From Monster Hunter Wiki

[edit] Raw Damage

Raw Damage is the pure damage done without the aid of elements or secondary status effects. It is important to favor raw damage over elemental damage and secondary statuses because raw damage is universal and has more weight in most cases (100 points of raw damage is worth more than 100 points of element damage).

[edit] Elements

Elements are the secondary damage that is done. Like raw damage, it is done directly. How much the element effects a monster is dependent on the monster's weaknesses. In MH3, monster's element attacks now have status conditions. The elements are fire, water, thunder, dragon and ice.

Element	Description	Examples of Monsters	Image
Fire Element	Fire is a common element found in nature. Fire creatures are usually weak to water but fire weapons are good against Thunder monsters. Many species of wyverns are imbued with it. Using Flame Sacs or other flammable materials, hunters can forge weapons with fire element, as well as armor.   In MH3, being hit by a fire attributed attack (like an Albatrion's fire blast, or an Agunacotel's fire beam) inflicts a secondary effect that slowly lowers your health, similar to that of Lunastra's or Teostra's fire aura.	- Rathalos - Rathian - Teostra - Lunastra - Gravios - Yian Garuga - Basarios
Water Element	Water is an element that is extremely abundant in nature. Water creatures are weak to the thunder element but water weapons strong against fire creatures. Weapons and armor can be imbued with the element of water.   In MH3, being hit by a water attributed attack lowers your stamina recovery time.	- Plesioth - Shogun Ceanataur - Daimyo Hermitaur
Thunder Element	Thunder is an element that is rarely found in nature. Thunder creatures are usually weak to fire but thunder weapons are usually effective against water creatures.   In MH3, being hit by a thunder attributed attack induces a satus similar to that of paralyzasis, but it slows down your speed and charge time.	- Khezu - Red Khezu - Rajang - White Fatalis - Kirin
Dragon Element	Dragon element is special in the sense that it can be devastating only to monsters that are dragons or have dragon lineage. As with other elements, the damage dealt varies with each monster. In MH3, Dragon attacks dealt by some monsters now have the ability to lower your Affinity for an amount of time. The first to have this ability is Navaldeus.	- Fatalis - Lao-Shan Lung - Teostra - Tigrex - Navaldeus - Ibirujo - Albatrion
Ice Element	A new element that was first introduced in Monster Hunter Freedom 2, as well as Monster Hunter 2. Ice and fire are both weak towards each other.   In MH3, every ice attributed attack induces the snowman status.	- Kushala Daora - Giadrome - Blangonga - Ukanlos

[edit] Secondary Status

Secondary status effects are indirect damage done to a living thing, Hunter or Monster, that cause it to react in a certain way. The secondary status are poison, sleep, stun, soiled, knock out, defense decrement, freeze and fatigue.

