Decorations and Talismans

Learn how Decorations and Talismans in Monster Hunter Generations let you customize your armor. Discover how to slot decorations, appraise charms, and equip powerful talismans to boost your skills.

Hey there, hunter! So, you've been playing Monster Hunter Generations and you're probably wondering about those little slots on your armor and what those mysterious Talismans do. Think of Decorations and Talismans as your secret weapons for fine-tuning your gear. They're how you really make your armor set work for you, pushing those skills just that little bit further or fixing those annoying negative points.

First up, let's talk about Decorations. You'll notice some armor pieces have these little slots – that's where Decorations go. The guy at the forge can whip these up for you once you've made some progress in the story. To craft them, you'll need specific items like Aquaglow Jewels, along with other bits and bobs you pick up from monsters or the marketplace. Each Decoration gives you skill points, usually +1 to +3, for a specific skill. Some might even throw in a negative skill point for a related skill, so keep an eye on that!

For instance, a Handicraft Jewel gives you +1 to Handicraft, which is super handy for boosting your weapon's sharpness. But, it might also give you -1 to Sharpness, which affects how quickly your weapon loses sharpness. It's all about balance!

Decorations are your best friend when you're just a few points shy of activating a powerful skill. Or, if your armor set has a nasty -10 to a skill that's really holding you back, you can craft a Decoration to bump it up to -9 and effectively 'gem it out.' Remember, some Decorations need more than one slot – a three-slot Decoration needs an armor piece with three slots, not two pieces that add up to three. So, always check the slot requirements!

Now, onto Talismans. These are like the souped-up, randomly generated cousins of Decorations. As you go mining and questing, you'll sometimes snag Charms as rewards, like the Mystery Charm or Shining Charm. When you finish a quest, these Charms get appraised and turn into Talismans. The kicker? They're totally random!

Some Talismans can give you a huge boost, like Thunder Atk +13, while others might hit you with a massive negative, like Health -9, just for a few points in a less useful skill. It's a gamble, but the rewards can be huge.

Here's the big difference: you can slot as many Decorations as your armor allows, but you can only equip one Talisman at a time. However, Talismans can also come with slots themselves, meaning you can slot Decorations into your Talisman! A Talisman with slots is seriously valuable, so if you're hunting for the best ones, be prepared for a long haul involving lots of mining, patience, and a good dose of luck.

The best part is that neither Decorations nor Talismans are permanent. You can swap them out whenever you want. And if you find a killer armor and Talisman combo, don't forget to use the Equipment Sets feature to Register a Set. It’ll save your Decorations and Talismans too, which is super handy for quick gear changes!