The Monster Hunter series is known for its harsh difficulty curve. Yet dedicated fans will end up clocking hundreds, even thousands, of hours into any given game in the series. Wanting to know why that was the case, I downloaded the Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate demo on my Wii U shortly after buying the system. The demo throws you into the Tundra map with very little explanation and, even after experimenting for a while, I couldn’t comprehend why people would like it.
Long story short, I own Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on Wii U and 3DS now, over a year later, and I’ve put in over 200 hours across both versions. Yes, there is a lot to learn about Monster Hunter, but don’t let that deter you; learning and doing are one small part of why the series is so addicting.
My aim is to give any newcomers the tips and tricks needed to simply build a foundation that will help them enjoy Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate when it releases for Nintendo 3DS February 13. Today’s post will focus on the principles of the series. We’ll get into some simple controls here; you can take them to heart now or gloss over them and wait for the full game to learn specifics. For now, though, let’s dive in!
Quests
Monster Hunter gameplay revolves around quests. There are three types: gathering, hunting, and capture. Gathering quests are the simplest and easiest (and are pretty self-explanatory). Hunting quests are, by far, the most common type; they require the player to kill either a certain number of small monsters or to capture or kill one large monster. Capture quests are not as common and work the same as hunting quests, except that you have to capture, not kill, the monster.
How to Prep for a Quest
While you’re not out questing, you’ll be in a hub town of some sort. Here there will be a trunk with item storage: this is where the bulk of your items will go, but you can’t access it during a quest. So the items you choose to take with you on a quest should be first and foremost in your mind when preparing, as a hunter’s pouch has limited space. When packing for a quest, keep in mind you’ll probably be adding items to your pouch by gathering materials and carving monsters, so pack light. Here are some basic item types you should probably be familiar with early on:
- Potions, which restore HP (there are potions of varying strength, but mega potions are a hunter’s best friend)
- Steaks, which maximize your stamina gauge (dashing and dodging are the two most basic actions that deplete stamina; the meter refills itself automatically, but steak and other items increase its capacity)
- Antidotes and other items that heal status ailments (you don’t have to bring every type of status healer with you on every quest; you’ll learn which monsters cause which ailments by playing and practicing!)
- Whetstones, which keep blademaster weapons sharp (more on blademaster vs. gunner weapons at a later date!)
Those items will keep you alive in the field, but there are many other items that can expedite a hunt and/or assist teammates in multiplayer mode.
One pre-quest task that is often overlooked by newcomers is eating a good meal! At some point in the game, a restaurant will open up. Food usually increases the capacity of both the HP and stamina gauges. The effects of a meal will last for just one quest, but it’s worth the time and zeni (currency) to eat before every quest you go on.
During a Quest…
Early quests in Monster Hunter will start at base camp, a neutral area in every map. There are two chests here: one red and one blue. The blue chest contains supplies, including a map of the entire area. Though it takes up a slot in your inventory like every other item, a map is invaluable. Other supplies in the blue chest might tip you off to a monster’s status-inflicting tendencies. For example, if you see antidotes in there, the quest probably involves a monster with poison attacks.
Here are three skills you can think about now that will help you find your way around the field in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate:
- Knowing how to use items like potions and steaks mid-quest is one of the essential skills of Monster Hunter. The controls are thus: while holding the L button, press Y or A to cycle through your available items, let go of L to stop on the item you want to use, and press the Y button to use it. This may feel a little clumsy at first, but with time and practice, it won’t be long before it becomes second nature, trust me.
- Also essential to Monster Hunter is gathering and carving for materials. Fortunately, the controls here are extremely simple: press the A button. Gathering spots are scattered about everywhere, and you’ll soon develop an eye for spotting them. Keep in mind bug-catching and mining require bug nets and pick-axes, respectively. You can also acquire materials from monsters after you’ve killed them, again just by pressing A.
- The environments in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate contain more gaps, ledges, and walls than previous games in the series. To jump from a ledge or cliff, you’ll need to be dashing: hold the R button. You can tell if a wall is climbable if an icon displaying the A button appears when you approach it. With these simple skills, you should be able to navigate the varied terrain in the game with ease.
Hopefully this gives you a general idea of how Monster Hunter plays. You can look forward to the second part of this series, which will go over weapons, armor and other equipment, next week! For now, check out my preview of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate here if you haven’t already. Talk to you all next week!
