Monster Hunter World - As addictive as ever

What's up guys, I'm currently hanging out with @weejin92 in a cafe since he's back for the weekend. Pretty free now so I thought I would write a little on Monster Hunter World and how big of an addiction it has been lately.

What is Monster Hunter World?

I think the title itself is pretty obvious. You're in a world where there are monsters, i.e. elder dragons, wyverns and all sorts of creatures. Your job is to hunt them, capture them, do research about them and most importantly make friends with other hunters and do hunts together!

The story is set in a place called the New World and you start off as a character that belongs in the Fifth Fleet. This means there are four fleets before you that came to the New World to explore. You're here to investigate the phenomenon of why elder dragons come to the New World every 10 years. These elder dragons are super huge, some the size of the building. Kinda like Godzilla. Maybe it's a Japanese thing haha.

To make it better, you have a sidekick! A super cute cat called a Palico. You can equip your Palico with weapons and armor, and he/she will help you during combat. Palicoes can also pick up items during your quests or expeditions. However, if you're playing in a group of 3 or more, your Palico won't appear. It will still be there if you're only playing in a team of 2. That's probably because they only allow up to 4 members in a party at each time.

The Monster Hunter franchise has been in existence for so many years, even during my days of handheld PSP / Gameboy. I can't remember which one exactly. I played Monster Hunter on one of those devices so many years ago, but never continued. Monster Hunter World is the first of its franchise be on the PS4 and XBox, with a more open world concept. As a lover of open world grinding / hunting ONLINE games, Monster Hunter World was instantly addictive. If you take away the online function, then I wouldn't be as drawn in to be honest.

To sum up the intro, it's a game where you hunt monsters (from easy to insane) and you have to keep forging new weapons and armor. As you progress, you'll find more and more different monsters and the armors / weapons you can forge from the monsters' carcass gets much better with awesome stats. If you're a fan of online games where you grind to be stronger and level up, then you're in for a ride!

Monster Hunter locations

The New World is divided into various locations and you'll be introduced to Astera in the beginning. Astera is the base of the hunters and you can basically craft armor, buy provisions, sleep in your room, do quests using the quest boards, gather with hunters, eat some food at the canteen and manage your items. It's the HQ for you.

Then, you have the other areas where you have to hunt monsters:

Ancient Forest
Wildspire Waste
Coral Island

Rotten Vale

These are huge maps which is an ecosystem by its own. The place is basically as the name suggests, Rotten Vale is a deadland and Coral Island is a place filled with corals.

Each of these areas have different monsters that adapt to the ecosystem. This is where it gets fun. You'll meet new monsters in each area and it keeps the game interesting. Each monster is a beast compared to the previous!

Types of weapons

Monster Hunter World boasts a variety of weapons, 16 types to be exact. And each type has a HUGE array of different weapons you can craft. As there are plenty of monsters, each monster has their own element, so if you want a lightning weapon, you need to go for Tobi Kadachi (for example).

You should also have different types of weapons for different kinds of hunts, as each monster has a different element as explained above. A good hunter knows which weapon to use and which armor to equip for each battle.

I personally like to use a light weapon like dual blades. It doesn't hit as hard but it's easier to run away when the monster counter attacks. Heavy weapons like great swords deal a significant amount of damage but it's so slow you may miss the monster. When you're dealing with a quick monster, try a light weapon.

If you hate upfront and personal battles, maybe crossbows or bows are suitable for you. There are both light and heavy crossbows, with the latter dealing heavier damage. Even though you're at a distance, the monster will still target you, so you should know when to run and attack. Make no mistake, Monster Hunter requires a lot of quick thinking and quick reflexes.

The monsters in the New World - Low Rank / High Rank

The game is divided into two parts, low rank and high rank. Think of low rank as the story mode you have to go through in the game and once you're done with the story mode, you're exposed to the much harsher environment. You're also introduced to all of the places and the background behind the island when you're doing the low rank quests. After you've learnt all the basics and finish the last quest of the low rank part, you're now a high rank hunter.

This means the monsters are meaner, much stronger and have no mercy. Even monsters you've seen in the low ranks are different when you play at high rank. There are also a list of monsters that were not available earlier. I've finally hit a roadblock at high rank, i.e. a monster that you can't seem to kill. The trick is to upgrade your weapons and armors by farming more or you can get a higher rank player to carry you.

Skills you need for Monster Hunter World

As I've said above, Monster Hunter World is not a super easy breeze through game. You need some skills and reflexes.

Here are some of the skills you may need to excel in the game.

Perseverance. You should make it a habit to pick up / scavenge most of the items you can find. You'll come across plenty in each map as it's huge and filled with items. Some are used for crafting potions, some ammos, some weapons, armors and so on. You get the drift. Who knows? You may be picking up something that you actually need in the future.
Understanding of the monster and how fast your character reacts. Each monster has a different speed and ultimately a different character of its own. After fighting the monster a couple of times, you should know when they're targeting you and what kind of attack they're gonna do. Are they gonna breathe fire at you or jump and pulverize you? These sort of things are crucial in becoming a great hunter. Furthermore you can't run if you're holding your weapon. You need to sheath it first. So you should time yourself and sheath your weapon if you predict that the monster's coming after you. There's also a thing called stamina which limits how long you can run or do things. Always watch the stamina bar to be safe.

Being prepared. Each monster has a different element (e.g. dragon / lightning / water / fire) so you should use an armor that is advantageous and of course a weapon that goes well with it. If it's a fast acting monster like Odogaron, use a light weapon. If it's slow like Barroth, a heavier weapon will do. Also, remember to bring your potions and buffs that will help you in each fight. It's always good to go prepared. Also, you can go to the canteen to eat and raise your stats temporarily.

The most important thing to Monster Hunter World is that you have to enjoy playing! Take your time and you don't have to compete with others. There are awesome quests that allows you to get items from other games (cross-overs).

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

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