Monster Hunter Rise is good, and a great entry point for new Hunters.
If you want to hang out with your buds and build huge weapons to fight cool lizards,
this is the series for you.
But it takes some effort to get into, and the game’s tutorials don’t cover everything.
We put together this Absolute beginners guide, so you can go from zero to huntin’ in
about 15 minutes or so.
In this guide we’ll take you through the basic game play loop, weapons, movement, monsters,
crafting system and more.
The game is divided into two distinct phases that we’ll call The Village, and The Hunt.
In the village, you’ll develop infrastructure, gear, and weapons that will let you hunt tougher
monsters.
In the Hunt, you and your teammates will track and fight a powerful monster, and you’ll
earn the resources to spend back in the village.
We’ll get into the individual steps of that gameplay loop in a bit, but first, let’s
cover one of the very first things you’ll do in MH: Rise: Picking a weapon
Picking a weapon in Monster Hunter is a bit like picking a character in a fighting game.
Each of the 14 weapon types has its own set of combos, meters, mechanics, and metagames
to learn and master.
The moment you pick up a weapon, you’ll have access to its full moveset.
This isn’t a Devil May Cry kinda thing where you level up to earn more combos.
You will build better versions of the base weapons, but if you decide to try something
new, crafting a new weapon type is no big deal.
Let’s go over the basic types of weapons.
The Sword and Shield, Dual Blades, and Long Sword have straightforward combos, quick attacks,
and good mobility.
This is why they make good beginner weapons.
Their fundamentals are easy to grasp, but their skill ceiling is still very, very high.
Etiquette Tip: You can’t hurt your teammates, but certain attacks can bump and stun them.
The Longsword is especially problematic, so make sure to be considerate.
The vertical swipes and stabs are safe, but the spirit slash attacks (the ones you mash
R to do) have a huuuuuge hitbox and can repeatedly bonk your buddies.
Only use it when you have an opening.
Lance and Gunlance are good picks if you think dodge rolling is for cowards.
These weapons let you stay up in the monster’s face and deal consistent (or explosive) damage
without having to retreat.
They trade traditional evades for a heavy shield, so they can feel sluggish at first,
but you’ll learn techniques to get around quickly.
Although Bow, Light Bowgun, and Heavy Bowgun are ranged, you can’t get too far away.
They all have a “critical range” where shots are effective before damage dramatically
falls off.
If you’re playing with some more experienced friends, these weapons are a great way to
hang back and observe the monster’s patterns.
Switch Axe, Charge Blade, and Insect Glaive are weirdo weapons with transforming modes
and multiple meters and resources to manage.
Playing with those systems is fun, but it might be a bit much when you’re still working
on not getting killed
Greatsword and Hammer are singularly focused on doing lots of damage, but I don’t recommend
them for beginners.
While they have simple combos, their attacks are very, very slow— so if you don’t have
a good sense of a monster’s movement patterns, there’s a good chance you’ll whiff most
of your shots.
Which is bad.
The Hunting Horn is a bit like the Hammer, but each attack generates a musical note.
Different combinations of notes give your entire team useful buffs.
It might be a bit weird for a newbie to grasp, but nobody will ever be mad at you for bringing
the Hunting Horn.
If you want to take any of these weapons for a spin, just head over to the training area.
You can swap weapons with the item chest in the entryway.
Pick one out.
Hit buttons and pay attention.
What’s the range feel like?
How fast do you move with it drawn?
How much time passes between hitting a button and the attack landing.
Find something that feels right to you.
To see a sample list of a weapon’s combos, check out “weapon controls” in your hunters
notes.
While some weapons are “beginner friendly”, you should really pick something that you’re
excited about.
Your interest in a weapon will motivate you to actually learn its ins and outs.
If you’re looking for a video guide, Arekkz’ weapon workshop series is a great place to
start.
So!
You’re in the village.
First thing to do is pick a quest, so it’s time to meet some new friends:
Hinoa, Senri, Minoto, and Mr. Quest Board.
Hinoa, who sits on the red bench in front of the ironworks, is your access point for
the single player story content.
