Editing How to Hunter Basically (section)

==Weapons Introduction==

=== Two-handed weapon with a big ATK ===
Two-Handed weapons are generally notable for having a large ATK value, making their [[Photon Arts]] quite good for chain breaking. However, their {{Square}} combos can be a little weak, and their chain ability may not be up to par. Bring some for BIG DAMAGE NUMBERSSS.

==== <u>Swords</u>====
[[Swords]] are the bread and butter of Hunters. Hell, you even start with one at the beginning of the game!

Sword's main draw is its inherent multi-target abilities. Swords inherently have 4 lock, and a fairly long range, which allows them to easily dispatch groups of mobs and melt through bosses. They also generally have good ATK values, second only to the Axe in ATK numbers, which provides them with great DPS capability. Swords also provides a category bonus of DEF and MND, which makes the player more resistant simply by holding one. 

Also notable is how easily accessible Swords are: There are a whopping FIFTEEN swords in [[Downloadable content]], another 4 Swords accessible using [[Visiphone Passwords]], another 5 swords obtainable from [[Titles]], and even more via [[Trade Missions]]. These Swords not only covers a massive range of levels, but also include some of the best Swords in the game: the unsealable [[Yonohate Fu]], [[Famitsu Dendo Blade]], and [[Kokuintou Hozuki]]. A sword main Hunter is set for life from the very start, basically.

However, while sword's {{Square}} speed has been vastly improved since ''Phantasy Star Portable 2'', its 1 hit -> 1 hit -> 1 hit {{Square}} combo is still very poor chain building-wise. It's recommended to use other methods to build chains, and use Sword {{Square}} to maintain the chain before the chain break. 
====<u>Axes</u>====
[[Axes]] have a similarly wide swing to Swords, but are much slower and has 2 lock instead of 4. So what does Axes have? Well, each {{Square}} is 2 hits (for 2hit -> 2 hit -> 2 hit), making it better at chaining. The 2nd hits on each swing also has a massive knockdown, which makes chaining quite safe against many enemies. Axes also has the highest inherent ATK, which makes it a prime choice for chain-breaking. However, Axes generally have low ACC, and may require a [[Rebirth]] or two to work well on some [[Races]]. The slow attack speed is compensated by the knockdown at close-range, but it's a detriment in situations where the player is unable to knock the enemies down, such as groups of long-range enemies, or boosted enemies that cannot be knocked down.

Despite the drawbacks, some players go as far as considering Axes the best weapon for Hunter choice for hunter, and Anga Grudda the best Photon Art for it. But of course, this depends on the situation, playstyle, current weapon availability and personal preference.

====<u>Double Sabers</u>====
[[Double Sabers]] has lower ATK compared to the other two-handed weapons, but it has a wide range, good chain count (2 hit -> 1 hit -> 3 hit), and can hit a large amount of enemies (4 lock). This makes Double Sabers very good at putting chains on large groups.

====<u>Spears</u>====
[[Spears]] have a fairly long range, attacks quite quickly, and has higher ACC than other two-handed weapons. However, its range is very narrow, making it difficult to hit groups of enemies. Its chain count (1 hit -> 1 hit -> 1 hit) is quite poor as well. It should also be noted that its {{Square}} Stage 3 recovers PP faster than its other hits, but has a long hitlag, meaning it should be used for PP recovery but not while chaining.

===A pair of twin weapons===
Twin Weapons are generally notable for high hit count, and high attack speed. Their ATK is usually lower than that of two-handed weapons. While their {{Square}} damage is generally as good or better due to having more hits than the two-handeds, their [[Photon Arts]] damage can often be a bit lacking in comparison. In general, it's a good idea to pack some twin weapons to quickly put chains on enemies, and use their Photon Arts dependent on the situation. 

====<u>Knuckles</u>====
[[Knuckles]] have very fast attack speed and very short hitlag, which allows Knuckles to weave in '''Guarding''' almost seemlessly. With some practice, '''Guarding''' and '''Perfect Guarding''' with knuckles can allow the player to mitigate lots of damage. Knuckles' damage can also be improved via '''Perfect Counter''' after triggering a '''Perfect Guard'''. However, Knuckles' range is quite short, and its chaining ability is a bit poor for a fast weapon (2 hit -> 1 hit -> 1 hit). It's recommended to animation cancel using '''Guard''' after the 1st {{Square}} in order to use Stage 1 repeatedly, as that stage is better than the other two.

====<u>Twin Sabers</u>====
[[Twin Sabers]] is the simple one out of the twin weapons family. It has good ATK and ACC (about average, relative to the other twin-s), decent attacking speed, decent chain count (1 hit -> 2 hit -> 3 hit), average range (both length and width). However, Twin Sabers only has 1 lock inherently, which makes them worse for chaining groups. And since the chain count relies more on later stages, the player needs to finish all 3 stages for max chains, which can be a huge ask in some situations.

====<u>Twin Daggers</u>====
[[Twin Daggers]] have the highest chain count of any Melee weapon (2 hit -> 2 hit -> 3 hit), along with a high attack speed and small hit lag. These combined makes Twin Daggers the best chaining melee weapon in the game. It also has high ACC which helps attacks connect, which is especially helpful for [[Races]] with low base ACC. Twin Daggers does have low ATK, but it's compensated by the high hit count on both {{Square}} and its [[Photon Arts]]. However, it has short range both in length and width, and requires the player to be right up to an enemy, which means the player needs to spend more time repositioning, and can be an issue in many situations.

