Monster Hunter Rise Wirebug | How to use Silkbind, Wyvern Riding & Switch Skills

There are a few brand-new mechanics in Monster Hunter Rise, and the main one is that you have access to the Wirebug.

The Wirebug allows you to traverse higher, faster and more efficiently than ever before. You even gain access to Silkbind attacks with your specific weapon, and also swap them out with the Switch Skill mechanic that you unlock from Master Utsushi at the hub, too.

But, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by this suite of skills, worry not, as we’ve got a handy Wirebug, Wyvern Riding & Switch Skill guide for Monster Hunter Rise.

• How to use the Wirebug in Monster Hunter Rise
• How to use the Wyvern Riding Mechanic in Monster Hunter Rise
• How to use and unlock Switch Skills in Monster Hunter Rise

How to use the Wirebug in Monster Hunter Rise

The Wirebug is something you’ll always have in Monster Hunter Rise, and in and out of hunts, you can see the amount of Wirebugs available to you at the bottom of the screen.

This will enable you to use several different moves, with and without your weapon sheathed mid-hunt. These moves can be segregated into two different types: Evasive and Offensive.

Wirebug Controls and how to use them in Monster Hunter Rise

• Vertical Wiredash - Use ZL and X with your weapon sheathed dash upwards, can be used while airborne to launch forward.
• Directional Wiredash - Use ZL and A with your weapon sheathed or unsheathed to move in a certain direction with the left stick pointed in the direction you want to head towards. If you use this move while airborne, you will shoot down.
• Aimed Wiredash - Use ZL to aim, and ZR to shoot your wirebug while your weapon is sheathed to dart in that direction. Use this while near enough to a wall to climb up it.
• Wirefall - Use ZL + A and a direction on the analog stick while knocked back by a monster to perform an airborne recovery.
• Wirebug Hang - While midair with your weapon sheathed, press A to stop in midair for a moment and hang from your Wirebug. This is particularly useful when targeting a specific part of a monster.

Offensive Wirebug controls and how to use them in Monster Hunter Rise

• Silkbind Attack (Gunner Only) - Press R and X or A to perform a Silkbind Attack. These vary, depending on your specific weapon type and selected Switch Skill
• Silkbind Attack (Blademaster Only) - Press ZL and X or A to perform a Silkbind Attack. Again, these differ from weapon to weapon and your selected Switch Skill

The Wirebug is crucial to mastering the evasion and combat of Monster Hunter Rise, so be sure to play around with it in an expedition, or in the Training Area in order to get to grips with it.

You can also upgrade your Petalace, which offer different types of buffs from endemic life in the game. You can change up your Petalace at any Item Box.

How to use the Wyvern Riding Mechanic in Monster Hunter Rise

You might be wondering where traditional monster mounting has gone in Monster Hunter Rise - it’s been replaced by Wyvern Riding.

A mechanic where you’re able to “ride” the monster and either attack another monster, or launch a monster towards a wall. However, to get a Monster into a rideable state, you can do the following things to trigger it.

• Attack the monster while airborne
• Use Silkbind Attacks
• Get another monster in the area to attack

From here, you will be able to press the A button to begin Wyvern Riding.

Next, you can use a light or strong attack, evade and launch the monster into a wall. If there is more than one monster in the area and the target monster becomes rideable, instead of launching it into a wall, use it to attack the other monster.

Then, after you manage to attack it, do the Mounted Punisher attack, and then mount the target monster. Then, with the target monster, launch them into a wall to dish out extra damage.

You might need to repeat this up to five times before the monster gets toppled. If there is no other monster, and your target is in a rideable state just launch it into walls to ensure a topple. This is a great way to get breaks on monsters, and an opportunity to dish out extra damage.

How to use and unlock Switch Skills in Monster Hunter Rise

Switch Skills are a new addition to Monster Hunter Rise, and they’re not strictly exclusive to being attached to your Wirebug uses, in some cases.

Each weapon has three slots that are unlockable. And they all unlock at different times.

From what we can gather, the first slot is unlocked via Village quest progression, the second is unlocked via forging a Rarity 5 or above weapon, and the third will be unlocked via specific quests which you will get from Master Utsushi after you’ve made enough progress in the hub quests in high rank.

To change up your Switch Skills, just head over to your item box and select “Change Switch Skill”. No Switch Skill is necessarily the best one for a certain weapon, so the best thing to do is to use them while out in a hunt, and discern which one best suits your playstyle.

Switch Skills can also change up your base moveset for a specific weapon, with slots one and three usually reserved for that. Slot two however changes your Silkbind attack, so be sure to keep an eye on how to actually use the skills while selecting them.

There are a total 42 different Switch Skills, three for each of the 14 weapons, and they all vary wildly in usage.

For more on Monster Hunter Rise, take a look at our guides to the best armour, and the best weapons.