Her quests are balanced for one player, and can’t be joined by other hunters.
If you are looking to play with others, first talk to Senri the Mailman, who is actually
a cat.
He hangs out just to the left of the ironworks stairs.
Select “play online” and then either create or join a lobby.
Minoto is in charge of online quests.
She’s in the gathering hub, which is down this path.
You can also get there by holding minus, and selecting “gathering hub” from the list
of locations.
Minoto’s quests are meant to be tackled by teams, and are quite a bit tougher.
Once you’ve selected a quest, you’ll see it listed in the upper left corner of the
screen.
If anyone in your online lobby posts a multiplayer quest from Minoto, it will also appear on
the The quest board.
Here, you can join up someone else’s hunt, or they can join yours.
Once your target is locked in, it’s time to prepare.
First, make sure you’ve got the essentials.
There are red chests near the quest givers.
Use these item boxes to gear up.
Choose “manage items,” and make sure you’ve got the essentials for your quest.
At the bare minimum, make sure you have potions and rations, and some antidotes.
Next, we’re gonna get dressed.
Choose “manage equipment,” and pick your weapon and armor.
The best move is to bring a weapon with elemental damage that your target monster is weak to.
Once you’ve fought a monster, you can see it’s elemental weaknesses by checking your
hunter’s notes.
You can make it through most of the early game using the Kamura Armor, which you already
have.
As monsters get harder, you’ll need to craft armor that resists their elemental abilities.
You’ll do all your crafting in the Village, but you need resources first, so we’ll talk
about that after the Hunt.
Once you’re all geared up, it’s snack time.
Head to the canteen, or sit down at the table in the gathering hub.
Eating will give you a flat buff to your health and stamina, and offer other bonuses based
on which flavors you select.
Always, always, always eat before you go hunting.
When you’re ready to go, just hit ZR.
If you’ve joined up on someone else’s quest, this will set you to “ready.”
Etiquette tip: If you’re playing online, it’s polite to handle your prep quickly,
and make sure that everyone is ready before departing on the quest.
Now it’s time to hunt.
At the start of the hunt, you’ll get dropped off at the main camp.
The blue item box contains guild items which are special items that can only be used on
this quest.
The first-aid meds act exactly like a potion, and the ration is a ration.
Pick these up, and use them before you use your own stuff!
Etiquette tip: In multiplayer hunts, the items in this box are shared, so leave some for
the rest of us.
The tent allows you to access your stockpile of items, and all your equipment.
If you forget to re-up before the quest started, you can fix that here
Right from the start, you’ll see the monsters’ locations on your minimap.
If you click the right stick, you’ll cycle through highlighting the monsters currently
in the area.
The icons are pretty tiny, so this is nice!
You can also see their location on the not-mini map by holding minus.
Go get em.
Okay, now it’s time to start runnin around to find that monster.
R will make you sprint, which will slowly drain your stamina bar.
Make sure to slow down to catch your breath.
If you bottom out, you’ll start jogging slowly, and you’ll have to chill for a minute
when you stop.
You probably won’t have to worry much about that, since you’ve got a PALAMUTE.
To mount your Palamute, just hold A. If it’s nearby, it’ll come scoop you up.
This even works when you’re moving!
While you’re on your Palamute, you move a lot faster and you don’t lose stamina.
R will make you sprint, and ZL will initiate DOG DRIFT for more speed.
Palamutes can climb vine walls, and jump with ZR.
You can even use items while riding.
Nice.
Once you get where you’re going, press B to hop off.
Wirebugs are a huge new addition to Monster Hunter’s movement.
You’ve got a stock of 2 of them, and they refill over time.
Wirebug inputs vary depending on context, but ZL will almost always be the first button
you press to use a wirebug technique.
Let’s start on the ground with our weapons sheathed.
ZL + X will rocket you into the air.
ZL + A will zoom you along the ground.
You can also manually aim while holding ZL, and zoom in that direction with ZR.
When you’re in the air, you’ve got a few options too.
You can press B and the analog stick to do a midair evade in any direction.
