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Unlike most other items in Monster Hunter Rise, Neopteron isn't an item that the location can be looked up before it's targeted and farmed. Rather, Monster Hunter Rise players will need to collect Materials from other small monsters (bugs specifically) to fill up the 'requirement' of Neopteron for certain Equipment crafting at any Blacksmith.

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There aren't a ton of weapons and armor that need Neopteron Materials to craft, but there is enough for players to get frustrated by it. There are plenty of Hunters out there who have looked up how to find Neopteron, have been told which Small Monsters drop it, and are then confused when they can't seem to get it from carving those monsters. This is simply because Neopteron is a 'classification' of a creature in the Monster Hunter world rather than the name of a Material. More specifically, it refers to insectoids such as Bnahabra, Altaroth, and many more.

Updated October 2nd, 2023 by Jacob Buchalter: Figuring out how to farm very specific materials is about as 'central' to the core of Monster Hunter as actually slaying monsters is. In every single Monster Hunter game (even the mobile ones), players are constantly looking at new equipment, seeing some material they've never heard of before, and trying to figure out where they would even get that material. In Monster Hunter Rise, one of the most confusing examples, at least until late High-Rank, is Neopteron. At a glance, this material's name makes it seem like it's just one item. But, in actuality, it's actually a whole 'classification' of items. With all that said, let's go in-depth into what exactly Neopteron materials are in Monster Hunter Rise, where they come from, and how players can intentionally farm it.

Neopteron & Neopteron Materials Overview

Monster Hunter Rise - Example Of Neopteron Classification In Small Monsters Info Page-2

To go a bit more into what Neopteron is in-depth, Neopteron is a classification of Material types that can be used to upgrade a weapon to the next version. For example, when upgrading the Secta Nulo I Sword and Shield in the weapon's 'Bnahabra Tree', it takes 6 Points or 'units' of Neopteron Materials, on top of the required Materials for Secta Unu, to upgrade the Secta Nulo I. The word 'Neopteron' basically equates to insectoids, specifically ones with hardened carapaces. In regard to species in Monster Hunter Rise, this includes:

Name

Type

Typical Location

Hornetaur

Small Monster

The Jungle, The Citadel

Vespoid

Small Monster

The Jungle

Altaroth

Small Monster

Shrine Ruins, Frost Islands, Sandy Plains, Flooded Forest, Lava Caverns

Bnahabra

Small Monster

Shrine Ruins, Frost Islands, Sandy Plains, Flooded Forest, Lava Caverns

There are plenty more of these insectoid types throughout the entirety of the Monster Hunter franchise, of course, but these are the only ones that show up in Monster Hunter Rise. Think of it like the overarching species of creatures, similar to how Kelbi, Popo, Anteka, Slagtoth, Kestodon, Rhenoplos, and Gowngoat are all under the 'Herbivore' classification.

For some reason, while Hornetaur and Vespoid are considered Neopteron Small Monsters, their Materials won't count towards the basic Neopteron Upgrade requirements.

How to Get Neopteron Supplies

Monster Hunter Rise - Case Of The Creepy Crawlies Quest In-Menu

There are multiple routes for getting Neopteron materials, even more so added in the Sunbreak expansion (along with more Neopteron Small Monsters in general). However, only Low-Rank gear seems to require Neopteron specifically, as High Rank asks for Neopteron+ and Master Rank asks for MR Small Monster Materials (which include Neopteron Materials of a different kind).

So, with that in mind, players just need to kill Altaroth and Bnahabra in Low-Rank versions of every base Rise map and carve their Materials to use towards the Neopteron crafting requirement. Now, Hunters can simply look around each map for these insects or memorize their spawn locations, but the best method overall is to use the 2-Star Village Quest 'Case of the Creepy Crawlies' to farm them, a method that's used for obtaining other elusive Materials as well. This Quest asks the player to slay a total of 14 Altaroth or Bnahabra, and it'll mark all their locations on the map, saving the player a bunch of trouble hunting the insectoids down.

Best Methods For Farming Neopteron Small Monsters

Monster Hunter Rise - Examples Of Material Types That Fall Under Neopteron Category-1

It should be stated, however, that it's a bit more of a 'tedious process' carving these bugs than simply hitting them until they die. Essentially, these things can explode into unsalvagable pieces if hit with the wrong type of damage, or exposed to some other factors, and when this happens they won't be carvable. So, to ensure just about every slain Neopteron creature is usable, Hunters should:

Tip

Explanation

Use Kunai

When players use Kunai to get the finishing blow on an insectoid, it seems to have a much lower chance of causing this 'explosion'.

Stop Palico & Palamutes From Interfering

Because the AI of the player's Palico or Palamute tends to auto-target anything 'hostile' near the player, oftentimes they'll attack any nearby Neopteron-type species and explode them. To prevent this, use the 'Wait' Buddy Command whenever a Neopteron species is nearby.

Bring Poison Smoke Bombs

By far the best method for farming these creatures, as the Poison Smoke Bombs kill the Neopteron-type creatures after a short duration, and they'll fall to the ground without exploding 100 percent of the time.

Use Blunt-Type Damage

There are different damage types in Monster Hunter Rise, such as Blunt and Cutting damage. Using specifically Blunt or Impact damage against these insects also seems to reduce the chance of them exploding.

How To Actually Use Neopteron

Monster Hunter Rise - Upgrading Sword and Shield Using Neopteron Materials

Now, as previously stated, the primary use of these Materials is not to use them in the 'crafting' of new weapons. Rather, it's to use them at the Blacksmith to upgrade a weapon to its next version in their various weapon trees. As such, here are all the weapons that will eventually need Neopteron for a future upgrade.

Weapon Name

Weapon Type

Amount of Neopteron Materials Needed

Arko Nulo White II

Bow

10

Arko Nulo Red II

Bow

10

Kamura Iron Bow III

Bow

5

Fiore Nulo Green II

Gunlance

10

Fiore Nulo II

Gunlance

8

Fiore Nulo White II

Gunlance

10

Kamura Gunlance III

Gunlance

5

Kamura Spear III

Lance

5

Kamura Chorus III

Hunting Horn

5

Vicello Nulo Green I

Hunting Horn

8

Vicello Nulo White II

Hunting Horn

8

Vicello Unu

Hunting Horn

8

Hortadent II

Insect Glaive

8

Rielle Nulo II

Insect Glaive

8

Kamura Glaive III

Insect Glaive

5

Elite Switch Axe

Switch Axe

8

Kamura Iron Axe III

Switch Axe

5

Kamura Sword III

Sword and Shield

5

Secta Nulo Red II

Sword and Shield

6

Secta Unu

Sword and Shield

6

Kamura Light Bowgun III

Light Bowgun

5

Kamura Heavy Bowgun III

Heavy Bowgun

5

Kamura Blade III

Long Sword

5

Kamura Cleaver III

Great Sword

5

Kamura Hammer III

Hammer

5

Kamura Glintblades III

Dual Blades

5

Kamura C. Blade III

Charge Blade

5

Total Neopteron Materials Needed

178

So, it seems like there are actually quite a few weapons spread across Monster Hunter Rise's 14 different weapon options (much more than Monster Hunter Now's 6 options). So, to anyone who wants to try out a bunch of different weapons before settling on one, it might be time to start slaying some insects in preparation.

MORE: The Best Hunting Games, Ranked

Monster Hunter Rise

Franchise
Monster Hunter
Platform(s)
Switch , PC , PS5 , PS4 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Xbox One
Released
March 26, 2021
Developer(s)
Capcom
Genre(s)
Action , RPG