Niantic respond to broken Monster Hunter Now Palico Paintballs

James Busby
Palico sitting on grass with Paintballs

Niantic has released a response to the broken Monster Hunter Now Palico Paintballs that have not been functioning as intended.

Following the release of the Monster Hunter Now October 13 patch, players reported that the Palico Paintballs no longer worked properly. This issue cropped up after Niantic changed the way Palico Paintballs function in the game, which made them unable to mark monsters when the app is running. 

This led to some rather frustrating scenarios where Hunters missed out on materials, particularly during the Pink Rathian event. In fact, many players complained that their Palico Paintballs ceased to function at all

Well, Niantic has now addressed the issue and will be releasing a fix to Palico Paintballs in a future update update. 

Niantic address broken Palico Paintballs in Monster Hunter Now

Palico in Monster Hunter wearing a hat
Monster Hunter Now Palico Paintballs have been broken since the October 13 update.

Posting on the official Niantic support website, the devs responded to complaints regarding the broken Palico Paintballs that are currently not functioning as intended. 

You can read the full statement below:

Hunters, as of October 13, we have made a change that Palico does not mark monsters while the app is running. However, in the following cases, the distance is not recorded and as a result Palico does not mark monsters as often as it used to.

  • The app is being played when using public transportation etc.
  • There are limitations on the amount of communication due to tethering, device settings, or contractual conditions with telecommunication companies.

We have also confirmed that even when the above does not apply, there are cases where the distance is not recorded.

As a result of our consideration, we will make a change so that Palico will mark monsters while the app is running, as it did before its release on October 13. We will notify you again as soon as the change is completed. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.” 

Monster Hunter Now Palico Paintball compensation 

Niantic will be compensating all players in the game by increasing the number of Palico Paintballs by two for one week from October 26th/27th. Additionally, Hunters who have the Release Celebration Pass or Prime Hunter Pass will receive seven Palico Paintballs, while other Hunters will be granted five Palico Paintballs. 

Make sure you check out our Monster Hunter Now page for all the latest news and guides. 

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About The Author

James is Dexerto's Associate Games Editor who joined the website in 2020. He graduated from university with a degree in Journalism, before spending four years freelancing for GamesRadar+, PCGamesN, RPS, LoL Esports, Red Bull Gaming, and many more. You can find him covering everything from CoD, Apex Legends, Genshin Impact, and Monster Hunter. Need to get in touch? Email James at james.busby@dexerto.com.