In Monster Hunter Now, paintballs have revolutionized the way hunters track and tackle monsters, turning the hunt into a strategic game of timing and preparation. Whether you’re rushing through the streets or relaxing at home, paintballs let you mark up to eight monsters for a 48-hour window, giving you the freedom to plan your battles when you’re ready. With two types-manual pink paintballs and automatic blue Palico paintballs that mark monsters even while the app is closed-these handy tools ensure you never miss a hunt, no matter where life takes you.
Our guide explains what Paintballs do and how to get more of them in Monster Hunter Now.
Looking for more advice? Our Monster Hunter Now tips and tricks page can give you some extra pointers.
What are Paintballs in Monster Hunter Now?
Paintballs in Monster Hunter Now are special items used to mark monsters for hunting at a later time, enhancing strategic gameplay. There are two types: the pink Regular Paintballs, which players use manually to mark monsters they want to hunt within the next 48 hours, and the blue Palico Paintballs, which automatically mark monsters even when the game is closed, provided Adventure Sync and location services are enabled. Each paintball allows tracking a monster for up to 48 hours, with a daily limit of marking up to eight monsters. This system helps players manage hunts more efficiently by allowing them to prioritize and prepare for tougher monsters.
As you walk around, you may run into big monsters that you don’t really want to take down at that exact moment.
With pink regularPaintballs, you can manually mark the large hunts so you can fight them later.
Your Palico can also automatically hit them with blue Palico Paintballs, marking them and allowing you to fight them for a few days or so on your own time. You have no control over which monsters will be marked, and this works even if your app is closed (though your Adventure Sync needs to be on).
How many attempts do you have with a Paintball?
In Monster Hunter Now, each paintball allows you a maximum of three attempts to hunt the monster you have marked with it. You can mark up to eight monsters per day using paintballs, whether regular or Palico types. Once a paintball is used to mark a monster, that mark lasts for 48 hours, during which you can attempt to fight the monster up to three times. If you fail to defeat the monster within these attempts or the time expires, the mark disappears and you lose the paintball without further benefit. This system encourages strategic use of paintballs, especially for higher-star monsters that yield better rewards.
You have three attempts to fight each monster tagged with a Paintball. At launch, you had just a single opportunity – meaning if you lost or backed out of the fight, they would flee – but this was changed following an update on Oct. 13, giving you two more chances to complete the encounter.
An additional note: starting the encounter then backing out mid-fight will count as one attempt, so only tackle your Paintballed monster when you are fully prepared.
How to get more Paintballs in Monster Hunter Now
To get more Paintballs in Monster Hunter Now, you have several options. You receive three free Blue Palico Paintballs daily, which automatically mark monsters even when the game is closed, provided you have Adventure Sync and location services enabled. For Pink Regular Paintballs, which you use manually to mark monsters, you can purchase them in the in-game shop by exchanging gems-180 gems for one paintball or 900 gems for five. Another way to earn Pink Paintballs is by leveling up your Hunter Rank, where you receive paintballs at each level initially, and after HR 11, every ten levels. Additionally, purchasing the Celebration or Prime Hunter Pass can increase your paintball capacity and daily limits temporarily. Unused daily free paintballs do not carry over, so it’s best to use them each day for maximum efficiency.
Whether through regular pink Paintballs or blue Palico Paintballs, by default you can tag eight Monsters to fight later on your Paintball List.
All players get three blue Palico Paintballs for free, which will refresh once per day. Any unused Paintballs won’t roll over to the next day, so be sure to keep enough spaces free in your Paintball List to ensure they are used.
Meanwhile, you can purchase pink regular Paintballs (the manual Paintballs you mark yourself) from the shop at a rate of 180 gems for one and 900 gems for five. You can also get pink Paintballs rewards from certain Hunter Ranks – notably, every 10 Ranks once you reach HR 11 at 20, 30, 40, and so on.
Those familiar with Pokémon Go can equate the earn-ability of these to raid passes: blue Palico Paintballs are like the orange free raid passes, and pink ones are like the green paid passes.
How do paintballs change my hunting strategy in Monster Hunter Now
Paintballs significantly shift your hunting strategy in Monster Hunter Now by allowing you to mark large monsters for up to 48 hours, enabling you to track and hunt them at your convenience rather than immediately upon encounter. This means you can prioritize which monsters to tackle based on your readiness, time, and resources, rather than chasing every monster on the spot.
There are two types of paintballs that influence strategy differently:
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Pink Regular Paintballs: Used manually to mark monsters you choose, giving you control over which threats to track and when to engage them.
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Blue Palico Paintballs: Automatically mark monsters for you when Adventure Sync and location services are enabled, even if the game is closed, allowing passive tracking and preparation without active gameplay.
Because you can mark up to eight monsters per day, paintballs let you build a queue of prioritized hunts. This also facilitates multiplayer coordination, as you can invite nearby players to join tougher battles once a monster is marked.
Overall, paintballs transform hunting from a reactive, on-the-spot activity into a strategic, planned approach, maximizing efficiency and player control over the hunt.
How does marking large monsters with paintballs influence my hunt planning
Marking large monsters with paintballs in Monster Hunter Now fundamentally enhances your hunt planning by allowing you to track and prioritize monsters for up to 48 hours, rather than needing to engage them immediately upon encounter. This strategic flexibility means you can choose when and where to hunt based on your schedule and readiness, rather than reacting on the spot.
Specifically, paintballs let you:
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Reserve monsters for later hunts, so you can focus on easier targets or prepare better gear before tackling tougher foes.
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Manage up to eight marked monsters simultaneously, giving you a curated hunt list to approach at your convenience.
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Coordinate multiplayer hunts by marking monsters and inviting friends via QR codes, making group battles more organized and efficient.
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Benefit from Palico Paintballs (blue) that automatically mark monsters even when the game is closed, enabling passive tracking through Adventure Sync and location services.
However, once a monster is marked with a paintball, you can only hunt it once; if you fail or run away, the mark disappears, encouraging careful planning before engagement. This system transforms hunting into a more deliberate, tactical process rather than a purely reactive one.
