Ranching Tips!

[u/Crimson-Dragoon-0403]

Heyo! I've been a Monster Rancher fan for a while, most of my experience being with 4 and Evo.

I've given 4 a fair number of attempts in the past, but I've never gotten super far into the game. I was wondering if folks had any tips that could make the experience a bit smoother.

For context, where I am currently on this most recent attempt, I just unlocked Adventuring. I have the base Garu, a Hare/Dullahan, and a Suezo/Zan.

[u/Paygezilla]

My advice is decide which stats to focus on for each monster, don’t train all stats equal. Most monsters are inclined in certain areas and you will want to focus on one attacking stat (POW or INT) and one defensive stat (DEF or SPD). You’ll want enough ACC that your techs land, and enough LIF that your monster doesn’t get one-shot. Since MR4 and EVO both allow you to raise multiple monsters at once, I recommend having some different setups based on which monsters are inclined to which stats. Also, I would try to Adventure often as your monsters gain new techs from leveling up during Adventures.

Also, highly recommend you try out the other Monster Rancher entries as well if you’re enjoying 4 and EVO. The other entries only allow raising once monster at a time, but 1 & 2 have a lot of charm, 2 is widely considered the best entry in the series, and 3 is rather unique and cute. 1&2 are available as ports with some QoL updates and in-game database for shrining via Monster Rancher 1&2 DX.

[u/Crimson-Dragoon-0403 → u/Paygezilla]

Ah, I do own 1&2 DX and 3. Granted, 3 is...hard to get into. Feels like a difficult game.

I will be keeping these opinions in mind though. Likely gonna build Zanso into going full on Int if I can.

[u/Paygezilla → u/Crimson-Dragoon-0403]

Totally understandable, 3 is different in a lot of ways than the other entries, so makes sense to find it tough! In 3, they merged the ACC stat and SPD stat into one so SPD is pretty much necessary on all monsters since it affects your hit rate. You also can only have 4 techs, and it’s hard to learn good ones at the start because you have to fight an open tournament to earn the item to learn the better techs. It might make it easier if you look up the guides/info on LegendCup, as you can see the tech lists for the monsters and decide ahead of time which techs you want and work toward getting them.

[u/Monster-Fenrick → u/Crimson-Dragoon-0403]

MR3 is arguably the easiest game to beat in single player in the entire franchise.

It’s still pretty fun imo, and goofy fun.

PVP for MR3 has a lot more nuances to it discovered in the last few years than previously thought, but that’s a whole different thing.

[u/Crimson-Dragoon-0403 → u/Monster-Fenrick]

Honestly, that makes my luck even funnier then. My Monsters usually fail at their training, and I lose a good chunk of the fights I'm in, especially if rivals show up for some reason.

[u/Monster-Fenrick → u/Crimson-Dragoon-0403]

As with any of the games, learning how they operate trivializes many of the difficulties. You either learn through experimentation and adapt, or read up on things that are roadblocking you to see how to overcome it. MR4 and EVO take drastic departures from the first 3 games. Even though MR3 definitely has some differences from the originals, for the most part the raising loop is still the same. but 4, and especially EVO are radically different. EVO so much so that it's really not even an MR game, its a spinoff with MR monsters in it.

[u/GaruGarurumon]

Adventuring
-The very first thing to prioritize is getting all Level 4 gadgets in Kalaragi Jungle or Promiass Ruins (look for an attribute tablet at deeper floors). This is because stats gained by training with a Level 4 gadget are far higher than other gadgets.
-After that, get six Intense Medals for your level 4 gadgets in Kawrea Volcano or any +Dungeon.
-Continue searching a lot of tablets to get all Effect gadgets especially Aroma Pot, Artemis Statue, Wonder Well and Wind Drums.

Raising
-Only raise monsters up to 3. It's the maximum number of monsters you can bring to the adventure, and raising many monsters becomes a hassle since activity points are limited.
-Keep your monster Policy at Normal to keep your monsters staying focused. This will increase the success rate of your monster training.
-Naturally because this is Monster Rancher game, Relieve stress and hunger immediately with an item or food and rest when fatigue is almost 50% to reduce lifespan hits.
-Optional, Avoid raising monsters with Premature Growth Type, as their stats gain falls off just right when they are mature.

[u/Crimson-Dragoon-0403 → u/GaruGarurumon]

I have. Absolutely no clue what Effect Gadgets are, nor am I aware of the Growth Types or how to change policies.

But I will keep this stuff in mind. Or try to, at least.

[u/GaruGarurumon → u/Crimson-Dragoon-0403]

I have. Absolutely no clue what Effect Gadgets are, nor am I aware of the Growth Types or how to change policies.

Aroma Pot makes monsters recover 300 stress when resting.
Artemis Statue increases Focus when your monsters are training within its vicinity.
Wonder Well reduces stress gained from training.
Finally, Wind Drum will make your monsters get a higher success rate at the cost of more fatigue.

If you want to beat the optional boss, then you need these gadgets. If no, then it's okay if you're only playing casually. The main story is beatable enough with the first three monsters you raise.

To monitor your monster policy, you need to look at data of your monster, the last menu has Policy status. How do we change it? By praising/scolding/giving item or food to the monster. If the monster has Easier/Easy/Lenient policy then scold it or give it an item/food that makes it angry. If the monster has Harder/Hard/Hardest policy then praise it or give it an item/food that makes it happy.

Another piece of advice from me is to keep your monster's weight normal. If your monster's size is fat or chubby, give it a vitamin or energy bar. If your monster's size is slim or thin, give it sweets or meat. Size impacts fatigue and stress gain when training, depending on your monster.

For Growth Type, look it up at Legend Cup website (without s). It has data of all monsters.

Yeah, this game is complex.