Monster Hunter World beginner’s guide

Depending on who you open the topic of Monster Hunter, you’ll get an assortment of impressions. On one hand, it’s a game with a ravenous fanbase that won’t hesitate to support the newest releases. On the other hand, it’s filled with confounded menus you must navigate and has challenging gameplay.

Thankfully, much of the series’ complexity has been streamlined in Monster Hunter World, resulting in a better experience if you want to try out a Monster Hunter game for the first time. However, you’ll still need a fair bit of guidance regarding the ins and outs of hunting essentials. If you’re a newcomer to the series—and if playing solo, in particular—we’ll tell you all there is to know before going on your first hunt.

Monster Hunter World: Best Starting Weapon

The amount of weapons you can wield in Monster Hunter World can be overwhelming, which is no surprise considering that there are 14 different weapons to choose from. You might be tempted to use the Greatsword since it offers the most girth, but bigger isn’t always better.

All the weapons in Monster Hunter World Iceborne are excellent in their own way, but if we’re trying to gun for that beginner-friendly aspect, you might want to consider the Dual Blades. It offers quick, fluid movements without compensating for any damage lost. Thanks to its demon mode, you can also get in and out of fights incredibly fast.

But say getting up close and personal isn’t your style. In that case, you can try the Light Bowgun or Bow; you can aim it just like you would using a gun using the L2 button and fire using the R2 button. There are many ammo options, each with special effects suited for different fights you’ll go on to do.

If you’re the type of player that likes to go solo, not to worry—playing alone is viable in Monster Hunter World. You can even check out our weapon tier list for solo gamers here.

There’s Nothing Wrong With Being A Loot Goblin

When you head out from your base camp, you’ll notice your scoutflies buzzing out. They’re helpful bugs that notify you about nearby gathering spots or evidence left behind by large monsters. We highly advise gathering as much material as possible since almost everything you find will have a purpose. Once your inventory’s full, head back to the base to transfer everything you’ve collected to the Item Box.

Eventually, you’ll be zipping through the map with a purpose—either tailing a prey that’s escaped or following a monster’s tracks through their footprints. When doing this, it’s best to keep an eye on the text prompts that pop up, which lets you know what items you can get within your vicinity. Here are a couple to look out for:

• Herbs: Automatically turn into Potions
• Thunderbugs and Spider Webs: These can be used to create traps
• Honey: Automatically combines with Potions to make Mega Potions
• Mining Outcrops: An excellent source of ores that can be used to upgrade/craft weapons and armor

Make the Most Out of Your Slinger

You know that claw-looking thing on your arm? That’s the clutch claw, a vital tool in Monster Hunter World. It’s also a rudimentary slingshot that you can load with a slew of shots, like a Piercing Shot or just your common Stone. Despite its size, it can be used in a lot of applications. The nature within Monster Hunter World is already dangerous enough on its own; it just needs a small push to tip it over the edge.

Firing off a shot using your slinger can turn the table on the monster you’re hunting. For example, you can take a shot at a paratoad from afar to paralyze monsters near it temporarily. You can even trigger a boulder trap in the Ancient Forest to make enemies flinch. Almost every base camp in the game has some sort of stone you can load, so make sure to grab them at the start of your quest.

Always Try to Increase Your Research Level

One of the tedious parts of Monster Hunter World is tracking monsters. It may be fun when you do it for the first couple of times, but over time, it can feel like a slog, especially if your Research Level for that specific monster you’re trying to hunt isn’t high. Green footprints are a common sight when doing a quest or going on an expedition. As you investigate them, soon you’ll be able to tell what monster you’re tracking.

Even when you get to that point, don’t ignore the tracks. The more you research them, the higher your Research Level gets. Soon, you’ll get so good at identifying tracks that your scoutlies will lead you directly to the beast instead of showing you its footprints.

Does Monster Hunter World Have Cross-Play?

Unfortunately, Monster Hunter World does not offer cross-play capabilities across all platforms. This absence has been a point of contention among its playerbase, and the primary reason behind this lies in the complexity and challenges posed by Sony’s policies. During MHW’s development stage, Sony hesitated to allow cross-playing interactions, influencing the game’s final design.

Sony’s policies have since become more lenient, but considering that Capcom officially no longer supports Monster Hunter World, adding cross-play now would require significant technical overhauling. Hopefully, we’ll see this being added to the upcoming title of the franchise, Monster Hunter Wilds.