If you’ve got another wirebug, you can fire one off in midair.
The airborne controls are a little different, but you’ll get used to it.
In midair, ZL + X will pull you forward, and ZL + A pulls you back down towards the ground.
If you want to get further into the air, you’ll need to hold ZL, and manually aim upwards.
If you wirebug yourself into a wall, you can hold R to keep running up that wall as long
as you have stamina.
Oh yeah, one last thing.
Immediately after any wirebug move that leaves you in the air, you can hit A to just dangle
there.
Your wirebugs won't refill while you're hanging, but you can chill for a few seconds and scout
your next jump.
Wirebugs are also super helpful in combat, and work differently when your weapon is drawn,
but we’ll talk about that once we find the monster.
Keep an eye out for gathering points and endemic life.
Gathering points provide things like herbs, berries, and minerals.
Some of these will be useful back in the village, and some will be useful on your hunt.
Herbs, for example, will automatically be turned into potions when you pick them up.
As you work your way towards the monster, don’t be afraid to make little detours.
Endemic Life are friendly creatures that are also worth scooping up.
Spiribirds will give you buffs to your life, stamina, attack, and defense.
These will last for the duration of your hunt.
Other endemic life like puppet spiders or paratoads act as single-use weapons with unique
properties.
You can’t take any of these critters back to the village, so you’ll need to restock
on each hunt.
Also, keep an eye out for extra wirebugs.
They’ll increase your total stock of wirebugs for a few minutes, which can be a lifesaver.
You did it.
It’s finally time to hit the lizard.
Fighting monsters is all about learning their patterns, getting in damage when you can,
and getting back out.
Pay close attention to the way the monster moves.
Even quick attacks are telegraphed in a monster’s movement.
When a Tetronadaon cocks back its paw like this, a thrust attack is coming.
Don’t be there when it lands.
When you see an opportunity to attack, jump in and throw some combos!
But don’t overcommit.
Some attack animations are long, and you might get punished for getting greedy.
If you do enough damage to a monster’s legs, you might trip them!
If this happens, it will fall over and flail for a few seconds.
This is a great chance to use your slower, more damaging attacks, or to target parts
of the monster that are normally hard to reach.
Last, but not least, remember to sheathe your weapon for more mobility.
If you’re new to Monster Hunter, this takes a while to get used to.
Moving around with your weapon drawn can be really slow, so if you’re not actively attacking,
it’s usually a good idea to put your weapon and reposition.
You can do that by pressing Y or R while moving.
If you’re hunting with a team, your positioning around the monster is one of the most important
things to consider.
Because your attacks can interfere with each other, bad positioning will lead to you and
your team tripping each other up and having a bad time.
The best formation will vary depending on which weapons your team is rolling with.
The only absolutes are that a hammer should always have priority on the monster’s head,
and a longsword should always be on tail chopping duty.
Fast weapons like the sword and shield or dual blades should usually stick to the body
and legs, trying to trip the monster up.
Whenever you can, try to ensure that you’re not putting your sick combos over the team’s
ability to do work.
The B button is your best friend.
Only a few weapons come with shields, so you want to get used to rolling out of the way
of attacks.
The dodge roll has a few frames of invulnerability that could allow you to boldly leap through
a monster’s attacks, but the limited iframes and big monster limbs make this hard.
Until you’re feeling confident, it’s a good idea to give incoming attacks a wide
berth and roll away, rather than through.
You can even roll out of certain weapon wind-down animations.
If you just finished a big combo and you’re feeling exposed, try dodge rolling out of
it.
Most attacks don’t cost stamina, but evading does.
Keep an eye on your stamina bar!
Wirebugs work differently when your weapon is drawn.
In this state, ZL + X and ZL + A are assigned to weapon-specific wirebug moves.
For example, the Greatsword has this big jumping attack, or this quick dash that automatically
sheaths your weapon.
Some moves take more than one wirebug to execute!
If a monster sends you flying, you can wirefall to cancel out of the knockdown animation.
When your hunter hits the ground, hold in a direction and press ZL + B.
