Monster Hunter World Beginner’s Guide

Monster Hunter World tries to guide players through the many nuances of playing, but a little more direction couldn’t hurt. Here’s a how to play Monster Hunter World guide.

In this Beginner’s Guide to Monster Hunter World, you’ll find:

Sections to come: What do I do In-Between Quests?

EditWhat is Monster Hunter World About?

Monster Hunter World’s story is about following Elder Dragons across the sea to the New World, and discovering their purpose for doing so. The gameplay loop is simple on the surface, but can get pretty deep. 

Basically, your goal is this:

1. Hunt a Monster.
2. Head to the Forge in Astera to see what new Weapons and Armor you can make.
3. Decide if you want to make any of the new stuff you unlocked, or fight the monster again to earn enough materials for it.
4. Hunt a new monster. Repeat steps 2-4. 

EditHow do I Hunt a Monster?

This video gives a great overview of how to do this.

But, here are the details if you’re not a video person.

Edit1. Manage Your Inventory

The least glamorous step of hunting a monster, but it’s pretty important. Your bag has a limited amount of spaces, so you don’t want to carry what you don’t need. (Luckily, Monster Hunter World has changed to make the Ammo bag separate from the rest).

Head to a supply box in Astera – you can find these next to Quest Boards and in your room. Deposit everything you don’t need – like raw materials such as mushrooms – into your box. Definitely check out the button commands, which you can find on the bottom left, to do this most efficiently with the press of one button.

You can create an inventory load-out to do this incredibly fast! Try it out.

Edit2. Equip the Right Gear

While at the box, make sure you’re wearing the Armor and Weapon you want.

If you’re having trouble with a monster, check your Menu => Hunter’s Notes => Monster Field Guide to make sure you’re not using a weapon with an element it’s strong to. Or, if you haven’t unlocked that information, check out our in-depth Monster Guides. 

You can change both your equipment and item inventory inside the tent at camp while on a quest!

Edit3. Eat a Meal

Never forgot to eat at the canteen in Astera, or the camp canteen while on a quest! These can increase your health, defense, attack, stamina, and elemental resistances, plus grant you special skills that last for the duration of the quest.

Edit4. Track the Monster

The scout flies will find clues for you as you explore the map, creating a more easy-to-follow path the more footprints, mucus, and other materials you find. Keep picking up tracks, and your scout flies will eventually lead you straight to the monster you’re hunting.

You can change your scout flies’ objective while looking at the map. Press R3 over your new target to change this.

Edit5. Kill the Monster

Okay, this is easier said than done, but you can do it! Most monster’s most dangerous spot is its head, so be wary. If you keep getting killed, make it your goal to evade the monster’s attacks for a while so you can get used to its movement and attack patterns. Then jump in to slaughter it when you feel comfortable.

Make sure to keep your health up with items, and your weapon sharpness up with the infinite whetstones you have. Bouncing off a monster leaves you open to attack – a spell for disaster.

If all else fails, send out an SOS Flare for help, or have your friends in your session help. The more people you have, the easier it is, granted no one is dying repeatedly.

EditWhat Else do I do on a Quest?

Though hunting a monster is usually the main goal of any quest, there are quite a few things to look out for while out and about.

1. Gather everything. This means: Pick up mushrooms, plants, bugs, and honey – especially honey – on your way. These are important for crafting the items you need on quests.

1. Almost more importantly, stop by Mining Nodes. You’ll need the ore from these to forge weapons and armor.

1. Investigate tracks! Even if you’ve already tracked the monster you’re hunting, you should still make an effort to pick up tracks as you go on your way. They grant you valuable Research Points, which are needed for a huge number of activities in Astera, from unlocking new camps to purchasing rare items (look for the Argosy Captain later on in Monster Hunter World to see what I mean.)

EditWhat Weapon Should I Choose in Monster Hunter World?

This isn’t an easy question to answer. See our Weapons page for a quick rundown of all 14 weapon types, and links to some weapon tutorials. For more specific advice though, check out this video on the 3 Best Weapons for New Players in Monster Hunter World: 

EditHow Do I Choose When To Make New Equipment?

Basically, once you’ve hit a wall, or are barely able to squeak by a monster, look into what new Armor you can make.

Though this is true for armor, always upgrade your weapons as soon as possible. Nothing sucks more than going up against a monster your weapon only bounces off of because of its weak sharpness and stats.

Don’t grind new sets after each new monster – it’s usually better to mix and match pieces of armor from different sets so you can get a mix of Armor Skills that benefit you most. In order to do this, it’s best to unlock as many sets as possible by hunting as many new monsters as possible before making anything.

EditHow do I Play With Friends in Monster Hunter World?

There are a ton of ways to accomplish this, plus really cool Squads that make it incredibly easy to hop on with friends. Check out the How to Play With Friends in Monster Hunter World page for everything you need to know about co-op-ing it up.

See Also: