Monster Hunter Wilds Beginner Guide: What to Do First

Guide: mh-wilds · Published · 1,533 words · 8 min read

Monster Hunter Wilds · Wikipedia
Monster Hunter Wilds · Wikipedia · CC-BY-SA 4.0 · CC-BY-SA 4.0

Quick Answer: Focus on the story, unlock your core tools early, keep only the resources you actively use, and learn one weapon instead of splitting attention. That is the fastest way to handle Monster Hunter Wilds, including quest content like Monster Hunter Wilds These Roots Run Deep 7/22 8/12, without wasting progress.

First-Hour Checklist

Your first hour should be spent unlocking systems, not farming hard, because early Monster Hunter Wilds rewards momentum more than optimization.

Do these actions right away

  • Finish the opening story beats until the game opens up your main hub routines.
  • Check your weapon training options and commit to one weapon for now.
  • Gather every obvious node you pass, especially healing, crafting, and upgrade materials.
  • Accept side objectives that naturally overlap with story routes.
  • Test your weapon on a small target before trying to memorize combos from memory.
  • Open every menu that looks like it affects loadouts, item crafting, or quest tracking.
  • Save useful consumables and do not spend rare materials on gear you will replace quickly.

What to ignore at the start

  • Perfect armor sets.
  • Deep build theory.
  • Overfarming a low-tier zone.
  • Switching weapons every few hunts.
  • Spending rare upgrade materials on the first item that looks appealing.

The best beginner pace is simple: clear the tutorial flow, lock in one weapon, and build basic habits that scale into the midgame.

Resource Priority Order

Your resource priority should favor survivability, core weapon progress, and flexibility over cosmetic or temporary gains.

A good beginner order looks like this:

Priority Spend On Why It Matters
1 Healing and survival items These keep hunts alive while you learn enemy patterns
2 Your main weapon upgrades Weapon damage usually matters more than flashy armor early on
3 Basic armor that supports your playstyle Enough defense to stay comfortable without overinvesting
4 Crafting components you use constantly Quality-of-life items save time across many hunts
5 Rare or limited materials Hold these until you know what build you are actually committing to

Hoard these first

  • Rare monster parts you have only a few copies of.
  • Upgrade materials that do not have an obvious early replacement.
  • Any resource that feels “special” or hard to reacquire.
  • Quest rewards that are clearly labeled as limited or unique.

Spend these freely

  • Basic healing supplies.
  • Common gathering materials.
  • Starter ammo, coatings, or similar weapon-specific consumables.
  • Early armor pieces that immediately improve comfort.

A strong beginner rule is this: if a resource is easy to replace, use it; if it feels annoying to replace, store it until you understand its value.

Common Beginner Mistakes

Most new players lose time by chasing complexity too early, and Monster Hunter Wilds is no different.

Mistake 1: Switching weapons every few hunts

The fix is to pick one weapon and stick with it long enough to learn spacing, timing, and recovery windows.

  • Stay with a single weapon until its basic loop feels automatic.
  • Learn one safe punish, one mobility option, and one emergency escape.
  • Add advanced combos only after basic survival stops feeling shaky.

Mistake 2: Wasting rare materials on temporary gear

The fix is to treat early upgrades as stepping stones, not final investments.

  • Upgrade only when the item clearly improves your current hunt comfort.
  • Save special drops for gear that matches your chosen weapon or playstyle.
  • Avoid “just because” crafting when a better option is likely coming soon.

Mistake 3: Ignoring item crafting and support tools

The fix is to build a small, repeatable item loadout and keep it stocked.

  • Make healing your first crafting habit.
  • Keep a consistent loadout so you are not rebuilding supplies before every hunt.
  • Use utility items when a fight punishes over-aggression or bad positioning.

Mistake 4: Fighting every monster the same way

The fix is to learn that positioning matters more than raw aggression in early Monster Hunter Wilds.

  • Watch for attack patterns before committing to long combos.
  • Move with the monster instead of circling blindly.
  • Back off after a missed punish instead of forcing a second bad hit.

Mistake 5: Overfarming before understanding the loop

The fix is to progress first, then farm with purpose.

  • Push the story until you know what systems are actually worth farming.
  • Farm only when you need a specific upgrade or a clear power bump.
  • Use story progress to expose better tools, not just to unlock more grind.

When You Are No Longer a Beginner

You are out of the beginner phase when you can enter hunts with a plan instead of improvising every minute.

