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Trying to crack this whole Monster Hunter thing. Advice?
- Thread starter JumpJeff84
- Start date
I really only got into the series with Ultimate after a failed attempt with Tri, and here's my advice after 150 or so hours in of learning.
This guide is fantastic: http://weloveculty.com/collections/monster-hunter-beginners-guide. It's well worth the $9. It's done with a lot of care, has some nice images and great reference material. Unfortunately, it's probably what the instruction manual should be though. After you get into the game you'll look back and see this as remedial stuff. For now, it's a great collection of all the basics in one place.
Pick a weapon type and stick with it. Ask around before hand to hear pros and cons from others about the weapons. While it may be tempting to jump around since there's no in-game benefit to playing a weapon long term, believe me when I say you will improve so much over the course of playing the game. I have done countless hundreds of missions and only ever used the Switch Axe, and I am still learning new tactics and techniques that I can tell make me a better player. It's one of the most satisfying parts of the game.
Ask around not just about weapon types, but ask around about everything. Any time you have a question about anything that seems weird or confusing, post about it somewhere or look it up in the MH Wiki. Trust me when I say there is so much gameplay and great times ahead even with most of its secrets laid bare. It will only help you get over the initial learning curve.
Finally, for combat tips, really hammering home some ideas in my head helped me come to grips with it. Realize that you will be taking defensive or passive actions way more than attacking. Realize that almost all of your attacks will be counter-attacks that respond to a monster's actions. Get into a feel for the flow of battle, wait for a monster to make an attack, defend it properly, THEN make your action. Even if you just want to drink a potion or sharpen your weapon, wait to make sure the monster isn't about to charge you before you go ahead with it. Realize that you will be putting away your weapon, a lot. There's no reason to have it out when you can't attack at a safe time.
In the end, it's worth the effort to break through the curve. It's been one of the most satisfying game experiences I can remember.
This guide is fantastic: http://weloveculty.com/collections/monster-hunter-beginners-guide. It's well worth the $9. It's done with a lot of care, has some nice images and great reference material. Unfortunately, it's probably what the instruction manual should be though. After you get into the game you'll look back and see this as remedial stuff. For now, it's a great collection of all the basics in one place.
Pick a weapon type and stick with it. Ask around before hand to hear pros and cons from others about the weapons. While it may be tempting to jump around since there's no in-game benefit to playing a weapon long term, believe me when I say you will improve so much over the course of playing the game. I have done countless hundreds of missions and only ever used the Switch Axe, and I am still learning new tactics and techniques that I can tell make me a better player. It's one of the most satisfying parts of the game.
Ask around not just about weapon types, but ask around about everything. Any time you have a question about anything that seems weird or confusing, post about it somewhere or look it up in the MH Wiki. Trust me when I say there is so much gameplay and great times ahead even with most of its secrets laid bare. It will only help you get over the initial learning curve.
Finally, for combat tips, really hammering home some ideas in my head helped me come to grips with it. Realize that you will be taking defensive or passive actions way more than attacking. Realize that almost all of your attacks will be counter-attacks that respond to a monster's actions. Get into a feel for the flow of battle, wait for a monster to make an attack, defend it properly, THEN make your action. Even if you just want to drink a potion or sharpen your weapon, wait to make sure the monster isn't about to charge you before you go ahead with it. Realize that you will be putting away your weapon, a lot. There's no reason to have it out when you can't attack at a safe time.
In the end, it's worth the effort to break through the curve. It's been one of the most satisfying game experiences I can remember.
This is the basic tip I give everyone just starting out. Think of MH like it's turn-based - only take one action for each thing the monster does. Eventually you'll learn how much time you have to act before you need to evade again. I generally only get hit when I try to go against this rule and get greedy.
The OT1 has a lot of good information for new players, at the time I was assigned to a project at work that required minimal attention so I spent weeks just dispensing advice. OT2 slowed down a bit and has a lot more 'hey I set a room up lets go kill stuff'.
