Buddy Tier List: Best Buddies

Here is the Buddy tier list for Monster Hunter Outlanders, with each Buddy's rating and the adventurers it pairs best with. It also covers the three Buddy types (Assault, Disruptor, and Support), and how to get each SSR Buddy. Information as of October 29, 2026.

Buddy Tier List

Rank	Buddies
Tier1	Nailu
Tier2	KojiroDaishoPipaHoppyDevuRoPheasant
Tier3	RavingeArioTidal SoundBlademaster
Tier4	NakoBarimViperTidal ClawGolden BellBladeyHornLidoFalee HendsomMith
Tier5	IcarusFortieBanakoBoomieSand VelvetZiraAlooShadowSand EchoReefcorePupoMacWolfeAkuRonAlon

Buddies are ranked in five tiers, from SS (Tier1) at the top down to C (Tier5). Each rank reflects the Buddy's support ability, versatility, and ease of use; see How We Rate Buddies below for details.

Buddy Types: Assault, Disruptor, and Support

The Buddies an adventurer can take are decided by the adventurer's Ultimate type. Each type uses a different kind of Buddy, so within each type, Buddies that are versatile or give strong buffs to the whole party are rated higher.

Type	Buddy species	Traits
Assault	Palico	Pure attackers that deal damage themselves. They support the adventurer only through their support effect
Disruptor	Rutaco	Create openings by disrupting the monster, so they shine with certain weapons such as the Great Sword and Hammer
Support	Trillan	Heal the party and hand out buffs

Ratings and Best Adventurer Pairings

SS Rank Buddies

Buddy	Review	Best adventurer
Nailu	Best Buddy for Arkaya Highly versatile support Performs excellently even when its adventurer can't grant shields	Arkaya

S Rank Buddies

Buddy	Review	Best adventurer
Kojiro	Best Buddy for Midori Fire buff that triggers after specific Long Sword attacks Supports adventurers only through its support effect and Adventurer Boost	Midori
Daisho	Best Buddy for Pyro Support effect suited to dragon Great Swords and Dual Blades Supports adventurers only through its support effect and Adventurer Boost	Pyro
Pipa	Best Buddy for Luka Its support effect is hard to use outside the Bow and piercing Heavy Bowgun Supports adventurers only through its support effect and Adventurer Boost	Luka
Hoppy	Best Buddy for Pepper Its support effect triggers while airborne Especially good with weapons like the Hammer that benefit from an incapacitated monster	Pepper
Devu	Best Buddy for Keres Support effect suited to Dual Blades, which deal damage in rapid succession Its Ultimate and skills can incapacitate the monster	Keres
Ro	Best Buddy for Rhodes Support effect applies to charged attacks from Great Swords and Hammers Supports adventurers only through its support effect and Adventurer Boost	Rhodes
Pheasant	Haze's motif Buddy Its skills hand out healing and buffs Its Ultimate makes the whole party's attacks build up paralysis	Haze

A Rank Buddies

Buddy	Review
Ravinge	Excellent damage buffs from its Ultimate and support effect Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Can also support other adventurers in the party
Ario	A highly versatile healing Buddy Useful in almost any content Can also support other adventurers in the party
Tidal Sound	Grants damage reduction and removes status ailments Valuable in high-difficulty content Can also support other adventurers in the party
Blademaster	A versatile healing Buddy that also has Ultimate Charge Rate Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Has an Ultimate and skills that heal the whole party

B Rank Buddies

Buddy	Review
Nako	Can disrupt the monster's actions Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Support effect and skills suit Hammer and Great Sword
Barim	Disrupts the monster's actions and buys time Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Support effect and skills suit Hammer and Great Sword
Viper	A support Buddy that hands out Ultimate Charge Rate and damage buffs Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Can also heal and buff the damage of other adventurers in the party
Tidal Claw	A pure attacker with a rare support effect Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break A rare support effect that boosts part-break efficiency
Golden Bell	Boosts stamina recovery and damage Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Can also give damage buffs to other adventurers in the party
Bladey	Plenty of healing and damage-buff skills Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Can support the whole party
Horn	A support Buddy with a dragon buff Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Can also heal the whole party and buff its attack
Lido	A support Buddy that raises Ultimate Charge Rate Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Can also heal the whole party and buff its attack
Falee Hendsom	Disrupting the monster raises part-break efficiency Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Support effect and skills suit Hammer and Great Sword
Mith	A support Buddy with a thunder buff Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Can give the whole party several damage buffs

C Rank Buddies

Buddy	Review
Icarus	A pure attacker you get early in the game Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Helps adventurers with Affinity from its Adventurer Boost
Fortie	A pure attacker that powers up water Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Supports adventurers only with a damage buff from its support effect
Banako	A pure attacker that hands out an Affinity buff Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Supports adventurers only through its support effect and Adventurer Boost
Boomie	Can disrupt the monster's actions Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Suits water Great Swords and Hammers
Sand Velvet	A pure attacker that buffs Affinity and elemental critical damage Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Supports adventurers only through its support effect and Adventurer Boost
Zira	A pure attacker that powers up thunder Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Supports adventurers only through its support effect and Adventurer Boost
Aloo	A pure attacker that powers up water Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Supports adventurers only through its support effect and Adventurer Boost
Shadow	A pure attacker that can stack Affinity Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Supports adventurers only through its support effect and Adventurer Boost
Sand Echo	Disrupts the monster and inflicts poison Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Suits stamina-hungry weapons such as Dual Blades and Bow
Reefcore	Disrupts the monster and inflicts poison Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Suits Hammer and Great Sword adventurers
Pupo	Can disrupt the monster's actions Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Suits adventurers who rely on their Ultimate
Mac	Can disrupt the monster's actions Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Suits thunder Hammer and Great Sword adventurers
Wolfe	Can disrupt the monster's actions Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Suits adventurers whose Core Passive relies on Affinity
Aku	Can disrupt the monster's actions Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Suits adventurers who rely on their Ultimate
Ron	A pure attacker that can power up ice Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Supports adventurers only through its support effect and Adventurer Boost
Alon	A pure attacker with a dragon power-up Low rarity, so it's easy to limit-break Supports adventurers only through its support effect and Adventurer Boost

SSR Buddies and How to Get Them

Every Buddy in the SS and S tiers is an SSR Buddy, and each one pairs with a specific SSR adventurer. If you own that adventurer, the matching SSR Buddy is the top pick. Recruitment is the gacha, and some can also be exchanged at Rutaco's Rumbling Furnace. For the Recruitments running now, see "Current Banners: Pull or Skip?".

Buddy	Type	Best adventurer	How to get
Kojiro	Assault	Midori	Rumbling Furnace Exchange
Daisho	Assault	Pyro	Recruitment / Rumbling Furnace Exchange
Pipa	Assault	Luka	Recruitment / Rumbling Furnace Exchange
Ro	Assault	Rhodes	—
Hoppy	Disruptor	Pepper	Recruitment / Rumbling Furnace Exchange
Devu	Disruptor	Keres	Recruitment / Rumbling Furnace Exchange
Nailu	Support	Arkaya	Recruitment / Rumbling Furnace Exchange
Pheasant	Support	Haze	—

How We Rate Buddies

Buddy ratings depend heavily on the buffs they give adventurers. We consider not only how big the numbers are, but also how easy they are to trigger. Buddies that pair with more adventurers rate higher, since hard-to-get SSR Buddies often get shared between the adventurers you own.