Graduation threshold

  • You understand your weapon’s core loop without looking it up mid-hunt.
  • You can predict when to heal, when to disengage, and when to commit.
  • You have a stable item loadout you reuse across most hunts.
  • You know which resources are worth keeping and which are disposable.
  • You can clear routine hunts without feeling like every mistake is fatal.
  • You are starting to build around a role, such as safe damage, mobility, or consistent pressure.

A practical self-check

If your hunts are slowing down because of strategy choices, not because you are still learning the controls, you are leaving the beginner phase. That is the point where build choices start to matter more than basic survival.

This is also where a focused guide path helps more than broad advice, so pair your progress with monster hunter kut tips for weapon choices, related guide for beginner builds, and related guide for story progression.

What Monster Hunter Wilds Is Doing Right Now

Monster Hunter Wilds is a 2025 action role-playing game developed and published by Capcom, and it launched worldwide on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S with cross-platform play on February 28, 2025. Source

That matters for beginners because the game is built as a modern, connected release with a broad audience and a standard Monster Hunter structure: learn your weapon, build through hunts, and improve your gear in a loop that rewards repetition.

How To Handle Story Quests Like These Roots Run Deep

Monster Hunter Wilds These Roots Run Deep 7/22 8/12 should be treated like any early or midgame progression quest: clear the objective cleanly, gather what is on the route, and avoid turning it into a farming detour unless the rewards justify it.

Best approach

  • Enter with a simple, reliable item loadout.
  • Focus on quest completion before chasing extra drops.
  • Use the hunt to practice positioning and recovery timing.
  • If the target gives you trouble, step back and tighten your defense rather than forcing damage.

What beginners often miss

  • Quests often teach pacing, not just combat.
  • Optional pickups on the route can be more valuable than an extra risky attack.
  • A clean completion is often worth more than a messy attempt at “perfect” efficiency.

Weapon and Build Advice for New Players

The best beginner build is the one that reduces mistakes, because consistency beats ambition early on.

Good beginner priorities

  • Reliable damage over niche burst setups.
  • Comfort and survivability over fragile glass-cannon ideas.
  • One weapon identity instead of a mixed bag of half-learned tools.
  • Armor or skills that make your most common mistakes less punishing.

Good beginner mindset

  • If you get hit often, add safety.
  • If you miss openings often, simplify your combo plan.
  • If you run out of supplies, improve your item discipline.
  • If your hunts feel chaotic, reduce the number of moving parts.

That approach keeps your growth steady without burying you under systems you do not need yet.

FAQ

What should I do first in Monster Hunter Wilds?

Start the story, unlock the hub flow, choose one weapon, and build a basic item loadout. The first hour is about learning routines, not optimizing every slot.

Should I main one weapon early?

Yes. Sticking to one weapon makes learning movement, timing, and punish windows much faster than switching constantly.

Is it okay to use rare materials early?

Usually no unless the upgrade clearly helps your current progression. Rare materials are better saved until you know your preferred weapon and build direction.

How do I stop dying so much?

Play more defensively, heal earlier, and stop overcommitting after missed attacks. Most beginner deaths come from greed, not lack of damage.

When should I start farming?

Start farming when you know exactly what upgrade you want. Farming too early usually wastes time on gear you will replace.

Sources

MH Wilds Guides Editorial avatar

Reviewed by

Editor · GameFleet

Expertise: Editorial team behind MH Wilds Guides. Content is compiled from official patch notes, community wikis, and playthrough notes, then reviewed and updated on schedule.

Editorial policy

Sources

📋 Patch Notes & Updates

Browse all patch notes →

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers from the guide · click a question to expand.

What should I do first in Monster Hunter Wilds?

Start the story, unlock the hub flow, choose one weapon, and build a basic item loadout. The first hour is about learning routines, not optimizing every slot.

Should I main one weapon early?

Yes. Sticking to one weapon makes learning movement, timing, and punish windows much faster than switching constantly.

Is it okay to use rare materials early?

Usually no unless the upgrade clearly helps your current progression. Rare materials are better saved until you know your preferred weapon and build direction.

How do I stop dying so much?

Play more defensively, heal earlier, and stop overcommitting after missed attacks. Most beginner deaths come from greed, not lack of damage.

When should I start farming?

Start farming when you know exactly what upgrade you want. Farming too early usually wastes time on gear you will replace.

Was this guide helpful?

Help us grow — rate this guide so we can improve it.

Share your own tip

Found something not in the guide? Submit it below — our editors review every tip before publishing. No account required.

30 more chars needed800 chars left
10 submissions / IP / day · plain-text only · moderated.