I’ve fought a lot of 8 star monsters but I don’t get why lately I’ve been wondering why a lot of them show grade 9 to fight them. Has there been a buff to all the monsters in each level that now you would basically require a level 9 weapon just to beat them?
I remember them being challenging with a 8.1 weapon at 8 star, but now it feels like there is scaling going on as I work on leveling my weapons further in 9.
Normally monster recommends same grade as their stars, however special cases such as rare monsters, sub-species, elder dragons and I think HaTs will recommend 1-2 grades higher because they are stronger.
The reason you are seeing them a lot lately is because you see more of them during events.
However the grade stated is merely a recommendation not a strict requirement so you can possibly beat them without said grade.
Indeed. Monster subspecies are typically tougher and more challenging to hunt compared to their standard version, hence the need for higher grade weapons.
As for HATs and EDIs, they are designed for 4-pax hunting parties in the first place, so their HP are already scaled up for that intention. Fighting a 6-star monster in a HAT will be similar to fighting the same monster on the field at 4-pax group size in terms of HP scaling (though the monsters generally have slightly lesser HP in the HATs compared to 4-pax field hunts). Therefore, if you were to solo them in the HAT, you’re literally carrying the “weight” of a 4-pax hunt, hence the need for higher grade weapons.
The weapon grades indicated can be considered to not include build characteristics. In other words, if you had no armour skills at all, taking an appropriate Grade 8 weapon should allow you to hunt 8* monsters just fine. It may not be a fast hunt, but it should still be a successful one. The caveat is that not all weapons are suitable against all monsters that are weak to that weapon’s element or characteristics. Always keep this in mind, especially for weapons with different characteristics within the weapon type (e.g. ranged weapons, CB, GL).
But with the powercreep coming in the form of better armour skills, you don’t really need the same grade weapon anymore, but it’s still a QOL improvement when you have a stronger weapon so that you can take down the monster before it can cause you any damage, which can inadvertently shorten your hunting sessions.
At the end of the day, this is not a requirement but a recommendation. You can still successfully hunt with lower grade gear, but it will be more of a sweat goblin mode, at least in some cases.
Yeah, as others have said, the equipment grade recommendation depends not only on the monster and it’s grade, but also the context. The same monster with the same grade can have different HP depending on context, such as if it’s in a Hunt-a-thon, or Urgent Quest (story), or between a Group Hunt with different number of hunters.