MONSTER HUNTER RISE Guide: The Basics

Go on a hunt wherever you want, whenever you want in MONSTER HUNTER RISE, out now on Nintendo Switch! Freely explore sweeping landscapes inspired by ancient Japan, slay ferocious wild monsters solo or co‑operatively with friends, and forge powerful weapons and armour from your spoils in this sprawling action RPG.

Plenty to get involved with then. If you’re new to the series we’d recommend jumping into the Basic Training Quest first and getting the basics from Master Utsushi. In the tutorial you’ll learn how to traverse the enchanting environment, how to ride your Palamute, the basics of battling and get introduced to the available buffs the Endemic Life of the area can grant.

Let’s go over some of the basic controls below, so you’re able to get familiar before jumping in.

The basics of MONSTER HUNTER RISE

The basic controls consist of using the Left Stick to move and the Right Stick to control the camera.

You’ll notice you have a green bar along the top. This is the Health Gauge. If you run out of health, you will faint and be taken back to the main camp. The yellow bar is your Stamina Gauge, which drains when you perform various actions. Stamina refills naturally, but the length of your Stamina Gauge may decrease over time. You can replenish it by consuming food items or rations!

Stamina is very important in MONSTER HUNTER RISE. You’ll need it to dash and evade for example. Holding R will allow you to dash while moving. It consumes stamina but allows you to run much quicker. When your stamina drops below a certain level you’ll be unable to dash until it replenishes.

Evading is extremely useful, especially when a hulking great monster is bounding towards you! You can dodge attacks at the cost of some stamina. When battling a large monster, evading while dashing away from it will perform a more effective dodge known as an Emergency Evasion. Give it a try!

Items

Items are essential for any hunter. They can include Potions that replenish your Health Gauge, tools and traps such as a Whetstone to sharpen your weapons, plants and even ammunition depending on the weapon you’re using.

You can find items in the Supply Box in the Camp at the start of any hunt. We’d always recommend heading straight to the Supply Box and taking all those useful items provided by the Hunting Guild!

Press the L Button to check your item pouch and to select an item, simply hold the L Button, press the Y Button or A Button, and then release the L Button. Now you have a weapon selected you can use it with the Y Button while your weapon is sheathed. Unusable items are marked with an X.

The Map

You’ll see a map in the lower left of the screen. Use this map to check the location of things in the area. Triangles indicate players’ current locations, while tent symbols are the camps. Monsters, Buddies, traps, and placed items, as well as severed tails, are displayed too. Quest objectives are also denoted during special quests.

You can press the L Button to zoom in on the map and view endemic life, gathering points and other icon categories. You can view a Detailed Map from the Start Menu. This is handy as you can see the precise location of endemic life and gathering points, and it allows you to show or hide items based on category. You can also toggle the display level of the map.

Press X on the detailed map to open the Icon List, which can be very helpful for finding specific things! In addition to reviewing what the icons on the map mean, you can highlight an icon and press the A Button to make only that icon show on the map.

Palamutes

Canine companions called Palamutes will let you ride on their backs, allowing you to cover great distances quickly without consuming stamina and use items while on the move. They’ll also fight alongside you in battle.

When accompanied by a Palamute, you’ll have access to the “Let me Ride!” command, allowing you to ride your faithful companion and traverse the areas much quicker! To ride the Palamute, simply hold down the A Button when near one. You can also issue the “Let me Ride” command from your Action Bar.

When riding the Palamute you use the Left Stick to move and you can hold R to dash forward. Use the ZR Button to jump, the X Button to attack and the B Button to dismount. You can even use some items such as Whetstones while riding the Palamute. When riding, select a usable item from the Item Bar and press the Y Button to use it.

Palicos

If you’re a cat person, then look no further than the Palico! These friendly felines support hunters by keeping them in tip-top shape, boosting their stats and healing allies in need. They’ll also gather nearby items while you’re busy tracking prey.

Two buddies can accompany you on solo quests, whereas you’ll have to choose just one to join you in multiplayer hunts. And most importantly, yes, you can pet them!

Wirebug

One of the big new additions to MONSTER HUNTER RISE is the Wirebug, which allows you to zip around the environments like never before! A variety of actions can be performed using the extraordinary creature that is the Wirebug! You can perform rapid aerial manoeuvres with Wiredash, whip out weapon-specific gambits with Silkbind, or reign composure with Wirefall.

Using Wirebug techniques depletes the Wirebug Gauge, which replenishes over time. The degree of consumption and time needed to recover vary for every action. You can also capture wild Wirebugs to temporarily increase the gauge by one.

Check out the below video for a detailed explanation of how it works!

Wyvern Riding

Another monstrous new addition is Wyvern Riding. Take the reins and turn monsters on each other by using Ironbind Silk to puppeteer them!

The technique takes some preparation. First you’ll need to ensure the monster is in a susceptible condition where you can latch on Ironbind Silk and take command. This is known as a mountable state.

Once you’ve taken the reigns you can control the monster un a variety of ways. Hold the R Button and move the left stick and you’ll be able to freely roam around the map. Use the X Button or the A Button to deal our light or heavy attacks respectively and perform evasive manoeuvres using the B button.

Learn more about the powerful Wyvern Riding technique with the below video tutorial!

Now you know the basics, you’re ready to go hunting! Pick up some helpful tips about hunting monsters in our monster hunting guide or discover how to play with friends in our multiplayer guide!