Understanding Slinger Ammo in Monster Hunter Wilds
In Monster Hunter Wilds, even if you’re primarily using melee weapons, you always have a ranged weapon at your disposal: the slinger. This versatile tool can be a game-changer in various situations, from dealing with distant threats to applying status effects. However, the game’s myriad slinger ammo types and the nuanced ways to manage them can be daunting. This guide aims to demystify the process, making it easier for you to maximize the slinger’s potential.
Types of Slinger Ammo
There are two primary categories of slinger ammo: pouch ammo and found ammo. These distinctions are crucial for understanding how to manage your resources effectively.
Pouch Ammo is the type of ammo you can store in your inventory and equip whenever needed. These are represented by a bow-and-arrow icon in your item bar. Found Ammo, on the other hand, is picked up from the environment and can only be held one type at a time. Once you pick up a found ammo, it automatically equips, and you can’t switch between different found ammo types without picking up a new one.
Equipping and Changing Pouch Slinger Ammo
Equipping and changing pouch slinger ammo might seem confusing at first, but it’s quite straightforward once you get the hang of it. If you try to fire your slinger with no ammo equipped, your hunter will simply open and close their left hand without shooting anything. To equip slinger ammo, hold L1/LB and scroll through your item bar using Square/X and Circle/B. Slinger ammo is listed alongside other items like your Camping Kit and Fishing Rod, which might seem counterintuitive initially.
To equip a specific type of pouch ammo, highlight the desired ammo and release L1/LB. To change ammo, simply select another type from the item bar. If you want to unequip your pouch ammo, you can either select a non-ammo item or tap Square/X.
Equipping and Changing Found Slinger Ammo
Equipping found slinger ammo is simpler. When you pick up a found ammo from the environment, it automatically equips. You can only hold one type of found ammo at a time, and you can’t switch between different found ammos. However, you can quickly switch between a found ammo and a pouch ammo by pressing Square/X. The found ammo will temporarily slot in behind the pouch ammo icon, making it easy to switch back and forth.
Special Slinger Ammos: Paint Pod and Throwing Knife
Two special slinger ammos, the Paint Pod and the Throwing Knife, are both unlimited and equipped differently. The Paint Pod is used to mark and track monsters, while the Throwing Knife deals minimal damage and has no status effects. To equip these, hold L1/LB and use the essential items wheel by pressing down on the D-pad and then down-right with the right stick for the Paint Pod, or up-left for the Throwing Knife. If you have a found ammo equipped, the Paint Pod or Throwing Knife will temporarily replace it, but you can easily switch back by pressing Square/X a couple of times.
Complete List of Pouch Slinger Ammo
Here’s a comprehensive list of all known pouch slinger ammo types, their sources, and effects:
- Dung Pod: Made from Dung. Causes small monsters to flee.
- Flash Pod: Made from Flashbug Phosphor. Blinds monsters.
- Large Dung Pod: Made from Dung and Nitroshroom. Causes all monsters to flee.
- Luring Pod: Made from Exciteshroom and Bitterbug Broth. Makes monsters follow you.
- Screamer Pod: Made from Baunos. Stuns monsters.
- Tranq Blade: Made from Throwing Knife and Tranq Bomb. Puts monsters to sleep.
Complete List of Found Slinger Ammo
And here’s a list of all known found slinger ammo types, their sources, and effects:
- Bleeding Pod: Dropped by Live Gajios (use hook slinger). Causes Bleed damage.
- Bomb Pod: Dropped by Bomb Beetle. Explosive damage.
- Brightmoss: Found in the environment. Illuminates the environment and grounds flying monsters.
- Burst Pod: Dropped by Rockburst. Explosive damage; staggers monsters.
- Dragon Pod: Dropped by Dragon Pod. Deals Dragon damage.
- Dung Pod: Dropped by Dung Beetle. Causes monsters to flee.
- Frost Pod: Dropped by Frostlantern. Deals Ice damage.
- Frostburst: Dropped by Rime Beetle. Explosive Ice damage.
- Grounding Pod: Found near Grounding Stones. Deals Electric damage.
- Heavy Blunt Pod: Found in the environment. Deals massive blunt damage.
- Heavy Severing Pod: Found in the environment. Deals massive severing damage.
- Para Pod: Dropped by Para Pod. Causes Paralysis.
- Poison Pod: Dropped by Crystalized Venom. Causes Poison.
- Puddle Pod: Dropped by Watermoss. Deals Water damage; removes some statuses on monsters.
- Stone: Found in the environment. Deals minor damage.
- Thorngrass Pod: Dropped by Thorngrass Pod. Creates a weak point on a monster.
- Thunder Pod: Dropped by Thundercryst. Deals Thunder damage.
- Torch Pod: Dropped by Sparkflint. Deals Fire damage.
By understanding these different types of slinger ammo and how to manage them, you can become a more versatile and effective hunter in Monster Hunter Wilds. Whether you’re dealing with distant threats or applying status effects, the slinger is an indispensable tool that adds depth and strategy to your hunts.
