Monster Hunter Rise Tips Guide: All Wirebug attacks and skills

The hunters of Kamura village have all sorts of resources at their disposal for dispatching monsters. Weapons that can crush rock, armor that can endure explosions, and animal companions that can aid in battle. One of these companions is the Wirebug. This giant insect allows hunters to traverse the environment and beat down monsters in ways never seen before in Monster Hunter.

With this guide, you will learn how to use the Wirebug and become an aerial ace hunter in Monster Hunter Rise for the Nintendo Switch. Though keep in mind, this guide is based on the Monster Hunter Rise demo. If anything changes with the Wirebug when the full game comes out, we will update accordingly.

After you're done reading this guide, be sure to check our other guides for Monster Hunter Rise. We have guides on armor sets, lists of endemic life and monsters confirmed (so far) for Monster Hunter Rise.

Don't forget to pick up one of the best microSD cards for your Switch before getting the game. You will need tons of storage space for this content-rich experience.

Monster Hunter Rise Tips Guide: All Wirebug attacks and skills What is a Wirebug, and what does it do?

A Wirebug is an endemic life native to lands near Kamura village. These insects have the ability to produce a strong substance called 'Ironsilk.' As the name suggests, this silk is about as strong as iron and is sought after by Kamura's hunters.

The hunters of the Kamura village capture Wirebugs and tame them to utilize their Ironsilk during a hunt. The most common use of Wirebugs is to toss them into the air, grab on to the Ironsilk and use it to swing in the air.

The Wirebug can also augment your attacks using special techniques called 'Silkbind' attacks. Not to mention the Wirebug's Ironsilk can be used to restrain and briefly take control of monsters with a technique called 'Wyvern Riding.'

This all sounds amazing — however, there is a catch. Most actions with the Wirebug require Wirebug charges (represented by the Wirebug icons on the bottom of the screen) and they have cooldowns so you can't just spam them infinitely. Also, both regular Wirebug moves and Silkbind moves share Wirebug charges, so you need to decide what situation is appropriate for each skill.

You get two Wirebug charges at the beginning of a hunt, and you can acquire an extra Wirebug in the field for a maximum of three charges. Take note that the third charge will leave after a few minutes due to being a wild Wirebug.

Monster Hunter Rise Tips Guide: All Wirebug attacks and skills Traversal Wirebug skills

Before you begin swinging, it's important to note that Wirebug actions change depending on whether your weapon is sheathed or not. Regular Wirebug moves can only be performed when your weapon is put away, and Silkbind attacks can only be performed when your weapon is drawn.

Let's start things off by learning all Wirebug moves you can perform with your weapon sheathed.

The Wiredash is the most important Wirebug move to learn because this move is the foundation you will build your aerial hunting style on. There are multiple ways to perform the Wiredash:

• While on the ground, hold the ZL button, then press the A button to have the Wirebug drag you forward in the direction you are currently facing. This move will quickly re-position yourself if you need to get close or away from a monster.
• Hold ZL, then press X while on the ground to leap diagonally into the air in the direction you are currently facing. This move also helps with re-positioning, and it can be followed up with a variety of options, which will be discussed later.
• Holding ZL will bring a reticle, and if you press ZR, you can dash wherever your reticle is aimed at. This allows you to aim precisely where you are Wiredashing to, but it may take slightly longer than the other methods since you are manually aiming the Wirebug. However, this can be mitigated with practice.

Here's a bonus tip with the ZL button. If you hold ZL to bring the reticle, you can aim your Throwing Kunai and throw Mini-Barrel Bombs instead of planting them on the ground.

Now while you are airborne, the previous Wirebug actions will behave differently:

• Pressing ZL+A will pull you downwards towards the ground in the direction you're currently facing. This is useful if you want to get back to earth faster to make ground-based attacks.
• Pressing the ZL+X button combo will send you flying higher in the direction you are currently facing. This move will keep you airborne and out of the reach of ground-based monsters.
• Holding ZL then pressing ZR in the air will function as it did on the ground, letting you manually aim where you want to dash off to.

You will also gain access to new moves while airborne:

• Pressing B will make you jump in mid-air. This is useful if you need to reposition yourself mid-air without spending a Wirebug charge. The mid-air jump can also help close the gap on a fleeing monster and keep yourself mobile.
• Pressing A will suspend you in mid-air on a Wirebug's Ironsilk. You can use this move to avoid a prolonged attack that encompasses the whole floor or regain stamina safely in mid-air. However, the Wirebug can't hold your weight forever, so don't hang there for too long. You can either press A to fall, press B to do a mid-air jump, or do a Wiredash.
• While in the air, if you press X, A, or ZR without holding ZL, you will draw your weapon out to make an aerial attack.

One of the coolest things you can do while Wiredashing is that you can throw Large or Mega Barrel Bombs in mid-air. Make sure you have enough space away from the explosion; otherwise, you will get knocked out of the air.

Before we move on, it's important to remember that the Wiredash does not grant Invincibility Frames (I-Frames for short). For those who don't know, these are frames of an animation that make briefly make you invincible for a few seconds. Only dodge rolls and some Silkbind moves grant I-Frames, so don't go swinging directly into a monster's attacks.

If you get smacked hard by a monster, you can immediately bounce back up by pressing ZL+B to perform the 'Wirefall' technique. This is vital when you need to escape after being knocked to the ground, and a monster's about to finish you off.

After performing a Wirefall, you can follow it up with a Wiredash, a mid-air jump, or an aerial attack.

Though don't get too greedy with it. Some monsters have combo attacks that can pick you off if you immediately attack them after getting up. Sometimes it's better to Wirefall away to recover your wounds than go on the offensive.

If you Wiredash towards a flat wall and hold the sprint button (R), you will begin running up the wall. You can change which direction you are running with the left analog stick and press B to jump off the wall. After a wall jump, you can follow up with a Wiredash, an aerial attack, a mid-air jump, or hang in the air by pressing A.

Wall running consumes stamina fast, and if you run out, you will fall off the wall. To prevent this, you can jump off the wall, press A to hang in the air, wait for your stamina to recover, and then Wiredash back onto the wall to continue running.

Before you go thinking that you can run up a wall and snipe a monster from a safe distance with ranged weapons, they're aware of this. If you try to attack a monster from a high place they can't reach, the monster will use a ranged projectile specifically for this predicament.

Monster Hunter Rise Tips Guide: All Wirebug attacks and skills Silkbind attacks

While your weapon is drawn, press ZL+X or ZL+A to perform Silkbind attacks. Slikbind attacks are super moves that use the Wirebug to buff your stats, evade enemy attacks, or cause grievous bodily harm to a monster.

For example the 'Power Sheath' is an evasive Silkbind maneuver for Great Swords. The Wirebug that pulls you away from a monster, sheathes the Great Sword and powers it up for a few minutes.

And the 'Earthshaker' is a damage-dealing Silkbind attack for Hunting Horns. It uses the Wirebug's Ironsilk to plug the Hunting Horn into a monster's skull to unleash a powerful soundwave inside their head, dealing tons of damage.

Using Silkbinds can cost one or two Wirebug charges and have various cooldown rates. For example, the Power Sheath costs one Wirebug charge and has a fast cooldown period, whereas the Earthshaker costs two Wirebug and has a slow cooldown period.

If you want a full list of every Silkbind attack for every weapon, check out our list of weapons for Monster Hunter Rise.

Monster Hunter Rise Tips Guide: All Wirebug attacks and skills Wyvern Riding

Perhaps, the most powerful use of Wirebugs is the 'Wyvern Riding' mechanic. Wyvern Riding allows the Wirebug to restrain the monster with Ironsilk and let you take control of it for a short time.

There are a few methods to trigger Wyvern Riding:

• Dealing damage with aerial attacks and Silkbind attacks.
• Having monsters damage each other or engage in Turf Wars.
• Using the Puppet Spider endemic lifeform will instantly make a monster mountable by shooting paralytic webbing at it. It will only work once after hitting the monster. Afterward, you will have to use the other methods.

When a monster is ready to be mounted, there will be a brief button prompt asking you to ride it. Attacking a monster in this state will also trigger the mount. On a side note, all your spent Wirebug charges will instantly refill once you mount a monster.

Once you gain control of the monster, you can use the Ironsilk as reins to make it perform a variety of actions:

• You can move the monster by holding the R button and moving the left analog stick.
• Press X or A to perform Light and Heavy attacks, respectively. You can also hold the left analog stick backward while pressing X or A to execute different attacks than pressing them on their own.
• If you press B, you can do a small evasive quick-step. Under certain conditions, the quick-step evade can become an Emergency Evade. This move grants a generous amount of I-Frames while dodging. It can be triggered after an attack or when a monster is hitting you. Emergency Evades cost a Wirebug charge, so use them wisely.
• Pressing the Y button will launch the monster forward and lets you dismount it. Dismounting a monster will cause it to fall over and become trapped in Ironsilk bindings for a minute. If you launch a monster into a wall, it will suffer a ton of damage, and you will dismount. If you have some Wirebug charges to spare, you can press B to regain your footing to launch it into a wall again. You can launch a monster into a wall or object up to a maximum of three times (or four if you have an extra Wirebug charge) before they instantly fall.

Damaging a monster and evading attacks while Wyvern Riding will gradually fill up a meter in the middle of the screen. Once it's full, you can press X+A together to activate the Mounted Punisher, which is your mounted monster's ultimate attack.

You have a small amount of time to activate the Mounted Punisher, so don't miss it because it does a lot of damage. Once you pull off the Mounted Punisher or if you miss it, you will dismount the monster you were riding.

Next to the Mounted Punisher meter, there's a clock that shows how much time you have left before your mounted monster breaks free. If you get hit by a monster, you will lose time on the clock.

When you finish riding a monster, you won't be able to mount it again for at least ten minutes.

Now you might be thinking that you can exploit this mechanic in multiplayer by standing still and letting your teammates go nuts on the restrained monster. Unfortunately, all the attacks from your teammates will be heavily nerfed on the mounted mounter since it counts as an ally. Only other monsters will be able to damage your mount effectively.

Are you ready to take to the skies with your Wirebug?

That about covers everything you need to know about the Wirebug. We hope this guide will help you master the Wirebug and rein in those monsters. Now get out there and show Rathalos who's the real King of the Skies.

Monster Hunter Rise will launch for Nintendo Switch on March 26, 2021.