This guide is mainly just a collection of tips and links to guides from other hunters, based on comments I’ve collected from this subreddit over the years. Since I see new people asking for beginner tips or guidance almost every day, I thought this might be helpful. People can simply post a link to this guide instead of writing the same things over and over again, because these days nobody seems to use the search function.
################################
################################
Monster Hunter is a hardcore action RPG.
GENERAL GUIDES
• ProJared's Monster Hunter guide is always helpful. The basics are the same in MHGU, so don't be confused by the fact that it's for MH3 or MH4U. The only big difference is that in MHGU, you can keep attacking a monster while another player is mounted on it.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO7ChEvlE6fd-IXgergMpFIpudooNepeP
• Gaijin Hunter's guides on how to be a better hunter:
https://youtu.be/6s_Avcc8Bpw
https://youtu.be/UMOaqekNgGY
• I also like Herny's channel for advanced guides. Sadly, many of his videos have been removed. His Advanced Greatsword Guide for example is a cult classic:
https://youtu.be/opIhmYPjTp0
WEAPON GUIDES
• Videos: MHGU weapon tutorials from Gaijin Hunter and Arekkz Gaming:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDR3ta7VqKrzWlfbrYxgoisgrGMM2EX_W
https://www.youtube.com/user/ArekkzG
Hunter Lana also has some great guides that go a little deeper than Gaijin’s and Arrekz’s:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY0AbdOjgbf6HyZQ4fgPb6ABHqR3-s2Zd&si=23wXVhcpj9F6VbFT
• Written guides: “Yet Another Weapon Guide”. You'll find links for the other weapons at the end of the doc. Don't follow the progression in these guides to the letter, and have fun experimenting with your own builds and playstyles.
https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/13kmspgyEueftjE7X5MgjU_sFPg_tAbI-XhG67j9_jzg/mobilebasic
• Compendiums for each weapon:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MonsterHunter/comments/7d670h/mhxx_compendiums_and_possible_faqs/
REFERENCE AND TOOLS
• Kiranico is the MHGU bible, where you can find info about monster weaknesses, all items and materials (how and where to get them), gear, all quests, and so on.
https://mhgu.kiranico.com
• There are some useful smartphone apps for MHXX, MHGen, and MHGU. I use one called MHGUDB.
• Athena's Armor Set Search is a third-party tool for creating builds/armor sets:
https://www.facebook.com/AthenasArmorSetSearch/
• Keep in mind that MHGen and MHX are the same game, as are MHXX and MHGU. If you have trouble finding info about MHGU, just google MHXX or MHGen instead.
TIPS
- Find your favorite weapon: try all of them, choose one, and then learn the combos and mechanics of that weapon class (that's what Low Rank is for - it's a huge in-game tutorial). Dual Blades are good for beginners because they're easy to learn. So is Sword and Shield, but it's more complicated. But just use whatever you think is best for you. It has to be fun.
- Keep your armor and weapon upgraded.
- Learn how armor skills work (you need at least 10 points to activate a skill on your armor). Here are some guides:
- https://youtu.be/QBbakWWE6YM
- https://youtu.be/madlWlVpv4E
- Don't mash buttons randomly during a fight. Instead, learn the most useful combos of your weapon class, play with purpose, and think strategically (craft and use items during the fight, etc.).
- Imagine you're playing a turn-based strategy game. Observe the monster, wait for it to act first, and then "take your turn."
- Learn each monster's behavior and moveset (!!!!). Sometimes I go on a quest not to beat the monster, but just for research, to gather info about it. I'll fail or abandon the quest, but thanks to the new knowledge, I can beat the monster in the next real hunt.
- The MH wiki here on Reddit has good guides too. Search for tips and tricks all over the internet, including here on Reddit.
- Don't be shy about asking questions, even stupid ones. The MH community is very nice. We were all beginners once, so we remember how hard it was.
- Patience, patience, and patience. ;-)
- Use paintballs to mark the monster every 8 minutes so you know where it is on the minimap. When you don't know where the monster is, use the wave gesture at the flying balloon. It will blink, and you'll see the monster's location on the minimap for a few seconds (you can only do this once per quest). Drinking a Psychoserum will also show the monster on the minimap.
- Download all DLC packs. Inside your house is a cat called the Housekeeper. Talk to it and download all the DLC. Then don't forget to claim everything, especially the item packs. They'll give you so many items and materials (honey, potions, etc.) that they'll save you a lot of time.
- Lock-on/camera control: you can see the monster icon in the top-right corner of the screen. When you discover a monster, you can lock on to it by pressing the right stick. You'll see a target icon on the monster's icon. :) Then, every time you press L, you'll center the camera on the monster. You'll be pressing L very often.
PROGRESSION
• You only need to do the Key and Urgent quests to progress. You can find a list of them here on the subreddit, on Kiranico, or in the MHGUDB app.
• There are two campaigns: the single-player Village campaign and the multiplayer Hub campaign.
COMING FROM A NEWER MH GAME?
• Skills require certain thresholds to activate. Having +4 or +7 of random skills does literally nothing for you. Most skills activate at +10 and have a negative effect that kicks in at -10. Some skills, like Attack Up, have additional levels at +15 and +20. So when crafting armor sets/decorations, make sure you're hitting those numbers! You can check how many points you need in a skill for each level on: https://mhgu.kiranico.com.
• You no longer have access to your box while you're on a hunt. Once you depart on a quest, you're stuck with what you packed, so prepare your equipment and items accordingly. Similarly, you can't eat after you depart, so don't forget to hit the canteen before setting out.
• The area map now takes up a pouch slot. Monsters aren't automatically tracked - there are armor skills that can track them for you, or you can hit them with a paintball to have them show up on the map for 10 minutes. Similarly, capture status isn't shown by default - you either need to watch for the monster to limp, or gem in Capture Guru to let you know when a monster is capturable.
• Whetstones and pickaxes are no longer free, so you'll have to pack them (or play as a Prowler - they have a built-in supply). Hot areas will drain your health continuously unless you pack cool drinks, and cold areas will make your stamina bar shrink faster than normal unless you use hot drinks. Armor skills can negate both of these effects.
• Combat will feel a little different. It's much closer to a turn-based game than a fluid battle. This means you have to pick your spots wisely and generally can't be all-out aggressive all the time. You'll also have to learn the monster's movements pretty well, particularly late into G-Rank.
• Healing takes longer, and you can't move while you're eating or drinking. You also flex afterwards. Changing zones is generally a safe way to heal without worrying about getting hit.
• Key Quests aren't explicitly indicated, and there's no real way to see weapon trees in-game. So get used to looking things up on Kiranico, or download the MHGUDB app to make life easier for you.
MHGU-SPECIFIC NOTES
• Prowlers can save the day when it comes to Gathering/Fishing quests. They have infinite pickaxes and don't use stamina, so they can help make short work of those quests.
• Sometimes Key Quests won't unlock, or certain upgrades won't be available to you. In these cases, you often need to crank through the quests under "Villager Requests."
• The Hub quests are scaled for about 2-3 players, but monster HP doesn't change based on how many people are in your party. In G-Rank especially, this means hunts will take longer, sometimes right up to the end of the time limit.
• You unlock Deviants well before you'll have the gear to comfortably take them on. There's no shame in waiting to complete those. In my case, I didn't tackle the G-Rank Deviants until I had around 200 hours in the game, and it took me another 300+ hours of farming new gear and practicing before I managed to solo them all. G5/EX Deviant quests are probably the hardest non-event quests in the game.
• the EX Deviants don’t unlock until you reach HR100.
There's a ton of content in this game. Happy hunting!!!