Decoration Farming Priorities in Monster Hunter Wilds — Best Tempered Investigations to Farm

Decoration Farming Priority Quick Reference

Why Tempered Investigations Are the Primary Source

Tempered monsters are elite versions of standard monsters that drop higher-rarity decorations from their reward tables. Standard MR monster reward boxes mostly drop Lv 1–2 decorations with occasional Lv 3 jewels. Tempered monster reward boxes drop Lv 2–3 decorations with reasonable frequency and occasional Lv 4 dual-skill decorations. Over the same number of hunts, Tempered monsters yield roughly 3–5x more high-tier decorations than standard hunts.

Tempered Investigations are specific quest types that lock in a Tempered variant of a monster. Investigations have boosted reward tables and additional reward slots — bronze, silver, gold, or platinum bonus rewards based on quest completion conditions. Each Investigation can offer 1–3 additional reward boxes beyond the standard hunt rewards. This makes Investigations the most efficient decoration source per hunt.

Not all Tempered Investigations are equal. The monster type, the bonus reward tier, and the Investigation's specific reward conditions all affect efficiency. Bronze tier Investigations offer one bonus reward box; Gold tier offer three. Always prioritize Gold tier Investigations on your target monster if available. Bronze and Silver tier hunts are still worth running if it's the only Tempered version of your target monster, but they're significantly less efficient.

Tempered Investigations appear randomly from monster reward drops, special endemic life encounters, and Quest Board posts. Once you have an Investigation in your quest log, it lasts until you complete it (or until the quest list rotates if you hold too many at once). Hoard your highest-tier Gold and Platinum Investigations for focused farming sessions; clear out Bronze and Silver investigations as filler content.

Top Tempered Monsters to Farm for Decorations

Lv 1 to Lv 4 Decoration Priority Breakdown

Lv 1 decorations are the foundational gems — they're plentiful and provide one level of a single skill. The most valuable Lv 1 decorations are Expert Jewel (Critical Eye +1), Attack Jewel (Attack Boost +1), Vitality Jewel (Health Boost +1), and Recovery Jewel (Recovery Up +1). Stack these Lv 1 jewels in small slot armor to cap skills cheaply. Most builds end up with 8–12 Lv 1 decorations in various slots.

Lv 2 decorations carry single-skill +1 in a denser slot package. The priority Lv 2 jewels are Tenderizer Jewel 2 (Weakness Exploit +1) — the single most important decoration in the game — Critical Jewel 2 (Critical Boost +1), Charger Jewel 2 (Focus +1), and Maintenance Jewel 2 (Power Prolonger +1, for IG/SA/CB). Most builds need 3 Tenderizer Jewels (to cap WEX Lv 3) and 3 Critical Jewels (Crit Boost Lv 3). These two stacks alone are 6 Lv 2 decorations — start Tempered farming with these as targets.

Lv 3 decorations are rarer and provide single-skill +1 in a Lv 3 slot. Notable Lv 3 picks: Handicraft Jewel 3 (sharpness extension), Maintenance Jewel 3 (Power Prolonger), Earplugs Jewel 3 (Earplugs +1), and weapon-specific Lv 3 jewels (Spread Jewel for Bow, etc.). Lv 3 jewels often substitute for Lv 2 in builds with abundant Lv 3 slots.

Lv 4 decorations are the rarest. They're dual-skill gems — a single Lv 4 jewel grants two skills simultaneously. Examples: Expert Tenderizer Jewel 4 (Critical Eye +2 + Weakness Exploit +1), Attack Tenderizer Jewel 4 (Attack Boost +2 + WEX +1), Challenger Jewel 4 (Attack Boost +1 + Critical Eye +1), Mighty Bow Jewel 4 (unlocks Charge Lv 4 on Bow). Lv 4 jewels are the endgame chase items, but a build without Lv 4 jewels still performs at ~90% of optimal — don't gate progression on them.

Realistic Decoration Drop Rates (Tempered Monster Investigations)

Melding Pot Strategy

The Melding Pot is the second-best decoration source after Tempered monster drops. It takes monster materials and unwanted decorations as input and produces a random gem from a chosen category as output. The Pot has multiple tiers (Base Meld, Rare Meld, Premium Meld) — higher tiers cost more materials but produce higher-rarity decorations.

Meld strategy: feed excess Lv 1 decorations (especially ones you've already capped — extra Expert Jewels after Critical Eye Lv 7 are cap) into the Meld for higher-rarity outputs. Don't sell duplicate decorations — they're more valuable as Meld fodder. Aim for the Meld category that targets your current bottleneck skill (e.g. Affinity-type for Tenderizer farming).

Each Meld output is random within the chosen category. You can't pinpoint a specific Lv 4 jewel via Melding. However, the Premium Meld tier has a meaningful chance to produce Lv 3 and occasionally Lv 4 jewels in the chosen category. Over 50–100 Premium Melds for the Affinity category, you'll typically obtain enough Tenderizer Jewels and 1–3 Lv 4 affinity gems.

The Elder Melder NPC offers higher-tier Melding options as you progress through MR. Premium Meld is typically unlocked in late Phase 3 / early Phase 4 (MR40–MR60). Until then, Base and Rare Meld are your only options — focus those on Tier 1 priority decoration categories (Affinity, Critical) for fastest meta build progression.

