Vortex Gaming

· Based on a day's experience using the Insect Glaive in Monster Hunter Now, we introduce the weapon's characteristics, strengths, and key operational points.
· The current player is Hunter Rank 400 and possesses a total of 11 Insect Glaives (Grade 10 or higher) for each element.
· In particular, the Nergigante Insect Glaive has reached near maximum enhancement.

· The general-purpose equipment configuration for practicing the Insect Glaive is as follows:

Category	Details
Head	Seregios
Chest	Free Slot
Arms	Malzeno
Waist	Gold Rathian
Legs	Silver Rathalos
Skills	Kinsect Handling Lv3 Critical Eye Lv1 Empowerment Lv1 or Resentment Lv1

· This setup utilizes the 'Bloodlust' and 'Furious' skills from Malzeno arms and Gold Rathian waist to secure damage-boosting skills and enhance attack power, focusing on critical-based skills.
· For the chest armor's free slot, various options can be chosen depending on your playstyle:

Category	Armor	Skill	Details
Stability	Astalos (Chest)	Absolute Evasion SP Lv2	If SP Gauge is 85% or higher, failed dodges convert to Perfect Dodges, improving stability.
Firepower	S.P. (Chest)	Pursuit Lv3	20% damage increase upon part break.
Firepower	Bazelgeuse (Chest)	Earplugs Lv3	When monster roars, Attack +700, recovers 70% SP Gauge (useful for monsters that roar frequently).
Firepower	Gacha (Chest)	True Potential Lv2	20% damage increase when performing various actions.
Comfort	Pukei-Pukei (Chest)	Empowerment Lv2	Extends empowered state duration (especially useful for Power-type Kinsects).

· The core of the Insect Glaive is entering the 'Empowered State' to maximize firepower. Efficient gauge recovery is crucial.
· Entering the empowered state is broadly divided into 3 stages.
· Stage 1: Accumulate Kinsect Stamina Gauge
· The Kinsect's stamina gauge builds up when the hunter attacks or waits. It's best to accumulate it quickly through attacks.
· Stage 2: Send out Kinsect
· Once the Kinsect's stamina gauge is sufficiently full, long-press and release or flick to mark the monster and send out the Kinsect.
· The Kinsect attacks and recovers the hunter's gauge. (e.g., if hunter gauge max is 6, Kinsect stamina 3 is recovered twice)
· Stage 3: Reach Max Gauge and Enter Empowered State
· When the hunter's gauge reaches maximum, both the hunter and Kinsect turn red, entering the empowered state.
· In the empowered state, the Kinsect's effects activate, the hunter's attack motions change, and damage significantly increases.

· The Insect Glaive synergizes very well with Perfect Dodge.
· Successfully performing a Perfect Dodge grants the following effects:
· The Kinsect's stamina gauge is instantly refilled.
· Before empowerment, you can quickly recover the gauge by marking after a Perfect Dodge.
· During empowerment, the Kinsect performs a more powerful attack after a Perfect Dodge, increasing firepower.
· After a successful Perfect Dodge, you can long-press + flick up/left/right to leap and chain into aerial combat.
· Recommended armor for easing Perfect Dodge difficulty is as follows:

Category	Armor	Skill	Details
Head	Rajang (Head)	Perfect Dodge Enhance Lv3	Significantly lowers the difficulty of Perfect Dodge.
Chest/Arms	Mizutsune (Chest/Arms)	Bubble Dance Lv2+	Provides recovery effects along with Perfect Dodge Enhance, increasing stability.

· An equipment setup centered around 'Bubble Dance' and 'Kinsect Handling' is also very effective.

· Simply tapping repeatedly or performing aerial attacks after entering the empowered state makes it difficult to achieve the Insect Glaive's maximum firepower.
· The key is to actively utilize 'Kinsect Mark' attacks.
· Co-op Type or Dust Type Kinsects primarily excel in ground combat, and regular tap attacks won't mark the monster.
· Even in the empowered state, you must long-press and then flick or release to mark the monster, encouraging the Kinsect to attack actively.
· Kinsect attacks provide additional damage, significantly increasing overall firepower.
· Extract Type Kinsects are relatively less demanding as their Extract Stab finisher attack includes marking.

· The maximum Kinsect stamina gauge and hunter gauge vary by Insect Glaive.
· Kinsect stamina gauge is either max 3 or 5, and hunter gauge is either max 6 or 8.
· For example, the Silver Rathalos Insect Glaive has Kinsect stamina 3 and hunter gauge 6.
· The Nergigante Insect Glaive has Kinsect stamina 5 and hunter gauge 8.
· The recommended timing for gauge recovery is to mark when the Kinsect stamina has accumulated to about 2-3.
· Taking the Nergigante Insect Glaive (Kinsect stamina 5, hunter gauge 8) as an example, marking with Kinsect stamina 5 recovers 1/8 of the hunter gauge.
· To fill the remaining 3 slots, it's best to recover Kinsect stamina in combinations of 5+3 or 4+4, with 4+4 being a good balance.
· Kinsect stamina also builds up with normal attacks, but an additional 1 slot is recovered when marking (long-press then flick/release).
· Considering this point when managing Kinsect stamina can increase gauge recovery efficiency. For example, if Kinsect stamina is 3, marking will add 1 slot, recovering 4 slots, making it easier to fill the hunter gauge of 8 with a 4+4 combination.

· The most common situation for taking damage when using the Insect Glaive is during aerial combat.
· Unlike the Dual Blades' Spiral Slash style, aerial combat is unfamiliar to many hunters, making it difficult to predict monster attack patterns.
· It is recommended not to be too greedy in the air and to quickly return to the ground after using 'Extract Stab'.
· Improving your understanding of aerial movement and monster attacks is crucial.