Read this Monster Hunter Rise (Switch) guide to learn more about the Palico! Find out more about the Palico's support types, skills, armor, gear, customization & more in MH Rise!
Check Out New Gameplay FeaturesPalico's Best Support Types & Customization
Support Type Selection
| Type | Feature |
|---|---|
 Fight | ・Higher attack damage ・Buffs the hunter's attack as well |
| Healer | ・Recovers HP for itself and the hunter. Also clears Status Abnormalities |
| Gathering | ・High rate of gathering extra materials ・Can sometimes gather materials from the monsters themselves |
| Assist | ・Set traps to assist the Hunter |
| Bombardier | ・Supports Hunters with bombs ・Be careful not to get caught in the blast |
The Support Type (which affects their moves & skills) may only be chosen once before hiring them and cannot be changed later on.
Healer & Assist Type For Beginner Hunters
Healer Type For Health Recovery
If you noticed that your HP level is always on the low end despite health recovery buffs, then the Healer Type Palico is for you. Its 2 set moves are both geared toward helping hunters to recover, so even beginners will enjoy the benefits of this buddy.
Assist Type For Chances To Attack
The Assist Type may be for you if you'd like more chances to attack monsters. They aid in creating openings for you by restraining large monsters using Silkbind, and may even help inflict damage using bombs.
Gathering & Fight Type For Proactive Hunters
Gathering Type For Collecting
The Gathering Type, as its name suggests, has the best abilities in making sure you get to collect a lot of items. It's move at Lv20 gives a 100% chance of obtaining monster materials, so this is the buddy to choose if that's your goal.
Fight Type For Hunting (Pros)
The Fight Type is best for those who want to speed up fights and increase their attack power. One of its initial equipped moves improve Affinity by 30% and enable the Earplugs skill - both very helpful in battles.
Which Support Type Are You Getting For Your Palico?
Palico Best Skills & Moves
Buddy Skills Are Passive
| Icon | Explanation |
|---|---|
| This icon signifies the Skill Memory (Slot). Can go up to 5 and will affect how much of the skill your buddy will have in battle. |
| Required number of Skill Memory to equip. Similar to equipping Decorations wherein Skill Memory fills up depending on the equipped skill. |
Buddy Skills are passive in nature. Much like Decorations, these skills are equipped into slots (Skill Memory) and can add up to a maximum of 5.
Recommended Palico Moves
| Lv1 | Fixed Move |
|---|---|
| Lv5 | Whirlwind Assault *Highly Recommended Spins around using their weapon to create a whirlwind, then rams into monsters. (Hit: 20) |
| Go, Fight, Win Reduces hunters’ stamina loss while your Palico is dancing. | |
| Lv10 | Summeown Endemic Life *Highly Recommended Places a fragrant pouch that entices nearby endemic life to approach. |
| Power Drum Sounds a drum that raises attack and defense for both hunters and Buddies. | |
| Lv15 | Shock Purr-ison Sets up a shock trap that stops large monsters from moving. |
| Shock Tripper Drops a lingering electric field that inflicts thunderblight on monsters within it. | |
| Lv20 | Fixed Move |
Your Palico buddy's moves are fixed at Level 1 and 20, which means selection is possible with Level 5, 10, and 15 moves. The moves aren't replaceable midway, so make sure to check before hiring.
Level 5 Recommended Moves
| Whirlwind Assault |
|---|
| This move hits the enemy several times, making it easier to inflict elemental damage if applicable. |
| Go, Fight, Win |
| Go, Fight, Win is a move for those who need help with stamina management. Stamina consumption for moves like evade, charging sidestep, etc. will be noticeably lessened. |
Level 10 Recommended Moves
| Summeown Endemic Life |
|---|
| Primarily summons Wirebugs, making it easier to manage Wirebug gauges and consumption. |
| Power Drum |
| Raises the hunter's attack, making it lethal especially when paired with Rousing Roar. |
Level 15 Recommended Moves
| Shock Purr-ison |
|---|
| Can reliably restrain the movements of monsters as long as proper direction is given toward trap. |
| Shock Tripper |
| Although not useful when the effect wears off, it's still quite effective as it's quite easy to lead monsters into the electric field through the natural flow of battle. |
Recommended Palico Skills
| Effect | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| Status Attack Up | Increases the potency of abnormal status attacks. | ★★★★ |
| Knockout King | Increases the likelihood of stunning and tiring monsters. | ★★★✩ |
| Earplugs | Prevents flinching from most monster roars. | ★★✩✩ |
| Artful Dodger | Increases the likelihood of blocking and deflecting attacks. | ★✩✩✩ |
| Defense Up | Greatly increases defense. Also negates the effects of Defense Down. | ★✩✩✩ |
The Palico skills that aid in afflicting more damage to monsters such as Status Attack Up and Knockout King are particularly recommended.
How To Recruit & Reroll A Palico Buddy?
| 1 | Talk to Iori the Buddy Scout. |
|---|---|
| 2 | Select Scout a Buddy. |
| 3 | Select your preferred customization & conditions. |
| 4 | Clear a quest and talk to Iori. |
| 5 | If the preferred Buddy is there, scout it. |
| 6 | If not, repeat steps ④ to ⑤. |
Talk to Iori the Buddy Scout
Talk to Iori The Buddy Scout at the Buddy Plaza to hire new buddies!
Customize The Looks Depending On Your Preference
The important part in this customization is not just the looks but also the support type of the buddy.
▲Click for Support Types & Customization
Name And Clothes Color May Be Changed
| Changeable Any Time |
|---|
| ・Palico name ・Behavior (Large First, Balanced, etc.) ・Clothing color |
Your Buddy Palico's name, behavior, and clothing color may be changed at any point in the game.
You Can Clear Or Fail A Quest
The recruitable buddy changes every time you fail or clear a quest. For a faster clear / fail of quest, you can take the quest, Arena 5, where the monster Rajang will appear.
Roly-poly Lanterns Quest Is Also Recommended
If you don't have the Rajang quest unlocked, you can do the 1★ village quest "Roly-poly Lanterns" and clear it as fast as you can.
