As of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, you can hire a Felyne Comrade (or "Felyne Fighter") that will aid you in a quest. While a total of 13 Felyne Comrades can be hired at once, only three Felynes can be listed as "active". Active Felyne Comrades participate in training, which you can set on the Comrade Board. Although you may have up to three active Felyne Comrades, only one can come with you on a mission at a time.
In Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, your Felyne Comrade cannot come with you in Online Gathering Hall Missions, during Treasure Hunts or when you fight large monsters like Lao Shan Lung or Shen Gaoren. However, they are available for offline Gathering Hall missions. In Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, they can be used to battle extremely large creatures. You can bring them when fighting the Jhen Mohran, for example. Not only this, but Monster Hunter Portable 3rd allows for up to two Felyne Comrades to come on quests with you to better simulate multiplayer play.
Hiring a Felyne Comrade
You may hire a Felyne Comrade from the same Old Lady you would hire your Felyne Chefs from. Sometimes she sells Comrades, sometimes she sells Chefs.
When looking at a Comrade for hire, you will see a chart with the list of the Comrade's stats, which follows the format listed below:
- First Leader: The Felyne Comrade's owner.
- Comrade LV: How high the Felyne's level is. The level limit is 20, but attack and defense can still be increased through development.
- Attack: How strong the Comrade's attacks are.
- Defense: How high the defense of the Felyne is.
- Fondness: How fond the Comrade is of you. This will affect behavior on quests. For example, if you have the Snowman effect, the Comrade can potentially attack you, which negates the Snowman effect.
- Coloration: What type/color of Felyne it is. The effects of a Felyne's coloration are only visual.
- Temperament: What kind of personality has (how it acts in the middle of battle; fearless, cautious, etc.).
- Slash/Strike: Whether the Comrade uses Slash or Impact attacks. Impact has the K.O. effect, stunning monsters if hit on the head enough. Slash can sever tails.
- Attack Pref: How the Felyne fights and what it uses during battle (Weapon, Bombs, both or doesn't attack at all).
The Comrade Board
The Comrade board is located in the kitchen. It is located by your active Felyne Comrades. You can only have 3 Felyne Comrades active at a time, the others cannot be seen, and they cannot develop while not active.
These are the board's options:
- Growth: Have your Cats undergo training that raises their stats.
- Comrade Skills: Give your Felynes special skills with the points they have gained (up to 3 skills per Felyne).
- Active/Reserve: Switch your active Feylnes, and which one is your Comrade.
- Armor: Choose the armor your Felynes wear (only for visual effects). Possible types of armor are Mafumofu, Acorn Mail and a downloadable Felyne Samurai set. This armor makes your Comrade's weapon change into a Katana if they are Slash type, or a wooden hammer if they are Impact. Attack power does not effect the weapon's visual image.
- Change/Dismiss: Turn your Fighter into a Felyne chef, or dismiss a fighter
- Comrade Transfer: Exchange Comrades with your friends.
Growth
In this option you can choose what type of training your cat does while you are out on missions. These will slowly raise your Comrades's stats. Whenever you level up one skill through development, the opposite skill loses one point. For example, if you gain 1 attack power point, you lose 1 defence point. Once your Felyne Fighter becomes level 20, the highest Felyne level, it can continue to gain attack, defence, and skill points, but at a slower rate.
- Hand To Hand: Increases the Comrade's experience value.
- Dumbbells: Increases Attack.
- Situps: Increases Defense.
- Forms: Increases Defense and Attack at the same time slowly.
- Meditation: Increases the Comrade's points (used to acquire Skills).
- Rest: The Comrade takes a break, slowly raising its Loyalty.
Weapon Upgrade
As your Felyne Comrade levels up and its attack power becomes stronger, its weapon will change visually. See the chart below:
| Attack Power | Slash Weapon | Impact Weapon | Divider |
| 0~150 | Bone Pick | Catspaw | 10.6 |
| 150~300 | Crystal Pick | Acorn Hammer | 8.9 |
| 301+ | Ochre Scythe | Barrel Hammer | 8.0 |
Points and Skills
As your Felyne Comrade fights alongside you, it gains points. These points can be used to give your Comrade "Skills" which will aid you/them in the midst of battle. However, a Comrade can only have a maximum of 3 skills at once. You can have a Comrade unlearn skills in order to free up a slot to learn a new skill. Unlearning a skill gives a half refund of the total point cost.
