Monster Hunter

"* " The first few missions will take a while to get through, and you will mostly be gathering mushrooms and the like. Use this time to become familiar with the environment and the resource gathering locations in each area of each map (Herbs, Honey, Blue Mushrooms, etc).

- There is no pause button because it was designed for online play. This means if you need to use a menu, make sure there are no enemies around. Use secluded areas of the map.

- Since you can't pause, be aware of the mission timers when you accept quests. Make sure you have a full hour to spend before starting any big hunts.

- You will want to haul as many items back as you can from your first few outings, but make sure to leave 5-10 slots for quest rewards. Soon, you'll want to invest in bug nets, pickaxes, and a BBQ to help you gather even more resources. Make sure to buy iron picks and regular nets.

- Always craft weapons and armour with the loot that you earn from missions and animal carves.

- Try out the starting weapons (and any new weapon types) on the herbivores to get a feel for them. Compare how many hits it takes to kill them, and how comfortable you feel with your maneuverability. You should practice rolling/dodging in between attack chains.

- Always use First aid med and other supply items before using any of your own potions or equivalent items.

- You should start thinking about crafting armour by the time you start fighting Velociprey (small blue raptors).

- Velociprey can easily be outrun be using a zigzag pattern. This is good for running through groups or when you are low on stamina or when carrying cumbersome mission critical items (dino eggs!).

- For larger monsters, dodging is always prefereable to blocking. This means learning their attack patterns and how best to avoid them with your weapon type. Do not start the Kut-Ku quest without a full set of armour (at least Hunter, if not Velociprey), and a good stock of healing items (10 potions, 10 mega potions).

- Speaking of mega potions, combining items can save you a lot of money when starting out. However this means spending time gathering resources. Later on, you'll be much more likely to just buy your potions.

- If a black cat steals an item from you in forest area 9, you'll have to go to area 12 and search the big pile of stuff to get it back. Maps with black cats have a tucked away area where you can get that stuff back. To prevent them taking random and possibly valuable items, you can carry Felvine (easily found in forest area 7) since its only use is to keep them away from other items. These cats have a bad habit of sneaking up on you while you are busy fighting larger creatures.