Monster Hunter Stories 3 Riding Actions: The Complete Monstie Traversal Guide

There is nothing quite as infuriating as exploring a massive new zone only to be stopped dead in your tracks by a slightly deep puddle.

Before you end up dragging yourself all the way back to a camp because you forgot to bring a monster that knows how to swim, you need to memorize this system. You can have the most mathematically flawless combat party in town, but if none of your giant lizards know how to climb ivy, you are going to miss out on half the map's loot.

Building a team in this game is a balancing act between having the raw damage to clear bosses and the utility to actually navigate the world. If you are still trying to figure out how to even find these specific beasts in the wild, you should probably pause and read my MHS3 egg farming and habitat guide to get your breeding program sorted first. Once your stables are full, use this guide to build a proper exploration squad.

Every Riding Action Explained

You do not need every single action equipped at all times, but you absolutely need to know what you are missing. Some of these are purely for convenience, while others are hard lock progression requirements for exploring hidden dens.

MHS3 Overworld Skills

Here is exactly what each traversal skill does in the field.

Riding Action	In-Game Functionality
Fly	Allows your monstie to become airborne. You use this to ride specific wind updrafts scattered around the map to reach higher elevations.
Wall Climb	Lets you scale designated vertical surfaces like ivy or cracked rock faces. It is basically mandatory for deep den exploration.
Swim	Lets you traverse deep bodies of water. Trying to cross water without this will instantly and annoyingly force you to dismount.
Jump	A standard leap to clear small gaps in the terrain. Almost every single mount in the game has this by default.
Roar	Stuns nearby wild monsters or outright terrifies them into running away. It is perfect when you are low on HP and just want to avoid an unnecessary fight.
Stealth	Turns your mount temporarily translucent so you can slip past aggressive enemies undetected. It will not save you if a monster has already spotted you.
Melee Attack	Lets you hit enemies in the field to trigger a Preemptive Strike advantage. You also use this to smash environmental rocks blocking your path.
Breath	Fires a projectile to hit distant targets, knocking airborne enemies out of the sky for a free combat advantage. It also breaks specific environmental barriers.
Ground Dive	Allows you to burrow into designated holes in the ground and pop up in otherwise inaccessible, locked off areas.

If you are using Roar or Stealth specifically because you are completely out of healing items, you should probably take a second to review my MHS3 combination recipes list and restock your bags. Dodging fights is fine, but eventually, you are going to get cornered.

I also highly recommend spamming the Melee Attack action on weaker enemies while roaming. As I mentioned in my MHS3 tips for beginners, hitting low level mobs in the field instantly kills them for free materials and experience, completely skipping the battle screen. It is an incredible quality of life feature.

The Complete Monstie Riding Action Roster

This is the hard data. I have grouped the regional and elemental variants together to save you from endlessly scrolling since sub-species share the exact same traversal loadouts. Check this list against your current party before you hike out into the wilderness.

If you realize you brought the wrong team halfway across the map, do not panic. You can easily teleport back to base to swap them out. If you are struggling with the teleport mechanics, consult my guide on Feral Monsters and fast travel to get your Catavan stands unlocked.

Monstie Traversal Master List

Find your beast, check its actions, and build a party that can actually clear a dungeon.

Monstie Species (Including Variants)	Available Actions
Velocidrome / Kulu-Ya-Ku / Arzuros / Chatacabra / Rakna-Kadaki / Brachydios	Jump, Roar, Melee Attack
Great Izuchi / Tetranadon / Goss Harag / Anjanath (All) / Glavenus (All) / Deviljho	Jump, Roar, Melee Attack, Breath
Yian Kut-Ku (All) / Gypceros (All) / Aknosom / Pukei-Pukei / Yian Garuga (All)	Fly, Jump, Roar, Melee Attack, Breath
Garangolm / Ajarakan / Nerscylla (All) / Odogaron / Zinogre (All) / Magnamalo / Tigrex (All)	Wall Climb, Jump, Roar, Melee Attack
Bishaten / Tobi-Kadachi / Barioth (All)	Fly, Wall Climb, Jump, Roar, Melee Attack
Blood Orange Bishaten	Fly, Wall Climb, Jump, Roar, Melee Attack, Breath
Blangonga / Ebony Odogaron / Lunagaron	Wall Climb, Jump, Roar, Melee Attack, Breath
Canyne	Wall Climb, Jump, Roar, Melee Attack, Ground Dive
Shogun Ceanataur	Jump, Roar, Melee Attack, Breath, Ground Dive
Barroth (All) / Diablos (All)	Jump, Roar, Melee Attack, Ground Dive
Plesioth (All) / Royal Ludroth (All) / Somnacanth (All) / Lagiacrus (All) / Mizutsune (All)	Swim, Jump, Roar, Melee Attack, Breath
Almudron	Swim, Jump, Roar, Melee Attack, Ground Dive
Paolumu / Legiana / Seregios / Rey Dau / Arkveld	Fly, Jump, Roar, Melee Attack
Khezu (All) / Rathian (All) / Astalos (All) / Rathalos (All) / Espinas / Namielle / Velkhana / Malzeno	Fly, Jump, Roar, Melee Attack, Breath
Gravios (All)	Fly, Jump, Roar, Melee Attack, Breath, Ground Dive
Nargacuga (All)	Wall Climb, Jump, Stealth, Melee Attack

Building the Ultimate Utility Team

Looking at the raw data, monsters like the Gravios or the Shogun Ceanataur are arguably some of the most efficient utility mounts in the game because they consolidate so many actions into a single slot. Every time you can free up a party space by using a multi-tool monster, you get to bring another pure damage dealer along for the ride.

Do yourself a favor and build a dedicated exploration preset at the Stables. It will save you the headache of manually swapping out your Zinogre every time you hit a body of water. Oh, and while you are riding around on your new meticulously planned roster, make sure you actually look good doing it by setting up your MHS3 layered armor. Nobody respects a rider who dresses like a mismatched garbage can.