>>11372032it's a free stun on most monsters when they're not enraged, and the weakening mechanic ("softening" a monster body part) gives like a flat +25% buff to all incoming damage to that area.
It can be fun to use (ie. using other monsters as battering rams to knock over your actual target), but I can see where some people are coming from when they say it's too much of a gimmick / breaks the flow of combat.
>>11371879Rise's focus on verticality and wirebugs does give it some interesting movement mechanics, and the Japanese theme might appeal to some more - but I think World+Iceborne wins out in most comparisons if you're looking to get into one or the other. It has a lot more content, better graphics, and afaik as of current World+Iceborne is roughly the same price as just basegame Rise.
I'd say get World+Iceborne - it should keep you busy for a good while - and once you're done with that hopefully Rise should start going on sale.
