Playing dress up is one of the core incentives to the 
Monster Hunter gameplay loop - hunt stronger monsters to get access to new gear - everybody loves a bit of fashion in their action games! As much as one may enjoy hunting for the aesthetic rewards, however, at some point enemies are likely going to grow strong enough that you’re going to want to seek out gear that provides more practical benefits in combat. One of the best suits of armor in Monster Hunter Wilds is the Arkvulcan Mail, and we’ll cover how to unlock this armor, how to craft it, and why it’s worth the effort!
Page Breakdown¶
Unlocking Arkvulcan Armor¶
Arkvulcan is tier eight armor - currently the highest tier of armor in the game, and it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that you won’t unlock this for quite a while. In fact, you have to complete the final quest in the game: Chapter 6-1: Awakening from a Dream. Once done, return to Gemma and this armor should be unlocked; the Arkvulcan Mail is the torso armor for the 
Arkveld α and 
Arkveld β sets, as well as its sister 
Guardian Arkveld α and 
Guardian Arkveld β sets.
(1 of 2) To unlock the Arkvulcan Mail, you will need to defeat Arkveld again in Chapter 6-1.
To unlock the Arkvulcan Mail, you will need to defeat Arkveld again in Chapter 6-1. (left), Fortunately the materials required to craft this armor also come exclusively from high rank Arkvelds. (right)
Crafting Arkvulcan Armor¶
As you may have surmised from the name, the 
Arkvulcan Mail β set is made from materials dropped from the high rank 
Arkveld that you’ll fight in Chapter 6-1, after which it’ll spawn just about everywhere. Fortunately it’s one of the easier Arkveld armor pieces to craft, as it doesn’t require any Hunter Symbol III materials, so you only have the fight the standard ★7 Arkveld instead of the Tempered ★8 variant. You will need the following materials:
Arkveld Calloushell materials can be obtained by breaking either of the Arkveld’s Chainblade Appendages (100%), the Arkveld Scale+ materials can be earned by destroying wounds (45%) or carving the Arkveld’s carcass (30%), while the Arkveld Armorplate comes from the same sources albeit (48%) and (23%), respectively. Arkveld Certificate S materials drop as bonus rewards when you successfully hunt Arkveld. These are all listed as quest rewards for most Arkveld hunts, whether it’s Field Survey, an Investigation or the optional quest 
The Chains of Life. In other words, just hunt Arkveld a lot!
Why Arkvulcan Armor is Good¶
Being tier eight armor, Arkvulcan Mail has a lot going for it - naturally it has high Defense (66) and while its resistances aren’t great (a trait universal for Arkveld-based armor, it seems), it offers interesting skills and decoration slots. What we’re looking at specifically is the Arkvulcan Mail β variant, which has 
Weakness Exploit Lv1 and two slots (one rank three slot and one rank two slot).
(1 of 2) Hunt Arkveld until you have the materials, then craft Arkvulcan Mail β.
Hunt Arkveld until you have the materials, then craft Arkvulcan Mail β. (left), The armor’s Exploit Weakness skill and useful decoration slots make it useful for DPS-minded hunters! (right)
The Weakness Exploit skill boosts the hunter’s [Affinity] when hitting weak points or wounds, which should be fairly frequent once you become proficient with your weapon. Affinity is essentially the Monster Hunter term for “critical hit chance”, with critical hits dealing 25% more damage than normal. If you get Weakness Exploit to Lv5 you’re essentially giving your hunter a 30-50% chance to deal 125% per hit when you strike weak point and wounds, which is a pretty big bonus in the realm of endgame Monster Hunter! Of course, this armor only adds one rank, but it does so with no real downside. Equip a Tenderizer Jewel in its free rank three decoration slot to get another level of Weakness Exploit, then equip the 
G. Arkveld Vambraces β gloves and you’re already at Weakness Exploit Lv4! Not a bad start for DPS-focused endgame builds!
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