Monster Hunter Rise has finally arrived on PlayStation and Xbox after enjoying some success on Nintendo Switch and PC. Therefore, it’s reaching a lot more new players who might be interested in tackling the Monster Hunter series and want to start with Rise, but aren’t quite prepared for what’s to come. Today we’re looking at various tips and tricks for beginners to help you on your quest.
Before we begin, we also recommend playing Monster Hunter World at some point. It’s arguably a bit more beginner-friendly than Rise as its mechanics were meant to be streamlined for wider audiences. However, Rise is just as simple to engage for your first time if you follow these tips and tricks. Welcome, new adventurers.
Monster Hunter Rise Tips and Tricks for Beginners
Take Your Time Learning
Right off the bat, Monster Hunter Rise hits you with a lot of information, almost all at once. It can be overwhelming for newcomers, so we recommend simply taking your time learning the basics. Whatever the game throws at you, make sure you soak that information in. It may not come into full effect until you have to practically do those things, but it’s worth just spending your initial time exploring, learning about the world and mechanics and getting fully immersed in the experience.
Listen to Everyone
Monster Hunter Rise‘s hub areas are stacked with NPCs who all have something to offer, sometimes more than just friendly advice. It’s worth going around and speaking to every single NPC who will give you advice, teach you something new, give you cool items or act as access points to other sections of the game. They also dish out a fair amount of side quests. Most aren’t daunting tasks, but the rewards are great for the early portions of your journey.
Hub and Village Quests
Quests are broken into two distinct types: Hub and Village quests. Village quests must be taken on solo and progresses the main story of the game, often unlocking previously locked barriers (such as breaking the Hunter Rank cap). On the other hand, Hub quests are where you’ll be doing most of your monster hunting either solo or with a team. There are dozens of monsters to fight in the hub but thankfully, the difficulty progression is balanced enough that you can hunt them in almost any order.
Grasp the Gameplay Loop
The Monster Hunter series is unlike any other RPG on the market. There’s a simple yet addictive gameplay loop beneath its surface: Hunt monsters, use resources to craft gear, hunt harder monsters, craft gear, repeat. You also have a lot of freedom to progress the way you want to. This means that you don’t have to craft every single weapon/armour. Just choose the ones that you like and seem beneficial to your gameplay style then lean into it. Once you grasp the core gameplay loop, you’ll find it highly rewarding.
Experiment with Weapons
There are 14 different types of weapons in Monster Hunter Rise that can significantly change the style of gameplay. In the initial hours, we recommend experimenting with every single weapon in the Training Area until you find one that clicks with you, then focus on that for your playtime. You can, of course, take on more than one weapon at later stages but for now, pick one that speaks to you as this will help you keep a clear track of your progression.
Wirebug is Key
The Wirebug is one of Rise‘s biggest additions. Not only does it allow you to zip around monsters like Spider-Man, but it also closes gaps quickly. Combine them with your attacks for deadly combo strings. The Wirebug also lets you ride monsters which is crucial if you find yourself facing off against more than monster and need to use the Wirebug to control another, letting you briefly attack and collide with your target. The Wirebug is also handy for traversal and scaling high walls. It’s a complex tool but once you get the hang of it, the Wirebug becomes your bread and butter.
Don’t Focus on Builds (Yet)
Most Monster Hunter veterans tend to agree that builds aren’t really a priority for starting players in Low Rank. Once you hit the later stages of High Rank, various mechanics are opened up (like melding, jewels, etc.) that give you vastly more options for builds. Until you get to the point where you can start mixing and matching different armour pieces for ideal builds, we recommend just making full armour sets with good defence in Low Rank. The option is there from the start to experiment with builds, but you won’t have the full set of tools needed yet to really starting honing your build until higher ranks.
Team Up!
Monster Hunter Rise is a good time solo, but a great time with friends and other players. You can connect with up to four players in the Hub and tackle monster hunts in co-op. Additionally, you can also play online and find lobbies targeting specific monsters. Monster Hunter players are very welcoming and are glad to lend a hand. Progress is shared so you won’t have to repeat hunts either (unless you want/need to, of course).
Understanding Monsters
Finally, you need to understand the monster you’re hunting. They aren’t just pounds of meat to hit. All monsters have vastly different attack patterns that are worth learning in order to improve your chances of beating it. “But there’s no health bar,” I hear you say. You can tell when a monster’s low on health when there’s visible damage on its body. When it starts limping, it’s usually close to death. Most monsters have weaknesses to exploit as well, so check in on your Hunter’s Notes. These will give you an idea of what ailment/element works best against them.
Monster Hunter Rise is currently available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC.
