Monster Hunter Wilds Beginners Guide: How to get started in MH Wilds?

Introduction

Welcome to our Monster Hunter Wilds Beginner's Guide, where we will outline the game's particularities and teach you everything you need to know to start your journey as a true Monster Hunter!

Table of Contents

• Getting Started
• Hunting Basics
• Monsters
• Leveling System
• Gear (Weapons, Armor Sets, Skills, Decorations)
• Crafting
• Pets & Mounts
• Beginner Builds

What is Monster Hunter Wilds about?

In Monster Hunter Wilds, you take on the role of a monster hunter, traveling to an area called the ‘’Forbidden Lands’’, an unforgiving land filled with monsters, to locate a missing expedition party.

As with previous games in the series, the player's Hunter tracks and fights monsters, either capturing or slaying them, from which they gain rewards in the form of monster parts and other resources.

In the following paragraphs, we will be talking about the world of Monster Hunter Wilds and what makes its gameplay so unique.

Story: The World of Monster Hunter Wilds

In an untamed world full of colossal creatures, Monster Hunter Wilds invites players into the role of skilled hunters tasked with maintaining balance between humanity and the wild.

Hunters must forge powerful gear, master the game’s combat, and fight monsters to protect their settlements and the delicate harmony of the wilds.

Gameplay: What makes Monster Hunter Unique

Monster Hunter stands out due to its deep, rewarding gameplay loop around hunting massive creatures in dynamic ecosystems. The series combines tactical, skill-based combat with the thrill of crafting gear from the parts of defeated monsters.

MH Wilds introduces new gameplay mechanics compared to the previous title, Monster Hunter World, to make it feel fresh so that veteran players and newcomers enjoy hunting all the various types of monsters in the game.

Getting started in MH Wilds

Getting started in Monster Hunter Wilds involves learning the basics of hunting, gathering, crafting, and combat. Before you begin hunting, you will have an option to complete a tutorial. I strongly recommend you do it since it will teach you basics about movement, combat, using items, and more, each playing an essential role in your future monster hunts.

Character Creation

The first thing you do when you start playing the game is to create a custom Hunter and a custom Palico (the pet that helps you during hunts). Monster Hunter Wilds, just like previous games in the series, offers a vast amount of customizable options, from facial features & haircuts to voice pitch & clothing color.

You can literally spend hours making the dream character here! The customization for the Palico is less varied but still offers plenty of options, like fur type, color, eyes, etc.

Here is a little breakdown of our Monster Hunter Wilds Beginner's Guide:

Tutorial

The tutorial in Monster Hunter Wilds introduces essential mechanics that set the foundation for your journey. Pay close attention to your weapon’s tutorials, as each type offers a unique playstyle.

Additionally, the tutorial covers tracking monsters using Scoutflies, harvesting materials from defeated creatures, and crafting gear. Take your time to absorb these basics, as they will make the more challenging hunts ahead much smoother.

Choosing your primary weapon

After you are done with character creation, you must choose a starting weapon (don’t worry, you can try all of them later on if one doesn’t suit you). We strongly recommend completing the tutorials for each weapon because they teach you the basic combos, making your weapon choice easier depending on your playstyle.

Here, you will find a list of the best beginner-friendly weapons & best overall weapons in terms of damage and moveset:

Best Beginner-Friendly Weapons to use:

Sword & Shield

• Why: Fast, versatile, and allows item usage without sheathing. Ideal for learning monster patterns.
• Strengths: Quick combos, decent damage and mobility.
• Weaknesses: Low damage, makes it hard to learn monsters moveset.

Long Sword

• Why: Offers solid reach, fluid combos, and an intuitive Spirit Gauge mechanic for increasing damage.
• Strengths: Balanced weapon with satisfying moves and a counter mechanic to learn timing.
• Weaknesses: Hard to master, basic attacks are slow, requires combo learning.