Haunted
Member
No, there's no character progression at all (as in, no stats and no leveling). It's all in the equipment.
Your playstyle and moveset is decided by the weapon you wield, and you can make any weapon you want at any point in the game. You advance in the game by making better equipment from stronger monsters and improving your own skill.
It's a fantastic series once you get into it. Tri was my GOTY 2010, Freedom Unite was awesome as well (played it afterwards) and I don't know which game could knock Ultimate off the throne this year.
The game is easier to get into with friends but most challenging alone. If you are going freshly in alone, I have one word advise for you "patient". That's like the main mechanic of the game. If you feel bored or frustrated, put it down then come back to it. After a few hunt with some large monsters then you will get a hang of it. That's until you change a weapon, LOL.
I'm mostly playing alone now (3DS U) and really enjoying it. Sometimes, I wish I had a friend to help cut off some tails or horns tho.
I'm mostly playing alone now (3DS U) and really enjoying it. Sometimes, I wish I had a friend to help cut off some tails or horns tho.
Boogalogist
Member
I'm a hammer user and I play alone too. I have longsword as my secondary weapon for tail cutting. But in MH3U, not being able to cut tails isn't that bad anymore. A lot of the tail drops can be obtained from capturing the monster. I hardly go back to my cutting weapon in MH3U anymore. I had rely on the longsword quite a bit back in MHFU to get tail drops.
we should make a n00b team... I try to play online, but It only seems that people gets annoyed because of my n00bness
Parakeetman
No one wants a throne you've been sitting on!
we should make a n00b team... I try to play online, but It only seems that people gets annoyed because of my n00bness
Yeah making a team of folks who are cool about someone being new is a totally different experience. Plus a great learning one for yourself as you can watch and learn so to speak.
Just dont do something silly like use a greatsword or tachi and take out most of your party by accident due to being unfamiliar with the animations lol thats one thing which usually irritates anyone in general.
While it takes a bit getting used to I highly suggest the lance, if you are new and playing with others. Great defensive capability to prevent you from dying therefore taking away 1 of the 3 lives before quest failed, and small hit zone unless you use the sweep attack, so lower chance of blue on blue. The gun lance is a bit harder to use and its most useful feature the main cannon requires a bit or practice to know when and where to use it. Plus not take out your buddies at the same time.
Or the 1HS since you have a shield also and less chance of hitting team members by accident.
The weapons with an broad sweeping animations you are better off practicing on your own first and getting used to the attack animations and such.
great, thanks for the tips!
I'm a dual blade user... I use them because it's fast and the "small monsters" die relatively quick... but it seems that every big mosnter needs a million hits to die. is that normal?
Calamari41
41 > 38
I tried to start Monster Hunter Tri a few times on Wii and never even made it to the part where you first see the Lagiacrus. This was due to a combination of incredibly frustrating controls, fear of what seemed like an overwhelming forging and item combo system, the tedious "tutorial" quests, the fuzzy low-res IQ, and the fact that the text was so incredibly small I always had to strain like hell to read what people were saying.
I was bored one day and decided on a whim to download Ultimate on Wii U, and forced myself to plow through. The vastly improved graphics coupled with the fact that I could ease in with the lance and shield kept me in it until the big monster hunts started up, and I got hooked beyond belief. The growth and journey I experienced, from getting my ass absolutely trashed by the Qurupeco to demolishing the Lagiacrus with ease, was an incredible experience. At this point I'm farming Rathalos parts and getting ready to go fight the Ceadeus. The sense of accomplishment is hard to beat when you finally hear that victory music after an hour plus of "this bullshit monster is fucking impossible."
I still think the controls are atrocious and inexcusable, but this game is so fun I am able to overlook it. Though I feel that the "tutorial" quests at the beginning are probably a necessary evil, I think that more people would get hooked if they threw you into the action a lot sooner.
OP, honestly just keep with it until you have to hunt a big monster. It's only a few hours in, judging by Tri. The first time a huge fucker that has been giving you trouble starts panting and limping away from you, you will be hooked.
