10 Things We Love About Monster Hunter World

Updated:

25 Feb 2019

10 Things We Love About Monster Hunter World

Since it’s release in January, Monster Hunter World has reached over 10 million sales between PS4, Xbox One and PC becoming Capcom’s biggest selling game of all time, and for good reason. Between the amazing graphics, many quality of life improvements and super addictive gameplay, it is without a doubt a masterpiece of gaming that will surely be remembered for years to come. Although there are so many great things about it worth mentioning, here is our list of the 10 things we love about Monster Hunter World.

10. Varied And Interesting Combat

With a variety of weapons, every player can have a unique angle on the fight.

Monster Hunter has always been a unique experience since the very beginning. There are so many options to choose from it can be overwhelming when you’re new to the series. Each of the fourteen weapons are very different from one another and will require you to adjust your play style in order to use them.

Do you like swinging blades and cutting off tails? You can choose between the standard Sword and Shield for blocking and movement ability, or Duel Blades that let you dish out speedy blows and fast movement. The Great Sword has slow and powerful blows, but if you want some distance and faster movement without the luxury of blocking, the Long Sword can give you that.

If you want something more complicated, the Switch Axe and the Charge Blade are weapons that can transform and change your moves. The Insect Glaive has a bug called the Kinsect that can buff your player, while the glaive can send you flying in the air and twirling around like a ninja turtle.

The Charge Blade is a sword and shield that can turn into a giant axe for powerful blows.

If blocking and being a tank build is your thing, you might want to consider the Lance and Gunlance. They allow you to block even very large attacks using their very big shield.

Maybe you want to break monsters’ faces with ease. Then I’d suggest the Hammer and the Hunting Horn. They are pretty slow, but they slam down very heavy damage and can stun even the largest monsters. The hammer has supercharged blows and a nice whirlwind attack while the Hunting Horn can actually play songs that can buff and heal the party.

The last group is for the long distance players. If you need to stay away, There’s the Bow, Light Bowgun and Heavy Bowgun. These can even be loaded with different types of ammo to afflict status effects on monsters.

Figuring out which weapons work best for you may take some practice, but there is definitely something for everybody.

9. Improved Gathering

This herb will go nicely in my recipe…

Gathering has always been extremely important in all of the Monster Hunter series, but it’s always been tedious. Inventory space when on quests is limited and when you want to gather a wide range of materials, you can run out of space fast.

The improvements Capcom has made have made it a lot easier and faster to get what you need. Monster parts carved are automatically sent to base without taking up inventory space. Also, the campsites that you use as a base of operations while out on a hunt give you access to your entire inventory box, just like when you’re in town. You can even change your weapons while on a quest as well, which is useful when you need to take advantage of a monster’s weaknesses.

Another handy part of gathering now is that you can grab things quickly while running around the area. Those herbs and mushrooms that you need so badly sometimes can be nabbed quickly just by pressing the gather button while running past them instead of having to stop, crouch down and harvest for 5 seconds to grab one thing.

8. Auto Crafting Inventory System

When running for your life you don’t always have time to make more potions.

There’s nothing worse than when you are out of potions or megapotions while you’re running for your life from the giant Wyvern that’s about to breathe a giant fireball right to the back of your head. Monster Hunter World offers up a new auto crafting system where you can choose which items you would like auto crafted, then as soon as you pick up the required materials the game will automatically craft the item you wanted and put it into your inventory. This is especially useful when you’re running around the map fighting and using your potions often. As you’re running around, you can grab herbs and honey on the fly. You’ll automatically obtain more potions so you can keep on fighting instead of stopping to craft while a monster is charging at your face.

7. Fantastic Multilevel Design

This shot of the Coral Highlands is the kind of detail that is put into all areas of Monster Hunter World.

Monster Hunters of the past have always had their maps sectioned off into chunks of area that had to all be loaded separately. Hardware restrictions of the past have also made these areas often plain and very simple to traverse. Monster Hunter 4 pushed these boundaries as far as the Nintendo 3DS would go, offering more detail at that time.

Monster Hunter World has finally made use of the modern hardware we have all grown accustomed to and the level designs have changed immensely because of it. The all new areas to explore are extremely dense. Every nook and cranny has been loaded with foliage and critters. There are bushes to hide in, caves to crawl in, water to trudge through, and mountains to climb. There are multiple layers on top of each other with jam packed detail around every corner. You’ll be exploring all kinds of lands from the depths of dead wasteland filled with toxic air all the way up to mountain tops that go above the clouds.

6. Monster Turf Wars

This Great Jargras walked into the wrong place at the wrong time. Now it’s paying dearly.

One of my favorite things added to Monster Hunter World has to be the turf wars. Now instead of all monsters just coming after you upon site, there is the possibility that they will fight each other. I was in awe the first time I was running away from the tyrannosaurus like Anjanath when I ran into the Great Jagras. I panicked because I was new at the game and I figured they would both be chasing me down based on my previous Monster Hunter experiences.

What a great surprise when I saw the words “Turf War” appear on the side of the screen as the Anjanath proceeded to snatch up the Great Jagras and slam it to the ground like a rag doll. I took the opportunity to heal my character as I hid in a bush and enjoyed the show. The two beasts roared in each others’ faces and fought it out, eventually leading to the Great Jagras running away.

