Monster Hunter Rise beginner's guide: tips and tricks for getting started

If you’re an eager monster hunter looking for a Monster Hunter Rise beginner's guide to help you get started with the first purpose-built Nintendo Switch game in the series, look no further: we’ve got everything you need right here. If you’re new to the series, there can be a lot to digest when you first boot up the game – from variable UI elements to movesets and inputs that may seem impenetrable at first, things can get really overwhelming, really quickly.

Fret not, though; a quick run through of the game’s introductory missions (plus some bonus training resources squirreled away behind some NPC menus) will soon have you up on your feet, sharpening your Dual Swords and taking down Tigrex after Tigrex. As we mentioned in our Monster Hunter Rise review, Capcom’s latest entry into the infallible series has made some things easier – but that’s not to say it’s easy sailing just because it’s a Nintendo Switch game. 

Read on for all the tips and tricks you need to know if you want to start slaying monsters with reckless abandon in Monster Hunter Rise as soon as possible.

• Check out our full Monster Hunter Rise review

Do the Village Quest Counter tutorials

Talk to Hinoa the Quest Maiden and look at the tutorial quests she has on offer. They’re basically offering you a trial run at some of the game’s more specific and weird mechanics, covering diverse topics like wyvern riding, capturing, tranquilizing, stunning – even if you’re a veteran of the series, you won’t know how to mount a monster (riding a monster into a Godzilla vs. Kong encounter works differently how you’d imagine, for example). 

Speaking of mounts, get on monsters whenever possible; they basically offer free materials: if you’re questing for an Anjanth but see a Rathian, you can simply ride your prey to where the other monster is on the map, bash it around, steal the shinies it drops and carry on with your quest.

You don’t need full armor sets

Unlike in past Monster Hunter games, there’s not really any benefit from getting a whole set together from any given monster (especially in the Low Rank or Village missions). Sure, any full set will grant you +3 resistance to elements, but it really isn’t worth it at this stage of the game – when you’re shopping for armor, you’re instead better just going for the perks that work for you. 

Lots of Low-Rank full sets don’t even give you the full benefit of having a set’s key gimmick, so decking yourself out in a full Low-Rank Mizutsune or Magnamalo isn’t worth it in the end. If you’re playing hammer, swords, or any other DPS weapon, look for things that confer DPS perks. If you’re playing the newly empowered Hunting Horn, look out for Horn Maestro. Power Prolonger is the play for Dual Blades and Insect Glaive. 

Don’t overlook Talismans 

After you’ve cleared a few of the earlier Village missions, you’ll unlock the ability to create Talismans via a Melding Pot – this can be a pretty costly process later in the game, but once you start getting a surplus of materials from monsters you aren’t going to turn into gear, feed them into the Pot and try to get the following perks: Free Meal, Fortify and Horn Maestro. 

Free Meal basically gives you a chance to chug a potion for free (invaluable if you’re recovering a lot), Fortify gives you a significant attack and defense every time you fall in battle (great if you Cart often), and Horn Maestro increases the effect duration of Hunting Horn melodies – making you a better healer and support character in harder engagements. 

Get the Armor Charm and Power Charm

At the very end of Low Rank, you’ll notice that the Village and Hub merchants start selling Armor Charms and Power Charms – you can only hold one of these at a time, and they can be quite pricey if you haven’t been grinding fights. They’re worth saving up for and getting as soon as possible, though – they’re basically free buffs that sit in your Item Pouch without needing to be activated at any point; literally, just bonus attack and defense. You can grind that initial investment back in a second by the end of Low Rank, no sweat.

Look after your Palamute

Your new pet is more useful than your erstwhile Palico; it’ll be the buddy you take into battle even in multiplayer because of its utility and how much it trivializes traversal. Upgrade its armor and weapon whenever possible (you can do this by using ‘scraps’ from your own armor/weapon upgrades) and look at its tactics. If you’re running a status build (blast, paralyze, poison and so on) it’s a no-brainer to kit your dog up with a weapon that builds the same status. 

Bear this in mind for Blast status in particular; you can rack up some serious damage very quickly if four people are running Blast with four dogs running around, too. Grind Magnamalo hunts for Blast-based weapons.

Know how to Rampage

The ‘boss’ level encounters in Rise are a bit different from regular hunts, forcing you to fight multiple monsters all at once instead of taking them on one (or two) at a time. There are some simple things to know going into these missions. 

First, never manually attack monsters – only ever attack when Counter Gong is active, and when you do that, go as hard and as quick as you can. Don’t waste any time and try to make your combos as tight as possible; every second counts. Finish off one monster then move to another, don’t waste time fixing installation platforms. 

If playing in co-op, one player should play interference and attract agro (ideally with Lance or Gunlance, a defensive weapon). Have one player distract and ride monsters, being a general nuisance. This allows another player to hit the monsters as hard as possible with the big siege weapons, and refuel them as they need it whilst fixing platforms in the interim. There may not be a cart limit in Rampage, but you can’t afford to be out of that arena unless the myriad monsters wreak havoc on your defenses – so don’t let your guard down.

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