Monster Hunter Stories 2 — Monster eggs, genes, and Rite of Channeling guide

Rite of Channeling and choosing your monster’s genes

The Rite of Channeling mechanic comes into play halfway through the second chapter of Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. In Rutoh Village, you’ll be informed about this after doing a few main quests. The first action always has you sacrificing the village elder’s Aptonoth.

So, what exactly is the Rite of Channeling? Well, it’s a means of obtaining and stacking abilities/perks on a particular Monstie, preferably one with high rarity and decent stats already. To be clear, it’s not something you’d often do as you’re going through the campaign. But, it does become extremely important for the endgame grind and if you wish to partake in PvP. By finding a powerful Monstie later in the game and boosting it considerably, you could have an unrivaled champion.

As for how it works, just remember that the first monster you select will be kept since it’ll inherit genes. Meanwhile, the second monster you select will pass a specific gene and this creature will disappear for good.

Here are some tips:

• Bingo bonuses greatly increase the potency of certain skills. Try to look for multiple bingo bonuses (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal). Bingo matches can either come from the same ability type (i.e., power, technical, or speed) or element/colors (i.e., red/fire, yellow/lightning, white/non-elemental, and so on).
• Some monsters might roll with a “rainbow gene.” This is considered a free bingo gene that matches any color.
• You can pass on the same type of gene/skill to stack it, providing additional bonuses denoted by stars. For instance, a skill’s accuracy might get increased if it has more stars.
• Watch for skill denotations like (S), (M), and (L) — with (L) variants having the strongest effect.
• For PvP, you’d want to have “anti” perks (i.e., Antishock and/or Antiseal) since most players will try to disrupt your offensive capabilities with their own roster of creatures.
• Remember, even low-level or low-rarity monsters have some use especially if they have a particular gene/perk that you want to obtain. Simply turn them into channeling fodder for the ones that you really want to have in your squad.

Note 1: You can open your menu -> Field Guides -> Book of Genes to see a list of genes that you’ve discovered throughout the campaign.

Note 2: Some gene slots might be locked at the start. Either the Monstie needs to level up, or you have to use a specific stimulant item to unlock it. Stimulant items are categorized based on the monster’s type (i.e., bird wyvern) and they can be found via the Melynx Inc. shop, as random drops, or quest rewards.

Anyway, let’s go to our next guide for Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. We’ll talk about other mechanics such as expeditions and leveling.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is available via Steam. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.