Palico Skill Distribution Guide - how palico skill distribution works and the chances of getting specific skill setups
Hi guys!
I found some interesting information on palico skill distribution when I was browsing JP wiki sites for MHX, and wanted to share it as I hadn't seen this information posted yet. I know most prowler players right now are doing the boomerang build, which already has a specific setup, but figured it might still be useful for people interested in other possible palico/prowler builds.
The common assumption is that the chance of getting any prowler skills is equal, and that a prowler's skills are completely randomly selected. However, the truth is that there are actually some interesting rules behind prowler skill distribution. All prowlers have a specific skill limit, with different skills counting different amounts toward the limit. Skills are chosen from separate pools of skills, and some skills cannot be obtained together with other ones. This guide is meant to educate players on how prowler skill distribution works so that they can determine what skills are in what category, whether a given skill combination is even possible, and what the chances are of getting it.
However, before I start, it's important to give credit where credit is due; this information was compiled and determined by the japanese community. I am simply translating it, along with verifying what I can from several hours of palico resetting/data compiling that I did while aiming for specific setups. The sources for this information come from these two pages, and so far what I've found ingame matches the information provided so there shouldn't be any major accuracy errors.
##Section 1: Support skills
First off, let's start with support skills, also known as active skills. Each cat can have up to 12 support skills, generated off a set of certain rules. Let's take each skill slot in order, starting with skill slot 1:
Skill slot 1 - This is a predetermined unique skill based on the class of your cat, and cannot be changed, unequipped, or modified in any way. It also cannot be taught or learned through the Palico Dojo. The skills are as follows:
| Class | Skill |
|---|---|
| Charisma | Palico Rally |
| Fighting | Furr-ious |
| Protection | Taunt |
| Assisting | Poison Purr-ison |
| Healing | True Health Horn |
| Bombing | Mega Barrel Bombay |
| Gathering | Plunderang |
Skill slot 2 - This is also a predetermined unique skill based on the class of your cat, similar to slot 1. However, there are two options per cat rather than just one this time, meaning you have a 50% chance to get a specific skill for this slot. Of particular note is that Charisma does not get a second unique skill - instead, it gains 1 additional point to its skill cost limit. More on this later.
| Class | Option 1 | Option 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Charisma | None | None |
| Fighting | Demon Horn | Piercing Boomerang |
| Protection | Emergency Retreat | Armor Horn |
| Assisting | Cheer Horn | Emergency Retreat |
| Healing | Armor Horn | Cheer Horn |
| Bombing | Camouflage | Demon Horn |
| Gathering | Piercing Boomerang | Camouflage |
Skill slot 3 - This will always be Mini Barrel Bombay
Skill slot 4 - This will always be Herb Horn
Skill slots 5-12 - This is when things get interesting; from skill slot 5 onward, palico skills are chosen randomly between 3 separate pools of skills. However, the chosen skills will always adhere to a specific set of rules:
-
Each skill has an associated "cost"
-
Each Palico will be given skills until they reach 8 cost (9 for Charisma cats, as they did not receive a second unique skill)
-
Skills are chosen from one of three separate groups of skills - Group A skills cost 3, Group B skills cost 2, and Group C skills cost 1
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Palicos cannot exceed 8 cost (9 for Charisma). This means that if they currently have skills totaling 7 cost, the last skill must be a Group C skill as this will put them at 8 cost
-
Palicos cannot have more than one Group A skill
-
