Thanks to its complex systems and traditionally convoluted interface, the Monster Hunter series has a reputation for being dense and uninviting. Although Monster Hunter Rise streamlines many elements of the series to make it more welcoming than previous installments, it can still be a bit overwhelming, particularly for greenhorn hunters who are just jumping in for the first time. If you’re new to Monster Hunter, we’ve rounded up some beginner tips to help you out in Monster Hunter Rise, as well as a few advanced tips to keep in mind once you’ve gotten the hang of the basics.
Beginner Tips
Village Quests Vs. Hub Quests
As in previous Monster Hunter games, there are two paths of progression in Monster Hunter Rise: Village Quests and Hub Quests. If you’re new to the series, it’s important to know the difference between these before you begin your adventure.
Village Quests are Monster Hunter Rise’s “story” missions. You accept these from Hinoa in central Kamura Village and complete them to advance through the narrative. These missions can only be played solo and are designed to acclimate you to the game, so you can think of Village Quests as Monster Hunter Rise’s single-player mode.
Hub Quests, on the other hand, are Monster Hunter Rise’s multiplayer missions. These are assigned by Minoto, who is stationed in the Gathering Hub in the western part of Kamura Village (just past Yomogi’s tea shop). You can also embark on Hub Quests alone if you prefer, but given that they’re intended for multiple players, they’ll be more challenging than regular Village Quests if you attempt them solo.
Once you’ve completed a sufficient number of Key Quests (important missions that are denoted in the quest list by an icon next to their name), an Urgent Quest will open up. Clearing the Urgent Quest will bump you up to the next Hunter Rank, which in turn will open up a new selection of quests to do and even more challenging monsters to hunt.
Bear in mind that your Village Rank is separate from your Hub Rank; your progress in one will not transfer over to the other, so you’ll need to increase each Hunter Rank separately. However, if you focus strictly on completing Village Quests, you’ll unlock a Special License Test once you’ve hit Hunter Rank 4. Completing this quest will automatically bump up your Hub Rank to the next level, even if you haven’t completed any Hub Quests yet. However, Special License Tests are only available if your Hub Rank is considerably lower than your Village Rank.
Always Grab A Meal Before A Quest
Before you depart on a quest, it’s important to stop at the canteen and grab a bite to eat, as a quick meal could make all the difference between success and failure. There are two tea shops in Monster Hunter Rise–one in the western part of Kamura Village, and one within the Gathering Hub–but they both serve the same dish: Bunny Dango. You can select three flavors of dango per skewer, and each has a chance of granting you a temporary buff for the quest you’re about to undertake, making it a good habit to order a plate before you embark on a hunt.
The buffs you get from eating Bunny Dango can range from extra stamina or health to an increased chance of earning more money or harvesting extra materials from the mission. The game will clearly display the percentage chance a certain buff has of activating after you eat a meal, so you’ll want to order a mix of different flavors and potentially reap multiple buffs. As you progress through the game, the canteen will begin stocking additional dango flavors with different attributes and buffs, so it’s a good idea to tailor your meal selections around what environment you’re visiting and monster you’re hunting.
Take Items From The Supply Box
Every locale you travel to for a quest features a base camp, where you’ll find a couple of helpful amenities like a tent and a supply box. The latter is especially important, as it contains various items to assist you on your mission, including first-aid meds (good for restoring health) and rations (good for temporarily increasing your stamina gauge). It’s always a good idea to consult the supply box and take some extra items before you begin your quest, as they’re completely free and are lost after the mission ends–just remember to share the supplies with any other hunters in your party.
Load Up On Subquests
In addition to standard quests, Hinoa and Minoto present a list of optional subquests for you to fulfill. These are additional objectives to work toward while you go about completing regular missions, ranging from harvesting a specific number of materials to slaying certain kinds of monsters, and they’re a great way to earn some extra resources as you play.
In the early going of the game, you can have up to five active subquests at a time. You’ll always want to have a full slate of them underway, as you’ll often complete their objectives just through the regular course of gameplay, and the rewards for these quests often include Kamura Points and Armor Spheres. The latter are especially valuable as they can be used to upgrade pieces of armor, so be sure to load up on subquests as often as you can.
Put Your Spare Buddies To Work
While only two buddies can accompany you on a quest at a time, you can recruit many more additional companions by speaking to Iori at the Buddy Plaza. Even if you don’t intend to bring them along with you on hunts, it’s a good idea to have a nice pool of reserve buddies, as you can send spare Palamutes and Palicoes off on their own gathering quests with the Meowcenaries and the Argosy.
Once the Meowcenaries are unlocked early on in the story, speak to Felyne Chief Kogarashi in the Buddy Plaza to make use of their services. For a small fee of Kamura Points, you can send a squad of four reserve buddies out on a quest. The Meowcenaries can be deployed along one of several gathering routes, each of which will yield different kinds of materials. After you’ve selected the route that appeals to you, the squad will depart, bringing items back after each quest you finish.
The Argosy works similarly. Once it’s unlocked, speak to Rondine in the Buddy Plaza and you can ship a buddy off to barter for specific types of items. Additional resources are always handy in Monster Hunter, so if you’ve got some spare companions just sitting around, be sure to put them to work.
