Speedrun Builds Disregard Elemental Damage | Players Question the Logic

A growing number of players are questioning why speedrun builds in titles like Monster Hunter Rise often overlook elemental damage skills. Despite using elemental weapons, many speedrunners focus on raw damage, prompting debate within the gaming community.

Context of Speedrunning Builds

In the Monster Hunter scene, particularly in Rise and Wilds, speedruns represent the highest standard for efficiency. Players analyze different builds to maximize their hunting effectiveness. Surprisingly, many builds consistently fail to capitalize on elemental damage despite wielding elemental weapons such as the Long Sword.

The Mechanics at Play

Many gamers are unpacking Motion Values (MV) and their impact on damage. Elemental damage is primarily a balancing act, one commenter explained, emphasizing that skills like Critical Element and Element Exploit don't always yield significant returns.

"For many weapon types, raw damage far outweighs elemental," noted another player.

The trends point to a few key reasons why many speedrun builds prioritize raw damage:

1. Heroics Boost Raw Damage: A significant portion of players mention that skills boost raw damage substantially, making optimization toward raw damage a no-brainer. As one comment put it, "maximizing raw skills helps more than elemental skills."

2. Effective Skills Are Often One-Point Wonders: Many skills provide the most value at just level 1, making additional levels less beneficial. As noted, skills like Powder Mantle offer significant damage boosts without requiring more than one point.

3. Elemental Weapons' Variability: Different weapons behave differently with elemental builds. Some weapons, like Dual Blades, excel at elemental damage, while others, like the Great Sword, focus mainly on raw damage output. As one player highlighted, dual blades can lose critical elemental performance if affected by negative statuses, like Dragonblight, impacting overall effectiveness.

Conflicting Opinions

Opinions vary significantly. Some players believe the diminishing returns of skills like Element Exploit contribute to why speedrunners avoid investing in them. At level 1, players gain a solid 10% bonus, but as levels increase, returns drop quickly. Thus, time is often better spent on skills that maximize overall damage output.

Player Sentiments

Discussions in forums reveal a mix of curiosity and frustration. One individual remarked, "Speedruns are scripted and calculated to maximize monster downtime," hinting at the level of strategy involved in runs. Meanwhile, others expressed disappointment with the lack of emphasis on elemental skills in current builds.

Key Takeaways

• △ Speedrun builds mostly focus on raw damage over elemental skills.

• ▽ Skills like Element Exploit offer diminishing returns and are often not prioritized.

• ※ "Most skills are one-hit wonders" - common sentiment in the community.

As the meta evolves, experts suggest that if patches enhance the effectiveness of elemental skills, around 60% of top speedrunners could experiment with them. This potential shift may spark deeper dives into Motion Values, encouraging players to explore how elemental mechanics can intertwine with raw damage strategies.