Dual Blades

• Why: Rapid attacks and high mobility with the ability to dodge frequently.
• Strengths: Easy to use and great for beginners looking for aggressive playstyles.
• Weaknesses: Not that great against flying monsters, drains your stamina fast.

Best Overall Weapons (Moveset & Playstyle) to use:

Great Sword

• Why: Exceptional raw damage and powerful charged attacks.
• Moveset: Straightforward but rewards precise timing.
• Playstyle: Close range, requires learning monster attack patterns.

Charge Blade

• Why: High damage output with explosive Elemental Discharge.
• Moveset: Complex but rewarding, combining a sword and shield with axe forms.
• Playstyle: Close range, knowing when to switch is necessary, needs windup.

Bow

• Why: Consistent damage output with powerful charged shots.
• Moveset: Flexible ranged attacks and mobility, with coatings for added effects.
• Playstyle: Long range, knowing when to use specific arrows is key, fast-paced.

Hunting Basics

Preparation is key in Monster Hunter Wilds, so we’ll be going over what you need to know before you go hunting monsters:

1. Gear Up: Equip weapons & armor suitable for the monster. Each monster has specific elemental weaknesses & resistances (for example, a Fire-type monster will have resistances against Fire damage, but will be susceptible to Ice or Water damage.) You can also break specific parts of a monster to stun him briefly and deal critical damage in that area.

2. Items: You can bring certain items like healing potions, traps, bombs, and any specialized tools, like antidotes for poison. You will also find healing bubbles during your hunts that you can hit to instantly recover a portion of the HP bar instantly.

3. Eat a Meal: Before departing on a hunt, you can visit the Canteen in the hub area to eat a meal and boost your health & stamina and get buffs, like extra resistances. You can also cook food during your hunt at a Base Camp.

4. Use your Hunter Notes: they contain helpful insights, including monster weaknesses and basic game information.

5. Sharpen your weapon: After dealing enough hits to a monster, your weapon will become dull and have less damage, so you must use your sharpening tool to make it sharp and deal its default damage again. There are also skills like Sharpness that can be slotted into your armor to keep your weapon sharp for longer.

6. Incremental sharpening is a new feature that allows hunters to sharpen their weapons in shorter, segmented actions rather than completing the full sharpening process at once. This mechanic is useful during intense battles when you don't have enough time to fully sharpen your weapon.

7. Take advantage of the environment: You can find healing bubbles in certain areas that u can hit to restore HP, or you can jump from a cliff on a monster to start mounting him. You can also shoot different parts of the terrain, like the ceiling, to drop on a monster and deal massive damage, potentially stunning him.

Now that we have discussed the Monster Hunter Wilds hunting basics and what you need to know to prepare for your future hunts, we will teach you how the game’s UI works.

UI Explained

In the Top Left corner of your screen, you will find your Health Bar (green) and your Stamina Bar (yellow), as well as the current sharpness of your weapon.

In the Top Right corner of your screen, you will find Quest objectives, which show your current hunt’s objective and optional objectives. While in combat, here you will find a list of combos that help you out.

In the Bottom Left corner, you will find the Map that displays your position, the monster’s approximate location (if tracked), and essential points of interest, such as gathering nodes and campsites.

In the Bottom Right corner, you will find your Item Wheel, which shows your currently equipped item (e.g., potions, traps, bombs). You can also cycle through them in case you need something else.

Monster Hunter Wilds Campaign

The campaign in Monster Hunter Wilds serves as your introduction to this world, combining engaging storytelling with tutorials that teach you the basics. As you progress, you’ll learn how to track monsters, forge powerful gear, and explore different habitats, all while uncovering the secrets of the Wilds.

Main Storyline

In Monster Hunter Wilds, side quests are integral to your adventure, offering opportunities to explore the world beyond the main storyline while earning valuable rewards.

These quests range from simple tasks like gathering rare materials or delivering supplies to more challenging objectives, such as hunting specific monsters or protecting local wildlife.

