Monster Hunter Stories 2: Where to find the Layered Armor Merchant

Note: Mild Spoilers for Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin are in this article.

To know Monster Hunter is to be plagued with a constant problem. Not all armor is created equal. Not only does that go for stats but also visuals. You may have spent your time with some really awesome-looking ninja bat armor that you got from Nargacuga only to find out that the best armor you can get is from an Azure Barroth and it involves you looking like you’re covered in colorful bacon strips.

I always struggle with it, to the point where I have straight up just allowed my character to wear weaker armor for a long time — only because the armor that’s better looks ridiculous. But, luckily, Monster Hunter Stories 2 has a special merchant late in the game that completely fixes this problem for me.

If you break this story up into chapters, this is probably going to be the fourth major chapter in the game when you first get access to this. This is shortly after you leave the snowy area and, spoiler alert, after Avinia leaves your party.

You end up in the very World of Warcraft-looking town of Lulucion. In this hunter-heavy world you’ll encounter a merchant that allows you to craft weapons and armor, just like all the other towns. But when you leave, he tells you about his brother.

Down in the end of the industrial district — a place where you will almost never have to go as it’s out of the way and mostly empty — at the end of the road is a weird merchant stand. This is where the brother runs a shop that makes layered armor. But it’s specific, it’s layered armor based off armor you’ve already crafted.

Why is this awesome? Let’s talk about what layered armor is. Layered armor is basically a cosmetic shell for your regular armor. It allows me to wear one armor while having it look like a different one.

In my case, the best armor I have, currently, is armor made of the…Khezu. The Khezu, as is well documented, is my least favorite thing to ever come out of Monster Hunter. So my armor is made out of stretchy pale flesh with a pinkish rim all thanks to giant walking dong with teeth.

Capcom /

If you’re wondering, in Monster Hunter Stories 2, not only do other colors of this exist but you can actually see the veins pulse for reasons I can only assume I don’t want to ask Capcom.

Luckily, thanks to this guy, I no longer have to look like I’m going into battle with Buffalo Bill’s skin suit! Now my rider is hanging out in what looks like the super weak but ridiculously detailed Butterfly Armor! (shut up, it’s pretty)