Beginner's Guide Please read before posting questions in Miscellaneous Q&A.
What is the best monster to start with? There is no single best monster that is right for all trainers. Different people will find themselves drawn to different monsters. There are no bad monsters, only bad raising methods.
The game won't let me raise a monster I just made at the shrine, what's wrong? Several breeds need to be unlocked through gameplay. Check out the FAQ section for details on how to unlock each type.
Why does the Passwords List here show words that are longer than 4 letters? As you attain higher breeder ranks, you'll be able to use longer words.
What's the shaggy monster on the cover? Garu.
If all the subs are just different colors, what's the point in raising them all? The colors are what you see, but inside, the various sub-breeds affect statgains, likes, dislikes, characteristics, and most importantly overall performance. A Pixie sub is very different from a Golem sub.
How do I get better monsters? As you progress in the game, you will able to combine monsters. Some of those will have stats significantly higher than monsters from tablets. Also, try different words in the shrine. Words/numbers/etc that take up more spaces tend to make better monsters. Also, the rare (sub is X) breeds have good starting stats.
Are there any cheats or codes for this game? No codes in the traditional sense, except for Gameshark codes.
How do you guys get money to afford items, better food, etc.? Raise a moneymaker monster or two. Simply get a monster very powerful at any level, even the starting level and keep battling it. Then make a second one, so you have a monster at two different levels and rotate them in the Studio so they battle/rest/freeze/repeat. Three money makers at different levels can make you wealthy in a couple of game years. Don't buy items for these monsters, save your money (and save items won) for the real champions you will raise later.
Is it important to try a lot of words in the shrine early on? No. As a matter of fact, we do not recommend it. Get what you need by looking at our list to start with. Later, monsters made by combining will have better characteristics than password monsters, and they can be entered in your book only if you do not have an existing entry for the breed. Yes, if you find better passwords, the shrine offers to exchange the data. But, there's no way to exchange the combination data. If you shrine a lot of test words, do not keep your save.
How many monsters are in the game? 512 Take a look in the in-game Encyclopedia and you will see each monster's number.
Why do I see 4 slots when I combine, but there is never anything in the fourth one? This has to do with Legendary Combinations. When you are eligible, you can see them in the fourth slot.
Can I get rare /? monsters by combining? You cannot normally combine just any monsters to get a rare. They are only available by using specific words in the shrine. There are some (just a few) rares which can be made in-game by using a special item in combining. New to MRA2 are Legendary breeds. They all require some work to get (see Shrine Topics) but once you unlock them, you can combine certain normal monster to make a rare.
If you start with a /? monster as one of the monsters you are combining, you will have the option of a baby of that same /? type. Under normal circumstances, you just can't get one from combining two non-/? types.
How can I get more statgains from my monsters? You need to maximise their productive years by making sure they do not get stressed or tired. Buying cups can help both. (Actually, wait a few years and you will get a free Silver Cup.) Get a cup for stress and one for fatigue, and you can add an extra day of training before rest, with out risking useful lifespan loss due to stress/fatigue.
Another important project is creating coaches. The coaches the game makes available to you have about 300-500 points in the stats they raise & lower. If you can raise a monster with higher stats than them, then use your own rather than the AGIMA coaches them because the higher the stats of a coach, the more points monsters gain with them. Usually, it is best to make a monster a coach when you get the retirement warning.
Does a coach with a high number in the stat which is lowered in a Hard Drill give more or less points subtracted? A coach subtracts fewer points from Hard Drills the higher its number is in that stat. In other words, a coach with 999 in the lowered stat will subtract less from your monster in that drill than one with 100 in that stat. Always get coaches with the highest stats possible in the areas it affects.
How long do monsters live? In this game, they never die. However, at some point around 3-5 years, they will stop gaining points on drills and they will not be allowed into battles. You then need to retire, combine or make them coaches.
What do the attributes do for my monster? Power: affects how hard your monster hits when it attacks with Pow (yellow) techs in battle, also reduces the impact of Power attacks by opponents. Intelligence: affects how hard the monster attacks with Int (green) techs in battle, also reduces the impact of Intelligence attacks by opponents. Accuracy: affects how accurately a monster can use a tech. Speed: affects how well a monster can dodge attacks. Defense: affects your monsters' ability to withstand hits, high Def means less Life lost per hit. Life: your lifebar in battles. Has NOTHING to do with your monsters' lifespan.
In other Monster Rancher games you could go exploring on expeditions. Is exploring in this game? Yes. You need to wait to be qualified to go, then you may go when you like by visiting the AGIMA office in town.
I went on an expedition, and found a lot of stuff but I don't have it in my inventory. What happened? You must return to base camp before ending the expedition, or else all of your items are lost.
How do you get new techs? Try the "Sparring" from the main menu at the ranch. You should try when you are told that there's a chance to get a new tech. If you are told it will be hard, you probably won't get one.
The game said I got a new tech, but when I battle it doesn't show up. How do I equip it? While your monster is out in town or on the ranch (not frozen) hit the START button on the Game Boy Advance. You will then see a little menu. Choose the "Monster" option at the top. Once in there, you can see a lot about your monster. To view techs, press the D-Pad (the + shaped big button) upwards and you will see the techs curently equipped on the monster. To change a tech out, select a range and press the "A" button and you will see a menu of all your techs, and their properties at that particular range. Just keep trying "A" and "B" until you get what you like. (Note: for some reason, the ranges are backwards in view mode, the far left is the close range.)
My monster doesn't gain stats anymore it keeps failing in drills, and it cannot battle! What can I do? Looks like you have gotten the retirement warning, and your monster's working lifespan is over. Take it and either make it into a coach (highly recommended), use him in combination to make a stronger baby monster, or retire him and he will walk away (not recommended).
Why do my stats appear to drop when fighting wild monsters? That happens if your monster is tired. Having the expensive cup & gem can help you a little with this. It's just plain hard to avoid if a wild monster attacks right after you return from Sparring, or a battle.
Does feeding your monster "nothing" harm it? Not necessarily. If you are broke, this may be your only option. It's not a great option, because food reduces stress & fatigue in monsters, so in a normal game it is always best to take the opportunity to feed them, thus reducing the number of weeks they need to rest. However, if you have run out of cash, do not be afraid to feed nothing for a while, until your next monster starts earning serious funds for you.
How many items can I keep? You can keep up to 99 of each item. Most players don't ever need to worry about storage space.
Does having more than one Gem or Cup multiply the effects of Cups or Gems? Nope. Even though you could have 99 Cups or Gems of each type, there is no added effect for more than one of each (this has been thoroughly tested).
Do the monsters die? No. But there will come a time when they no longer battle. At that point, it's best to use them as coaches, or in combining to make a stronger baby with more techs than the parents started with.
What does AGIMA stand for? "AGIMA stands for Age Island Monster Association", the official monster association of Age Island.
Why can't I get invited to the Emperor's Cup? Your monster has to beat all of the Great Four Tournaments. Dates are available in the Calendar here. To go to the Great 4, each monster needs to beat all 4 battles. You can't do 2 with one and 2 with another.
Why don't you have online tourneys for MRA like you do for other MR games? Because in all the other MR games you can battle in 2P mode with the game's computer controlling both monsters, and that is fair to everyone. MRA2, like MRA does not have computer control in 2P mode.
Thanks to: Velo, John Hawley, Sfvenn, BlueBomber, Hellraiser83, GoldenBoy