Monster Hunter Rise: How to change buddy skills

Much of your success in Monster Hunter Rise will come crafting the best gear and knowing which is the best weapon to use. However, your triumphs aren’t yours alone. In each hunt you go on, you’ll be joined by two companions: a palamute and palico. As you progress throughout the game, these buddies will grow alongside you and learn new talents that’ll help you in battle.

In this Monster Hunter Rise guide, we’ll show you how to equip new buddy skills. We’ll explain where to find the buddy board to switch out talents and what you need to know when outfitting your teammates with new abilities.

Where to find a buddy board

To change your buddy skills, you need to find a buddy board. Keep an eye out for a large wooden palamute and palico statue around the village.

Image: Capcom via Polygon

You can find one near your item box by the Steelworks, inside the gathering hub, at the Buddy Plaza, and other places around Kamura. Interacting with this statue will bring up the Buddy Board menu.

The Buddy Board will allow you to change multiple settings for your hunting pals like their equipment, appearance and of course, their buddy skills.

How to change buddy skills

To change buddy skills, select the menu of the same name in your Buddy Board options.

Next, choose the type of buddy you want, either your palamutes or palicos. You’ll see a list of all the buddies you’ve hired. After choosing one, your cursor will move to the right of the screen where you can choose their buddy skills.

Image: Capcom via Polygon

Your can choose from several predetermined skills based on your buddy’s level. As they go on hunts with you and increase their experience, they’ll gain access to new talents. Highlighting a grayed-out skill will show you the level at which it unlocks.

To equip new buddy skills, pay attention to a buddy’s Skill Memory. As buddies grow, they will gain more skill memory slots, represented by squares under the Skill Memory section. Each ability takes up slots in their Skill Memory, either one or two.

You can only equip as many Buddy Skills as their Skill Memory slots allow. As your companions grow, check in on their skills periodically to see if they’ve unlocked any new talents. If the buddies you have don’t have any skills you need, you can always visit the Buddy Plaza to scout for and hire new pals.