That isn’t the only helpful service you’ll find at the Buddy Plaza. You can also easily level up any spare companions at the Buddy Dojo. Speak to Shirubei the Palico, and you’ll be able to leave up to six buddies at the dojo at a time for training. Each training session will last as long as one quest, and once the training is complete, the buddies will level up and potentially learn new skills, making this a quick way to raise any extra Palamutes and Palicoes you have in your reserve list.
Try Out Weapons At The Training Area
Monster Hunter Rise features 14 different weapon types, each of which has its own distinct feel and moveset. If you’re new to the series, it can be overwhelming figuring out which of these weapons is right for you, but the game makes it a bit easier to decide by letting you test them out in the new training area.
While Hinoa gifts you a long sword shortly after you begin the game, you’ll find one of each weapon type waiting for you in your item box right from the outset, giving you a chance to try them all out at the training area. You can access the area from the boat in the Buddy Plaza, and it features a mechanical training dummy called the Toadversary that you can spar against. The Toadversary’s settings and AI are adjustable, so you can tweak its attack pattern as needed, making this a great way to familiarize yourself with the game’s different weapons before you bring them on an actual hunt.
The training area is also a great place to practice using the Wirebug, Monster Hunter Rise’s signature innovation. Not only can you use the Wirebug to launch yourself toward a monster and pull off Silkbind attacks, but it’s also useful for reaching elevated areas around the game’s different locales. The training area is bordered by high cliffs, so take some time to scale them to really get a handle on the Wirebug.
Utilize Endemic Life
Each locale in Monster Hunter Rise is home to a diverse array of flora and fauna, including what the game calls endemic life. These critters come in many varieties and confer some helpful benefits during your quest; pick up the clothfly, for instance, and you’ll gain a temporary defense boost, while the vigorwasp will restore some of your health.
Some endemic life can even be used to gain the upper hand in battle. For example, the Tricktoad releases a scent that draws another monster’s attention to it, making it a great decoy to activate when a monster is bearing down on you. Be on the lookout for all the different kinds of endemic life as you explore each area in Monster Hunter Rise and utilize them to your benefit.
Advanced Tips
Mastering The Wirebug
As briefly touched on, the Wirebug is an important new element in Monster Hunter Rise, and you’ll come to rely on it frequently when playing. This versatile tool makes traversal feel much quicker and more freeing than previous Monster Hunter games. When your weapon is sheathed, you can use the Wirebug to launch yourself into the air at an angle (by pressing ZR and X) or straight ahead (by pressing ZR and A). You can also use the Wirebug to initiate wall-running. Launch yourself at a wall, and your character will automatically run across it when you hold the run button down. This depletes stamina very quickly, however, and your character will do a fancy leap off the wall once your stamina gauge runs out.
When your weapon is drawn, you can use the Wirebug to execute Silkbind attacks–flashy special moves that will deal some serious damage to monsters. Each of the game’s 14 different weapon types has its own distinct Silkbind attacks, and they’ll come in handy in the heat of battle. The Wirebug can also be used to break your fall; if you get knocked back by a monster’s attack, press ZR and B to quickly regain your footing. It’s a lot to remember, but with a little practice, it’ll soon become second nature.
Motley Mix It Up
In addition to Bunny Dango, the canteens in Kamura Village serve up another dish called a Motley Mix. Ordering this allows you to cook up spare materials like raw meat into consumables such as rations. Not only is this a good way to recycle extra items you may have, but Yomogi will also give you a bonus each time you order the Motley Mix: a Dango Ticket. You can redeem these for a free order of Bunny Dango, and you’ll have an increased chance that a buff will activate when you use a ticket–which will come especially in handy as you climb up the Hunter Ranks and take on fiercer monsters.
Switch Up Your Switch Skills
As you progress through Monster Hunter Rise, you’ll unlock Switch Skills. These are alternate attacks that you can swap in and out of your moveset, not unlike the Hunter Arts in Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. Each weapon has a different set of Switch Skills that you’ll unlock as you progress through the game, and they can vary pretty dramatically, so be sure to experiment with them often to find the one that best suits your playstyle.
The Great Wirebug
In addition to your two standard Wirebugs, Monster Hunter Rise features a larger variant called the Great Wirebug. You’ll periodically receive a handful of Great Wirebugs from Senior Hunter Hanenaga in Kamura Village, and they can be used to reach remote areas around the game’s different locales. Place a Great Wirebug in a spot where you see jewel lilies glowing and it will launch you much higher than a regular Wirebug could, often to an otherwise inaccessible part of the map. These out-of-reach areas often contain something of note, such as rare materials to harvest, so remember to make use of Great Wirebugs anytime you see the opportunity.
Wyvern Riding
One of Monster Hunter Rise’s key new features is Wyvern Riding, which gives you the ability to hop on top of a monster and temporarily control it. There are two primary ways to set a monster up for Wyvern Riding: You can connect with enough Silkbind attacks until it’s ensnared, or you can lure it into a fight with another monster.
Once a monster is weakened and glowing, press A when near it to initiate Wyvern Riding. This is an important tactic to keep in mind as you hunt monsters; not only can you launch the beast you’re riding into a wall, dealing a lot of damage to it, but you can also command it to attack another monster. This is a good way to soften up tougher foes, and monsters that you attack while Wyvern Riding will drop extra materials on the ground, which will come in handy when crafting equipment.
Monster Hunter Rise is out now on Nintendo Switch, with a PC version coming in 2022. We’ve got a number of other guides to help you out, including a buddy explainer and tips for fighting every monster in the game, so be sure to check those out before you set off on your adventure.
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