| Skill | Point Cost | Description | How To Unlock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flute | 20 | Your Felyne Comrade sees you are in danger and plays a flute to attract your attacker. | Starts With Skill |
| Demon Flute | 60 | Your Felyne Comrade plays a tune that raises both you and the Felyne Fighter's attack power. | Starts With Skill |
| Armor Flute | 60 | Your Felyne Comrade plays a tune that enhances both you and the Felyne Comrade's defense. | Starts With Skill |
| Antidote Flute | 30 | Felyne Comrade plays a tune that cleanses of any impurities and cures Poison status. | Starts With Skill |
| Health Flute | 70 | Your Felyne Comrade plays a tune that recovers a small amount of your health when needed. | Starts With Skill |
| True Health Flute | 120 | Your Felyne Comrade learns to play a tune that will recover a larger amount of your health. | Achieve 4 Loyalty Hearts |
| Element Atk Fire | 15 | Imbues Felyne Comrade's melee weapon with Fire element. | Starts With Skill |
| Element Atk Water | 15 | Imbues Felyne Comrade's melee weapon with Water element. | Starts With Skill |
| Element Atk Ice | 15 | Imbues Felyne Comrade's melee weapon with Ice element. | Starts With Skill |
| Element Atk Thunder | 15 | Imbues Felyne Comrade's melee weapon with Thunder element. | Starts With Skill |
| Element Atk Dragon | 30 | Imbues Felyne Comrade's melee weapon with Dragon element. | Take Felyne to fight any Elder Dragon |
| Elemental Attack Up | 50 | Enhances your Felyne Comrade's attacks with elemental properties, increasing their effectiveness. | Take Felyne to fight a Rathalos or Rathian |
| Status Atk Poison | 60 | Imbues Felyne Comrade's melee weapon with a Poison effect. | Take Felyne to fight an Iodrome, Gypceros, or Chameleos |
| Status Atk Paralysis | 60 | Imbues Felyne Comrade's melee weapon with a Paralysis effect. | Take Felyne to fight a Gendrome, Cephadrome, or Khezu |
| Status Atk Sleep | 60 | Imbues Felyne Comrade's melee weapon with a Sleep effect. | Take Felyne to fight a Plesioth, Basarios, Gravios, or Hypnocatrice |
| Abnormal Status Attack Up | 120 | Enhances your Felyne Comrade's attacks with status effects, increasing their effectiveness. | Take Felyne to fight a Plesioth, Lunastra, or Teostra |
| Wind Negate | 100 | Felyne Comrade is immune to most wind Wind effects. This skill does not protect from Dragon level Wind effects. | Take Felyne Comrade to fight a Kushala Daora or any monster that has wind effect |
| Earplugs | 140 | (All Roar effects are nullified.) | Take Felyne Comrade to fight a Yian Garuga or Tigrex. |
| Attack Up | 60 | Raises your Felyne Comrade's attack. (Increases by 20.) | Take Felyne to fight a Yian Kut-Ku, Monoblos, Diablos, or Rathalos |
| Defense Up | 90 | Raises your Felyne Comrade's defense. (Increases by 30.) | Take Felyne to fight a Basarios or Gravios |
| Health Up | 120 | Raises your Felyne Comrade's health. | Take Felyne to fight a Congalala, Blangonga, or Rajang |
| Guard Percentage Up | 70 | Your Felyne Comrade learns how to defend himself well and raises its blocking effectiveness. | Take Felyne to fight a Daimyo Hermitaur, Shogun Ceanataur, Terra Shogun Ceanataur, Plum Daimyo Hermitaur, or Kushala Daora |
| Hyperdrive | 100 | Your Felyne Comrade gains enhanced mobility and raises its movement and gathering speed. | Take Felyne to fight a Tigrex, Narga, or Kirin |
| Speedy Recovery | 130 | Your Felyne Comrade recovers from injuries faster and lessens the time taken to recuperate. | Get at Felyne Lvl. 18 |
| Affinity Attack | 80 | Your Felyne Comrade will be more likely to deal a critical hit. | Get at Felyne Lvl. 5 |
| Rob 'em Blind | 100 | Your Felyne Comrade will be able to steal items when a success hit is landed. | Get at Felyne Lvl. 10 |
| Shock Traps | 160 | Your Felyne Comrade will be able to set Shock Traps. | Get at Felyne lvl. 18 |
