The main gameplay in Monster Hunter Rise is broken down between two mission styles: Village Quests and Hub Quests. Village Quests are basically Monster Hunter Rise’s single player mode, teaching newcomers how to hunt properly before setting them on their own. Hub Quests are Monster Hunter Rise’s online mode, pitting players to work together on an assortment of hunts.
Hub Quests have a much higher difficulty curve than Village Quests and generally make up the hardest challenges in Monster Hunter Rise outside of Rampages. Unlike Hub Quests which don’t require too much prep time, it’s outright foolish to tackle Hub Quests blind. Pay attention to the monsters you’ll be hunting, the environment you’ll be in, and set a pre-Quest routine sooner rather than later.
Always Eat Your Dango
Just like with Village Quests, it’s important to always eat a meal before taking on a Hub Quest. Unlike Village Quests, it’s far more important that you eat before a Hub Quest – especially if you’re playing online with other hunters. Someone who doesn’t eat their dango isn’t going to pull their weight during harder Village Quests, plain and simple.
Dango come in four distinct flavors: Powerful, Determined, Unusual, and Grandiose. Dango offers all sorts of buffs and three can be eaten in a single meal, so make sure to mix and match your buffs accordingly. More Dango unlocks over the course of the game, so make sure to regularly eat at the Tea Shop.
Rearrange Equipment Before Each Mission
It’s easy to get attached to equipment in any game, but that goes double for Monster Hunter where players actually have to go out of their way to craft any weapons and armor they might have their eye on. Creating the perfect set of armor in Monster Hunter Rise is a labor of love that’s as grindy as it is fulfilling – but you shouldn’t just rely on one set of armor.
Between all the difference resistances and elemental affinities monsters have, not every piece of armor works for every hunt. On that same token, weapons can be crafted with elemental properties that make them less than ideal for monsters sporting that element. It pays to read up on any Hub Quests you want to take online beforehand and then plan ahead accordingly.
Join Random Games
With Monster Hunter Rise still the latest game in the series, the online player base is at a comfortable high. It’s not difficult at all to join other hunters’ games and the meat of Hub Quests comes from working together with other players. While you can search for individual missions to join online (useful when hunting specific monsters), don’t neglect to help out random players.
Random online hunts will usually toss players in the middle of a hunt already underway, if not right at the very end in some cases. If you’re lucky, you can hop into a hunt right as the target monster is being killed, earning you some rare materials with little to no effort. Of course, the downside to this is that you actually aren’t playing. Still, random hunts can be a great way to kill time during shorter play sessions.
Work As A Team
Above all else, if you’re playing Hub Quests with other people, work as an actual team. There’s nothing worse than a hunter running off on their own, wasting time against a monster that realistically will not be killed before the target goes down. Stick to the host and refer to their judgement. If they’re struggling, try guiding them.
If you’re straying off the beaten path, do so with purpose. There’s nothing wrong with a little exploration – especially if you’re collecting Endemic Life – but most players are choosing Hub Quests to kill specific monsters. Don’t forget that.
