Beginner's Guide and Tips
Monster Hunter Rise is more than just an action game - there are a ton of RPG elements you need to learn and master before you can truly call yourself a Monster Hunter. These Monster Hunter Rise beginner tips cover everything you need to know so you can get started with a wealth of information already in your metaphorical inventory. This beginner's guide works for all versions of the game: Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox, and PlayStation!
Watch the video below for a quick but comprehensive run-down!
Beginner's Guide to Monster Hunter Rise
Monster Hunter Rise's gameplay loop is the main objective - it looks pretty simple, but is incredibly deep and satisfying if you invest time to master your weapon and forge unique armor sets. Prepare, Hunt a Monster, Make Better Stuff, and repeat!
Here are the steps, with everything you need to know about each of them. Click to jump to that part of this guide for more details.
1. Prepare
First, prepare for a quest! Check the Village and Multiplayer Hub Key Quests - Walkthrough for details on how to choose a quest and progress the story.
Side Quest:
2. Hunt a Monster
3. Make Better Equipment (and more!)
Check the map in town by holding the minus button on Switch / options button on PlayStation / menu button on Xbox and talk to everyone with a chat bubble to get new optional quests, free items, and more. If things start getting tough, consider making new weapons or armor, or upgrading what you have.
4. Repeat!
That's it! Continue prepping your equipment for the best advantage against the monster you're up against next.
Continue reading for the complete nitty-gritty on each of the above steps.
Prepare for a Hunt
Everything you should do when preparing for a hunt, especially your first one. Heads up, there are also tutorials you can accept from the village hub. We highly recommend progressing in Single Player Village Quests beyond the first quest, which is a tutorial mission, and paying attention to what the NPCs have to tell you!
How to Choose a Weapon
You start Monster Hunter Rise with basic models of all 14 types of weapons - you can see this equipment, and change it out, by selecting any blue Item Box within the village. Each weapon is wildly different! See the Weapons page for details about each of them, controls and tutorials for each, and advice on which weapons are best for beginners.
Try them out in the Training Area - you will be able to fast travel within Kamura Village by bringing up your map by holding the minus button and choosing it. However, you'll need to head to the Training Area physically by taking the dinghy from the Buddy Plaza before you can fast travel there.
Manage Your Inventory
In between hunts, you'll need to manage your item pouch. Luckily, this is made incredibly simple by registering an item loadout at the Item Box. Then, emptying and restocking your pouch is as easy as choosing a Loadout at the item box. You should also set your radial menu, which you can do from your items and equipment menu. This lets you set items to the radial menu (accessed with the right stick while holding L) for quick access.
Equip the Right Gear
You'll unlock more weapons and armor to craft as you slay new monsters and acquire more items! Check back in between quests to see what's new.
At first, you won't have many options, but look at the monster you're about to face and the equipment you have on. Probably don't want to face a fire-breathing Rathalos with negative fire resistance, or use a water element weapon on a bubbly Mizutsune. And, don't forget about your Palico's and Palamute's gear!
You’ll get armor spheres that simply upgrade Armor’s defense, but maybe hold onto them until you craft a piece you know you'll want to keep for a while, or if you hit a wall against a tough monster and want to get over it quickly. The low rank armor is really only useful for a tiny, tiny portion of the game - so don't worry about investing much into those pieces. Just live with what gets you by until you get to the next level of hunts: High Rank. P.S. Armor Skills will become more important later, but for now just make sure to choose armor pieces that aren’t completely irrelevant to you. Like, if you don’t use Hunting Horn, don’t pick a chest piece with Horn Maestro that only affects Hunting Horns.
Eat a Meal
Lastly, always eat before a quest! Dango always increases your max health and stamina, and grant individual skills - like elemental resistances. If you forget, you can eat (and change equipment and items) inside the tent on a quest.
How to Play Multiplayer With Friends
The Gathering Hub offers missions that can be done in multiplayer - as such, they are more difficult than Village Quests. We recommend making it to Two Star Village Quests before switching over to the Gathering Hub if you aren't already comfortable with Monster Hunter.