| Bomb Strength Up | 150 | Raises the power of you Felyne Comrade's bombs. | Get at 3 Loyalty Hearts |
| Bomb Dmg Reduction | 90 | Reduces Bomb damage done to both Felyne Comrade and Hunter. | Get at Felyne Lvl. 6 |
| Lg Barrel Bomb Skill | 140 | Your Felyne Comrade will sometimes use Large Barrel Bombs to attack the enemy. (Only if it can normally use bombs.) | Get at Felyne Lvl. 13 |
| Poison Negate | 30 | Felyne Comrade is immune to poison. | Take Felyne to fight an Iodrome. |
| Clairvoyance | 70 | Felyne Comrade can detect or see where a large monster is. | Get at Felyne Lvl. 8 |
| Say No To Gathering | 90 | Felyne Comrade won't gather any items in the area and it's attack will be increased | Get at Felyne Lvl. 12 |
| Workaholic | 80 | Felyne Comrade attacks and does not rest. Drains Felyne Fighter's strength and lowers health. | Get at Felyne Lvl. 15 |
| Fall 7x, Get Up 8x | 120 | Felyne Comrade comes back after recovering with increased fervor and attack power. (Power increases by 10, to a maximum of 80.) | Get at Felyne Lvl 14 |
| In a Corner | 150 | Felyne Comrade receives a great attack and defense boost, but will not recover until quest end. | Get at Felyne Lvl. 20 |
During Battle
Aid
- During battle, your Comrade can distract the monster, possibly saving your life so many hunters find it easier to fight with a comrade.
- If your Comrade has the ability to use Bombs, these Bombs can double as a Sonic Bomb, good for fighting monsters such as Yian Kut Ku, Plesioth, or other monsters sensitive to loud noises.
- If you are covering your ears from a monster's roar, and your Comrade was not affected, they can run up to the hunter and strike them to negate the roar; this is the same for the Sleep Ailment, when you are dazed, or when you are frozen by a Giadrome, Kushala Daora, or Blangonga. A higher Fondness rating results in this behavior occurring more often.
- If your Comrade has the proper skills, they can deploy Shock Traps to stun a monster for attack or capture.
Gathering
- Your Comrade can gather from Gathering Points, resulting in extra items or materials. You collect these items at an additional reward screen for the Comrade, which appears after the hunter's reward screen.
- Your Comrade cannot carve, but if it knows the "Rob 'Em Blind" skill, it may occasionally steal an item from the monster when it attacks, which uses the same percentage system as carving.
Fighting Style
Comrades have many different styles of fighting during battle:
- Bombs Only: Comrade will never directly attack and only use Bombs.
- Weapon Only: Comrade will never use bombs and only attack directly.
- Mainly Bombs: Comrade will mostly use bombs and occasionally use his weapon.
- Mainly Weapon: Comrade will mostly use his weapons and occasionally use Bombs.
- Balanced: Comrade will use Bombs and his weapon equally.
- Doesn't Attack: Comrade never attacks (They will still attack you to shake off KO, sleep, etc.)
Temperaments
| Character | Attack Preference | Healing Rate | Attacking Target |
| Fool Hardy | More Melee | VrySlow Heal | Mostly Lg Monsters |
| Brave | More Melee | Slow Heal | Mostly Lg Monsters |
| Average | Both Equal | Normal Heal | Balanced |
| Cautious | More Bombs | Fast Heal | Mostly Sm Monsters |
| Cowardly | More Bombs | VryFast Heal | Mostly Sm Monsters |
| Scrapper | Only Melee | Normal Heal | Balanced |
| Weapon Lover | Only Melee | Normal Heal | Balanced |
| Prefer Weapon | More Weapon | Normal Heal | Balanced |
| Bomb Lover | Only Bombs | Normal Heal | Balanced |
| Prefer Bombs | More Bombs | Normal Heal | Balanced |
| Aims Large | More Melee | Normal Heal | Only Lg Monsters |
| Aims Small | More Melee | Normal Heal | Only Sm Monsters |
| Peace Loving | No Attacking | Normal Heal | No Attacking |
| Double KO | Only Bombs | VrySlow Heal | Only Lg Monsters |