Completing these optional missions grants you materials for crafting and upgrading gear and is also a great source of Hunter Rank XP while unlocking unique upgrades and special tools like Mantles to aid in your hunts.

Monster Hunter Wilds NPCs

In the game, players will encounter a diverse set of NPCs, each contributing uniquely to the game's narrative and mechanics:

Base Camps

In Monster Hunter Wilds, camps are essential hubs scattered across the game's diverse ecosystems, serving as your primary point of preparation and recovery during hunts.

These are larger, permanent camps established by the Guild in each new region as you progress through the story. They offer a wide range of facilities, including a tent, item shop, and Smithy, allowing hunters to restock, change equipment, and manage their inventory.

Like in previous Monster Hunter games, you can also cook food while at a base camp, change gear for you and your Palico, and craft any items you forgot to take in your inventory.

Pop-up Camps

These are temporary camps that you, the player, can set up in the field using a Camping Kit. While they don't offer all the facilities of a Base Camp, they still provide a tent for resting and managing items, as well as access to the BBQ Grill for cooking and restoring health.

Now that we have explained how base camps work in MH Wilds, it’s time to talk about the many types of monsters that you will be fighting on your journey to become a master hunter!

Monsters

MH Wilds monsters are creatures that define the game’s vibrant world. Each monster has unique behaviors, abilities, and habitats, from the towering, fire-breathing drakes of volcanic regions to the stealthy, venomous predators lurking in dense jungles.

These formidable foes require strategic planning and skill to defeat, with players needing to study their patterns and weaknesses. Below, you will find a list with all the available monsters in the game (this list will be updated once we know more monsters):

Monster Types

In Monster Hunter Wilds, monsters can be categorized into various types depending on their biological traits and combat behaviors. Consistent with the Monster Hunter series, these types add diversity to the game. Below, you will find a list of all the monster types in the game:

1. Flying Wyverns – Classic dragon-like creatures with wings capable of aerial attacks.

Examples: Rathalos, Rathian, Ray Dau.

2. Brute Wyverns – Large, bipedal monsters with devastating physical attacks.

Examples: Quematrice, Rompopolo.

3. Leviathan – Aquatic or amphibious monsters with serpentine bodies, often inhabiting water-rich or swampy areas.

Examples: Uth Duna, Balahara.

4. Fanged Beasts - Mammalian creatures with high mobility and aggressive combat styles.

Examples: Doshaguma, Congalala, Ajarakan.

5. Bird Wyverns - Smaller, more agile creatures resembling birds or dinosaurs, known for their tricky behaviors.

Examples: Yian Kut-Ku, Talioth.

6. Elder Dragons - Ancient, mighty creatures that defy standard classification. Often tied to environmental phenomena.

Examples: Arkveld.

Habitats & Endemic Life

The world of Monster Hunter is divided into diverse habitats, from lush forests and arid deserts to icy tundras and volcanic regions, each home to unique ecosystems. These environments are brimming with endemic life, small creatures, and plants that play vital roles in the ecosystem.

Endemic life supports hunters by providing healing, crafting materials, traps, and other utilities during quests. From Flashflies that can stun monsters to Wiggly Litchis that restore stamina, these life forms add depth and strategy to exploration and combat.

Windward Plains

A diverse region with sandy deserts, grasslands, and rock formations. It experiences a sandstorm known as the Sandtide during certain weather conditions.

Scarlet Forest

A lush forest with towering trees and unique red-colored water. Its unique weather condition brings a Torrential Downpour that floods the area.

Oilwell Basin

A unique locale with pools of oil scattered on the ground. Its unique weather condition is called the Firespring, where fierce fires erupt from the ground.

How to track monsters

Tracking monsters involves utilizing environmental clues and tools to locate your target. During hunts, you will find these insects called Scoutflies; those will be your primary tracking companions.