To start a Lobby and play with friends, talk to Senri the Mailman, a Palico near the canteen. Once you've created a lobby, your Nintendo Switch friends will be able to join easily by looking at their friend list from within the game, viewing your lobby, and joining!
Post a Quest from within the Quest Counter at the Gathering Hub. Others in the lobby can join it from anywhere by using the item menu on the bottom right to access the Quest Board. Once they've joined and are ready (pressing ZR), you can leave on the quest with everyone simultaneously. If you accidentally left without them, they can still rejoin once you've loaded into the quest, so don't sweat it.
Hunting a Monster
Everything you need to know about actually hunting down a monster on a quest.
Pick Up Endemic Life (And Items)
Always go to the blue supply box! The items included will give you a hint of what to use to heal from a monster’s status inflictions, or what to use to exploit them - like Screamer Pods against Lagombi’s Sensitive ears - at least in Low Rank and Village Quests.
You can’t keep most supply box items given to you by the guild, so use them before your own.
Pick up *everything* as you travel around - mining points, plants, mushrooms, insects, etc. Trust me, you’ll probably need that stuff eventually.
Endemic Life is super useful! If you’re having trouble, make a concerted effort to collect buffs before engaging with a monster. Some of them can be used as items, too!
At the end of a quest, don’t sell any reward items, just take them all. You can always sell excess stuff later for a quick buck.
Take Advantage of the Wirebug and Wyvern Riding
The Wirebug and Wyvern Riding are new to everyone, and are fantastic tools to take down monsters even faster and more fluidly. See Wyvern Riding Guide - How to Mount and Tips and Wirebug Guide, Tips, Controls for exactly how to utilize these cool game mechanics.
How to Tell a Monster's Health and Status
Monsters don't have health bars in Monster Hunter Rise - instead, you can tell how it's feeling by its actions and behavior. It will start looking beat up as you break its parts!
If it's drooling, it's exhausted; if it's limping, it's close to defeat (and capturable - also indicated by the blue icon); if acting erratically, or otherwise has a change in appearance, it's usually enraged and will be more difficult to fight, and will break out of traps faster (also indicated by the Red Eye icon next to it on the map).
Kill or Capture?
Catching a monster always shaves off a few minutes of a hunt vs. slaying it, but some materials are easier to get one way or the other. Check the Monster page in this wiki for that info if you haven't unlocked that information in your own Hunter's Notes yet, and How to Capture Monsters to learn how.
Make Better Equipment (and more!)
After hunting a monster, check the Smithy for new equipment to make! Check the map by holding minus and talk to everyone with a chat bubble to get new optional quests, free items, and more - and occasionally do the following!
The Argosy and Meowcenaries - Free Item Farming
After your first Village Hub Urgent Quest, The Argosy will arrive in the Buddy Plaza. Send your buddies out to collect the items you need or are running low on - like Honey (for Mega Potions!) so you don’t run out. It beats having to go out and gather them yourself, like I had to do back in my day…
Send Buddies out with the Meowcenaries to gather field items and monster materials.
You don’t have to check on the Argosy and Meowcenaries after every quest, but look occasionally and switch out when needed (which you can do from your housekeep). Trading with the Argosy and Meowcenaries is also how you get unique materials to unlock some cool new equipment!
Buddies: Palicoes and Palamutes
Make sure to always train buddies you don’t take with you at the Buddy Dojo - and recruit new ones if needed from Imori. Palicoes have different types and different attacks, so try out a variety. Plus, the higher level your buddies, the more they can do when trading with The Argosy, or when sent on missions with the Meowcenaries. Remember, you have to equip a Buddy's skills at the Buddy Board once they unlock them! You can also change which Buddy accompanies you on multiplayer Hub Quests at the buddy board by switching out your first buddy slot.
Even More Tips!
Hunting for more tips? There's even more you should know! Check out:
