Week 9: Five Tips for New Monster Hunter Players

Hey, guess what...I played more Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate this week. I'm sad to say that I've yet to reach G-rank, but I'm close! Last week I said I wanted to provide some tips for new players, in case any of the 30-ish people that read my posts have picked up the game and aren't too familiar with it yet. Or for people that have been playing that might not know some of the things I've learned over years of playing.

1. Always eat before a hunt
• No matter what you're going out to do, eat a meal. The bonuses you get are too good to pass up, and in the grand scheme of things, it's very cheap. Also, look at the bonuses you're going to get, as they are very specific to what you're doing. Some are great for gathering, others for fighting. When I'm going up against a monster I'm unfamiliar with, I always boost defense. I cannot stress eating enough, and I always feel stupid whenever I forget to.
2. Upgrade your food
• This directly relates to the above. There are quests that will upgrade the quality of your food, which increases the bonuses you're going to get by eating. Some of these are in the caravan quests, other in the gathering hall. Here is a list of them. http://www.rgj.com/story/life/2015/02/12/monster-hunter-4-ultimate-canteen-food-ingredient-upgrade-technobubble-mh4g-mh4u/23320833/
3. When you reach a new rank, focus on building a new set of armor first
• Getting to a new rank is exciting, and also scary. Monsters are sometimes new, and always hit harder. The best thing you can do is pick an armor set from the first set of quests in the new rank and get it built. You can even go ahead and upgrade it a few times. This will make your hunting much less frustrating.
4. Get rid of your skill penalties
• Sometimes with armor sets, you'll get bonus skill, but also end up taking penalties. Be wary of these, but not in the 'I'm never going to wear this' way. Instead, slot some decorations in to break the penalty. Yes, you'll lose some decoration slots, but most of the penalties are worth using a slot or two to get rid of. For those who don't know, decorations go into empty armor slots. As a 4a type tip, the only decorations you should really worry about until G-rank armor are ones that will bump you into enough points to actually get a skill, or breaking a skill penalty.
5. Don't forget you can combine things on quests
• Fighting something new or difficult? Bring your 10 Mega Potions, plus 10 Honey and 10 Potions, so that you can make more Mega Potions during the hunt if you need to. This works with anything you need to combine, so it's good to keep in mind. Just remember that you are taking up inventory space whenever you do this, so only bring all the extra stuff if you need to.

There you go, tips to hunt by. I know that Monster Hunter can be a daunting game, and they do a better job this time of helping players learn the game. There are a lot of things they don't teach though, so hopefully this helps someone.

Currently Playing: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Games Completed: 3 (The Longest Journey, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Hyrule Warriors)
Games Purchased (SP/Narrative): 1 (Majora's Mask)
Other Games Purchased: GRAV, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Net Total: +2