Monster Hunter Wilds: 7 Essential Tips & Tricks to Master Your Hunts

Understand the UI

Monster Hunter Wilds’ user interface is a bit hard to understand at first glance but everything is very important. Just how important certain things are depends on your character build and the weapon you choose. All in all each resource is still important to know if you plan to play with friends, that way if they call out they need to sharpen their weapon, you’d know to help take aggro off of them so they can handle their weapon safely. The most important elements of this UI are the health, stamina, monster status, and item bar.

Choose A Weapon That Works For You

Every single weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds is viable. So the best thing you can do when it comes to choosing primary and secondary weapons is choose something that works best for you. What is your preferred way to play in-action RPGs? Up close? Then grab a great sword or long sword. Do you like to fight from range, the bow and heavy bowgun work wonders. Not quite sure? Maybe this can help you.

• Great Sword — a slow weapon but despite that glaring weakness, many fans of the series choose it every time due to how much damage it’s capable of putting out.
• Long Sword — similar to the great sword but has increased range and the ability to ramp up its damage output. It doesn’t do as much damage as the great sword but it isn’t as slow and has longer range.
• Sword and Shield — for those who favor a good balance between offense and defense, the sword and shield is perfect for you. It’s also faster than the previous two mentioned melee weapons.
• Dual Blades — if speed is what matters the most then you can’t go wrong with the dual blades. When it comes to high damage per second it’s a great choice, especially in the hands of a great player.
• Hammer — a blunt weapon that has decent mobility but where it shines is its ability to stun monsters when striking their heads.
• Hunting Horn — there are plenty of support weapons in Monster Hunter but the hunting horn is THE support weapon. It’s a blunt weapon that can play melodies that buffs all allies.
• Lance — players who want to take a more defensive approach to their hunts will love the lance. Probably one of the safest weapons in the game.
• Gunlance — is a bit different but is still similar to the previous weapon type. It has a ranged option and known for its explosive damage through the use of shells.
• Switch Axe — for players that want an aggressive option that allows them to constantly swap between multiple playstyles, look no further than the switch axe. Axe mode has better reach and area of effect attacks while sword mode is faster to wield.
• Charge Blade — similar to the lance and gunlance, the charge blade is an alternative take on the switch axe. This weapon has one of the highest skill ceilings in the game. If you want to stick to one weapon and master it, this is the choice for you.
• Insect Glaive — another example of a high-skill ceiling weapon is the insect glaive. This weapon has tones of aerial mobility but using it requires game knowledge. You always want to make sure you’re able to adapt your strategy depending on what you’re fighting and where you’re fighting it.
• Light Bowgun — a ranged weapon that is quick and great at mid-range skirmishes. Pretty straightforward.
• Heavy Bowgun — similar to the light bowgun but trades in mobility for more firepower. The two are similar enough to warrant trying both and picking which one feels better.
• Bow — last but not least, the bow is a ranged weapon that fires arrows instead of ammo of course, but it has even more mobility than the other ranged weapons. The downside is it has a shorter range, which is disappointing as a bow man myself.

Be Mindful Of Your Armor

Once you have chosen a weapon, you will need armor that works well with the weapon. Armor in Monster Hunter Wilds has skills that focus on certain stats. The right armor set can boost a weapon’s main strengths while also covering its weaknesses. One example of this is for the blunt weapons like the Hammer, equipping armor with the Slugger skill can increase benefits from the hammer’s stunning capabilities. Making sure you have the right armor for the job can make a tough hunt manageable.

Before Hunting Do This

Before setting out on a hunt you want to make sure your items are topped up. These items are essential so make sure you buy some from a shop. You can even craft them yourself if you have some materials lying around in your inventory. A very good item to make sure you always have are traps. If you intend to capture monsters instead of just slaying them, traps are required. Barrel Bombs are also nice to have as they deal huge damage against sleeping monsters.

Another important thing to check off before going on a hunt is eating a meal. Players mustn’t leave without stopping for a meal. Eating boosts your Max HP and Stamina while also providing other buffs.

Make Use of Focus Mode

Brand new to Monster Hunter Wilds is the phenomenal Focus mode. This new mechanic gives players a new way to keep up pressure on monsters during a hunt. It also adds more depth to the gameplay while making hunts easier overall. Once you enter Focus mode you gain a crosshair in the center of your screen. This mode allows for your attacks to hit exactly where your crosshair is aiming while also highlighting exposed weak points. Making good use of this mechanic can speed up hunts and optimize your damage per second.

Environmental Traps Are Underrated

Insect glaive players will already be taking note of their surroundings but that doesn’t mean the other weapon mains shouldn’t be paying attention as well. A returning mechanic in Monster Hunter Wilds is the ability to trigger environmental traps to turn the tide in a fight. These can range from stuns to other immobilizing effects.

It’s Dangerous To Go Alone

Sometimes no matter how hard you try, a monster is just too tough to handle on your own. Luckily, Monster Hunter Wilds allows players to call out to other players through the SOS Flare mechanic. Using the flare will quickly pair you with players who might just have the missing piece to your strategy to take down the game’s toughest encounters. Not an online player? No problem, as the flare still works by sending in a group of NPCs to help you.