Monster Hunter World (MHW)

Beginner's Guide | How to Play MHW

★ Monster Hunter Rise and its expansion MHRise: Sunbreak is out now for the Nintendo Switch & PC, then for PlayStation, XBox, & Game Pass on January 20, 2023!

Head on over to our MHRise Wiki for the latest guides and strategies about all things MHRise!

Welcome to our complete beginner's guide for Monster Hunter World (MHW). Read on to find different tips and tricks for how to get up and running in the game or refresh your memory if you're a veteran player!

All Beginner Guides

Monster Hunter World Guides

Base Game Guides
Story Walkthrough and How to Unlock Iceborne Money Farming Guide
Food Guide and All Canteen Ingredients Best Timing for Well-Done Steak
Best Weapons for Beginners How to Pause Quests
How Do Quest Rewards Work? How to Track Monsters
What is Critical Distance? How to Use Wedge Beetles
How to Use the Chat Functions Character Creation Guide
How to Use the Training Area List of Crafting Recipes
List of Poogie Costumes How to Break Rank Caps
Monster Threat Levels How to Raise Hunter Rank Fast
Post-Game Content How to Find ??? Rathian Tracks
Weapon and Armor Augments Explanation of Each Status Effect
How To Capture Monsters How To Hunt Monsters
How To Mount Monsters Monster Parts and Weaknesses Guide
How to Join a Friend's Expedition Monster Crown Size Guides
How to Get the Dragoon Jump Emote Tailraider Safari Guide and Best Items to Get
Argosy Guide and Best Choices How to Aim Cannons
Alpha or Beta Armor Lucky Voucher Effects
Bowgun Special Ammo Guides How to Equip Skills
Difference of Cut and Blunt Damage Type Hunting Horn Notes and Effects
Unchangeable Features Turf Wars and List of Matchups
List of Trophies and How to Unlock (MHW) -

Stat Guides

Stat Guides
What Does Attack Do? What Does Defense Do? What Does Elemental Resistance Do?
What Does Affinity Do? What Does Elemental Attack Do? What is Elderseal?

How to Track Grimalkynes

Grimalkyne Tribes
All Grimalkyne Tribes and Rewards
Bugtrappers Protectors Troupers
Plunderers Gajalaka Boaboa

Tips for Beginners

Choose Your Name Carefully

Name.jpg
Your character and Palico name cannot be changed once confirmed so make sure you pick a name that you want to stick with for the rest of the game.

You Can Change Your Appearance Later

Character Creation.png
After you create your character you can change things like their hair, make up, etc, later on. To change more aspects of your character's appearance you will need to use a Character Edit Voucher, the first of which you can obtain for free.

Keep in mind that using a Character Edit Voucher will not allow you to change your Palico's appearance.

Close Range Weapons Recommended for Beginners

Using close range weapons is recommended for beginners to practice the Monster Hunter tradition of hit and run tactics. The Sword & Shield or Great Sword are especially good for this and provide high damage output with general ease of use for those just starting out.

On the ranged weapon side of things, the Bow is a good choice. Bowguns can be more complicated and require you to change out ammo types so stick with the Bow until you get used to how ranged weapons work.

Progress Through the Story and Raise Your Hunter Rank

Complete Assigned Quests

Assigned Quest.png
You can generally proceed through the story by finishing Assigned Quests so this is the best place to start.

As you clear Assigned Quests your Hunter Rank (HR) will rise allowing you to take on even higher level quests. There are a lot of quests that can't be done without a high enough HR so your first order of business should be to clear these out.

Take On the Strongest Monsters

Behemoth.jpeg
Once your HR is high enough, you can take on strong monsters like Arch-Tempered Monsters or Behemoth. These foes are difficult to take down without the right gear so raise your HR and forge powerful gear before taking them on.

If You Struggle With the Story

Restock on Items

When you have trouble completing a quest, make sure you have the right items on hand before trying again. Bring recovery items like Potions or Mega Potions to keep yourself alive when your health is low.

When going up against flying monsters like Rathalos, bringing Slinger Ammo like the Flash Pod can make things much easier on you.

Recommended Items

Item How to Obtain
Potion Purchased from the Provisions Stockpile
Mega Potion Combine a Potion with Honey
Ration Cook Raw Meat with the BBQ Spit
Antidote Purchased from the Provisions Stockpile
Large Barrel Bomb Purchased from the Provisions Stockpile
Flash Pod Crafted from Flashbugs
Shock Trap Combine a Trap Tool with a Thunderbug
Pitfall Trap Combine a Net with a Trap Tool

Eat at the Canteen For Stat Boosts

Canteen.png
It's highly recommended to eat up at the Canteen before taking on a quest. Each meal will both boost your HP and stamina as well as provide other boosts to attack or defense that can aid you in your hunt.

As you're starting out there's no need to try and create your own meals so just focus on increasing your health with the preset platters.

Call For Help if Going it Alone is Too Tough

SOS Flare.jpg

When firing an SOS flare, you can receive help from another player online. If you find yourself in a pinch, get help from another player to move on.

You can fire an SOS flare as soon as a quest begins by selecting Fire SOS flare from the Quest menu.

Give Your Palico Weapons With Status Ailments

Your Palico can equip a variety of weapons, but those that can inflict status ailments are most highly recommended. Specifcally the Kitt-of-the-Valley Rod which can inflict paralysis or the Felyne Baan Ball that can inflict sleep, helping your hunt go more smoothly.

Create 3★ Equipment or Upgrade Armor

As you progress through the story, you'll encounter strong monsters like Tobi-Kadachi and Anjanath that can be difficult to defeat on your first try. To aid in your fight, you should make stronger armor or upgrade your existing armor with Armor Spheres before taking them on again.

Recommended 1★ and 2★ Equipment

Head Bone Helm
Torso Bone Mail
Arms Alloy Vambraces
Waist Jagras Coil
Feet Alloy Greaves
Skills
Attack Boost Level 1 Defense Boost Level 1
Health Boost Level 1 Fortify Level 1
Speed Sharpening Level 1 -

Recomended 3★ Equipment

Head Rathian Helm
Torso Butterfly Thorax/King Beetle Thorax
Arms Ingot Vambraces
Waist Lumu Coil
Feet Rathian Greaves
Skills
Health Boost Level 2 Recovery Up Level 2
Quick Sheath Level 1 Divine Blessing Level 1

High Rank Recommended Armor

Head Rathian Helm α
Torso Kulu Mail α
Arms Alloy Vambraces α
Waist Lumu Coil α
Feet Alloy Greaves α
Skills
Speed Sharpening Level 3 Health Boost Level 2
Divine Blessing Level 2 Defense Boost Level 1
Poison Resistance Level 1 Critical Eye Level 1
Stamina Surge Level 1 -

Monster Hunter World Related Links

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Equipment & Skills
Weapons.pngWeapons Armor.pngArmor Layered Armor.pngLayered Armor Mantles Icon.pngMantles
Skills.pngSkills Set Bonuses.pngSet Bonuses Food Skills.pngFood Skills Charms.pngCharms
Decorations.pngDecorations Palico Equipment.pngPalico Equipment Pendants.pngPendants Best Armor.pngBest Builds
Monsters & Materials
Monsters.pngMonsters Quests.pngQuests Collab Quests.pngCollabs Materials.pngMaterials
Assigned Quests.pngAssigned Quests Optional Quests.pngOptional Quests Events.pngEvent Quests Maps Icon (Main Links).pngMaps
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