I was bored one day and decided on a whim to download Ultimate on Wii U, and forced myself to plow through. The vastly improved graphics coupled with the fact that I could ease in with the lance and shield kept me in it until the big monster hunts started up, and I got hooked beyond belief. The growth and journey I experienced, from getting my ass absolutely trashed by the Qurupeco to demolishing the Lagiacrus with ease, was an incredible experience. At this point I'm farming Rathalos parts and getting ready to go fight the Ceadeus. The sense of accomplishment is hard to beat when you finally hear that victory music after an hour plus of "this bullshit monster is fucking impossible."
I still think the controls are atrocious and inexcusable, but this game is so fun I am able to overlook it. Though I feel that the "tutorial" quests at the beginning are probably a necessary evil, I think that more people would get hooked if they threw you into the action a lot sooner.
OP, honestly just keep with it until you have to hunt a big monster. It's only a few hours in, judging by Tri. The first time a huge fucker that has been giving you trouble starts panting and limping away from you, you will be hooked.
Parakeetman
No one wants a throne you've been sitting on!
With the early dual blades yeah it will take a ton of hits to kill. Since those things the damage output comes from hits laid into the monster. Which is why all folks do who use those is go into that rage mode and slash away like crazy whenever they have the chance.
Though if you really want to get an idea of how to play dual swords try search youtube for videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3oFSH4n8oI
no idea how that video is just picked one at random as an example.
Well, depends how long it's taking you and what monster.
DS can put out hellacious damage but they are elementally dependent and their reach sucks. Early on you don't have much in the way of choice regarding elemental weapons, so you can't even really use the weapon to its potential. Arzuros should still go down fast because his weak point is his butt, and DS can reach that easily.
The best attack DS has is A+X in demonize mode. This leaves you VERY vulnerable and will wear down sharpness quickly, plus of course stamina drains constantly in demon mode. But using it effectively will speed up clear times immensely.
Personally I wouldn't even use DS early on, but they seem popular amongst new players and really you can make anything work if you try. Try making Wroggi armor to get Sharp Sword - DS wear down their sharpness very fast so that's a near-essential skill for them.
edit: it also has 5 slots, so you can make 5 grinder jewels and slot them into the armor to get speed sharpening. This will make it so your whetstones only take one 'swipe' to sharpen the weapon, very useful. Most armor decorations only give 1 point for a 1 slot gem, but speed sharpening gems give 2 each so it's a popular choice for blademasters with 5 open slots in their gear.
Parakeetman
No one wants a throne you've been sitting on!
Its too bad that they toned down the dodge move on the lance and evasion skill. Since it was hilarious how much BS you could do before that. (Ex. on the PSP versions for example).
Generally with the dual blades things can die pretty quick if you have a party of users just wailing away on a monster. Which is what happened a lot in Monster Hunter Frontier, when folks wanted something dead.
Generally with the dual blades things can die pretty quick if you have a party of users just wailing away on a monster. Which is what happened a lot in Monster Hunter Frontier, when folks wanted something dead.
KennyLinder
Member
Armour is made by combining items you collect/find in the game, that right?
Parakeetman
No one wants a throne you've been sitting on!
Yes stuff harvested from the world and the monsters, along with the quest rewards.
Nah, multiplayer is not essential to enjoy MH or get into it. I've put over 200 hours into Unite and Portable 3rd and enjoyed them quite a bit without ever playing multiplayer.
Take your time and adjust to the controls and attacks. Look up faqs and tips online or vids on youtube to see how things are done.
Be patient and know when to attack (study the enemy's pattern and tells).
Take your time and adjust to the controls and attacks. Look up faqs and tips online or vids on youtube to see how things are done.
Be patient and know when to attack (study the enemy's pattern and tells).
Earthpainting
Member
The best advice I can give you is to take your time. While it might seem tempting to pick a fast weapon, as they have little to no learning curve, I suggest you take something a bit heavier and slower. Their relative slowness will help you understand the mechanics and flow of the game much more efficiently. You'll automatically start playing more defensively and become a lot more conscious of your timing. Once my motions became more controlled, it became much easier to target specific parts of a monster as well. The slower weapons also have the added benefit of dealing more more damage.
