New To Monster Hunter World? Useful Tips To Help Get You To Iceborne

Monster Hunter World's first expansion Iceborne is out now and it's amazing. If you're a returning player, there's plenty to sink your teeth into, but if you're a newcomer jumping in for the first time, then you're going to have to reach Hunter Rank 16 to even access Iceborne. To fight all the cool new frosty monsters, then you're going to have to push through most the main story quick. Whether you're a returning adventurer who wants a quick recap of how to jump in, or a beginner who wants to know how to get started, this guide will help you prepare for Monster Hunter World's opening hours and beyond.

Much of what you need to know deals with focusing in on the right weapons, properly equipping yourself, and being observant of your surroundings. While this doesn't sound like much, it becomes more essential during the game's more complex and difficult hunts and encounters. It's paramount you build up your skills and hunting readiness if you want to overcome Monster Hunter World's numerous challenges.

To ensure you're brought up to speed on the essentials, we've gathered 12 beginners tips to better your chances of survival. These tips will help you fight like a pro, even if you're an amateur. Be wary; it takes time to get adjusted to all of Monster Hunter World's mechanics. You definitely need to be patient above all things.

Once you're ready for the expansion, be sure to check out our Iceborne tips feature. If you're curious about all the armor that Iceborne adds to Monster Hunter: World, check out our gallery showcasing the coolest new male armor sets and female armor sets. We've also got a gallery highlighting all the adorable Palico armor sets.

As stated above, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is a fantastic continuation of the base game. In GameSpot writer Ginny Woo's review in progress, she scored the expansion a 9/10 and said: "Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is at its best when you’re fighting tooth and nail against something that you know could crush you within its teeth in a second."

"There’s no more fussing about with new systems or worrying about ruffling the feathers of hardcore fans with a direction change in the series; those teething problems have already come and gone. Iceborne is a confident step into the future of the franchise, and it's hard not to think about what might come next."

Do you have any essential beginners tips to offer that you don't see here? Let us know in the comments below.

Unlike other games, you're not stuck in a specific class that dictates your playstyle in Monster Hunt World. Instead there's an assortment of 14 weapons that let you choose how to approach your hunt. Every weapon is a viable option, although some are much easier for beginners than others.

Whether or not this is your first game, it's a good idea to spend time in the game's training room to gain familiarity with the full range of weapons and see which one you like most. For your first adventure, the best choices are either the sword and shield or the dual blades. Both weapons provide the best trade-off between attack speed and recovery. They may not deal crazy damage, but they're the most forgiving when getting used to the controls and monsters you'll be fighting.

The next level up includes the great sword, long sword, and hammer. Slower, but more powerful weapons, the combos for those weapons are still easy to learn, but if you miss an attack, you're left vulnerable for much longer than the starting blades.

But the only way to really understand the different weapons is to try them. And keep in mind that if you go into a zone with the wrong equipment, you can always head to your tent at the campsite to swap it out for something more appropriate.

Monster Hunter World is tuned for both single- and multiplayer action, but if you're new to the series, playing with friends is the best way to experience everything offered. Even if you don't have a pre-arranged group of buddies who are already in the game, be sure to take advantage of the online matchmaking system: the options let you specify what type and rank of hunters you want to group up with so you can be sure to find the right dynamic for your particular skill level.

And if you do decide to go it alone, don't be afraid to take advantage of the SOS flares. In this version of Monster Hunter, you're able to call for help at a moment's notice when the situation gets dire.

While you have access to your inventory--and even the canteen--after accepting a mission, you shouldn't waste time preparing after you've already set out. Instead, take care of these three mission prep steps before you start a hunt:

1. Eat: Make sure to get a good meal with a focus on whatever stat you think will help you get through the next fight. If it's a strong monster and your armor's so-so, get a defense boost. If they use a lot of elemental attacks, get an elemental boost. And if you're confident and you want to try to knock out your enemy as quickly as possible, opt for the attack boost.

2. Empty your personal storage: Do you have leftover items from your last quest? Get them out of your pockets and into your inventory box!

