them to Max Level on day one and absolutely dominate the early game.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Can I upgrade early armor to use in the endgame?
A: While you can upgrade early sets to Level 5 or higher, they will eventually be outclassed by “High Rank” armor variants unlocked after the credits. Don’t over-invest your rare armor spheres into Chapter 1 gear.
Q: Does armor affect my Monstie’s stats?
A: No. Your Rider’s weapons and armor strictly dictate your own damage output and survivability. Your Monstie’s stats are determined by their level, Nutriments, and their Rite of Channeling gene boards.
Q: How do I unlock Layered Armor (Transmog)?
A: Layered Armor unlocks slightly later in the game at Melynx Inc. You can use Bottle Caps to purchase cosmetic overrides, allowing you to wear the ugly Bone Armor for its stats while looking like you are wearing the stylish Azurian Defender set.
Conclusion: Dress for the Hunt
Equipping yourself with the right tools is the first step to becoming a master Rider in Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection. By maintaining a balanced weapon loadout of Slash, Blunt, and Pierce, and prioritizing defensive sets like the Yian Kut-Ku armor, you will breeze through the early chapters.
And remember, if the material grind starts to ruin the fun, you don’t have to suffer. [Download the XMODhub MHS3 Trainer today], activate the crafting hacks, and build your ultimate arsenal instantly!
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