How to find the best eggs in Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin

To get new Monsties as your companions in Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, you need to find eggs. The process for finding eggs is pretty straightforward, but not every egg you find is equal. There are a few things to look out for to make sure the eggs you take home have the best genes possible.

In this Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin guide on finding eggs, we’ll tell you what to look out for to make sure your eggs have rare genes. We’ll explain where to find eggs and what Navriou needs to tell you to let you know if the eggs you find are worth hatching.

Where to find eggs

To find eggs in Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, you need to locate dens. These small caves are found all over the game’s open world. Unlike Everdens which have fixed locations, normal dens appear randomly in different locations each time you enter the open world.

Rare dens are covered in golden rocks

Image: Capcom via Polygon

Dens look like small cave openings. You’ll find them against cliff walls and even on trees. If you have a Monstie with the “Nest Search” riding action, they can mark the location of dens in your immediate area. You’ll also want to have a Monstie with that skill when you are exploring dens. Rare dens will be covered in golden rocks. These caves will either have rare eggs for that region or will contain common eggs with more rare genes.

When you enter a den, you’ll begin exploring a small dungeon-like cave. The layout of the area will be obscured on your map until you explore it. If you use a Monstie’s Nest Search ability, they will immediately mark the location of the den’s egg.

Egg nests may be guarded by monsters

Image: Capcom via Polygon

When you finally find the nest at the end of a den, the area containing eggs may or may not have a monster resting there. If you find a resting monster, don’t disturb it unless you want to fight it.

Inside the nest, you’ll find an assortment of eggs. When you go to pick up an egg, you’ll receive an egg with two randomly assigned characteristics: smell and weight. As you grab an egg, Navriou will comment on the egg’s odor and heaviness. The smellier and bulkier the egg, the rarer the genes your monster will have.

If you pick up an egg and do not like the stats Navriou points out, you usually have the option to grab another egg. However, each time you grab a new egg, you raise the likelihood of waking a sleeping monster. If there’s no monster in the nest, each egg you grab increases the likelihood that a monster will appear.

You can check egg stats and hatch them at a stable

Image: Capcom via Polygon

Either way, once you’re satisfied with your egg, you have to leave the nest to obtain the egg. By walking out of the area where the nest is, you’ll be prompted to exit the den. If you choose to leave, the egg you grabbed will be placed into your Egg Carton. You can view which eggs are in your egg carton by pressing X to enter the camp menu. From there, choose Egg Carton and you’ll see which eggs you’re currently carrying.

To hatch all the eggs in your possession, you need to return to your stable. At your stable, you can inspect your eggs’ weight and smell. You can also choose to hatch one or multiple eggs. When your Monstie’s hatch, you can examine their genes. Smellier and heavier eggs will have rarer genes.