7 things we wish we knew before playing Monster Hunter Wilds

Merry Monster Hunter Wilds day to all those who celebrate. Capcom’s dino-basher has been going from strength to strength since Worlds became a breakout hit back in 2018, and Wilds doubles down on that open world monster-mashing experience with style. It’s a great time to start playing Monster Hunter if you’re new to the series, and we’ve got a whole Monster Hunter Wilds walkthrough to help you every step of the way through the main campaign.

However, despite Capcom’s best efforts to streamline its barrage of systems and complex web of interlocking stat boosts, weapon buffs and goodness knows what else, there’s still plenty of stuff that Wilds doesn’t tell you from the outset. It may be the friendliest and easiest Monster Hunter to get into in, well, ever, but to help make your journey even smoother, we’ve put together some extra handy starter tips to help give you a leg up into this brilliant action RPG – stuff we wish knew before we started playing Wilds for the first time, and stuff we hope you’ll want to know before you dive in, too.

Monster Hunter Wilds Tips: 28 Things You NEED To Know Before You Start Watch on YouTube

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Take the time to experiment with different weapons – don’t just accept the Great SwordDon’t forget to raid your Seikret’s supply items for free stuffCustomise your radial menus for a wider variety of healing itemsLearn how to pause the game when you’re in a pinchAlways grill a meal before heading out on a huntUse waypoints and your Seikret’s auto-run to easily get aroundPay attention to your armour’s equipment skills to maximise buffs and elemental resistancesTake the time to experiment with different weapons – don’t just accept the Great Sword

During the opening monster chase, you’ll be handed an enormous Great Sword as your first weapon. But be warned. While the Great Sword is one of the best Monster Hunter Wilds weapons, it’s not necessarily the easiest one to master early on due to its slow wind-ups and excessive heft. It’s a heavy, sluggish weapon, and can make fights more difficult if you’re not used to it.

Instead, before you carry on with the story mission, take the time to experiment with all 14 weapon types by speaking to Alma. Once you’ve equipped a weapon, practice attacking the barrels to the side of the spring where you’re resting.

For beginners, I’d recommend a lighter kind of blade weapon – the traditional sword and shield is a great starter weapon and lets you play Monster Hunter like a more traditional action adventure game, but I’d also recommend having a go with the Dual Blades. This is my particular weapon of choice, and I love how fast and nippy they are – and how powerful and cool its Demon Mode attacks are, too. Try it – you might be surprised. And as for those who prefer ranged attacks, the regular bow is another great option to try your hand at. Once you’ve found a weapon you like, feel free to continue with the mission. You can always swap weapons and try even more new ones when you’re back at base camp.

Don’t forget to raid your Seikret’s supply items for free stuff

If you find yourself running low on health and stamina items, don’t forget that your Seikret is basically a walking med kit in disguise thanks to its bundle of free supply items that get dumped there at the start of every mission. Wilds doesn’t do a great job of flagging this up when you head out on missions, but if you press left on the d-pad while mounted on your Seikret, you can open up its Supply Item menu for free first aid kits and rations, among other items.