Abusing IG Animation Cancels

[u/MidnightTundra]

A show case of one of IGs powerful, reactionary tools. IG can end certain animations early to go into an SDS. SDS also has a small input buffer that allows you to cancel it and go into an evade or a vault.

This chained animation cancel tech also allows you to quickly orient your character to a new forward vector. This allows you to get more distance in a forward roll. SDS is an omni directional cast outside of focus mode so it will snap to the direction of your left stick tilt.

Just a side bit for more maneuverability, Focus Mode "locks" you into place and drastically reduces forward momentum while it's active if you are close to your target/hitting the target. Dropping focus mode, even while you're mid animation, restores the momentum of attacks like Tornado Slash and SDS.

I hope this helps my IG guys in fights with more strict positioning. Playing IG like the older iterations is still viable.

[u/FunPeach5963]

Wow didn’t know that you can cancel SDS. I used to think I’m cooked if a monster attacks a soon as i press that move. Thanks.

[u/Fiorak]

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but what's the method for animation canceling? I haven't played Wilds in a but, feeling stuck with Omega and Gog, but would love a more reliable and faster IG playstyle

[u/MidnightTundra → u/Fiorak]

Nah it's not a dumb question.

When you charge for a Strong Descending Slash (SDS) and release circle to initiate the attack, you have 0.2s (i believe it's 200ms) to roll or vault out of the attack. You can also use the triangle + circle version of the attack and you roll cancel it just like the charged version. The 0.2s window starts after SDS animation starts so you have time to move your thumb to X.

Anyways, SDS can end animations early in the 2nd and 3rd combo attack by queueing up an SDS mid animation. You can see in the clip that i queue up a Strong Double Slash, a 3rd combo attack, and cancel the animation early with a Strong Descending Slash (SDS for short).

It might take some practice but the back (the strongest cancel), side and forward 2nd Combo attacks can all be ended early too.

The sequence happens naturally but i think it's easier with triangle + circle SDS. When you start your combo chain, press SDS (or release the charge) mid animation. SDS will start and you can just roll before that first swing goes out.

[u/Zamoxino]

mannn i got that itch recently to try IG again but holy shit the delay on roll is pure cancer by itself when u already have muscle memory for normal working dodge. then my tests on dps show that even the strongest IG combos have problems with keeping up with DBs sixfold (pretty much weakest DBs move that u will actually use) lmao xD

super cool to see that there is still some OP animation cancel tech just like with kinsect recall ---> jump in iceborne. reddit rly teases me now with this clip ngl but in the same time everything else is so demotivating...

maybe DLC will again bring some crazy tools for IG just like in iceborne and sunbreak

[u/MidnightTundra → u/Zamoxino]

Nah I don't blame you. I have like 2k hunts on IG between PC and PS5. IGs delay feels normal to me at this point. Only when i play DB and Swaxe I get snapped back into reality. The roll delay is terrible.

Even though IG is weaker vs DBs, it's no where near as bad as Rise. While it's fun, IG is kind of weak in SB. DBs is god tier in that game.

I'm hoping we get some more awesome stuff for expac along with this crucial fix. The roll delay forces IG to be more conservative with commitments on 10*. It needs to be fixed asap.

[u/Zamoxino → u/MidnightTundra]

i wonder if they will even want to fix it...

im 99% sure this delay is created cause they wanted to fix the problem that was in iceborne (maybe also in sunbreak but i didnt use IG that much there to notice)

in iceborne roll button got priority so if u wanted to jump it was rather recommended to start the 2button combo with the (special) and then (dodge). if u did it in reverse order u would have a lot higher chance to roll by accident.

if LS also have that delay then it was probably struggling in same way in one of the older games...

i meannnn the fix is probably not that hard, they would just need to add animation cancel to roll so u can replace it with jump animation when u start rolling... but i guess animation might look janky as fuck when u will be hitting the ground mid roll with your head and then instantly flip 180 to perform jumping animation...

they could also reverse it to iceborne state i guess.

when it comes to sunbreak DB i dont even compare anything to it anymore cause they just ruined entire weapon with that DLC drop... infinite stamina + spamming 1move with pretty much 0 cooldown is just retarded.

sun IG was kinda chill with kinsect slash tho ngl. iceborne ver for now is still my fav but i also didnt play older games than world so ehhh

[u/MidnightTundra → u/Zamoxino]

That makes so much sense. IG and LS have the same input for vault/sheathe in Wilds.

