Small Details You Missed In Monster Hunter Rise

Monster Hunter Rise, available as a timed Switch exclusive, was a hit with critics, and many fans are pushing their way through the 20 to 30 hours it takes to complete the primary campaign. Of course, Monster Hunter Rise is the type of experience where the ending of its main story is far from the proper conclusion, since players can continue to level up, craft increasingly powerful items, and explore endgame content for as long as they like.

As players go deeper into that endgame content, however, it is possible to get a little too focused on the mechanics that help them farm Bloodrun Jewels or craft the best armor. While there's certainly nothing wrong with that, you should keep in mind that Capcom has prepared a detailed world for fans to discover, and a little exploration can reveal some intriguing aspects of the game and its universe hidden just below the surface.

Whether you're just starting out or have already invested dozens of hours, here are some small details you might have missed in Monster Hunter Rise.

The Monster Hunter franchise has long provided gamers with a steady stream of enemies to face off against, but in Monster Hunter World the series introduced a new animal companion to aid players: the feline Palico. Capcom expanded that Buddy system in Monster Hunter Rise with the Palamute, a dog-like companion who fights alongside its master and can even be ridden around the map.

Beyond their usefulness in combat and as a mobility mechanic, Palamutes are totally customizable, and Capcom has incorporated a few fun ways for players to interact with them. If you are out of combat and relaxing in the world, a couple of button presses will pull up a menu that allows you to pet your animal companions, reward them, or get them to perform some simple tricks.

As documented by GameXplain's Tris Valbuena, to interact with either the Palico or Palamute, players need to bring up the options menu while facing their pet by pressing either left or right on the D-Pad. Selecting the "wait" command from that menu will cause the pet to hold its position, at which point the player can approach. A menu of interaction commands will appear, with specific options for different pets.

Just as in previous Monster Hunter titles, players receive a private home that they can make their own with extensive customization options. The house even comes with a feline housekeeper, who helps players find paintings to decorate the walls and change the music that plays in the background whenever they visit.

However, the housekeeper isn't the only helpful cat that players will find in their room, although the other takes a bit more effort to locate. When players visit their home, if they head behind the housekeeper, they will notice a tall mural towards the back. Approaching that mural will give players the option to talk to it – or more accurately, talk to Fukashigi the Informant, who is hiding behind it.

If players choose to talk to Fukashigi, the mural spins around, revealing a suspicious-looking Palico. Fukashigi the Informant seems to know a little about everything going on in Monster Hunter Rise and offers new pieces of world-building lore as players complete urgent quests. Fans have noted on Reddit that Fukashigi only provides information about coming quests, so anyone who wants to hear everything he has to say should find him sooner rather than later.

In addition to the game's Palico and Palamute pets, there is a third type of animal companion available in Monster Hunter Rise, the Cohoot, an owl-like creature. While players still have the option to interact with the Cohoot just as they can their other pets, the Cohoot is a bit different in that it performs specialized functions like joining a party, scouting monster locations, and taking photos in-game.

If players are curious to see where their Cohoot makes its home, they can visit its nest in the Buddy Plaza (via YouTuber ConCon). Once in the Buddy Plaza, you should look for the largest tree in the grove, which has a glowing blue shrine at its trunk. By heading behind that tree, you will see climbable vines that lead to the top and the Cohoot Nest.

A solitary Cohoot waits near the nest, which is filled with loot that is yours for the taking. The loot in the nest respawns, and, according to ConCon, players can tell if it has been restocked by the presence of two golden eggs inside.

While fans have been slowly unlocking the lore of Monster Hunter Rise and putting together the game's intricate backstory, there are still plenty of aspects of the world that remain a mystery. To get an idea of just how deep those mysteries go, you can try and decipher a massive mural filled with small details that could hint at things from Monster Hunter Rise's past or future.

To find the mural, visit the Training Area, where players can practice using new weapons before heading into battle. As demonstrated by YouTuber Djinn Geist, you'll need to reach the top of the large waterfall in the Training Area to see the mural — easier said than done. However, with a bit of Wirebug assisted movement and some persistence, players should soon find themselves at the river which feeds the waterfall. 

Following the river will bring you to a small area with one large, flat wall. Illuminating that wall reveals a complex mural showing a pitched battle between giant monsters. Fans are divided on how to interpret the images depicted, with some players on r/MonsterHunter guessing it is a representation of The Rampage and others wondering if it might indicate future DLC.