Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate: Tips from a Fellow Noob

I am new to Monster Hunter. Having spent the long Easter weekend with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on the Wii U, I’ve gone very quickly from sceptical suspicion to total convert. This game is amazing. I love the way you must learn to read a monster’s animations instead of just waiting for a symbol to pop up.

Sure, there were some dark times where I just wanted to beat the my own head in with the Wii U Gamepad. Many techniques are unexplained and the search functions on most community wikis don’t easily filter on versions of the game. Perhaps that’s irrelevant. Perhaps all the games are fundamentally the same but I don’t know that. I’m a noob.

Here are some things I wish I’d known before starting on Friday. Hopefully they’ll spare one of you fellow newbies from the same pain.

1. Play through the offline main quest until you’ve reached at least a 2-star rating and unlocked Cha-Cha. It’s tempting to jump into the online mode after a few hours but trust me, you haven’t learned nearly enough yet. I tried this and promptly got my ass kicked by a Qurupeco who summoned a Wyvern. What the hell?/li>
2. Always carry megapotions, rations/steak and paintbombs/bullets. Blade users should also keep a ready supply of whetstones or whetfish. Megapotions are easy enough to make – Herb + Blue Mushroom = Potion. Potion + Honey = Megapotion. Rations and steak are to bump your fatigue so you can sprint around the map. Paint will track any giant monsters so you can find/avoid them when you need to.
3. Learn to cook well-done steak Your base stamina sucks and well-done steak is the cheapest way to boost it when you’re just grinding about in Moga Woods. Listen to the music and you’ll the see the meat change colour two beats after the music stops. The best place to see the colour change is on the bone at the far end of the spit from your character.



4. Look at the map as soon as you start a quest. When you’re hunting large game, the creature’s location is always shown for a second or two. Run in there, tag it with a paintbomb or bullet and then you’re free to get on with whatever else you were going to do. At least until the paint rubs off.
5. Always save one rare herb. You’ll unlock the farm as you progress through the main quest, allowing you to grow more. Like a fool, I used my only Fire Herb, not realising it has a really low drop rate.
6. Collect poo. Yes, it’s gross to be fighting monsters with pooey hands but dung is brilliant for farming herbs back at the village. Pop into Area 8 in Moga Village for a reliable source
7. When you’re on fire, roll in shallow water. If you’re battling a fire-breathing monster in a zone without water… uh, don’t do that.
8. Skimp on decorations. I’m not saying don’t buy them, but save your materials for when you know you’ll need them. Battling a Qurupeco or Wyvern for example, will be much easier if you can bump up your fire resistance with a custom set.

As you can see, these tips are very much based on my mistakes. Are any of you expert monster hunters? What advice would you give to new players?