Once a skill is rolled from a lower-cost group, you can no longer roll skills from higher cost groups. This means if the first skill rolled is a Group B skill, that Palico cannot roll any Group A skills. Similarly, if the first skill rolled is a Group C skill, that Palico cannot roll any Group A/B skills and thus every single skill will be rolled from Group C
The skill breakdown per group is as follows:
| Group A | Group B | Group C |
|---|---|---|
| Health Horn | Claw Dance | Sumo Stomp |
| Anti-Monster Mine+ | Weapon Upgrade | Felyne Comet |
| Pilfer | Trampoliner | Dung Bombay |
| Pitfall Purr-ison | Go, Fight, Win | Ultrasonic Horn |
| Shock Purr-ison | Detox Horn | Soothing Roll |
| Giga Barrel Bombay | Vase of Vitality | Parting Gift |
| Rath-of-Meow | Mega Boomerang | Excavator |
| Flash Bombay | Big Boomerang | |
| Big Barrel Bombay | Shock Tripper | |
| Anti-Monster Mine | Chestnut Cannon | |
| Barrel Bombay | ||
| Bounce Bombay | ||
| Explosive Roll |
Thus, given the above rules, this means that these are all of the possible skill combinations for a Palico:
- A, B, B, B *
- A, B, B, C
- A, B, C, C, C
- A, C, C, C, C, C
- B, B, B, B
- B, B, B, C, C
- B, B, C, C, C, C
- C, C, C, C, C, C, C, C **
^^* ^^This ^^totals ^^9 ^^points ^^and ^^is ^^possible ^^only ^^for ^^Charisma ^^cats. ^^In ^^addition, ^^add ^^one ^^C ^^skill ^^to ^^the ^^end ^^of ^^every ^^other ^^setup ^^for ^^Charisma ^^cats
^^** ^^B, ^^C, ^^C, ^^C, ^^C, ^^C, ^^C ^^is ^^not ^^a ^^valid ^^combination ^^even ^^though ^^it ^^conforms ^^to ^^the ^^rules. ^^Why? ^^Who ^^knows.
As such, when planning out a cat build to aim for, keep in mind which combinations are possible and which ones are not. For example, if I wanted a cat with both Pitfall and Shock Purr-ison, that would be impossible to get as both of them are Group A skills. Similarly, if I wanted a cat with Pitfall, Trampoliner, Detox, and Flash, the only way to get it would be to make a Charisma cat as the ABBB skill combination is exclusive to them.
##Section 2: Passive skills
Now that I'm done shoving a gigantic wall of text in your face, it's time to do it again! Passive skills work pretty much the same as active skills for the most part; there are some predetermined skills, while the rest are chosen based off the same rules as the active section. That said, let's get right to it:
Passive Slots 1 & 2 - These are predetermined skills based off the class of your cat, and will always be the same no matter what. The skills for each class are as follows
| Class | Skill 1 | Skill 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Charisma | Slacker Slap | Last Stand |
| Fighting | Attack Up S | Handicraft |
| Protection | Guard S | Guard Boost |
| Assisting | Monsterdar | Pro Trapper |
| Healing | Defense Up S | Health Harmonics |
| Bombing | Heat/Bomb Res | Bombay Boost |
| Gathering | Gathering Pro | Pilfer Boost |
Passive Slots 3-10 - These adhere to the same rules as the active skills; however, Charisma does not gain an extra skill point for passives - that boost applies only to active skills. Of minor note is that DLC cats with unique abilities will have it in the third slot, and I believe it's considered as a Group A skill so technically some DLC cats may have two Group A skills. As far as I'm aware this is impossible for hired palicos, though, so you can disregard it for the most part. The skills for each group are:
| Group A | Group B | Group C |
|---|---|---|
| Element Attack Up | Attack Up L | Critical Up S |
| Status Attack Up | Critical Up L | Health Up S |
| Anger Prone | Defense Up L | Nine Lives (Defense) |
| Revival Pro | Health Up L | Boomerang Pro |
| Omniresistance | Nine Lives (Attack) | Stamina Drain |
| Support Priority | Guard L | Non-Stick Fur |
| Support Move +1 | Knockout King | Negate Wind |
| Earplugs | Negate Sleep | |
| Negate Stun | Iron Hide | |
| Counter Boost | Negate Paralysis | |
| Support Boost | Tremor Res | |
| Negate Poison | ||
| Biology | ||
| Negate Confusion | ||
| Goldenfish Catcher |
Again, a review of all the possible skill combinations:
- A, B, B, B
- A, B, B, C
- A, B, C, C, C
- A, C, C, C, C, C
- B, B, B, B
- B, B, B, C, C
- B, B, C, C, C, C
- C, C, C, C, C, C, C, C *
^^* ^^again, ^^B, ^^C, ^^C, ^^C, ^^C, ^^C, ^^C ^^is ^^not ^^a ^^valid ^^combination. ^^No ^^clue ^^why.
