Beginner's Guide | How to Play MHW

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!

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Tips for Beginners

Choose Your Name Carefully

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

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

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

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

Eat at the Canteen For Stat Boosts

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

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

Recomended 3★ Equipment

High Rank Recommended Armor

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