Whether you’ve never played a Monster Hunter game or if you’re migrating over from Monster Hunter: World, there are a lot of important things to know about Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, released yesterday on Nintendo Switch. The original version released in 2015 and was a little clunky. Figuring out how to conquer the game’s rough edges if crucial to becoming a master hunter. Here are some starter tips.
Experiment With Weapons
It’s tempting to choose a weapon and stick with it, but it’s important to play around at first. Monster Hunter is all about timing. Test out weapons until you find one that makes the most sense for you.
Find Your Style
All weapons have different hunting styles, which change how they are used. Like weapons, you should test them all out, although I suggest starting with the default Guild Style. Here’s how they work:
- Guild Style is your default style. It doesn’t have any big gimmicks but does allow you to use two Hunter Arts, which are a bit like RPG special attacks.
- Striker Style is for people who love Hunter Arts. It allows hunters to equip three Arts and charge up the Arts Gauge quickly. As you play, you might find you’re really into those cool special attacks.
- Aerial Style is all about mounting monsters. You only get one Hunter Art, but you gain the ability to leap high into the air by dodge rolling into monsters. The goal is to leap up, land a strong attack on the monster, mount it, and bring it to the ground. It’s fun but tricky, and also my preferred style.
- Adept Style relies on dodging enemy attacks. When you time a dodge at the last second, you gain access to powerful counter attacks. It’s powerful but really requires you to learn a monster’s habits.
- Valor Style is a new style introduced for Generations Ultimate. It grants players access to a small gauge that, when filled up, allows them to access Valor State. In Valor State, you’ll gain access to extra moves and new attack animations.
- Alchemy Style is meant as a support style. You have three Hunter Arts but also have access to an alchemy barrel that you can use to shake concoctions together and make useful potions.
Grab a Palico
Palicos are adorable kitten-folk who can fight side-by-side with you on quests. They’re helpful for drawing monster attention, and they’ll gather items for you. I recommend them for all beginners. You can recruit a palico at the Palico Ranch in Bherna Village.
Go Hunting
You can select a quest in the Hunters Hub by talking to the Wycademy Gal near the north exit. Head there and grab a quest. Early level quests can feel like chores — gathering herbs, killing tiny monsters — but stick with it. After a little while, you’ll be able to hunt big monsters.
Have Some Food
Before each quest, you should always have a meal. Head to the table with benches and the strange fondue fountain to order something to eat. It will boost your stats and can give special effects. For instance, I always eat a meal that helps me mount monsters more easily.
Don’t Forget Your Map
When you start a quest, you’ll be in camp. Open the chest to grab a few free items. The map is one of the most important. Unlike Monster Hunter: World, where you fill the map naturally by exploring, you need this item to view the whole map. Grab it before each new hunt.
Paintballs Are Crucial
In order to keep track of a monster, you need to throw a paintball at it. You can craft them with a paintberry and a sap plant; you can also grab them from the chest in camp. Once you hit a monster with a paintball, you’ll be able to track it on the map.
Carve Your Prize
When you kill a monster, you need to carve it for monster parts, which can then be used in crafting better gear. Don’t forget to carve at the end of your hunt.
Or Maybe Capture
Alternatively, you can capture a monster by weakening it, using a trap, and tossing tranquilliser bombs at it. Quest that require you to capture a monster will give you some of these monster-catching items for free.
Always Be Gathering
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate has a lot of stuff to craft, from Mega Potions to stamina-boosting Dash Juice. Often, these require items you find in the field. You should be gathering at every node you cross in order to have the resources you need.
Have A Bug Net And Pickaxe
In order to gather bugs and ore, you need a bug net and pickaxe. Your palico can grab some things, but without these items, you’ll be very limited in what you can gather. Basic nets can be crafted with a small monster bone and ivy. A mystery bone and iron ore will give you an iron pickaxe.
Try Prowler Mode For Easy Gathering
If you head back to the Palico Ranch, you can swap out your hunter for a palico and play in “Prowler Mode”. In this mode, you don’t need nets or pickaxes to gather. It’s prefect for those times when you really need to grab supplies.
Craft Your Gear
Once you have monster parts, you can go to the smithy to craft new weapons and armour. Unlike Monster Hunter: World, even low-level gear uses parts from multiple monsters. Keep track of what you need and set a goal. When you have the parts, go and grab your gear.
Use Your Scraps
When you craft armour and weapons, you get “scraps”. These can be used to craft new armour for your palico at the palico armoury right next to the smithy.
Increase Your Hunter Rank
After you’ve done some hunts, you can talk to the Guild Manager at the centre of the Hunters Hub. They’ll offer you a special quest to increase your Hunter Rank or “HR”. This raised naturally in Monster Hunter: World, but here, you’ll need to take on these quests.
If you talk to the courier next to your house or talk to Neko at the Palico Ranch, you can get special permits to hunt “deviant” monsters. They’re tougher versions of known monsters whose parts can be used to get strong loot.
Go Online
If you select multiplayer from the Hub menu, you can search for local and online hubs to play with other hunters. You can search by friends, put in the ID number of the session, or just randomly search. There are no quickplay SOS flares here; if you want to play with someone, you need to find a hub. It’s worth it. Multiplayer is the real meat of Monster Hunter.
Have Fun!
Monster Hunter can be intimidating, but if you stick with it, the game can be incredibly rewarding. Don’t be afraid of failure and definitely don’t hesitate to team up with fun partners. With some practise and help, you’ll be a top tier hunter in no time.
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