This image was taken from Monster Hunter World, but you will find something similar in Monster Hunter Wilds.

They can detect monster traces like footprints, mucus, claw marks, or broken vegetation and guide you toward the monster's location.

Leveling System

In Monster Hunter Wilds, leveling works differently from traditional RPG systems. Instead of leveling up your character directly, progression is tied to equipment upgrades, hunter rank, and skill mastery.

Hunter Rank explained

This image was taken from Monster Hunter World, but you will find something similar in Monster Hunter Wilds.

Hunter Rank (HR) measures your progression as a hunter, reflecting your experience and unlocking new quests, monsters, and gear. You increase your HR by completing quests and advancing through the story. Higher HR levels grant access to harder challenges and rare materials, encouraging skill mastery and strategy to take on increasingly powerful monsters.

Hunter Rank Progression Tips for Beginners

Here are some beginner-friendly tips for progressing your Hunter Rank (HR) in Monster Hunter Wilds:

Now that you have learned the best ways to progress your Hunter Rank, in the next paragraph, we will teach you about the Monster Hunter Wilds starting gear and how the gearing system work.

Starting Gear

Your starting gear includes a basic armor set and an initial weapon of your choice. The armor set provides defense against monster attacks, keeping you alive during hunts. As you progress, you'll gather materials from defeated monsters to craft and upgrade more advanced armor and weapons, enhancing your capabilities and allowing customization to suit your preferred playstyle.

Gearing System

The gearing system in Monster Hunter Wilds revolves around crafting & upgrading your gear using materials gathered from hunting monsters, exploring the environment, and completing quests. Here are the steps:

Weapons

There are 14 different weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds, each with strengths and weaknesses. In the following list, we will go through each one so you can choose what best suits your playstyle:

1. Great Sword

• Playstyle: Slow & heavy.
• Features: High damage output with its charged attack.
• Strengths: Great for targeting specific monster parts.
• Weaknesses: Minimal mobility.

2. Long Sword

• Playstyle: Fast-paced.
• Features: Special Spirit Gauge that increases your damage.
• Strengths: Great reach, versatile.
• Weaknesses: Requires good positioning.

3. Sword & Shield

• Playstyle: Balance between offense & defense.
• Features: You can use items without sheathing your weapon.
• Strengths: Very versatile.
• Weaknesses: Low damage.

4. Dual Blades

• Playstyle: Very fast & fluid.
• Features: Special Demon Mode that increases damage & mobility.
• Strengths: Great for applying status effects.
• Weaknesses: Low defense & stamina draining.

5. Hammer

• Playstyle: Hit & Smash.
• Features: Easily stun monsters if you hit their head.
• Strengths: Highest damage potential.
• Weaknesses: No cutting damage, only blunt damage.

6. Hunting Horn

• Playstyle: Great for support & offense.
• Features: Play melodies to buff your allies.
• Strengths: Greatly boosts your team performance.
• Weaknesses: Very complex mechanics & low defense.

7. Lance

• Playstyle: Defense-oriented.
• Features: Strongest guard capabilities of any weapon.
• Strengths: Great for tanking attacks and precise damage.
• Weaknesses: Very limited mobility.

8. Gunlance

• Playstyle: Deals explosive damage.
• Features: Different shells and ability to use Wyvern Fire.
• Strengths: High burst damage.
• Weaknesses: You are required to sharpen your weapon very often.

9. Switch Axe

• Playstyle: Versatile, basically two weapons in one.
• Features: Can morph between sword and axe form.
• Strengths: High adaptability.
• Weaknesses: Tough learning curve

10. Charge Blade

• Playstyle: Requires tactical gameplay.
• Features: Can switch into two weapons.
• Strengths: Combines defense with offense.
• Weaknesses: Complex mechanics, you need to master two weapons.

11. Insect Glaive

• Playstyle: Aerial attacks & amazing mobility.
• Features: Kinsect mechanic that buffs attacks.
• Strengths: High maneuverability.
• Weaknesses: Low damage if you can't use your kinsect well.