Decoration Source Efficiency Comparison

Verdict: Tempered Investigations are the primary endgame decoration source. Standard MR hunts and Melding Pot are supplementary sources. Event Quests fill specific gaps. Don't rely on market/vendor or story rewards past Phase 2 — they don't yield endgame-tier decorations.

Specific Decorations to Prioritize Per Weapon Class

• Great Sword / Hammer: Charger Jewel 2 (Focus Lv 3), Tenderizer Jewel 2 (WEX Lv 3), Critical Jewel 2 (Crit Boost Lv 3), Earplugs Jewel (comfort).
• Long Sword / Sword & Shield: Tenderizer Jewel 2, Critical Jewel 2, Expert Jewel 1 (Crit Eye), Constitution Jewel 2 (stamina, for SnS).
• Dual Blades: Tenderizer Jewel 2, Critical Jewel 2, Constitution Jewel 2, Stamina Surge Jewel 1, Element Attack Jewel 2 (for elemental DBs).
• Bow: Mighty Bow Jewel 4 (mandatory), Tenderizer Jewel 2, Critical Jewel 2, Constitution Jewel 2, Stamina Surge Jewel, Spread Jewel 3 (for Spread builds).
• Switch Axe / Insect Glaive: Maintenance Jewel 2 (Power Prolonger), Tenderizer Jewel 2, Critical Jewel 2, Charger Jewel 2 (Focus, for SA), Airborne Jewel 1 (for IG aerial builds).
• Charge Blade: Tenderizer Jewel 2, Critical Jewel 2, Charger Jewel 2 (Focus), Artillery Jewel, Guard Jewel 2.
• Gunlance: Artillery Jewel (Lv 3), Capacity Jewel 4, Tenderizer Jewel 2, Critical Jewel 2, Guard Jewel 2.
• Hunting Horn: Horn Maestro Jewel 2, Slugger Jewel 2 (Slugger Lv 3), Tenderizer Jewel 2, Critical Jewel 2, Earplugs Jewel.
• Lance: Guard Jewel 2, Critical Jewel 2, Tenderizer Jewel 2, Offensive Guard Jewel, Counterstrike Jewel.
• Light Bowgun: Tenderizer Jewel 2, Critical Jewel 2, Reload Jewel 2 (Reload Speed), Suppressor Jewel 2 (Recoil Down), shot-type-specific Jewel (Pierce/Spread/Normal Shots Lv 3).
• Heavy Bowgun: Tenderizer Jewel 2, Critical Jewel 2, Spread/Pierce/Special Jewels Lv 3, Reload Jewel 2, Suppressor Jewel 2.

Reward Table Understanding — Maximizing Per-Hunt Drops

Each Tempered Investigation has a reward table showing the bonus reward rewards (in addition to the standard monster carve and quest reward). Reward boxes range from Bronze (1 box) to Platinum (3+ boxes). Always check the reward table before committing to an Investigation — a Gold-tier Tempered Arkveld with three bonus boxes is roughly 3x the decoration yield of a Bronze-tier hunt.

Each bonus reward box has a hidden drop table determining what gems can appear. The drop table is influenced by: monster type (Tempered Arkveld biases toward affinity decorations; Tempered Rey Dau biases toward thunder/affinity), monster rank (higher MR Tempered drops higher-tier jewels), and investigation modifiers (some Investigations have specific modifiers that boost certain decoration categories).

Don't hoard Investigations — they have a quest log limit (typically 50–100 active investigations). Once full, new investigations replace older low-tier ones. Run lower-tier investigations as filler between Gold-tier runs to keep your slot count manageable. The reward bonus on a Bronze investigation may not be huge, but it's something rather than wasted slot.

Pay attention to special investigation modifiers — some MR investigations have unique conditions like 'Time Limit 10 minutes' (faster but high-pressure) or 'Multi-Monster Hunt' (two monsters in one Investigation for double rewards). These special modifiers can significantly accelerate decoration farming if you can clear them efficiently.

Common Mistakes in Decoration Farming

• Selling duplicate decorations: Save them for Melding Pot fodder. Even capped Lv 1 jewels are valuable Meld inputs.
• Running Bronze Investigations when Gold is available: Always prioritize Gold and Platinum tier Investigations on your target monster.
• Gating progression on Lv 4 decorations: Lv 4 jewels are bonus, not requirement. Builds with Lv 1–3 jewels perform at 90%+ of optimal. Don't refuse to progress because you don't have specific Lv 4 jewels.
• Ignoring the Melding Pot: Premium Meld is one of the most efficient ways to convert excess decorations into targeted categories. Use it regularly.
• Farming the wrong monster for your target jewel: Different Tempered monsters bias toward different decoration categories. Research the drop tables before committing to a long farming session.
• Not using deco filter system: The Smithy's decoration filter lets you search by skill — use it to quickly identify which jewels you have and which you need.
• Skipping Event Quests for decoration rewards: Some Event Quests offer specific rare decorations as completion rewards. Track the Event Quest calendar.
• Maxing one skill before diversifying: Capping Critical Eye Lv 7 before getting Critical Boost Lv 3 wastes scaling. Cap WEX Lv 3 + Crit Boost Lv 3 first, then expand.
• Hoarding too many Investigations: The quest log has a limit. Clear old Bronze investigations to make room for new Gold ones.
• Quitting before realistic farming pace: Full optimization takes 80–150 hours of Tempered grinding after MR50. Don't expect to be done in 20 hours — pace yourself.