Status Effects | Monster Hunter World Wiki

Status Effects are special buffs or ailments in Monster Hunter World (MHW) which come in the form of Player-and-Ally-only Effects, Elemental Blights, and Abnormal Status Ailments. Both Hunters and Monsters can receive Effects from Skills, the environment and attacks.

For a more complete rundown on combat with Monsters, see Weapon Mechanics, Defense, and Elemental Resistances.

Status Effects that affect only the Player and Allies are granted from Items, the Canteen, Hunting Horns, and the Coral Orchestra Palico gadget.
Elemental Blights are inflicted on the Player and Allies by Elemental Monster attacks.
Abnormal Status Ailments are inflicted on the Player and Allies by certain Monster attacks. Some can also be inflicted on Monsters by Weapons which wield the corresponding status damage.

Status Numbers and Applications in Monster Hunter World

Contrary to what may seem apparent, the numerical value displayed on your Weapon doesn't directly represent the actual amount of status it carries. For instance, if your weapon boasts 100 paralysis, the true value is 1/10th of that, translating to 10 paralysis. Unlike elemental weapons, status weapons don't inflict their effects with every hit. Instead, there's a 1/3 chance to apply the status. This is where the speed of your weapon comes into play; faster weapons have an advantage in applying status effects due to their rapid attack rates.

Individual Status Variations

It's important to note that the specifics of each Status Effect vary across monsters. The damage dealt by Poison and Blast, the duration of Sleep and Paralysis, and the duration of the monster's affliction by poison all differ from creature to creature. Moreover, some Monsters exhibit immunity to specific status effects, emphasizing the need for adaptability in your hunting strategies.

Monster Thresholds and Resistances

Each monster comes equipped with an initial threshold for each status ailment. Breaking this threshold is the key to triggering the corresponding effect. To illustrate, if a monster boasts 100 paralysis resistance, you'd need 10 successful applications of a 10 paralysis weapon to induce paralysis. Once a monster succumbs to a status effect, it becomes more resistant, subsequently requiring additional procs to trigger the same effect. This resistance escalation demands strategic planning for continued success in status application.

Note that each status operates independently, with its own set of resistance levels for every monster. This means that applying one status does not inherently increase the resistance of another.

Character Status Effects

Beneficial Status Effects that appear on the Player and Allies are granted by Items, the Canteen, Hunting Horn Melodies, and the Coral Orchestra Palico Gadget

Many of these Effects have counterparts that are granted by Skills, but they are distinct as they require different specific actions to trigger while out in the field. Some also stack on top of Skill effects, with some limitations. A Hunter can tell when one of these Status Effects has been triggered by the icons that appear on the HUD.

Item Effects

Attack Up

Defense Up

Stamina Use Reduced

Natural Recovery Up

Hunting Horn Melodies

Elemental Attack Boost

Fire Res Boost (S),(L)

Water Res Boost (S),(L)

Thunder Res Boost (S),(L)

Ice Res Boost (S),(L)

Dragon Res Boost (S),(L)

Abnormal Status Attack Increased

Blight Negated

Ailments Negated

Knockbacks Negated

Earplugs (S),(L)

Wind Pressure Negated

All Wind Pressure Negated

Evasion Enhanced

Self Improvement

Movement Speed Up

Attack Deflection Protection

Scoutfly Power Up

Tool Use Drain Reduced (S),(L)

Coral Orchestra Effects

Attack Up

Defense Up

Stamina Use Reduced

Affinity Up

Natural Recovery Up

Health Increased

Divine Protection

Negate Environmental Damage

Negate Stun

Negate Paralysis

Wind Pressure Negated

Earplugs (S)

Tremor Resistance

Elemental Blights

Blights will impart negative effects such as health loss or performance impairment. Remove them as quickly as possible using the appropriate items or actions. Blights are contracted mostly from certain Monster attacks, and can be prevented by having 20 Resistance toward the corresponding element. The effects are indicated by marks next to the Player's name in the HUD. Blights cannot be triggered on Monsters by the Player.

Blastblight (see below) should not be confused with these effects, as it is a Status Ailment and not an Elemental Blight.

See Elemental Resistances and the Blight Resistance Skill for information on resisting Blights.

Fireblight

Fireblight gradually depletes the Player's health without leaving recoverable damage.

It can be removed by rolling up to three times on the ground or into water, or by using a Nulberry.

Waterblight

Waterblight slows down the Player's Stamina recovery.

It can be removed immediately by using a Nulberry.

Thunderblight

Thunderblight makes it easier for monster attacks to inflict stun.

It can be removed by rolling up to seven times on the ground, or by using a Nulberry.

Though its visual effects are similar to Paralysis, it is triggered and resisted independently.

Iceblight

Iceblight increases the Player' Stamina consumption.

It can be removed immediately by using a Nulberry.

Dragonblight

Dragonblight negates the Player's Elemental and Abnormal Status Damage.

It can be removed immediately by using a Nulberry.

Abnormal Status Ailments

Abnormal Status Ailments act similarly to Elemental Blights, although some can be inflicted on Monsters by the Player and Allies through the use of Weapons, Environmental Hazards, and some Items.
The effects are indicated by marks next to the Player's name in the HUD.

When affecting Monsters, Abnormal Status damage from Weapons work by building up to a threshold, whereupon the Ailment will trigger.

Poison, Sleep, Paralysis, Blast, and Stun can all be inflicted upon Monsters through Weapon attacks. With the exception of Stun, each of these is wielded by a Weapon in place of Elemental damage. Stun buildup is caused by particular weapon attacks, sources of Blunt Damage when dealt to the head, and Flash Pods.

When a Blademaster Weapon wielding Ailment damage strikes a Monster, it has a 1/3 chance of contributing toward that Monster's threshold for that particular Ailment. Ailment Coatings for Bows and Ammo for Light and Heavy Bowguns have a 100% chance of applying buildup.

Each time an Ailment's threshold is reached, the Ailment triggers and the Monster's threshold value increases. This increase often requires about twice as much buildup before the next trigger. A Monster's resistance to an Ailment will modify the speed at which that Ailment builds up. In the case of Poison, a Monster's resistance also modifies the total damage dealt. Ailment resistances can be found in the ingame Monster Field Guild along with Elemental Resistances.

Additionally, some Ailments can be inflicted on Monsters through the use of Slinger Ammo, Environmental Hazards such as Paratoads, and Items such as Poison Smoke Bomb, Poisoned Meat, Tainted Meat, and Drugged Meat.

See Skills for information on how to boost Ailment performance or resistance.