If you're interested in Tri Ultimate, I suggest you jump on that train as soon as possible. It's a much easier game to get into and you'll have a much easier time finding other players to play with.
If you're interested in Tri Ultimate, I suggest you jump on that train as soon as possible. It's a much easier game to get into and you'll have a much easier time finding other players to play with.
I would suggest the sword and shield first.
Makes you mobile, you can block and you can use potions without putting your weapon away iirc. Great weapon to learn the game with.
we should make a n00b team... I try to play online, but It only seems that people gets annoyed because of my n00bness
You'd do well to partner up with the players here on GAF; we're always more than happy to get guys through the basics, even if we don't exactly play fair by having end-game equipment against low-rank monsters.
If you (or other Wii U beginners) are looking for online partners, dont hesitate to post about it in the OT, people will likely be happy to help and/or hang out. I should have some early sets lying around somewhere (so as not to tip the balance too much).
I would do it quick though, the OT is already dying a slow painful death. And you're (much) better off playing with random gaffers than in a pug. Based on previous experience, the average online player appears to be a miserable 8 year old, desperate for someone to bumrush his quests for him, with a fairly loose grasp of common curtesy (and engrish).
xXSephiroth69Xx has entered the room.
*xXSephiroth69Xx posts a quest, wildly non-HR appropriate for the rest of the group *
xXSephiroth69Xx: Halp pleaz
xXSephiroth69Xx: pleaz?
xXSephiroth69Xx: guais pleaz help pleaz
xXSephiroth69Xx has left the room.
Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
It doesn't have lock on, it has look-on.
OP, just stick with it, all you need to know is to abuse the dodge functions and attack when you have the opportunity to, usually after you have avoided a monster that's still in its off target attack animation etc.
As you get better you learn the timing needed to dodge better and recognize more attack opportunities to make fights last less.
Everything else is supplementary grinding for tools, potions, traps, gear crafting, whatever.
Tri definitely teaches things better, I had gone up to Kushala Daora in Unite but Tri taught me things I had missed completely (I wasn't really paying attention after I had the basics down but still).
Also just try all the weapons, some are easier to grasp or more suited to you for sure. I started with sword and shield then stuck with greatsword, a bit of longsword and lancing on the side.
Edit: oh yeah, the controls. I wouldn't bother with the claw (unnecessary on other platforms' monhun games too), just abuse the re-center function. For example if the monster is roughly behind you or to the side just momentarily change your character direction towards it, re-center the camera and resume moving to the direction you were previously. It only takes a split second to do that. Use the d-pad when you're not moving around or when you're locked in attacking animations. It's not an FPS, you don't need to center monsters exactly in your view or anything.
Parakeetman
No one wants a throne you've been sitting on!
And when you get really good at the game you can do stupid things like this.
Kill Leia (Rathian) with rocks lol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYKvbJl3CJ4
Kill Leia (Rathian) with rocks lol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYKvbJl3CJ4
Boogalogist
Member
I've never seen that video clip before. That was hilarious!
Parakeetman
No one wants a throne you've been sitting on!
Its pretty old actually. Glad to know that its still been archived away on youtube.
See a couple people posting about the Monster Hunter Beginner's Guide by Culty!
Roy, one of the creators, noticed some traffic coming from this thread, so he created a 20% off coupon for NeoGAF members! Just quote the code "NEOGAF" when you make your purchase
He doesn't have a GAF account; I'm just a friend posting on his behalf. You can view his original tweet to confirm that I'm not full of it here
Roy, one of the creators, noticed some traffic coming from this thread, so he created a 20% off coupon for NeoGAF members! Just quote the code "NEOGAF" when you make your purchase
He doesn't have a GAF account; I'm just a friend posting on his behalf. You can view his original tweet to confirm that I'm not full of it here