Section 3: Village Skill Distribution Chances
Now that we know how skill distribution works and what skill combinations are possible, the last step is to figure out how to maximize the chances of obtaining a specific combination. You are most likely aware that of the 4 different villages, each palico recruiter (meowstress and the 3 village grannies) has their own "bias" when it comes to skill distribution - Bherna village has "neutral" cats, Kokoto village has a higher chance of attack skills, Pokke village has a higher chance of defense skills, and Yukumo village has a higher chance of Utility skills.
However, the chances aren't always influenced the same way; certain skills have higher appearance rates than others, and other skills are affected by village bias much more than similar skills. Fortunately, the japanese wiki has a distribution chart of the chances of getting specific skills. One disclaimer to note is that the data is not sourced, so I'm not sure if it was compiled from gathering large amounts of data or if it was datamined from the game; however, it should serve pretty well as an estimate.
First off, let's start with the active skills; these are organized by group, meaning each percentage value is for the chance of getting a specific skill within that group. For example, if a group A skill has a value of 15%, that means that you have a 15% chance to get that skill if you happen to roll a skill pattern that includes a group A skill. Similarly, if a group B skill has 10%, that means you have a 10% chance per group B skill to get it. The skill distribution is:
| Skill Name | Group | Bherna | Kokoto | Pokke | Yukumo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Horn | A | 15% | 10% | 50% | 15% |
| Giga Barrel Bombay | A | 15% | 25% | 5% | 5% |
| Anti-Monster Mine+ | A | 15% | 25% | 5% | 5% |
| Pitfall Purr-ison | A | 15% | 5% | 15% | 25% |
| Shock Purr-ison | A | 15% | 5% | 15% | 25% |
| Pilfer | A | 10% | 5% | 5% | 20% |
| Rath-of-Meow | A | 15% | 25% | 5% | 5% |
| Skill Name | Group | Bherna | Kokoto | Pokke | Yukumo |
| Detox Horn | B | 10% | 4% | 30% | 10% |
| Big Barrel Bombay | B | 10% | 18% | 3% | 3% |
| Flash Bombay | B | 10% | 4% | 5% | 15% |
| Anti-Monster Mine | B | 10% | 18% | 3% | 3% |
| Trampoliner | B | 10% | 4% | 10% | 25% |
| Vase of Vitality | B | 10% | 4% | 30% | 10% |
| Weapon Upgrade | B | 10% | 13% | 3% | 3% |
| Go, Fight, Win | B | 10% | 4% | 10% | 25% |
| Claw Dance | B | 10% | 18% | 3% | 3% |
| Mega Boomerang | B | 10% | 13% | 3% | 3% |
| Skill Name | Group | Bherna | Kokoto | Pokke | Yukumo |
| Ultrasonic Horn | C | 8% | 4% | 10% | 25% |
| Barrel Bombay | C | 8% | 10% | 4% | 4% |
| Bounce Bombay | C | 7% | 10% | 4% | 4% |
| Parting Gift | C | 8% | 4% | 24% | 4% |
| Big Boomerang | C | 8% | 10% | 4% | 4% |
| Dung Bombay | C | 7% | 4% | 15% | 20% |
| Soothing Roll | C | 8% | 4% | 15% | 4% |
| Explosive Roll | C | 7% | 10% | 4% | 4% |
| Felyne Comet | C | 8% | 10% | 4% | 4% |
| Sumo Stomp | C | 8% | 10% | 4% | 4% |
| Chestnut Cannon | C | 8% | 10% | 4% | 4% |
| Shock Tripper | C | 8% | 4% | 4% | 15% |
| Excavator | C | 7% | 10% | 4% | 4% |
As you can tell, there are pretty major differences between each - for example, if you wanted a boomerang cat with pitfall or shock trap, your chance of getting it with a pattern that includes a Group A skill would be 30% in Bherna, while only 10% in Kokoto. The tradeoff would be having an 8% chance to get Big Boomerang instead of 10% per Group C skill, which is fairly minor in comparison. Careful consideration of the chances per skill may give you some surprising results as to which village is the best for certain skill combinations!
