If you’re one of the 5 million Monster Hunter World players who joined the hunt over the last few days, you’ve probably already slayed your fair share of monsters. Yet, despite World being the franchise’s most accessible entry yet, there are still many secrets hidden in Astera that the game doesn’t bother to teach you.
Well, fret not, fellow hunters, because we’re here to give you the whetstone-sharpened edge that you deserve.
Don’t Make the Mistake of Neglecting Your Room
When you arrive in the bustling port of Astera, the last thing you want to do is spend time in your bare-looking tent. Yet, this seemingly useless room actually hides something incredibly useful for new players – The Training Ground.
With over 14 (very) different weapons available to players right off the bat, it may take a while to find the right one that clicks with you. Instead of risking embarrassing yourself on the battlefield, you can actually test them out in this handy area.
In a nice touch, The Training Room even has on-screen button prompts – fighting game style – helping you to master some of the game’s toughest combos in no time.
Take Time To Explore
While it can be tempting to dive straight into quests and immediately take on those deadly dinos, exploring each area beforehand can actually give you a pretty tangible advantage in combat.
In World, you can choose to embark on Expeditions. These more relaxed outings see you free to explore without the pressure of the main missions’ pesky time limits. Not only does this give you a more laidback way to soak up this game’s luscious locales, but more importantly, it helps you to learn the environment. With each area home to different inhabitants and littered with carefully concealed environmental traps, engaging on a pre-quest Expedition is essential for prepping for some of the game’s trickier beasts.
Use Your Net To Capture Tiny Creatures
It’s easy to get so focused on defeating and carving up monsters that you end up ignoring all the useful items that are lying right before your eyes. One such item is the net, a surprisingly useful tool that gets very little explanation. These nets can be used to catch a plethora of different little critters… and without wanting to spoil why you need them, let’s just say that you’ll want to try and capture as many of them as you can.
Always Stock Up On Bounties
The Resource Center in Astera is where you pick up your bounties. While tasks may range from the rather banal like gathering plants and hunting X amount of monsters, ticking off these little checklists actually earns you some pretty substantial rewards. Upon successfully completing a bounty, you’ll be remunerated with a juicy Armor Sphere. These spherical goodies let you upgrade – you guessed it – your armour. With many of the early bounties easily achievable while you’re already out on the hunt, stocking up on bounties is an easy way to ensure that you’re always using the best armour.
Markers Are Your Friend
As I’m sure anyone who’s playing Monster Hunter for the first time would agree, the game’s map can be completely baffling. While you can’t set completely custom markers, thankfully, you can mark monsters, animals and items you’ve already seen. It can be incredibly easy to get lost mid-hunt, and when an unexpected Rathalos turns up uninvited, you may find yourself legging it to the other side of the map.
Once you’ve seen a monster, animal or resource, you can mark it on a map and your good ol’ scout flies will lead you directly to them. Making use of these markers is an easy way to save yourself a lot of precious time when you’re out on the hunt.
Your Slinger Is Actually Really Useful
When you’re first introduced to Monster Hunter’s equivalent of Bart Simpson’s slingshot, it initially feels a bit redundant. Sure, it can be a decent distraction but otherwise, it’s hardly much use in battle right? Wrong.
Remember we talked about environmental traps earlier? Well, ambushing your foes and your trusty slinger go together like hammers and a monster’s face. Slingers can be loaded with a wide variety of different projectiles, be it rocks, moss, seeds or other foliage you cram into it.
Whether you trigger a trap by knocking a hanging rock onto an angry behemoth’s head, or just launch a flurry of poisonous plants at your prehistoric foe, the slinger can be the key to getting the upper hand on a tricky beast.