3. Stock up: Get the items you'll need for your next quest. Early on, you should be good with some potions, herbs (to make more potions), antidotes, nulberries, and honey. That list will expand as your hunter rank goes up, but it's important to establish a beginning setup that covers the major contingencies.

But where do you get all those preparatory items...?

When you're out in the field, if you see something shiny, just grab it. Bugs, plants, mushrooms--eventually you'll learn what each item is, and maybe you'll ignore the stuff you use less of, but it's good to get in the habit of stocking up and staying at capacity.

If you're on a quest that you know will be easy, feel free to leave things like Nulberries and Herbs back in your camp inventory so you can collect more out in the field. And if ever run low on supplies, you can scope out specific items by looking at the gathering locations on your map.

Eventually, you'll unlock the ability to farm multiple items from one of researchers in Astera. You'll have to complete quests to stock that mini-supply, but that leads to the next point...

The game doesn't always make this explicit, but after every hunt, you'll want to run a social circuit around the hub area. Visit the Ecological Research Center to update your Monster Field Guide--you'll get prompted to do this on the results screen after a successful hunt if you've found enough new information.

Check in with the Resource Center to turn in any completed bounties and to register new ones. These are the main way you obtain Armor Spheres, which are necessary for keeping raising the effectiveness of your older armor.

Collect your harvest from the Botanical Research Center before it gets full. And if you don't have anything specific you want to cultivate, go with Honey. You'll always need mega potions.

And in Astera specifically, check in every so often with the Tailraider Safari, once you unlock it (you can access this from your room).

A Monster Hunter's life may mostly be about felling impossibly large beasts, but that net in your inventory lets you capture the smaller denizens of the world. If you're not sure if you can catch it, just try! The smaller creatures you catch with your net will be made available as pets back in your room.

Hunting down monsters so you can make some sweet pants is the primary driver in Monster Hunter, so be sure to take advantage of the wishlist feature. The wishlist will break down exactly what materials you need and even help you find what you're looking for. You'll get handy notifications when you’ve found the material for a piece of gear you're tracking, which saves you the trouble of checking in at the smith every time you return from a hunt.

With each area in the game, you start with one camp, and through the story you’ll get access to a second. However, there are a total of four in each area and it's up to you to find the rest. You can search yourself or you can just join a quest with another player who already found one to save a little time. After that, you’ll get a special delivery you need to complete, and then the camp is yours.

While you might be inclined to get through the main story quests as quickly as possible (and that's the fastest path to getting the best armor and weapons), you don't want to ignore the other items on your quest list. Optional Quests have the potential to unlock powerful upgrades, and they're also the way that you'll expand your cantina. If you want to make sure to get the most benefit from your pre-hunt meals, you'll need to complete the chef's gathering quests. And once you reach Iceborne, completing optional quests rewards you with decorations for your home in Seliana.

And unlike Bounties, the Resource Center's investigations aren't completed automatically when you meet those requirements on a hunt. Investigation quests are a separate category, and completing them nets you bonus rewards on the hunt. When you need "just one more" monster part, investigations are the best way to try and farm rarer crafting components.

Your Palico is your constant companion on the hunt, but don't forget that they have their own armor to upgrade as well! The system is a bit simpler, but whenever you're crafting new armor for yourself, check and see if there's anything better for the little guy as well.

If you keep facing a monster head-on and failing, take a step back and look for some environmental help. When looking at your map, scroll over to the "Traps/Environmental" section to find things like Vine Traps, which can incapacitate your prey, as well as plants that can inflict poison and stun. Taking advantage of what's already available on the map can make taking down even seemingly unbeatable foes a little more manageable.

Monster Hunter can be a challenging game, but it's an experience that rewards you the more you put into it. If a hunt fails, don't look at it as wasted time, but think about what you learned about that monster's patterns.

And if all else fails, upgrade your armor. Going back to finish lower tier sets (or pouring a few armor upgrade orbs into your current equipment), can give you just the defensive boost you need to take on your next quest. If it feels like you're doing everything right, but you're still taking a beating, boosting your defense might be all you need!

And if you really need a break, search for the Poogie in your camp and give him a pet. There's no better stress relief than petting your new best piggie friend.