Read on for some beginner’s tips from an experienced hunter…

So, you fancy yourself a master hunter, do you? Ha-ha! You’re still as green as a Rathian’s spike, but you’ve got guts. I like that! Let me pass on some advice that didn’t come easy.

First, get to know your weapon

Your weapon’ll be the best friend you could wish for. There’s 12 different types of weapon available – try them all on to see what fits your style, but if you want to make a name for yourself as a hunter, pick a weapon and stick to it. Me? I favour a Great Sword – can’t beat charging up a slash and letting a monster have it right between the eyes! If you choose a heavy weapon as well, always think of attacking in two parts – the hitting part, and the getting-away-again part. Those beasties won’t just sit there and take a pasting, you know! Don’t simply think, “Do I have time to hit it?”, think, “Do I have time to hit it and get away safely?” That’s a golden rule right there!

If you want to go a different way weapon-wise, there are plenty of options. If you use Dual Blades, chug some Dash Juice or Mega Dash Juice before you go for it like a demon – that’ll stop your stamina decreasing, so you can keep on slashing without getting tired! If you’d rather hunt from afar, consider the Bow – you can add special coatings to your arrows that poison your target or drain its stamina, tiring it out so you can land more hits. But each time you poison a monster it’ll take more shots to poison it next time, so don’t waste your coatings. And always charge up your shots – a few well-placed, fully charged arrows will do far more damage than a bunch of weaker ones!

Second: forge, forge, forge!

After your weapon, the Smithy is your second best friend! At the Smithy you can forge weapons, armour sets and decorations, or even upgrade the armour and weapons you’ve got. While you’re out on a hunt, make sure you gather and carve everything you can, as those little bits and bobs can add up to a brand new weapon in the end! Oftentimes it’s better to upgrade your weapon, but sometimes you can forge a new one from raw materials more easily than upgrading. And make sure you check in with the Smithy whenever you hunt something for the first time to see if there’s anything new on offer!

Don't neglect armour!

Don’t think you can get into the history books by just being a heavy hitter. Get yourself a set of matching armour pieces and not only will you look fierce enough to make a wyvern’s blood turn to ice, you’ll probably activate a skill or two to boot. But don’t forget that you can also activate skills that can make your life harder, if you’re not careful. Getting your head around skills can be tricky, but stick with it!

If it’s armour suggestions you’re after, well, I’ve got a few to start you off. I’ve always liked the Barroth set myself – it’ll give boosts to your defence and attack, and if you’ve got a weapon that lets you block, it’ll make it easier to stand your ground. A bit more advanced is your Rathian set: it’ll extend your health, increase the efficacy of your healing items, and increase the damage you do with a fire weapon. It’s a great set for taking down any beastie weak to fire like Gigginox or Lagiacrus, but it’s also a classic set that’ll last you plenty of battles. Treat it well!

Don’t forget to upgrade your armour too! Throughout your adventure you’ll pick up items like Armor Spheres and Armor Spheres+ that can be used to enhance the raw defence of your equipment. Using these won’t do anything to improve its elemental protection or skills, but a fully levelled-up armour set can seriously raise your defence, making you stronger right away!

Capturing is clever, you know

When you’re starting out, make sure you activate the Capture Guru skill by creating Perception decorations – hit a monster with a Paintball like normal, and when it’s ready to be trapped, it’ll flash on your map. Until you learn how to spot the signs a monster’s about to fall, this’ll be a big help! You often get better rewards for capturing a monster, so it’s well worth doing. And while the Spider Webs you use to make Pitfall Traps are hard to come by, you can trade with the Argosy Captain to receive Pitfall Traps and Shock Traps.

To round things up

I can tell all you greenhorn hunters are raring to go, so I’ll keep this last bit brief. If you get pinned down by a monster, throw a Dung Bomb right in its kisser. Pow! Don’t forget to feed Cha-Cha and Kayamba a Rare Steak or Well-Done Steak too; they’ll gain experience that can help them become stronger. And speaking of food, make sure you get the Itinerant Cook to make something tasty before you go out – food can activate new skills, extend your health, stamina, and more! But it only lasts for one quest, so remember that!

There’s plenty more I could tell you, but why spoil the fun of letting you figure it out yourself, eh? Just remember that there are countless other hunters out there like you, ready to help out at a moment’s notice. Listen to and learn from each other and you’ll go far!