Monster Hunter Generations releases July 15 for the Nintendo 3DS, and veteran monster hunters will have no problem diving right in. If this is your first Monster Hunter game, like it was for me, then you’ll need to learn the ropes before you set out on your hunts.
The game does a great job of getting all the specifics down for you, but there are still some tidbits that you’ll want to keep in your back pocket as you explore the lands of Monster Hunter Generations . We came up with this Beginners Guide to get you started.
BASICS
When out on a hunt, you should be aware of these button schemes.
The R button can be used to run. This will drain your stamina, which you can gauge from the stamina bar right below the health bar. This will refill over time and Hunters can only run while their weapons are sheathed.
Hunters can sheathe their weapons by pressing the Y button. Pressing the X button will unsheathe the sword and is the attack button.
The icon in the bottom right corner is how you use items. They can only be used while your weapon is sheathed. Hold down the L button to open up the item bag and then press Y or A to cycle through them. Once you’ve chosen an item, release the L button and press Y to use it.
Attacking monsters is just a combination of the X and A buttons. Each weapon has specific combos you can learn and can be accessed in the main menu.
The small yellow bar below the stamina bar is your weapon’s sharpness. The more you strike with your weapon, the duller it becomes. When a weapon becomes dull, its power is decreased. Use a whetstone (can be bought in shops) to sharpen the weapon back to its maximum.
You can also harvest killed animals for their meat. Once a monster is killed, go up to the carcass and press A when prompted. You’ll take some meat, which you can then roast up to make well-done steak. These steaks will recover your health.
HUNTER STYLES
When you begin your first Monster Hunter Generations save file, you’ll be prompted to create your hunter but you’ll also need to select your weapon and Hunter Styles.
Hunter Styles are new to the Monster Hunter franchise as they allow your hunter to specialize in a particular aspect of battle. There are four Styles to choose from and they each offer something new, including how many Hunter Arts you can have.
Hunter Arts are special moves and abilities granted to your Hunter, and they can be Universal or Weapon-Specific. More on these abilities follow the Styles.
Guild Style: This is the most like the fighting in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate . Guild users can equip two Hunter Arts at a time.
Striker Style: Using this Style can let Hunters equip three Hunter Arts, which allows for a ton of different offensive and defensive skills. Go out and try them out.
Aerial Style: These Hunters only have one Hunter Art to work with. However, this Style allows for easy dodging and for your Hunter to even jump above a fellow Hunter or monster. While airborne, you can perform devastating attacks or even mount a monster.
Adept Style: This is for advanced players. You’ll only have one Hunter Arts slot but last-minute dodges and guards are rewarded with special counter attacks.
But don’t worry, players can change their Style before any quest, so this is not a permanent decision.
HUNTER ARTS
As mentioned above, Hunter Arts are special attacks and abilities you can equip to your Hunter. Each Style allows a certain number of Arts so be sure to choose wisely.
The Arts range from powerful offensive attacks to defensive maneuvers and can be Universal or Weapon-specific so be sure to try them all and figure out which works best for you.
More Hunter Arts will unlock as you progress through the game and you can change your Arts.
WEAPONS
Once your Style is chosen, you’ll choose your weapon. There are 14 different weapons to try out in Monster Hunter Generations and are broken into two categories: Blademaster and Gunner.
Blademasters use melee weapons and include the following weapons:
Sword and Shield: balance strikes and mobility with solid defense. This is the only weapon that allows Hunters to use items without having to sheathe the weapon first. However, it doesn’t deal as much damage as some of the other Blademaster weapons but the number of strikes is impressive and your shield allows for added protection.
Dual Blades: The fastest weapon in the game but dulls very quickly. There is no way to block with them. Hunters with this weapon will have a special Demon Mode that deals more damage and deals faster strikes.
Long Sword: This weapon gathers energy as you land normal attacks that can then be released as a special Spirit Blade attack. But be careful not to trip your fellow teammates with its strikes.
Great Sword: This is a gigantic blade that hits very hard but its strikes are slow. This can also be used to shield the Hunter from attacks.
Hammer: Specializes in charged attacks but drains a lot of stamina. However, the impact of these charged attacks can knock back a monster, allowing your teammates to go in and finish up.
Hunting Horn: Functions a lot like the Hammer, but can be used to buff up yourself and allies using the musical functionality.
Lance: Lances come with a shield for added protection but your mobility is sacrificed. Hunters with Lances do get a back step and sidestep maneuver that helps with dodging.
Gunlance: Very similar to the Lance but has a some ranged attacks.
Switch Axe: This weapon can change from Axe to Sword at any time. Axe Mode has great power, longer reach and high mobility. Sword Mode offers more versatility and can tap into the weapon’s phial, which is located next to the sharpness gauge. This gauge depletes with each Sword swing, but recover over time or can be reloaded manually in Axe Mode.
Insect Glaive: This weapon gives you an insect partner to harvest monster extracts that boost your abilities. The Glaive also allows you to mount larger monsters.
Charge Blade: This weapon switches between Sword and Shield and Axe on the fly. Holding a Sword and Shield gathers energy with every hit. The Axe and Shield utilizes that stores energy to unleash huge attacks.
Gunner weapons consist of the following weapons:
Bow: Hunters can use different coatings on their arrows like Poison to go hunting. However, each coating will affect the range of your Bow.
Light Bowgun: This weapon is the best for hitting weak points from a long range, but its attack power is lower than other ranged weapons. You can equip a variety of ammo types to the Light Bowgun.
Heavy Bowgun: Your Hunter moves a lot more slowly using this weapon, but the power is unmatched in the ranged weapons department. It functions similar to the Light Bowgun.
And don’t worry, you can switch weapons before every quest but you’ll normally have to buy or forge the weapon you don’t have.
TOWNS
Before every quest, you can explore the various towns in the area. In these towns you can buy items to help you on your hunt, weapons and armor. You can also forge these weapons and armor once you’ve found the right ingredients (more on that later).
This is also where you’ll find your Home where you can save your progress and change your Hunter Styles, Arts and Weapons using the item box located there.
You’ll also find the Lady who will have a list of quests for you finish. Go out and explore and talk to the different people located in the four villages.
HUNTS/QUESTS
Once you’ve spoken to the Quest Gals and accepted a Quest, you should do the following before heading out:
Stock up on items like first-aid meds, pick axes and nets for finding crafting material and whetstones.
Visit the cook in Bherna and order a dish. Your stats will increase depending on the food you order.
Now that you’ve entered the Hunting grounds, you’ll first want to go to the blue Item Box in the first area you are dropped off in. In it will be a lot more supplies for you to use on your journey.
During quests, you’ll have 50 minutes to complete the challenge given and you’ll fail if the time runs out or you are killed by monsters three times. Once you die, you’ll be transported back to the starting position, wasting more time.
CRAFTING
However, 50 minutes is enough time to complete most of these quests so you’ll have plenty of time to find ingredients to use later for crafting weapons and armor. The pick axe and nets are used for just that.
Pick axes are used to mine ores found in some rock deposits scattered all over the areas. Some pick axes are stronger than others and will break after a few strikes.
The same is true for the nets. You can catch different bugs that will then be used in weapons and armor. If you want to know what ingredients you need for your desired weapon/armor, go to the Smithy, where the ingredients will be shown.
And that’s it, is there any other tips for beginners you want to include? Let us know in the comments section below.
