Learn some early game tips for Monster Hunter Now in our beginner's guide. You'll find valuable information here, such as the game's UI, gameplay and combat mechanics, and a recommended early-game progression build.

Understanding the UI

UI Tips
Map UI Explanation Menu Icons Explanation

Map UI Explanation

The Map UI is the primary menu or interface you will interact with. Here's a brief explanation of the different things you can find in the map UI:

Icon	Explanation
Monsters	These are the large and small monsters you hunt for various materials and game progression.
Quest Target	A monster with this icon is a targeted monster for one of your quests.
Gathering Points	Gathering points provide you with materials otherwise unobtainable from monster hunts.
Terrain	The color of the ground dictates what terrain the area is in. The Green, Yellow, and Purple terrains represent the Forest, Desert, and Swamp terrains, respectively.
Current Terrain	The terrain icon on the top informs you what terrain you are currently on. The terrain affects what monsters and gathering points can spawn.

Menu Icons Explanation

The game's main menu can be accessed from the bottom of the map UI. Here's a quick explanation of all the menus you can access from the default map view:

Icon	Explanation
Hunter's Menu	This menu contains miscellaneous account menus such as the friends menu, your hunter's appearance, or the useful monster guide.
Quests	This opens the quest menu for your story, daily, and event quests.
Inventory	The inventory menu has all the weapon and armor forging and upgrading.
Marked Monsters	The monsters marked by your Palico or you marked yourself with paintballs will appear in this menu.
Consumables	You can use your healing consumables and wander items, which increase your access range, in this menu.
Shop	The shop is where you can buy various consumable items, gems, and zenny for real money.
Daily Supply Notification	This icon informs you that the daily free First Aid Med supply is in stock.

Game Mechanics

Tips for Game Mechanics
Know the Respawn Times Set Up Adventure Sync Save Consumables for Events

Know the Respawn Times

Different things in Monster Hunter Now respawn or refresh in real-time at different intervals. Knowing these respawn times is vital to take advantage of large monster spawns.

Different Game Mechanic Timers

Game Mechanic	Timer
Monsters	Large Monsters: every 3 hours from 00:00 UTC. Small Monsters: approximately every 5 minutes.
Gathering Points	Large Gathering Point: 3 hours from gathering Small Gathering Point: Randomizes along with Large Monsters. Also spawns every 15 minutes around the player.
Terrain Changes	Each area changes terrains every 00:00 UTC.
Supply Items	First Aid Meds will be available in the shop, and Palico Paintballs will be automatically given every day at 20:00 UTC.

Respawn Times

Set Up Adventure Sync

Adventure Sync enables the Palico Bag and Palico Paintball features. This will allow your Palico assistant to automatically gather materials and mark monsters while the game is inactive.

Activating Adventure Sync

#	Step by Step Objectives
1	Allow Location Permissions for MH Now Open your phone's app permissions menu from its settings. Open MH Now's settings and enable the Location permission to be allowed or allowed all the time.
2	Enable Adventure Sync in the Settings Access MH Now's settings by tapping your hunter's icon and then the settings button. Then, enable the Adventure Sync checkbox.

Adventure Sync Guide

Palico Bag

The Palico Bag contains the materials your Palico collects as you travel around without the game being active. The bag is only accessible once it is full, and a big notification will be visible in the map UI once it is.
Palico Bag Guide

Palico Paintball

While the game is inactive, your Palico will automatically mark monsters as you travel, enabling you to hunt them later at any location.

Save Consumables for Events

Most consumables in the game are rarely rewarded during game progression and events. It is best to use these consumables during a limited-time event where the event monster is not part of the usual monster pool or drops a special event item.

Combat Tips

Tips for Combat
Learn the Controls Use Elemental Weapons to Your Advantage Break Monster Parts for Bonus Rewards Hunt More Efficiently with Other Hunters

Learn the Controls

Although the different weapon types have various playstyles and different mechanics, there are some similarities between them, such as normal attacks and dodges.

Controls	Action
Tap	Normal Attack and Combo
Swipe	Dodge/Slide 4 directions: Up, Down, Left, Right
Hold Hold → Release Hold → Swipe	Special Action depending on weapon type.

More Combat Tips

Advanced Controls and Combos for Each Weapon

Each weapon has its mechanics, controls, and special actions. Here are some more detailed guides for each weapon type:

Melee Weapons
Sword and Shield	Great Sword
Long Sword	Hammer
Ranged Weapons
Light Bowgun	Bow

Use Elemental Weapons to Your Advantage

Unlike previous Monster Hunter games, your weapon's elemental damage only applies to your hits if the monster is weak to that element. This makes elemental damage situational but powerful when used.

