With the recent release of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne on PC there comes a laundry list of quests to accept and monsters to hunt. Starting Iceborne can be an overwhelming task so here's a quick beginner's guide on what to focus on out of the gate.

Right from the start you're going to need to become accustomed to the new controls. Iceborne not only added dozens of new weapons and armor sets, which we'll touch on later, but it also introduced the new "Clutch Claw" slinger attachment. This new accessory, that you don't have to craft or grind for, offers a completely new element of gameplay when taking down monsters. The ability to grapple to a part of a monster and weaken it to increase damage, drop slinger ammo or outright knock it down by driving it into a wall completely changes the way players can structure their hunts.

New equipment like the claw brings new controls, and some of those controls might counteract the settings you had before the recent DLC. We suggest that before you launch into the new-new world, players should take a look at controls and keymaps to get familiar with the new layouts. Guard, slingers, ammo coatings & even how to select and confirm new options have been changed with this latest installment, so once you've become comfortable with those, it's time to hunt.

Related: How To Get Monster Hunter World: Iceborne's Well-Done Hammer

The Best Weapons To Start With

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne has added a whole new category of weapons. Rarity 8 is no longer the most powerful weapon in your arsenal as Rarity 12 has become the new max level to obtain. Don't worry, you wont have to kill low rank and high rank monsters to climb the weapon tree to Rarity 9, because Iceborne lets players craft Rarity 9 Iron Ore & Bone weapons so that you don't start at too much of a disadvantage. You're still going to struggle with the upwards of 20 new monsters that boast the "Master Rank" difficulty, but starting off with a weapon past Rarity 8 will make the fights exponentially easier.

The Bone weapon tree branches off into some high caliber ice and fire elemental weapons but, once you hit Master Rank 7, we recommend finding the "50 Shades of White" event quest that will give you the ability to craft Iceborne's "Guild Palace Weapons." These weapons are the most powerful, raw damage weapons in the game and will be your best shot at taking down monsters until Rajang releases next month. Guild Palace Weapons are also great because you can unlock their hidden element that offers large boosts in water damage.

The Hunter's New Clothes

Speaking of making your Iceborne experience easier, choosing the right armor set is imperative. Just like with weapons, your High Rank armor is now useless against new foes and it will need to be upgraded immediately. Just like when you transitioned from Low Rank to High Rank, the armor sets you'll be able to craft are limited. You'll be best suited starting out with the Iron or Bone sets and then tailoring a build as you gather more monster parts. Crafting a mixture of Beotodus and Banbaro will be the simplest way to add some defense to your build early on, as those are the first monsters you're going to fight. Once you've boosted your defense, then it will be time to take on harder monsters and build better gear that's more suited to your individual style and build.

The Beo Beta+ set offers:

  • Stamina Surge 1
  • Ice Attack 2
  • Health Boost 2
  • Earplugs 3

The Banbaro Beta+ set offers:

  • Resentment 2 (Increase attack when you have recoverable dmg)
  • Speed Eating 1
  • Offensive Guard 1
  • Health Boost 1
  • Mushroomancer 2
Monster Hunter World:

Beta sets are, usually, the popular choice as they offer more gem slots so you can customize your build by using decorations. This will allow you to customize your build for each monster. They also allow you to slot in the new Rarity 9 gems that give big boosts to stats and can drop as a hybrid with another perk i.e. Expert/Attack Jewel +4.

Take A Look Around

When exploring Monster Hunter World: Iceborne's new Hoarfrost Reach, you should be dong just that: Exploring. The Hoarfrost Reach offers new materials to mine from mining outcrops, new bones to collect that are used to build new weapons & armors and new research points of interest. All of these will offer more research points and open up new side quests to improve the canteen and unlock camps across the map.

Iceborne not only introduces players to a new region, but also a new Gathering Hub and Base called Seliana. This new area greatly improves on what Astera used to offer by making the layout far more user friendly, upgrading the Gathering Hub to make things like the Smithy and your Harvest Box manageable without having to load into a new map and also introduces the new "Steamworks" mini-game. While Steamworks gives you random rewards like potions and consumables, completing the training mini-game will give you a "Celestial Wyvern Print" which you can use to meld a monster mantle at the new Elder Melder. Mantles are a new monster part that is even more rare than gems and when you're on your 5th battle with Velkhana, being able to meld the piece you need for a more powerful weapon or amour piece could be what stands between you obtaining said piece or rage quitting.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is a dangerous new world that will test your metal as a hunter. Keep checking TheGamer.com for more guides on how to improve your experience and let us know what armor sets and weapons you recommend in the comments!

SOURCE: Monster Hunter Wiki

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