Lastly, we have the passive skill chart. Just like the active skill chart, it is split up based on the group. The skills per group are thus:
| Skill Name | Group | Bherna | Kokoto | Pokke | Yukumo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omniresistance | A | 15% | 5% | 25% | 5% |
| Element Attack Up | A | 15% | 25% | 5% | 5% |
| Status Attack Up | A | 10% | 25% | 5% | 10% |
| Support Priority | A | 15% | 5% | 15% | 35% |
| Support Move +1 | A | 15% | 10% | 15% | 25% |
| Revival Pro | A | 15% | 5% | 30% | 15% |
| Anger Prone | A | 15% | 25% | 5% | 5% |
| Skill Name | Group | Bherna | Kokoto | Pokke | Yukumo |
| Health Up L | B | 10% | 5% | 20% | 5% |
| Attack Up L | B | 10% | 20% | 5% | 5% |
| Defense Up L | B | 10% | 5% | 25% | 5% |
| Critical Up L | B | 8% | 15% | 5% | 5% |
| Knockout King | B | 8% | 5% | 5% | 20% |
| Guard L | B | 10% | 5% | 5% | 20% |
| Support Boost | B | 10% | 5% | 5% | 20% |
| Negate Stun | B | 8% | 5% | 15% | 5% |
| Earplugs | B | 8% | 5% | 10% | 5% |
| Nine Lives (Attack) | B | 8% | 15% | 5% | 5% |
| Counter Boost | B | 10% | 15% | 5% | 5% |
| Skill Name | Group | Bherna | Kokoto | Pokke | Yukumo |
| Health Up S | C | 8% | 6% | 8% | 15% |
| Critical Up S | C | 6% | 20% | 3% | 4% |
| Stamina Drain | C | 6% | 15% | 3% | 10% |
| Negate Poison | C | 8% | 4% | 8% | 4% |
| Negate Wind | C | 8% | 4% | 8% | 4% |
| Negate Paralysis | C | 6% | 4% | 8% | 4% |
| Negate Confusion | C | 8% | 4% | 8% | 4% |
| Tremor Res | C | 6% | 4% | 8% | 4% |
| Negate Sleep | C | 6% | 4% | 8% | 4% |
| Biology | C | 6% | 4% | 8% | 4% |
| Iron Hide | C | 6% | 4% | 8% | 4% |
| Non-Stick Fur | C | 6% | 4% | 8% | 15% |
| Nine Lives (Defense) | C | 6% | 4% | 8% | 10% |
| Boomerang Pro | C | 6% | 15% | 3% | 4% |
| Goldenfish Catcher | C | 8% | 4% | 3% | 10% |
And that about wraps it up! As a final note, learned skills are not bound by any of this - there are no restrictions to which skills can be taught or learned, aside from the class-exclusive slot 1 skills. Hopefully this is actually useful to someone somewhere, rather than being a meaningless info dump. Good luck!
TL;DR
All hail our new prowler overlords (●ↀωↀ●)／
Posted Jul 18, 2016, 4:15 PM UTC · edited