Elemental damage is best paired with Affinity, as critical hits also strengthen your elemental damage.

Break Monster Parts for Bonus Rewards

For some extra materials for forging and upgrading your equipment, it's always worth it to break a monster's parts for additional loot.

Repeatedly hitting a specific monster part will result in that part breaking. Skills such as Partbreaker and Lock On are valuable for this purpose.

How to Lock On

Hunt More Efficiently with Other Hunters

Hunting with other hunters makes hunting a pack of large monsters faster and safer.

You can hunt with random hunters within 200m meters of you, or invite/be invited by friends or party members to your/their hunts.

Game Progression

Game Progression Tips
Finish the Prologue to Unlock Game Mechanics Do the Story to Unlock New Monsters and Weapons Upgrade Equipment for a Second Equipment Skill

Finish the Prologue to Unlock Essential Game Mechanics

Progressing through the prologue unlocks the rest of the game mechanics in Monster Hunter Now.

Some of the important mechanics you unlock during the prologue are:

• Paintballs
• Adventure Sync
• Group Hunt (Multiplayer)
• Friends
• Equipment Forging and Upgrading
• Palico Bag
• Gaining HR from Hunts
• Special Quests
• 2★ Monster Hunts

Generously use First Aid Meds

Feel free to use your First Aid Meds. You can have up to ten at a time, and the shop supplies you with an extra five every day. Make sure you have five or fewer First Aid Meds before taking the supply ones so as to not waste them.

Use the Jagras Edge in the Early Game

During the early stages of the game, the Jagras Edge will be the best weapon to spend your materials on to upgrade until you can start crafting other elemental weapons.

The Sword and Shield is a fast and straightforward weapon that can easily dodge in and out of monster attacks. Make sure to also guard attacks you believe you can't dodge in time.
Sword and Shield Guide

Recommended Armor Set in the Early Game

With the limited materials you would have during the early game, we recommend forging and upgrading these armor pieces to at least Grade 2.

Armor	Skills
Kulu Headpiece (Grade 2)	▸ Lock On Lv.1
Jagras Mail (Grade 2)	▸ Rising Tide Lv.1
Girros Vambraces (Grade 2)	▸ Sneak Attack Lv.1
Leather Belt (Grade 2)	▸ Health Boost Lv.1
Jagras Greaves (Grade 2)	▸ Water Attack Lv.1
Skills Summary
Lock On Lv.1 | Rising Tide Lv.1 Sneak Attack Lv.1 | Health Boost Lv.1 Water Attack Lv.1

Progress Through the Story Quests to Unlock New Monsters and Weapons

As you finish the story quests, you'll unlock new monsters and stronger versions of the previous monsters, which drop higher-grade loot. Along with these new monsters, the rest of the weapon types can also be unlocked after a certain point.

Weapon Unlock Conditions

After Completing Chapter 2 Part 1
Great Sword
After Completing Chapter 2 Urgent Quest
Long Sword			Hammer
Light Bowgun			Bow

Best Builds for Each Weapon

Continuously Upgrade Equipment for a Second Equipment Skill

As you unlock the other weapons and start crafting new equipment, continue upgrading important armor pieces to unlock more of your equipment skills.

Notable equipment to upgrade are ones with elemental skills such as Fire Attack or Water Attack.

All Skills

Monster Hunter Related Guides

Monster Hunter Now Wiki Front

All Monster Hunter Now Guides

Monster Hunter Now Guides
Best Builds	Referral Codes & Boards
All Weapons & Tier List	Best Armor Sets
Monsters	Skills
Items & Materials	Events
Chapters and Quests	All Patch Notes and Updates

All Tips and Tricks Articles

All Tips and Tricks Articles
Tips and Beginner's Guide
Affinity Guide	Palico Bag Guide
How To Change Weapons	Respawn Times
Adventure Sync Guide	Controls and Combat Tips
How to Get New Weapons	Elemental Damage Explained
Multiplayer Guide	Dragon Element Weapons
How to Upgrade Weapons	What to Do if No Monsters are Spawning?
How to Farm Zenny	What is the Maximum Hunter Rank and Level Cap?
All Fire Weapons	Health Regen Guide
When Do Biomes Change	How to Jump Attack
How to Perfect Dodge	How to Get Gems and What to Spend On
How to Fix Map Not Loading Issue	Things to Do Every Day
Status Ailments and Effects	How to Raise Hunter Rank
List of All Missables	What to Do If You Get Stuck
How to Break Monster Parts	What Happens When You Faint?
Recommended Settings	All Hunter Medals
In-Game Shop and Web Store Items	Hunt-a-thons Event Guide
How to Unlock Layered Armor	-

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