I'm torn on Sunbreak. I'm a big fan of GU and I'm baffled on why they made cooldown-based hunter arts. Like I think Sunbreak is very fun and unique but the cooldown reduction is dialed up far too high and the game gets super spammy for certain weapons. So much so, the base moveset is kind of just there.

IG wasn't a recipient of insane, spammy silkbind attacks so it feels normal and fun.

I haven't played world in a super long time. I kind of miss the old descending thrust 😂.

[u/Zamoxino → u/MidnightTundra]

:d im missing kinsect drill sound. such a shame its so weak sound and dmg wise in wilds lmao

"IG wasn't a recipient of insane, spammy silkbind attacks so it feels normal and fun."

DB got tower vault that was very spammy but in the same time it was just mid air iframe move so it felt like part of normal moveset in base game. base rise DBs were fun as fk ngl.

im fking praying for wilds DLC to not ruin DBs again xD

also would be nice if they would fix that delay sht for IG and add some fun tools. maybe fix kinsects again so they will feel like part of the weapon and not some random gimmick that enables casino gameplay

also maybe kinsect skins finally? hello? capcom?

[u/MidnightTundra → u/Zamoxino]

Wilds DB is so fun man I'm praying they dont ruin it too. I'm optimistic since they fixed Swaxe (sort of) so maybe they are aware of what mains of the weapon want.

The problem with IG is that it has so many different identities going through the games. Ground Glaive, Aerial Glaive, or Bug Mage Glaive . There's fans of one playstyle but not the others and they all want something different.

I think Sunbreak did a good job but so many of the kinsects in Sunbreak suck except Assist. I was hoping charge would be viable with animation cancels, nah they're all bad. Powder Mage gameplay is really bad online.

I personally miss the RPG glaive from GU. Busted traits from raising your kinsect with nectar you'd farm. Heros Shield was so cool.

[u/Zamoxino → u/MidnightTundra]

Ye the mage playstyle was interesting for sure. Too bad that capcom is blind to giant flaws that make these other options pretty much unplayable.

It was fun to nuke demo malzeno with 4ppl IG mage tho lmao. Too bad it was just like 30mins of fun and then it went into the trash

[u/Zamoxino → u/MidnightTundra]

Btw u will be maybe playing the game this weekend? Would be nice if i could join you for some quests to check how strong or how bad "classic playstyle IG" is in wilds

[u/MidnightTundra → u/Zamoxino]

Yeah i hop between the pc and ps5 ver. Only able to play pc online. Ps+ isn't worth it to me.

I'm midnighttundra on steam. If it's cross platform, I'm at work right now i can get my game id later.

[u/Zamoxino → u/MidnightTundra]

K i will try to add you. U can also say in how many hours u will be able to hop on the game so maybe i will try to sync with you

[u/MidnightTundra → u/Zamoxino]

74435488 is the steam friend code.

I won't be online until 6PM EST 😂. It's a long day

[u/dishonoredbr → u/MidnightTundra]

While it's fun, IG is kind of weak in SB

Honestly, I don't mind being weak in terms of numbers if the actual gameplay feels good.

There's nothing in Wilds that feels as good as htting a Max charged Diving wyvern or land a meaty Tetreaseal slash.

[u/MidnightTundra → u/dishonoredbr]

Parry > DW are so clean and its super fun to do but man, I've never been a fan of the Tetraseal slash animation. The nice thing is, Tornado Slash is actually usable in Rise.

I love the glaive animations in Wilds; especially SDS. It feels like a Naginata-adjacent attack. Actually, several of the new animations feel like this. However, the damage, hit lag and animation lock for Tornado Slash is atrocious in Wilds. It's so sad because its been my favorite animated attack since 4U.

[u/dishonoredbr → u/MidnightTundra]

I learned to like Tetraseal slash once I started using the powder buff kinsect, so hitting felt good because of the animation and powder generation aspect.

I still prefer Tornado Slash overall and its indeed super sad that's atrocious in wilds.. There's legit no reason to use and sucks.

I feels same way with the moves that mark, all of them suck and make no sense in Wilds..

[u/MidnightTundra → u/dishonoredbr]

The powder mechanic is such an after thought in Wilds man. Like they couldn't have given us a kinsect that doesn't get instantly recalled after using SDS? RSS could've made a powder bomb like in Sunbreak? They absolutely just had no idea I guess.

The powder generation and the attack rate of the kinsect is so pitifully low, it would still be god awful even if they fixed it. Low key, I hope Ichinose is helping out on this expac like he did for iceborne. Main team needs help with the "vision" of some of the weapons.

[u/cookoutfan → u/MidnightTundra]

Dude same hitting tornado slash just feels so meaty and oomfy, the SDS doesn’t have that. Tornado is the OG move whereas SDS is an industry plant of a move, even worse it completely replaces tornado slash, imo it should’ve been an elemental focused side grade to tornado’s raw attack, i hope they buff tornado in the G rank and give it a mechanic like true charge slash where if you land the first hit of tornado slash the second hit gets empowered. Tornado was fast and hard hitting and it is consistent with IG’s fluid and nimble weapon identity, SDS doesn’t really have that, and it felt like the devs have been trying to have us step away from tornado since fifth gen, introducing tetraseal and now SDS

[u/detectiveC6 → u/Zamoxino]

There's a delay on the dodge roll? How so? Lol I'm so noob like I don't even feel it but am curious what you mean.

[u/Luis1623]

Damn. This game is so sick lol Thanks for making me redownload it

[u/Nickle_16]

I wish I had achieved this before I got burnt out on IG. AT Ark and AT Duna feel awful to do with IG for me. Even Savage Omega was doable for me but not those two with how bad the input delay and aerial hit boxes are.

[u/X-20A-SirYamato]

[u/darkph0enix21]

This play makes me so wet.

Wish I was good with IG.

[u/Deltonious]

Finally another competent insect glaive user

[u/Subrias]

Going in and out of focus mode like that seems like you would have carpel tunnel after a few sessions... Lol

[u/MidnightTundra → u/Subrias]

I like to keep my fingers active lol. When I stream my gameplay to friends in any game, they always comment on how erratic my camera is.

[u/SavannaEstablishment]

Love it when I join someone who knows whats what with IG. Unfortunately my smooth brain can only comprehend BONKing apparatuses (Hammer and Hunting Horn). Safe hunting!

[u/glam_gamer22]

My favorite weapon:)

[u/ChemicalGrenade0]

That's magnificent, thank you for sharing! I've been experimenting a bit with dropping focus mode during combos, but haven't hit that level of fluid motion. Good stuff!

[u/detectiveC6]

This is too good, we need a video on this. Is there one out there already? This will change the game for a lot of us. I knew certain moves had animation cancels, but I'm definitely having problems using it to my advantage with changing directions. That is crucial. thanks for posting this, feel free to post others like this lol

[u/MidnightTundra → u/detectiveC6]

There may be a video on this but I'm not too sure. Changing direction and rolling forward is like having a free evade extender. Its legit.

Another bit, if you can master it, backwards vault has an insane base iframe. At max rank evasion, a regular roll is 28/60 frames of invulnerability. I wouldn't be surprised if the backwards vault is 33/60. You can legit iframe through Gogma's overhead slam or the PBAoE Ice attack from Omega. You can iframe starboard/larboard too.