12. Light Bowgun

• Playstyle: Fast, ranged attacks.
• Features: Great mobility & rapid fire attacks.
• Strengths: Good to apply status effects.
• Weaknesses: Low damage.

13. Heavy Bowgun

• Playstyle: High-damage ranged attacks.
• Features: Special ammo types mechanic.
• Strengths: Best ranged damage output.
• Weaknesses: Very slow movement.

14. Bow

• Playstyle: Versatile ranged weapon.
• Features: Requires charge levels and ammo coating
• Strengths: High adaptability.
• Weaknesses: Requires good stamina management.

Note: These are all the weapons available in Monster Hunter Wilds. We hope this information will help you choose what best suits your playstyle. After finishing the weapons list, we will discuss the next important thing in your build: armor sets!

Armor Sets

Armor sets in MH Wilds are split into two categories: Low-Rank armor & High-Rank armor. The difference between them is their stats and how they fit into the game’s progression.

Low-Rank armor has lower defense stats, making you more vulnerable to monster attacks, provides less resistance to elemental damage, and has basic or fewer armor skills.

High-Rank armor has significantly higher defense, helping you fight tougher monsters, offers better elemental resistances, and introduces advanced skills with more skill slots needed when you fight High-Rank monsters.

Skills

In Monster Hunter Wilds, skills are tied to armor pieces and provide general utility and support. For example, Recovery Speed lets you speeds up the healing of recoverable damage (red portion of health) and Stamina Surge increases stamina recovery speed.

The separation of weapon & armor skills allows for more specialized builds and encourages players to experiment with different combinations. The skill system in MH Wild appears to be significantly better than in previous titles, offering more depth and customization options.

Decorations

This image was taken from Monster Hunter World, but you will find something similar in Monster Hunter Wilds.

Decorations in Monster Hunter Wilds are customizable enhancements that can be applied to weapons & armor to suit your playstyle. For example, they can boost attack power, defense, elemental resistance, etc.

By equipping the right decorations, you can maximize the efficiency of your build, hitting thresholds that provide significant benefits (for example, Attack Boost Level 4 grants a noticeable boost compared to Attack Boost Level 3).

Decorations can also amplify elemental damage dealt, like poison, sleep, or paralysis, making your weapon even more effective against certain monster types. Now that you have learned what decorations are, let’s see how they work.

How Decorations Work

Note: Decorations are essential to complete your build so you can adapt to any hunt efficiently. Next, we will discuss item crafting, a fundamental mechanic in all Monster Hunter games.

Item Crafting

MH Wilds crafting system is very complex, allowing for extensive optimization of your gear to help out in different hunting scenarios. Items such as potions, traps, and ammunition can be crafted using materials gathered from the environment or obtained from monster parts. (Example: Combining an Herb with Honey produces a Mega Potion.)

Below, you will find a list with all the available crafting items and the required ingredients, grouped into categories:

Healing & Support

Bombs & Mines

Traps & Tools

Now that you have learned the recipes for crafting Monster Hunter Wilds items, we will discuss the best methods for farming monster parts & item ingredients.

Farming for Beginners

If you are new to Monster Hunter Wilds, farming resources will be essential to your journey. Farming involves gathering materials by defeating monsters and collecting materials such as ores, herbs, and other crafting ingredients.

Here are some of the key resources you should focus on getting as a beginner:

Crafting System Basics: How to craft gear efficiently?

The Monster Hunter games are all based on crafting better gear than your previous one so you can take on more challenging monsters. Weapons & armor are the main things you will be crafting; those unlock by encountering new monsters & progressing the story. Here is what you should prioritize:

We hope now you know about how Monster Hunter Wilds crafting system works. Next, we will talk about Pets & Mounts, your dear companions that help you out tremendously during your hunts.

