Weaken the monster until a skull appears next to its icon on the minimap, catch it in a Shock Trap or Pitfall Trap, then hit it with two Tranq Bombs. Capturing usually gives more rewards than slaying and ends the hunt sooner.
Slaying a monster feels great. Capturing one feels clever. You end the fight early, usually walk away with more materials, and get to watch a furious wyvern drop off to sleep at your feet. It only takes three things: good timing, one trap and two bombs.
When to capture
Keep an eye on the minimap. When the monster is weak enough, a skull icon appears next to its icon. That’s your cue. Many monsters will also start limping or head back to their nest around this point.
Stop attacking once the skull shows up. Keep hitting it and the monster can die before you get the trap down, and there goes your capture.
How to capture, step by step
- Weaken the monster until the skull icon appears.
- Set a Shock Trap or Pitfall Trap in its path and lure it in.
- While it’s stuck, hit it with two Tranq Bombs.
- Done. The hunt ends and the rewards roll in.
If the trap breaks before the tranqs land, or the monster still has too much health, the capture fails. Bowgun users can use Tranq Ammo instead of bombs, and Tranq Blades for the Slinger work too.
Recipes
| Item | Recipe |
|---|---|
| Shock Trap | Trap Tool + Thunderbug Capacitor |
| Pitfall Trap | Trap Tool + Net |
| Net | Ivy + Spider Web |
| Tranq Bomb | Sleep Herb + Parashroom |
Buy Trap Tools from the Provisions Stockpile at Base Camp. Thunderbug Capacitors come from catching Thunderbugs with your Capture Net, a separate tool meant for small endemic life.
Trap immunities
Not every monster plays along. Bring the other trap for these:
| Monster | Resists |
|---|---|
| Gypceros | Shock Trap |
| Rey Dau | Shock Trap |
| Jin Dahaad | Pitfall Trap |
| Zoh Shia | Both |
Why capture?
- Usually more rewards. Captures tend to give more materials than slaying, and the fight ends sooner.
- Different drops. Some parts only come from a capture, while carve-only items need a kill. The Field Guide in game shows which is which, so check it before you decide.
- A trophy. Capture 50 monsters for Capture Pro.
Your first required capture
The story makes you capture something once. Lured by Abundance (★4, High Rank, Chapter 4) asks you to capture Yian Kut-Ku in the Scarlet Forest during Plenty. Kill it and you fail the quest, so pack your traps and watch that skull.
Patch notes: Title Update 3 fixed problems with Lagiacrus and Pitfall Traps near water. Title Update 4 stopped Support Hunters from wasting traps and Flash Pods by mistake.