Coming Back After 9 Years - Prowler Optimization
Background: I came back after 9 years and started a new character. I used to play every weapon and had builds for them, but when I came back I looked at prowler and I was like I don’t have to grind monster with this. So I’m gonna do this and I also decided to solo the whole game. Most hunts took me 20 mins but I did it. And I finished the game at like hr 36. After that I started optimization but for hunters and then I realized I had to charm farm again…… I decided not to but to just casual do it with melder with prowler. so I just didn’t have so instead of optimizing hunter I focused on prowler and boy it was it fun learning about this weapon and how they changed it. And how a lot of people run it. I watched gaijin hunters videos on it and I also watched a newer video on prowler optimization from 4 years ago they helped me a bunch but like with my builds I like doing them all my self. So I started testing stuff and this is what I found.
Optimization: I’m gonna talk about the boomerang cats first(can be used on any cat)
I use gathering and bombing cat(other cats can be used) gathering cat gives the most raw boomerang damage in the game and for the monster that are spamy and hard to deal with and can give you more up time I choose the bombing cat it does 11 less damage but uptime makes up for that and adept dodge. I used this for deviants as well.
Moves: I use the same move list for both gathering and bombing soothing roll is mostly for poison removal if you do get hit. other wise it’s just kinda sits there lol. I know people use mega boomerang but I just think it’s too expensive a move for 2 gauge and doesn’t really do much else but sit there until the monster is down. Or you have a huge opening. So I use demon horn instead it gives a +10 to you and your team mates it’s a very powerful effect and lasts 1 and a half mins or 2 mins and for me. I’m trading a little damage for more damage over time is just strictly better over all. In other if each teammate has crit boost you and your team mates are doing 56 extra damage each hit in total. Health horn is there for healing. Otherwise the moves are your standard kit for boomerang cat
Skills and equipment: Since these are tied to one another I’m gonna do them both. Armor only matters if your running monster with a specific element otherwise I just use old fatalis gear for everything the weapon I use is the sw star xx you could use other weapons but this has the best raw for what I’m doing it gives me 184 raw with 30% infinity this is one of the best weapons in the game for prowlers. But mostly why I run is for high infinity otherwise weapons with negative affinity just are not worth it and you must pay to many skill points to make up for that. Which is why I think bb xx weapon is bad plus it has white sharpness which is only a .3 modifier compared to a .4 with so your losing over all 10% damage and it has -20% affinity so if you don’t slot in enough your gonna do negative crit and do no crit only 60% of the time with only a normal crit. Which is why I use my sw xx weapon
Now the skills: This is where I spent most of my time with building and what I really wanted to do with the cat. I have 30% affinity and only have 8 slots to work with. So I tested on Atal ka and honestly it was fun. I run weakness exploit which gives 50% affinity and crit up s for 10% so in total I have 90% if you really wanted to you could get rid of boomerang pro for 100% affinity but I just think having faster charge times and being able to move faster and having longer range is worth but it’s up to you. And thats 4 slots why do I use crit boost up for the remaining slots. Because it saved 5-10mins on my runs compared to me using just raw up stuff. It’s a 15% boost to my damage over all.
Food: always go for hurler it gives a 10% boost to boomerang damage and if you are speed running with cat I don’t know if it’s possible but I would run heroics with moxie and hurler that way you can set up with acorns then once you are in get hit set off heroics now you have a 35% boost your damage. I would run bomber only because it can have more up time and you would be more safer but if you are really good at game and are not me I would run gathering for optimal damage.
Fury mode: it gives earplugs and 30% affinity which is good for the set but try not to get hit lol
Melee
The best cat for melee is beast cat but that’s only because you are sacrificing defense for it. for worlds strongest other wise protect and beast are about the same.
Moves: I don’t really use the melee version to much just because I just like ranged more so for moves as long as you run acorn and demon horn health horn and soothing roll you should be good for extra you can choose what ever you think is good claw dance is fun weapon upgrade is bad and doesn’t last that long and if your running worlds strongest you don’t wanna get hit so no fury mode
Equipment: old fat armor. And one weapon that gets over looked by a lot of people because everyone thinks the bb xx weapon is the but as I explained before if a weapon doesn’t have high crit it’s not worth your weapon slot. The best weapon for raw is that I have found anyway is the rending pole which is the rust razor weapon it gives 30% affinity and has 179 raw it’s great for what we are doing
Skills: so for optimal damage beast is the best at the cost of armor. I’m gonna talk about optimal first
Weakness exploit gives 50% and we already have 30% with rending pole so 80% in total. But with release the beast it gives 15% affinity plus earplugs and sp after 3 levels and I’m pretty sure has higher motion values then normal attacks. In total it gives us 95% affinity plus we have crit boost up which gives 15% more damage over all now the kicker worlds strongest it’s good but you only have 330 something defense lol. With rending pole it puts your raw damage up to 345 on the status menu thats without eating and everything thats about much as my great sword atal ka weapon. If you’re good at the game I would run this but I’m not lol. Now the best for cats without worlds strongest is if you can find it is universal gives 20 raw when monster is angry and you get to keep armor :D otherwise (or us attack up s from fighter cat) thats it for beast cat protect cat is ok but I would run is crit up L for 100% affinity otherwise I don’t really use protect cat.
Food: I don’t really know what would be the best maybe moxie for survival and if you are running heroics but otherwise I don’t know what would be a good skill to run lol.