Pets & Mounts

In Monster Hunter Wilds, your pet & mount are your primary companions and will provide much needed support during your hunts. Your pet is called a Palico, and your mount is called a Sekret. Below, you will find some valuable information about them:

Palico (pet)

- Overview:

- Roles & Abilities:

- Gadgets:

Sekret (mount)

- Overview:

- Roles & Abilities:

- Recon: Great for exploring the map and marking objectives.

- Combat: Focused on dealing damage and debuffing monsters.

- Support: Provides healing, buffs, and resource gathering.

Beginner Builds

Focusing on easy-to-craft & practical builds in MH Wilds is key for newcomers. We will be going through what are the best beginner’s builds to help you out in the early and mid-game:

- Best for: Learning the game mechanics, survivability & early hunts.

- Weapon: Sword & Shield.

- Armor set: Any armor set with an Attack & Health boost.

- How it works: You will have increased damage and durability while hunting early-game monsters without requiring rare materials.

- Best for: Players that want to try out ranged weapons (Heavy Bowgun, Light Bowgun, Bow)

- Weapon: Bow.

- Armor set: Any armor set that has Evasion and Constitution skills (improves your dodging & stamina regeneration)

- How it works: Combines mobility with ranged power, which is beginner-friendly.

- Best for: Great for new players that struggle with monster attacks.

- Weapon: Lance.

- Armor set: Any armor set that has Guard & Defense boost skills and Stun resistance.

- How it works: Shields will provide safety while allowing beginners to learn monster patterns.

Gear Optimization for Beginners

At this point, you should have a decent idea about all 14 weapons in the game and what playstyle they each require. Here are three important notes on how to better optimize your gear in Monster Hunter Wilds:

Combat Preparation

Before you depart on your hunt, you must be prepared to take on monsters. Here are a few tips to do before starting your hunt:

These are the most important things you should know about Gear Optimization & Combat preparation. Up next, we will talk about Monster Hunter Wilds Beginner’s Tips & Tricks.

Beginner's Tips & Tricks

Here are the last tips & tricks that we can provide you in our MH Wilds Beginner’s guide:

Endgame Tips

Sadly, we don’t have much information about the endgame in Monster Hunter Wilds, but we will update this guide as soon as we know the details.

MH Wilds Beginner’s guide FAQs

Is Monster Hunter Wilds good to start with?

Yes, Monster Hunter Wilds is a great choice if you have never played a Monster Hunter game before, because it’s the best looking game to date and features newly added mechanics that help you out more.

What is the best weapon to main in Monster Hunter Wilds?

There are a total of 14 weapons in MH Wilds, each with its own unique playstyle & moveset, from large swords to dual blades. You can try all of them and see what works best for you.

Can Monster Hunter Wilds be played co-op?

Yes, Monster Hunter Wilds features co-op, where you can team up with up to 3 more fellow hunters to take on monsters together. You can either join a co-op session, or fire an SOS flare so that other people may join your hunt.

Is Monster Hunter Wilds fully open-world?

Not exactly. MH Wilds features open environments where you hunt different monsters and can roam freely to gather resources.

Final Thoughts

Monster Hunter Wilds offers an exciting experience for both beginners and veterans alike. Its new fluid navigation, dynamic weather, and amazing monster designs makes it a standout entry in the franchise.

In this beginner’s guide, we talked about everything you need to know, from weapons, armors, monsters & crafting, to more complex things like hunting basics, how to craft gear, and how the leveling system works.

The game rewards exploration, adaptability, and patience. It's okay to fail hunts! Analyze what went wrong and try again. Dive in, embrace the challenge, and become a true monster hunter.

About Kboosting

Thank you for taking the time to read Monster Hunter Wilds Beginner’s Guide. Did you know that at KBoosting, we are not only about guides and articles? We also provide boosting services to make things even easier for you. Check out our Monster Hunter Wilds boosting services and let us handle everything for you, while you have some fun in the game!