The Monster Hunter franchise is notorious for assaulting players with massive creatures and an overcomplicated set of systems and tutorials. While recent entries have made this barrier to entry more accessible and removed the old walls of texts that plagued the series, a few systems might trip up even the most veteran of hunters. If you’re looking for Monster Hunter Wilds tips for beginners to prepare, we got you.
Monster Hunter Wilds follows the same gameplay formula: Prepare, Hunt, Collect, and Repeat. That was established in previous titles with a few changes here and there. So, to help you explore the wilds, here are some helpful Monster Hunter Wilds tips and tricks to get you started.
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Looking for more about Monster Hunter Wilds? Read our review.
Beginner Tip #1: Utilize the Wishlist
The first of our Monster Hunter Wilds tips starts with preparation. To get the most out of the game, you need to know what you are hunting for and what resources to bring. As you progress through Monster Hunter Wilds, you will unlock new weapon tiers and armor sets. However, just hunting a monster once or twice won’t be enough to craft all of their corresponding gear.
After all, we are all at the mercy of the RNG gods. One of the most helpful systems in the game is the wish list function located with the blacksmith, Gemma, as this will highlight the desired items in your Monster Field Guide and with Alma in the quest selection screen. This allows at a quick glance of the Side Quest menu or Map to know if any available monster has the potential to drop the needed materials, without having to scroll through the detailed drop list.
Beginner Tip #2: Choose the Right Weapon
Once you know what you are hunting, it is time to prepare for how you will go about hunting it. While all the old tools of trade are available again, Monster Hunter Wilds also introduces the ability to bring along a second weapon stored with your Seikret. This is revolutionary in your struggles against some more complex monsters as you are far less limited against their changing move sets and elemental resistances. Being able to adapt on the fly will be necessary as you break away from the tough outer defenses of some of the new monsters.
Your second weapon isn’t limited to just other weapon types either, if you are a ride-or-die “Big sword go bonk” hunter, then you can lean into the playstyle by bringing along an elemental blade and standard sword. The choice is yours, just remember that the more weapons you focus on, the more monster parts you will need to collect.
Beginner Tip #3: Create Your Loadouts
There are few things more frustrating than seeing a rare resource mid-hunt, and as you try to acquire it a pop-up window appears, informing you that you are out of inventory space. It builds that same fatigue as being overburdened in a Bethesda title, knowing that you either have to leave it behind or choose what to drop. With just a little prep in your tent before each hunt, you can set your items for whatever challenges you may encounter.
A few things I have found as someone who likes to capture monsters, it is necessary to refresh your tranquilizers and traps in between hunts. Monster Hunter Wilds also throws more monsters than ever at you, so it is with great hesitation that I recommend carrying around some poo in the form of Dung Pods. Ick…
Hidden in the Item Transfer Sub Menu is a screen for setting and equipping loadouts. By selecting Use Loadout, all the items currently in your bag will be placed back into the item box and replaced by the loadout. If you lack a resource, it will be highlighted in Red to indicate that you need to craft more. Mastering these submenus and setting your load-outs beforehand is key for smooth hunting.
Beginner Tip #4: Locate the Quest Item Box
Veterans of the series are well familiar with the process of going on a hunt. You eat, go back out on the mission, visit the Item Box near camp, and then hunt for monsters. This process gets a little shaken up in Monster Hunter Wilds. Eating is done at the tent or by using the portable BBQ Grill, and most notably, the Item Box you once knew is gone.
It has been replaced by your Seikret’s Pouch, which functions similarly but with a few key differences. First, it isn’t always available; you can only access it once a quest has started. If you are just exploring the map, it won’t be available until you focus on taking down a “Large Monster,” and even then, it tends to be locked until after a minute or two of combat.
Plenty of time to start missing those free First-aids as you are being pummeled to death by a Blangonga. The second is that, unlike the Item Box of previous games, your Seikret’s Pouch will occasionally be restocked throughout the hunt, providing you with valuable aid at pressing a button. Don’t worry if you are like me though and completely missed the pouch for several hunts, all the items you are given are sent to your permanent box if you don’t collect them.
Beginner Tip #5: Hit Them Where It hurts
Once you have begun your hunt, you will notice a few things. There are no monster Health Bars in the series; instead, visual cues that inform you of a monster’s current state. While this is old news to veteran hunters, Monster Hunter Wilds has added a new system for pressing the attack.
Gone are the days of using the Clutch Claw to mount monsters to create weak points, now, after doing sustained damage to an area, a small scar will appear on their skin. You will create a wound by using your focus attack on this spot.
“Focus Striking” the target a second time will break the wound and often reward players with a monster part that corresponds with that area of the body. So, if you are in need of a Rathalos Wing for your new fire sword, “Focus Strike” the wounds on their wings and break them like usual in order to maximize your chances of receiving that much-desired loot.
With tons of weapons, tools, and playstyles, there is no comprehensive list to make you an expert overnight, but hopefully, these Monster Hunter Wilds tips will help you get started exploring the massive game as a beginner.
Monster Hunter Wilds will be released on February 28, 2025, and will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
