Capcom’s highly successful Monster Hunter: World is an effective hack-and-slash RPG, the latest in a longstanding franchise that’s allowed people to take down giant monsters—so they can carve them up for a new pair of gloves. The settings are lush, vibrant, and the AI is generally impressive.
With the introduction of multiplayer, up to four players can spring into a quest together, but the difficulty is automatically altered to match. Also, certain quests and investigations may only allow a maximum of two players, given their rewards. So, here are 10 tips for multiplayer squads to be truly effective. After all, the squad that slays together, stays together.
10 Everyone Has A Friendship Jewel
Isn’t that adorable, matching jewelry! But seriously, use your decorations wisely. This is a great way to reduce the number of items everyone is using. As soon as everyone is dropped onto the map, emptying the supply box for goodies is brief—unless someone got dropped off in the middle of nowhere, instead of camp, which the game is prone to do.
Either way, waiting for everyone to use all of the EZ Rations and so forth, which are absolute necessities before a hunt, can waste valuable time. With the Friendship Jewel decoration, your squad receives a percentage of every item you take. Stack this ability, to get preparation over with quickly at the onset.
9 Give Emergency Health
On that note, if everyone has followed the previous tip, you now have the ability to heal your friends, too. Everyone is suddenly a combat-ready Lifeline, and in a pinch, you should hurry over to your friend and use whatever variant of Potion you’ve got. Even if you don’t need the health yourself.
They’ll receive a portion of your Potion, corresponding to the level of your Friendship ability. You should also call out and share any local Vigorwasps; don’t hoard them all to yourself. If you just hang around them for peace of mind, you aren’t contributing enough. If you see some of your teammates have less health than you, give them priority—or you’ll end up with more carts than Mario, and the quest is over before you know it.
8 Manipulate The AI
Another good strategy for rescuing your squad from failure is to make use of the broken AI in the game. Although the monsters do a great job of interacting with each other and feeling considerably unpredictable—we're looking at you, Odogaron—they also have a weak spot. Potions.
Using any form of healing, such as First Aid Meds, is a monster magnet. When your friends are in trouble, deliberately take any Potion or First Aid Med. There’s a strong possibility that the target will abruptly make a beeline for you instead of the troubled squad. A Tobi-Kadachi will travel halfway across the Ancient Forest after you if you just continue to heal.
7 Contingency Dung
So, this is a powerful gambit. Extraordinarily risky, this should be discussed with the rest of your squad before you implement an emergency Dung Pod. You’re probably used to firing Dung Pods to shoo away the interfering monsters in Elder’s Recess, or during any Turf War.
There’s nothing quite like dropping a monster after a successful mount in the Coral Highlands and then getting stunned by a Tzitzi-Ya-Ku before you land a single hit. If the squad is in enough dire trouble, vote to sacrifice crucial time in order to scare away an opponent that’s absolutely decimating everyone. Depending on the target’s nest, where you are currently, how much damage has been inflicted already—this may be a useful last-minute alternative.
6 Always Be Prepared
This may seem obvious, but make sure everyone is on the same page before you even jump into the hunt. You’re prone to so many various hunts, even when you grind for armor, that it can be easy to forget which weapon you and your Palico are currently wielding.
This especially goes for decorations, which are plentiful and unique. If you’re going to be teamed up with randoms, just quickly make sure that everyone’s got the right elemental advantages on hand. Think like a Pokemon trainer. Also, be certain that you’re carrying every variant of health there is—including Lifepowder. Particularly later in the game, it’s better to have more than you need, than end up scrounging for herbs.
5 It’s A Trap!
Coordinate with your squad to lure the monster into a constant series of traps. Depending on how many people have been allowed into the quest or investigation, balance out your Palicoes’ support abilities between health and traps. If someone needs to heal up, quickly set down that Thunderbug Cage nearby.
This way, the electrified monster can’t go after your friend while they’re desperately glugging Potions faster than you can say Phoenix Down. At appropriate moments, use the Potion-lure trick to reel a monster right into your falling boulders, Pitfall Traps, and Shock Traps. If the monster is trying to run, this is a great way to deal the killing blow before the target can flee.
4 Prepare While It’s Asleep
At a certain point, the monster you’re hunting will have received enough damage that it retreats to its nest for a nice little nap. This can be especially troublesome in the Coral Highlands, if you didn’t bring a Glider Mantle to Tails your way up there. Although you may be tempted to simply begin wailing away at the monster, once you actually get to its nest, first make sure everyone tells their Palicoes to place down Flashfly Cages and Thunderbug Cages in advance of the final bout.
This way, when the monster goes berserk in a tiny space full of hunters, everything is ready to go and already recharging. Just don’t put the traps so close that you’ll accidentally trip them when you give the animal a rude awakening.
3 Take Cover During Mounts
One of the most satisfying mechanics in the game is learning How to Train Your Dragon. Successfully mounting a target doesn’t exactly put the animal at ease though. Particularly with higher level monsters, the screen may have to go yellow twice before it drops to the ground.
You’ll be using a great deal of stamina to stay on, and in the meantime, your squad should probably just keep their distance. The target will be moving around too much to land any effective combos unless someone is wielding a long-range weapon. Find the sweet spot—keep everyone within range for the monster’s collapse, but far enough away that you won’t end up wasting health or Vitality Mantle.
2 Give Enough Elbow Room
No, you can’t actually harm any of your friends in the game, even if you’d like to sometimes. However, you’ll be surprised to learn that certain weapons can actually bump them around, and during a hunt, this can be especially troublesome.
Especially when the squad is full up, with all four hunters on hand, it can get pretty cramped. Share the limbs, and meat is back on the menu. Otherwise, you’ll end up interrupting each other’s hacking and slashing, and you can generally only land about two solid hits against high-level monsters before they’re back on their feet.
1 Mind The Environment
This has always been self-evident, and it’s simply good practice even when you’re alone. But in multiplayer, things become a little more involved. It can be harder to keep track of the monster, the monster it’s in a Turf War with, and three teammates all at once.
You can’t see everything yourself. Make sure to constantly communicate with your team to effectively use the environment. When there’s herbs nearby, alert them. When you’re nearing the falling boulders, make it known. Some players can use the Sporepuff Expert skill to restore health; share it around. Also, always let the squad know where there’s a handy bush to take cover.