There are many of these situations where monsters will start fighting each other. Many of them have even been programmed with special animations just so you have an amazing show to watch when it happens. You can take advantage of this often in order to weaken the monster you’re hunting by luring them into another area.

This Great Jagras is about to get a hard lesson in what it’s like to cross the Anjanath.

I also like how some smaller monsters run away when a big bad beast comes in. When you’re fighting said beast and you knock them down, the smaller monsters in the area may rush in to get some hits in before the big one gets back up. I thought that was a great little addition to the A.I.

5. Environmental Traps

The Anjanath is caught in the vines. Now is the perfect time to strike!

As if the dense worlds and monster turf wars weren’t enough there has also been the addition of environmental traps placed throughout the maps. Monsters can be lured into these situations in order to be taken advantage of for dealing some great damage before they can break free. There are vines that they can get caught in like a net, a dam that can be broken to wash them away, boulders that can crush them, as well as flies and toads that can be triggered to blind or stun them. There are many things to interact with that can aid or hinder your fight.

4. Scout Fly Tracking

These scout flies have found clues and will lead you to the monster’s whereabouts.

In the past, you used to have to wander around the map searching for your prey unless you had specific items to show the monster’s location. Then you’d have to lob a paintball at it so you could track where it ran off to. If you forgot to paintball it again within a certain time, you had to search again. It was tedious at times and I’ve had games where it took me the first 15 minutes of the quest just to find the monster because it kept moving around the map.

Thankfully now there is the tracking system. Your hunter has “scout flies” that will help you locate traces of monsters around the area. As monsters roam the landscape they will leave footprints, scratches, scrapes, mucus and many other sorts of markings that indicate where they have been. Your scout flies will group around these traces, allowing you to study them and gather more information about the beast. When you’ve gathered enough information, your flies will guide your path and lead you straight to it. This isn’t only more fun than the old method, but it’s more useful because when you gather more information about the monster, even when you’re on its tracks, you can update your Monster Log book through the chief ecologist back in town. This gives you the advantages of learning a monster’s elemental weaknesses, where it takes more damage and what rewards can be taken from it.

Another useful thing about the scout flies is how they also guide you to materials in the area that you may have overlooked if you ran by too fast.

3. Palicos

Your Palico is your buddy. He will be there through thick and thin so you’ll never have to hunt alone.

One of the most notable things in the Monster Hunter series are the Palicos, which are essentially cats in the game. They fulfill a huge support role along side of your hunter. When it’s just you or one other player, your personal Palico will be there to help you gather, attack and buff you. They are loyal little fellows that will not leave your side unless they run out of health. Even then it’s only temporary for a break and then they will come right back into the action.

You can customize their appearance and give them whatever weapons and armor you have the materials for to make their support even better. They level up as you complete quests with their stats increasing with it. By doing optional quests you can also add to their healing and buffing abilities. It pays off too. I can’t tell you how many times I was on the verge of death and my Palico came running in to save the day by healing me with a vigorwasp. On the other hand, I hate it when he heals me as soon as I use my own megapotion.

Your personal companion isn’t the only Palico though. These little furry friends are scattered throughout the game. I enjoy the ones that run the Canteen. Sometimes you’ll come across one doing his own thing and your Palico will talk to them and recruit them for the time until the quest is over.

2. Quest Line Improvements

The quest board is your organized “to do” list.

One thing I always found a little frustrating in older Monster Hunter games was when you wanted to progress, you didn’t know for sure which quests you had to do before the next section unlocked. Quests were in one big list and there were certain ones that had to be done in order to unlock a specific hunt called the “Urgent Quest” before you can proceed in the game.

Monster Hunter World has organized the quests much better. Now instead of having a big list, things are sectioned off. Assigned quests are storyline progression quests that mostly involve hunting the next big troublesome monster. Optional is for side quests that often upgrade something in town that will help you along in some way. Investigations are like optional quests that usually revolve around what you want to do so you can obtain the best materials and valuables you’re looking for. Event quests are available for a limited time and can hand out unique rewards upon completion. Expeditions involve you just heading to an area and exploring for a while. They are a great way to just scope out the land and casually hunt whatever happens to be roaming around.

It’s nice having this kind of organization because you can just do what you want easily.

1. The Monster Hunter Community

We got this right guys? …Guys?

One of the best things about Monster Hunter is that it’s always been a fun place to play with others. I’m sure there are exceptions, but in the years I’ve been into the franchise I’ve never come across a player who wasn’t helpful and friendly. The way the game is set up seems to lessen the amount of toxic behavior and frustration that plagues many games online. People in forum and discussions are usually friendly and very helpful.

Monster Hunter was never a very easily accessible game to newcomers. The tutorials are vague and the amount of content and menus are pretty overwhelming right from the start, but there is a huge community and a lot of information that can get new players up to speed without frustration or hassle. If you’re in need of assistance at any time, help is only an S.O.S. flare away.

Also be sure to check out these articles:

Email us about this article

William Baron

Bill is a working man by day, and a gamer and musician by night. His spoiled cats won't let him get up to use the bathroom. Also, for some reason his eyebrows go up when his shaving strokes go down.

Gamer Since:

1987

Favorite Genre:

RPG

Currently Playing:

Monster Hunter World

Top 3 Favorite Games:

Rocket League, Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition, Dying Light