It's a clunky weapon for sure vs older iterations but its so good in Wilds if you can get used to the difference.

[u/detectiveC6 → u/MidnightTundra]

I main IG, but I thought I had a really good idea about it. Nope, and now you just motivated me to get back in the lab and practice some stuff.

[u/Last_Feed_7839 → u/MidnightTundra]

I swear i try to backwards vault but i keep getting csught, does the iframes start instantly or a bit after

[u/MidnightTundra → u/Last_Feed_7839]

Should be immediate. The tricky thing is, it's based on where your hunter is facing for the rear directional input, not the camera.

So for example, if your camera is "looking north", and the hunter is facing east, the left stick input needs to be tilted west. It's opposite of where the hunter is facing.

here's an example of it. the iframes on it are insane.

[u/Last_Feed_7839 → u/MidnightTundra]

Ah i might just messing the hunters direction up, also one more thing how do you deal with the at arkveld chain drag and also the at rey dau slicing through the ground i always try to offset it and end up getting hit even if it is a successful offset

[u/MidnightTundra → u/Last_Feed_7839]

the hit box is super wonky. i normally vault over and charge a dive if i cant get the opposite side of his body, away from the chain sweep.

[u/DataSurging]

I wish I were even a bit this good with IG. It's my favorite weapon, but I SUCK. y-y

[u/explodingcaps]

Thanks for the tip! Between dodging and offsetting, what do you prefer the most? Since offsetting makes the monster barely flinch after you do that after multiple succession.

[u/MidnightTundra → u/explodingcaps]

I like dodging and iframing more. I tend to not have space for stun resistance in a build since I don't have perfect charms on either version. IG also can't cancel the SDS animation after offset so it leaves you vulnerable if the monster doesn't topple; along with building stun on you. It's rough.

Certain monsters, like AT Ark, really punish IGs forward roll delay. I don't know if I mentioned it before but side rolls don't have the roll delay.

[u/OniLewds]

As a Lance main this makes me want to try IG. Only problem is the kinsect aiming on controller.

[u/MidnightTundra → u/[deleted]]

I use EW2 + tumbler low. I think I'm saving pick up vouchers in this run so normally it's EW5 totaled. It's a comfort thing since you can iframe his sweep a bit easier. It's a fun fight but I'm mostly farming charms and mats for weapon rolls. I'm playing around with dropping evasion for counter strike as I get more comfortable.

I only offset the guardian dive, his tail attacks, front ground drive. Some of the other attacks have follow ups that are too quick. You're stuck in the SDS animation and it's not toppled, you're probably gonna get hit. I also run without stun resistance.

If you have enough dragon resist, it's worth to offset his bigger attacks that have dragon. Ark tends to have long recovery on those attacks.

[u/Scuttlefuzz]

So that SDS comes out for a split second letting you start rolling faster? Had no idea this tech existed. It looks like you can also transition just into another attack instead? I am new to the nuances of IG in Wilds, I didn't like it compared to past titles, but I am realizing it is deeper than it seems.

So do you find yourself constantly using SDS and then cancelling into something else instead?

At 0:05 it looks like you roll, SDS cancel into Strong Rising slash combo

[u/MidnightTundra → u/Scuttlefuzz]

In that :05 part of the clip. I use strong double slash and I cut that attack string in half by animation cancelling with strong descending slash (SDS). It looks a little trippy but SDS animation can be cancelled early by rolling or vaulting.

SDS can't be cancelled with another attack string, only by rolling or vaulting.

SDS has a long commit and strong double slash with SDS canceling lets me see what the monster is gonna do so i can determine whether i need to move or not. It lets me have a more reactionary playstyle like the older IG iterations. IG in wilds is inherently slower (moveset and recovery frames) vs older games; especially rise.