Hunt, carve, craft, and repeat. This is the tried-and-true formula of theMonster Hunterfranchise which debuted in 2004. In the latest installment,Monster Hunter Risefor Nintendo Switch, old and new players alike can dive into the expansive, creature-filled world from the comfort of their homes, or on the go.
Fighting monsters allows players to craft stronger weapons and armor. For newcomers, it may be difficult to discern which armor sets will benefit them the most as hunts get bigger. It’d be worthwhile to look at the armor sets that serious players should have their eyes on as they advance into the hardest fights of the game.
Updated July 27, 2025, by Blaise Santi:It’s been many years now since the initial release ofMonster Hunter Rise. Since then, the game has been ported to PC, as well as PlayStation and Xbox systems, and has also received a humongous DLC expansion,Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak. Through these updates, there’s been lots of content added to the game, but most importantly, lots of new monsters for hunters to face. As players pick out the best armor set to show off their hunting skills, consider these three additional armor sets, one of which requires a Sunbreak-exclusive quest, and the other two require facing a breathtaking monster from the series' past.
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Purchasing theSunbreakexpansion will allow hunters to take on the Village Request “New Mask Mission,” which asks them to capture a Master Rank Magnamalo. It’s not an easy request, to say the least, but the reward is unlocking a new Armor set to craft at the Smithy: Utsushi True (Visible), which requires several Elgado Tickets from completing MR quests.
However, the benefits unlocked by the Utsushi True (Visible) set are a little more niche than most other armor sets, with Skills including Speed Eating, Recovery Up, and Wide-Range, all of which are beneficial to all weapon types (especially Hunting Horns, if players make use of Horn Maestro), as well as Good Luck, which boosts the rewards they reap for every quest.
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The Arc set (for male hunters) and the Storge set (for female hunters) are crafted from Master Rank Shagaru Magala fights. The armor sets are entirely identical in both Skills and required materials, offering some nice skill bonuses like Critical Element, Razor Sharp, and Spare Shot, the latter being useful only for Gunner weapon types.
As for the other skills, Bloodlust triggers when players are infected with the Frenzy virus, boosting attack, reducing stamina usage, and increasing evasion, among other benefits. Another skill, Resuscitate, boosts attack when inflicted with an abnormal status condition, which will make Magala hunts easy enough for hunters to acquire the next armor set…
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Like the Arc/Storge set, the Virtue and Prudence sets correspond to the male and female variants, respectively. Also like the previous set, they have Skills that will prove useful against Magala monsters, including the aforementioned Bloodlust, as well as Frenzied Bloodlust, which gives players an additional Wirebug while they’re inflicted.
What makes Virtue/Prudence even better than Arc/Storge is its other Skills, including the always-useful Handicraft, Weakness Exploit, and Attack Boost. The Skill Defiance also boosts defense when monsters are enraged, which can come as a big help in the heat of a hunt. However, acquiring it will force players to fight the Risen Shagaru Magala many times.
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TheFlaming Espinasis a variant of the Espinas, a monsteroriginally introduced inMonster Hunter Frontier Season 2. What makes Flaming Espinas stand out is its focus on fiery attacks, which is reflected in its armor set’s high resistance to fire. Its skills, however, incorporate a lot of useful abilities that hunters of any weapon type can benefit from.
With skills including Attack Boost, Marathon Runner, and Razor Sharp, most Blademaster weapon users will reap huge rewards from this powerful armor set. Even Gunner types will get some benefit with two levels of Spare Shot, which gives a 10% chance of not using ammo or coatings. The only downside is having to take down a Flaming Espinas to craft it.
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TheTempest Setisa classic armor set for skilled veteransof theMonster Hunterfranchise. It’s made entirely out of Amatsu materials, with some rare pieces from Zinogre and Mizutsune as well. Despite being an Elder Dragon Armor, its skill selection is small but worthwhile, on top of other perks including armor slots, water resistance, and regal style.
Aside from the five levels of Evade Window from the helmet alone, as well as three levels of Critical Boost and five levels of Latent Power, the Tempest Set comes with the unique skill Heaven-Sent. This skill gives a multitude of benefits if players go a long time during a hunt without being hit, including nullifying stamina and sharpness consumption.
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Malzeno is a new Elder Dragonintroduced as the mascot ofMonster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak. If it wasn’t a difficult enough fight on its own, an update introduced a terrifying variant in the Primordial Malzeno. Its skill selection is very close to the standard Malzeno’s Master Rank armor set, including Blood Rite and Partbreaker, as well as skills like Critical Boost and Burst.
ThePrimordial Setalso includes a new unique skill: Blood Awakening. With Blood Awakening, players will receive an attack boost depending on the health they regain from attacking a monster. While the entire set is incredibly powerful, it probably isn’t enough to outdo the Attack Boost from the regular Malzeno’s armor set.
The Lucent Nargacuga made its series debut inMonster Hunter 3 Ultimatebefore finally returning inMonster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak. The monster became available via the first free update for the expansion, posing a much greater threat than the regular Nargacuga. However, with its higher difficulty also comes better rewards for those who craft its armor.
One of theLucent Narga Set’sskills is level 5 Handicraft, increasing the sharpness of blademaster weapons. It also contains skills like Agitator, which increases attack and affinity when large monsters become enraged. It bears similarities to the regular Narga Set with its skills in Evade Extender as well, making it overall an improvement over its variant.
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Hunters inMonster Hunter Risealready know how much of a pain in the butt the Rathalos can be when enraged. However, that fury pales in comparison to its variant, the Silver Rathalos. The Silver Rathalos is prone to much more powerful enraged modes, as well as more impenetrable skin that can be damaging to a weapon’s sharpness.
Although conquering the Silver Rathalos is no easy feat once, besting it several times will allow access to its incredibly powerful armor set, known as theSilver Sol Set. Some of its skills include Critical Boost and Critical Element, as well as Elemental Exploit. Other useful skills are Windproof, Constitution, and Redirection, which would help any type of hunter.
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The Lunagaron is a brand-new monster inSunbreak, resembling the Nargacuga and Tobi-Kadachi in movement. However, it’s a much greater threat than either monster, though it makes up for its difficulty with its simple yet effective armor set. It possesses a few points towards the Critical Eye skill, increasing affinity for any type of Blademaster.
TheLunagaron Setalso includes the previously-mentioned Agitator, giving it even more Affinity potential, as does Latent Power during longer hunts. With a few additional Decorations for the Critical Eye skill and certain conditions met, the Lunagaron Set could provide hunters with near 100% affinity, making every attack of theirs a critical hit.
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The Seregios finally returns to theMonster Hunterfranchise after its debut inMonster Hunter 4 Ultimate. The monster is notable for its weapons, which feature very high sharpness levels, even for Blunt weapons like Hammer. Thankfully, for Sharpness-obsessed hunters, the Armor set has similar qualities.
TheSeregios Setarmor includes skills like Handicraft, which increases sharpness levels on weapons without full sharpness. It also has generally useful skills for movement while hunting, like Constitution and Evade Window. It also has a unique skill called Bladescale Hone, which recovers sharpness after successfully dodging an attack.
