The Monster Hunter games have a ton of content. The latest entry, Monster Hunter Rise offers players heaps of quests, weapons, armor skills, and much more. While Monster Hunter veterans felt right at home with most of Rise's mechanics, new players may often feel left behind, knee-deep in paragraph-style tutorials.
Newcomers will be overwhelmed with information in the opening hours of the game. Some of it is easy to cover and remember, but a lot of things will only be learned through doing. Unfortunately, the tutorials don't always cover the background tips and tricks to making hunting a fearsome monster a total breeze. As such, there are several small tips that players can follow to become a more prepared hunter out in the field.
8 Remember To Eat Before Hunts
One of the most fundamental functions of Monster Hunter Rise is the meal system. Bunny Dango is served either by Yogami the Chef or Palico chefs in the gathering hub, and it is a critical part of beginning any hunt. A meal is comprised of 3 Dango, each with its own unique buffs.
It's good to establish a routine of eating before hunts, as it can be easily overlooked. Many players will be eager to hop right into a hunt but they will be at a distinct disadvantage if they go in on an empty stomach! Dango increases health, stamina, and other skills for the quest (until faints happen) and can significantly boost a hunter's ability in combat.
7 Choose Dango Carefully
When visiting the kitchens it's important to note that each Dango has a unique set of buffs associated with it. Activation chances of these buffs can change with each visit and can even be affected by outside skills in the field. As players progress, they will unlock more and more Dango to expand their canteens, offering tons of new skill combinations.
These skills range from faster weapon sharpening to elemental resistances of all kinds. Though it may seem like a chore at first, new players should try their best to learn the Dango meal creation so that they can carefully choose the best food buffs for every hunt. Players can also save favorite combinations of Dango that they know they enjoy, making the process quick and easy for basic hunts. Handcrafting a meal based on the monster can certainly make the hunter a lot more powerful.
6 Utilize Monster Weaknesses
Every hunter has access to notes in their menus that show monster resistances, weaknesses, carve rewards, and more. As hunters battle monsters more, they will learn more about the monster and its unique resistances and weaknesses. With knowledge comes power, as hunters can begin building sets specifically designed to quickly dispatch (or capture) monsters.
Many weapons in the game have no element or effect associated with them. They just deal raw damage. These weapons are obviously decent all-around damage dealers, but they lack the ability to afflict monsters with elemental statuses or abuse a monster's innate elemental weaknesses. Learning what a monster is weak to can make fighting them much easier, especially when the right armor skills, food skills, and weapons are combined.
5 Use The Buddy Plaza
Players returning from Monster Hunter World will remember The Argosy and the Tailraiders. The Argosy is a trader who would bring requested types of items every so often and trade them for points. The Tailraiders were groups of Palicoes that would raid a route in one of the zones and bring back random assortments of items from those routes. These groups work a little differently in Monster Hunter Rise.
All of these functions can be found in the eastmost area of Kamura Village in a place called the Buddy Plaza. The Argosy still brings items, but players can choose exactly what they're looking for and send a buddy that's tailored to gathering and bartering. Tailraiders are made from groups of Palicoes and Palamutes that the player selects and levels, and they do a lot of the same things they did before, but the chances can be improved by the user. The Buddy Plaza has a lot going on, and it is definitely intimidating to learn. Luckily, Capcom has good explanations of the Buddy Plaza in their digital manual!
4 Take The Time To Build Multiple Armor Sets
Strangely enough, raw defense stats are rarely the best numbers to build armor sets off of. They're certainly a good start, but players should invest the time and resources into making multiple armor sets. The reasons are fairly simple, as elemental resistances and armor skills are often more important for specific fights than just straight defensive power.
Having access to multiple armor sets will make a player more versatile and prepared for nearly any foe. Fire enemy? Wear a great fire-resistant set. Is a monster constantly stunning? Wear a set with stun reductions. Armor sets also have bonuses that activate with more pieces of the same set being worn. Armor skills will improve with set bonuses. While these are often very good, players shouldn't be afraid to mix and match armor sets to maximize their skills, resistances, and defense!
3 Always Try To Gather Resources In The Field
A hunter is only as good as the gear they bring with them. Potions, antidotes, bombs, traps, and more can all be crafted in the field and at Kamura Village. All of these items are critical to surviving and thriving in the field, especially against harder late-game monsters. Though many of these items can be gained through shopping and trading with the Argosy, it's still a good idea to collect resources while in the field.
Hunters looking to save time can collect resources while riding their Palamute through the world. Nearly anything can be done while riding the Palamute, even weapon sharpening! With the speed of the Palamute, item gathering shouldn't feel like a chore at all. Getting a huge stock of items early on will ensure that the mid and late-game sections will be more focused on climactic fights with colossal monsters rather than gathering sleep herbs for tranq bombs.
2 Learn The Armor Skills & Bonuses
Monster Hunter Rise has an abundance of armor skills, many with names that don't really explain what they do. For example, a new player might not immediately know that "Mind's Eye" is a skill for increasing damage against hard targets and decreasing the frequency of deflections. Thus, it is a good idea to invest at least a little time into learning skills and what they do (and how they improve with levels).
Skills are almost always tied to armor pieces. Different armor pieces will have different associated skills. Unlike Monster Hunter World, there are no decorations that have skill types. Maxing out skill levels may seem more difficult now, but it is definitely still doable with a little research and possibly a lot of farming for monster parts. The skills of the game will greatly enhance a hunter's abilities and can be even better when paired correctly with the right weapon. Though it is a ton of work to learn the skills and build around them, doing so will make an average hunter into a great hunter.
1 Learn How To Play With Multiple Weapon Types
Many players will find their ideal weapon and stick with it. While there is nothing wrong with this, many players may find that their weapon struggles against certain monsters more than others. Learning multiple weapon types isn't just fun to do, it can make hunting particularly annoying monsters much easier. New hunters should take full advantage of the training areas and play around with all the weapon classes.
Knowing multiple weapons is also a huge boost for multiplayer gameplay. A hunter who isn't stuck in one role can help balance out a party or improve it simply by selecting a different weapon. Learning more weapons also keeps the game fresh, as each fight feels different with a different weapon in hand. Remember, the best hunters often have a whole bag of tricks and weapons to pull from in combat!