What is Affinity in Monster Hunter Rise?

Mhr Weapon Great Bow Strike Pose
Mhr Weapon Great Bow Strike Pose (Image credit: iMore)

What is Affinity in Monster Hunter Rise?

Best answer: Affinity is how likely your weapon is to make a critical attack. The higher the percentage, the more likely you'll be to land better hits. Conversely, a negative Affinity percentage indicates the probability of landing a weaker attack than average. You'll need to weigh the pros and cons of your overall stats in addition to Affinity to effectively take down monsters.

Weapon Stats

Every weapon and piece of armor in Monster Hunter Rise has stats assigned to it that affect the overall power of your hunter. There's usually a trade-off of some kind. For instance, a weapon might not have as high of an attack but might also be able to land elemental damage. Choosing which weapons to use will depend on your fighting style and the armor you're wearing.

There are lots of layers to becoming a powerful hunter. All of the complexity that goes into Monster Hunter Rise is one of the reasons it is one of the best Nintendo Switch games you can play.

What those stats mean

Mhr Weapon Stats Bag O Horrors (Image credit: iMore)
Swipe to scroll horizontally
StatWhat it meansHeader Cell - Column 2
RarityThis is basically a way to explain the tier level of various weapons. Typically, the higher the rarity level, the better the weapon.Row 0 - Cell 2
AttackThe amount of damage a weapon can deal.Row 1 - Cell 2
SharpnessThe higher a weapon's sharpness, the more damage it can deal. A weapon's sharpness reduces as it gets used, so hunters need to use a whetstone to sharpen it back up. The sharpness scale goes in this order:Red > Orange > Yellow > Green > Blue > White(red having the least potency and white having the most).Row 2 - Cell 2
ElementWeapons can have thunder, water, fire, ice, or dragon Elements assigned to them. Every Monster has elemental weaknesses and resistances, so exploiting that can help you take them down easier. However, Elemental damage is not affected by Affinity. If you land a critical hit, it will only count towards Physical damage and not Elemental damage.Row 3 - Cell 2
AffinityPositive Affinity percentages determine the likelihood of landing a critical physical attack, while negative Affinity percentages determine the likelihood of landing a weaker attack than normal.Row 4 - Cell 2
Defense BonusThis determines how much extra defense a weapon adds to your stats.Row 5 - Cell 2
SlotsWeapons can have up to three slots where players can equip decorations that activate additional skills.Row 6 - Cell 2

Monster Hunter Elemental weaknesses

There are some exceptions, but this is typically the elemental weakness chart for Monster Hunter Rise. We'll also go over the various blight status conditions that the Elemental types can inflict on you.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
ElementStrong againstWeak against
FireIceWater
WaterFireThunder
ThunderWaterDragon
IceThunder/DragonFire
DragonDragonDragon/Thunder/Ice
  • Fire Element: Getting hit with Fire damage can cause Fireblight, a status condition that slowly lowers your health. You can put it out by rolling around repeatedly or stop it instantly by rolling in water. You know — stop, drop, and roll.
  • Water Element: Getting hit with Water damage can cause Waterblight, a status condition that slows Stamina recovery.
  • Thunder Element: Getting hit with thunder damage can cause Thunderblight, which can stun you.
  • Ice Element: Getting hit with ice damage can cause Iceblight, a status condition that increases the amount of Stamina you use.
  • Dragon Element: Getting hit with dragon damage can cause Dragonblight. This status condition is a doozy as it lowers weapon Affinity, removes a weapon's Elemental Damage, and makes it harder to build up Poison, Paralysis, Sleep and Blast attacks.

Monster Hunter Rise Affinity and other Stats

If you pay attention to your weapons and armor stats, you can really make yourself a force to be reckoned with. Before embarking on tough missions, consider your main target's Elemental Weakness and then arm yourself appropriately.

Rebecca Spear
Gaming Editor

Gaming aficionado Rebecca Spear is iMore's dedicated gaming editor with a focus on Nintendo Switch and iOS gaming. You’ll never catch her without her Switch or her iPad Air handy. If you’ve got a question about Pokémon, The Legend of Zelda, or just about any other Nintendo series check out her guides to help you out. Rebecca has written thousands of articles in the last six years including hundreds of extensive gaming guides, previews, and reviews for both Switch and Apple Arcade. She also loves checking out new gaming accessories like iPhone controllers and has her ear to the ground when it comes to covering the next big trend.