Element	Description	Examples of Monsters	Image
Poison	Poison is a secondary status effect that affects monsters or you by gradually losing health over a certain amount of time. Different monsters are affected differently by it. Poison time can be increased or decreased. You can also cure poison by using antidotes, bitterbugs (50%), antidote herbs (50%). You can tell a monster is poisoned by seeing purple bubbles rising from atop its head. You can implement the poison from a monster into your weapons. If you poison an elder dragon that has an aura (Daora, Teostra, and Lunastra) their aura will be gone until the poison effect has ended. This will also disable the Chameleos' invisibility.	Rathalos - Rathian - Gypceros - Iodrome - Espinas - Chameleos - Yian Garuga
Sleep	Some monsters have the potential to put hunters into sleep. This allows them to get an extra hit off them. The effects of sleeping can be increased or decreased if you have armor that allows you to do so. Being interacted with, either hit by a monster or a hunter during a sleep will wake you up. Sleep is also a secondary status effect that you can cause to your enemies by the use of weapons or items. While an enemy sleeps, you can do necessary things such as sharpening your weapon, drinking potions, eating meat, or even taking advantage of the sleeping monster and attacking it. It is worth noting that while a monster sleeps it regains lost health. However an added advantage of putting a monster to sleep is that the next attack dealt to it does triple the damage in comparison to normal attacks. Placing and detonating bombs on a sleeping enemy will give it a devastating wake-up call.	- Basarios - Gravios - Hypnocatrice - Plesioth - Shakalaka
Stun	AKA: Paralysis is a secondary status effect. This immobilizes you or the monster for an amount of time, allowing for free hits without fear of getting hit from either side. You can tell if a hunter is stunned when they fall down frantically and yellow shock waves pass through their body. Stun duration can be increased or decreased by wearing armor with the appropriate skill. You can see a creature is stunned when it is hunched over, and yellow shock waves pass through its body. You can stun a monster by using a weapon or an item. Each monster has their own resistance to paralysis, and some stay longer than others in the stunned state.	- Genprey - Gendrome - Cephalos - Cephadrome - Khezu - Kirin - Vespoid - Queen Vespoid - Espinas - Great Thunderbug - White Fatalis
Freeze	When getting hit by an extremely cold attack and being covered in ice, it is known as freeze. It's usually a very cold breath attack that will form a icy layer over your body that prevents you from using any items (except Thawing Agents) and sprinting (can be cured by using a Thawing Agent). Snowman can also be ended when the frozen hunter is attacked. Whilst being in the Snowman status, you can sprint at normal running speed without loss of stamina. If you happen to run out of thawing agents, a good trick to do is to run in a circle for about 5-10 seconds and the snow will melt.	- Blangonga - Kushala Daora - Giadrome - Ukanlos
Soiled	A hunter becomes Soiled after being hit by the infamous fart attacks of the Conga family of monsters. It causes the hunter to be surrounded by a cloud of vile-smelling brown gas. While soiled, it's impossible to use any item which must be eaten to use, such as potions, rations, steaks, power or armor seeds, hot or cold drinks. Although this condition fades with time, it can be instantly cleared by using a deodorant.	- Conga - Congalala - Emerald Congalala
Defense Decrement	Defense Decrement is a very rare status ailment in which the hunter's current defense is halved. The status ailment can be cured with any type of defense increasing buff, such as Armorskin and Armor Flutes, though the cheapest solution is Armor Seeds.	- Akantor - Chameleos - Queen Vespoid - Ibirujo
Fatigue	Fatigue is an extremely rare status ailment where the hunter's stamina is dropped to the minimum of 25 points, and they are no longer able to use stamina increasing items. It is only curable by using an Energy Drink or negated entirely with a skill or by waiting it out.	- Chameleos - Akura Vashimu
KO	Also called dizzied or KO'd. When a monster hits you several times in succession you have a high chance of getting knocked out. You become immobile for a short time, allowing the monster to get a free hit off of you. You know you are knocked out when you stand unbalanced and you have several stars circling your head. The knock out time can be diminished if you rapidly rotate the analog stick and press the X button repeatedly. You can also knock out a monster by using Flash bombs. But, if you're fighting a certain monsters, you must throw the Flash Bomb in front of them. Please note that bosses can still attack you while in its dizzy status (Except the dromes) but attacks you blindly, so it can be easily avoided. In Monster Hunter 2, CAPCOM has implemented the Knockout skill in Hammers and Hunting Horns though not to be confused with the flash bomb type of knockout, this one will knock the monster down. After hitting a monster repeatedly with a hammer on a monsters head, you have a chance of dizzying it which leaves it completely defenseless.	- Gypceros - Chanagaburu
Mudbrick	AKA Adobe. Like being wrapped up in stone and hard mud. New status that will first feature in Monster Hunter 3. The effects are similar if not exact to the ice status effect. You're unable to attack or use items and can only run around and roll. It wears off after a few seconds, or will dissipate if the hunter is hit by Chacha or other means.	- Boruborosu