====<u>Twin Claws</u>====
[[Twin Claws]] shares many similarities with [[Twin Sabers]]: they have similar ranges and similar attack speeds, and the same weakness against chaining groups. Twin Claws have higher ATK than Twin Sabers, but it has a more difficult '''Perfect Attack''' timing, and a longer hitlag, which makes it slightly more difficult to use. Note that male characters have 1 less hit in its basic combo than female characters (Male: 1 hit -> 1 hit -> 3 hits; Female: 1 hit -> 2 hits -> 3 hits, same as Twin Sabers). While male character can still utilize Twin Claws just fine with one less hit, it does become a harder sale compared to Twin Sabers.

===One-handed weapon with decent ATK===
Single Hands don't really have the chain count of twin weapons, or the damage output of two-handed weapons. However, the freed up left hand slot allows for more versatility with Ranged Weapons and [[Tech-Mags]], and single hands generally have a much better PP recovery rate than the other weapons. Use as you see fit.

====<u>Saber</u>====
[[Sabers]] are the basic vanilla of one-handed melees. It has decent ATK, decent ACC, a basic combo (1 hit -> 1 hit -> 1 hit), meaning it's decent, but also nothing special. It also does not have a category bonus, which compares unfavorably to other one-handed weapons. Similar to [[Swords]], Sabers are notable for being easily accessible: there are ELEVEN sabers accessible via [[Downloadable content]], 3 accessible via [[Visiphone Passwords]], and even more via [[Trading Missions]]. These Sabers cover a wide range of levels, which is quite a huge headstart, even if it doesn't contain best in slot weapons like Swords do.

====<u>Dagger</u>====
[[Daggers]] is the fastest one out of the single-hands. Unlike all other single-handed melee weapons, it has a 2 hit -> 1 hit -> 1 hit combo, which, combined with its faster attack speed and smaller hit lag, makes it the best chaining weapon out of the bunch. Daggers also has inherently high ACC, as well as a category bonus to ACC, which is a big help to making your attack hits, and potentially boost the damage of your left hand ranged weapons. However, much like [[Twin Daggers]], Daggers' range is small, which requires the player to up close to enemies. Combined with the fact that Daggers cannot '''Guard''' without using [[Shields]], makes Daggers a potentially risky choice to use.

====<u>Claw</u>====
[[Claws]] is the high damage one out of the single-hands. Claws have inherently big ATK, and a category bonus to ATK, allowing it to push the largest damage values out of all single-handed weapons. Its range is similar to [[Sabers]], but it's a little bit slower and has a different timing.

Notably, the best in slot Claw (post-extend) is buyable from the shop, making it a much lower investment option relative to other single hand options.

====<u>Whips</u>====
[[Whips]] is one of the few weapons with inherent 5 lock. Combined with its relatively long range, allows Whips to perform well against groups of enemies from a distance. Notably, their [[Photon arts]] tends to have great multipliers, they can dish out more damage than their ATK would suggest.

However, Whips's  {{Square}}s don't have the same leverage: with a low attack speed, and low chain count (1 hit -> 1 hit -> 1 hit). This means they are very poor against single targets, and they are inferior to other group options at close range ([[Double Sabers]] or even [[Swords]], for example), making their usefulness somewhat questionable. Many Whips also has a high [[Status Effects]] level and a relatively high Status Effects infliction rate. This aspect of whips is hindered due to its slow attack speed, each swing being only 1 hit, and that the rates are still not high enough to apply reliably.

Whips also have a category bonus to TEC...which affects [[Tech-Mags]], [[Cards]], [[R-Mags]], and nothing else. Yeahhhhhhhhh. Recall that Cards and R-Mags' effective ATK is calculated by (TEC + ACC)/2, meaning that the boost is effectively halved. Meanwhile, the Tech-Mags' TEC score is so low you shouldn't be using it for damage anyway, so a TEC boost to it is moot.

Note that Whips consume more [[Extend_Type#Total_Extend_Points|Total Extend Points]] than other single-hands, for some reason.

====<u>Slicers</u>====
[[Slicers]] is a long-range melee weapon with built-in piercing. Its attack speed is decent, and its chain count is about on par with other single-handed wepaons (1 hit -> 1 hit -> 1 hit), which is to say it's not great. However, since Slicers are long-range, it provides a valuable alternative to Ranged weapons for hunters. While Slicers does not necessarily chain as well as some Ranged weapons ([[Twin Handguns]], for example), Slicers recover a fair bit of PP instead of consuming PP, and its [[Photon Arts]] is a better damage option than Charge Shots are.

Note that Slicers consume more [[Extend_Type#Total_Extend_Points|Total Extend Points]] than other single-hands, for some reason.

=== Shields ===
[[Shields]] are equipped to the left-hand, and provides the ability to '''Guard'''. '''Guard''' using Shields are significantly stronger than Guarding using other weapons: Shields receive 20% less damage than other weapons (90% instead of 70%). Since this property applies to all shields, even the Lv1 C rank basic shield you can find in the shop, this makes shields an incredibly low investment yet powerful option.

When Shields trigger a '''Perfect Guard''', it triggers '''Shield Arts''': an attack which hits all enemies to the front of the player. '''Shield Arts''' adds 1 chain (which is quite good since you are weaving it in-between combos), and usually deals very high damage (as long as your shield is on level), as Shields generally have very high stats. It's also possible to enhance '''Shield Arts''' via abilities such as [[Abilities#Perfect Block Plus|Perfect Block Plus]]. If you enjoy '''Guarding''' and parrying, Shields are a must have and totally great fun.

Although, generally, the consideration for Shields is less how good Shields are, but rather, "what are you going to use on the right hand"? Would that be better fitted with a different left-hand weapon, or a two-handed weapon instead?