If you’re hurt, use this to move away from danger.
If you’re raring to go, use it to launch yourself right back at the monster.
Keep in mind that both offensive and defensive wirebug moves pull from the same recharging
stock!
If you see damage numbers flying off the monster that look like this, that means you’re doing
mounting damage.
If you do enough, the monster will enter a stunned state.
Attacking them again, or hitting A with your weapon sheathed will let you hop on and drive
them for a while.
You can use the monster to attack other monsters, but if there aren’t any other big boys around,
the best move is to use Y to ram into a wall, stabilize with B, and repeat until the monster
falls over.
You’re going to get hit!
That’s fine!
Some monsters can take you out in 2-3 hits, so if you’re missing a chunk of your life
bar, it’s time to sneak away and drink a potion.
You’ll need to sheath your weapon before you can use any items, so try to get something
between you and the monster before you sip that ecto cooler.
You can still move while drinking your healing potion.
I usually try to move laterally to the monster to avoid any incoming attacks as my health
bar fills up.
If you really need to, you can evade out of the healing animation.
You won’t get the full benefit of the potion, but you might avoid taking even more damage
If you get hit with a status effect, you’ll want to sheath your weapon and take care of
that.
Poison (which turns your health bar purple) will drain your health over time, so take
an antidote!
Antidotes can be purchased in The Village or crafted on the fly from mushrooms.
If you catch on fire, a few dodge rolls will fix you up.
There are other, stranger status affects, but most of them can be fixed by eating a
nulberry.
You can find nulberries around the environment.
If your health bar hits zero, you’ll be carted back to the nearest camp.
In most missions, your team has a shared stock of 3 carts before it’s game over.
And here’s another meter to pay attention to.
This is your weapon sharpness.
As you swing away, the sharpness will degrade.
When its sharpness drops, it will do less damage, and might start bouncing off the monster.
You can sharpen with your whetstone.
It is selected like any other item, and can be used infinitely.
In Rise, all this Hunter Self Care can be done while riding your Palamute!
Even if you’re still in combat, hopping on your doggy to sharpen and have a snack
is never a bad idea.
After taking a bunch of damage, the monster will usually run off to another section of
the map.
Hop on your palamute and give chase.
Sharpen your blades, heal up, and eat some rations if your maximum stamina has dropped.
Eventually, the monster will retreat to its nest.
When it gets there, it might fall asleep and start healing.
Here, you have a choice!
Capture or kill.
A sleeping or fully weakened monster can be capped with a shock trap and a few tranq bombs
to the face.
Capturing a monster can give more, or different rewards.
If you’re going for the kill, plant some barrel bombs if you’ve got them.
The first attack that hits a sleeping monster will do double damage, so reserve that honor
for whoever has the beefiest weapon.
After one last stand, the monster is hunted!
Now you’ve got 60 seconds to carve that turkey.
You’ll get 2-3 carves from most monsters, plus a helping of monster parts from the quest
rewards.
You’ll be rewarded certain parts by breaking specific parts of the monster during the hunt.
If you chopped off the monster’s tail, you can also carve that!
Finally, don’t forget to gather up any shiny monster bits that break off and fall to the
ground during the fight.
Back in the village, bring that big wet bag of monster parts to the Smithy to craft new
weapons and armor.
He hangs out to the right of the Ironworks steps.
Armor is forged by providing the smithy with the right combination of monster parts and
a sum of money.
You can see armor’s skills by highlighting it, tabbing over with ZR, and clicking the
right stick.
You’ll notice that each skill has several levels.
You can increase the effectiveness of each skill, but you won’t get the tools to do
that until later, so don’t worry about it for now.
Weapons are also made at the smithy, and can be forged from scratch, or upgraded along
specific paths.
Upgrading usually needs fewer raw materials.
Congrats!
You are a little bit stronger, and maybe a bit better at fighting monsters.
Now it’s time to do it again.
And again.
There are plenty of intermediate and advanced features we didn’t cover here, but hopefully
this guide will give you what you need to get started in the ol Monster Hunter Hobby.
Happy Hunting!