Beginner's Guide to Monster Hunter: World

New to Monster Hunter? This guide covers everything you need to start hunting.

Choosing Your Weapon

  • 1Try every weapon in the Training Area before committing.
  • 2Sword & Shield, Hammer, and Dual Blades are the most beginner-friendly.
  • 3Long Sword and Bow are popular but require learning specific mechanics.
  • 4Charge Blade and Hunting Horn have the steepest learning curves.
  • 5You can switch weapons at any time -- there is no commitment.

Hunt Preparation

  • 1Always eat at the Canteen before every hunt for health, stamina, and skill buffs.
  • 2Bring Mega Potions, Antidotes, Nulberries, and a Farcaster on every hunt.
  • 3Check the monster's weaknesses in the Hunter's Notes (after first encounter).
  • 4Craft traps and Tranq Bombs for capturing -- it gives more rewards than carving.
  • 5Upgrade your armor as far as possible using Armor Spheres.

Combat Basics

  • 1Learn your weapon's moveset in the Training Area.
  • 2Watch the monster for attack patterns before engaging recklessly.
  • 3Hit-and-run: attack during openings, dodge or block during monster attacks.
  • 4Prioritize hitting weak spots (usually head, tail, or wings).
  • 5When the monster drools and limps, it's capturable -- use a trap + 2 Tranq Bombs.

Progression Tips

  • 1Weapon upgrades matter more than armor upgrades early on.
  • 2Farm Great Jagras and other easy monsters for starter gear.
  • 3Unlock Optional quests by talking to NPCs -- they give useful rewards.
  • 4Investigations give bonus rewards and are the best way to farm materials.
  • 5Complete all Assigned quests to progress the story.

Multiplayer Tips

  • 1Fire an SOS Flare if you want random players to help.
  • 2Monster health scales up in multiplayer -- 2-player is the same as 4-player scaling.
  • 3Use Flinch Free 1 to avoid being tripped by teammates.
  • 4Bring Lifepowders and Dust of Life to heal teammates.
  • 5Don't wake up sleeping monsters -- let the Great Sword or Mega Barrel Bombs hit first.