Palico Management

Learn how to manage your Palicos in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate! Discover the Palico Board, deploy/train Palicos, manage equipment, and understand Forte Skills to boost your feline companions.

Alright, let's talk about your furry little buddies, the Palicos! You've got a special spot for managing them called The Palico Board, and you'll find it in your house and at Sunsnug Isle. It's pretty much your Palico command center, and here's a rundown of what you can do there:

Deploy/Train: This is where you pick which Palicos are coming with you on hunts. Remember, your primary Palico *has* to be set to Deploy for any others to join. You can bring your primary Palico and one other Palico with you on a quest. Any other Palicos you've recruited can be set as a “1st stringer” to train and level up while you're off adventuring.

Set 1st Stringers: These are your training squad. What's cool is that their specialties actually influence your primary Palico's specialty. Your primary Palico starts out unspecialized, but by setting up your 1st stringers, you can give them some serious buffs. We'll dive deeper into Forte Skills in the next section, but basically, your 1st stringers determine what Forte Skills your primary Palico can access.

Manage Equipment: Yep, your Palicos get their own gear! You can deck them out with adorable mini armor and weapons right here. For info on how to actually get this gear, you'll want to check out the Meownster Hunters section.

Change Clothing: If you're not equipping them with gear, Palicos have their default outfits. This option lets you change their appearance purely for aesthetic reasons – go wild!

Edit Greetings: If you send a Palico out via StreetPass, it'll have a greeting message. Make it a good one and show off your Palico to the world!

Dismiss: …Seriously? You're going to dismiss a Palico? Prepare for a heart-wrenching cutscene. If you can handle that, then shame on you!

Hire Bonus Palicos: Keep an eye out here for any free Palicos that might be available as online DLC. It's a great way to grab some extra help!

Forte Skills

So, about those Forte Skills I mentioned? Your primary Palico is a blank slate, but your 1st stringers can totally change that. For instance, if you have three Fighting Palicos as your 1st stringers, your primary Palico will gain access to offensive skills like Demon Horn and Piercing Boomerang. These are called Forte Skills, and they're a huge deal for boosting your Palico's effectiveness.

Getting the specific Forte Skills you want can be a bit tricky. The key is to recruit Felynes with different specialties whenever you can. It might take some effort, but it's highly recommended to recruit at least five of every type. This way, you'll have a wide variety of Forte Skills available, allowing you to customize your Palico perfectly for whatever quest you're heading into.