Monster Hunter Questions

First of all, DON'T WORRY! The game does start off a bit slow, and none of us are great to begin with, I couldn't even find Piscine Jaws (FYI, Alone in the Dark, I found that you can get them from the Liver of Legend mission as a reward, but thanks for the tip!)

The one weapon that I found was the most useful early in the game is the Iron Katana. This Great Sword saw me through alot and with it upgraded you''ll find you can tackle anything in the 1-4 star missions (I did), and the best part is that you don't need stuff like Rathalos Scales that are hard to collect. All you need is Iron Ore, Earth Crystals and Machalite Ore. All of this can be obtained by mining in the Forest and Hills area. There are three mining points:- Area 11 (where you fish, and CAN FIND SUSHIFISH, hint hint. If you run out of bait you can collect worms in the mud), Area 5, and Area 6. The mining point in Area 5 is on the left after you enter from Area 4, and this is the only one where you will get Machalite Ore. To reach the one in Area Six, exit from Area 5 and jump off the cliff where the black spot is. You'll land in front of the mining point. One important thing to note, however, is you need A LOT of these ores, so be prepared to work for it. If you do it right and put the effort in, you'll have a weapon with an attack of over 600 in the 2 star missions.

Here's the weapon tree:-

Iron Sword -> Iron Sword+ -> Iron Katana -> Iron Katana "Grace" -> Iron Katana "Gospel"

The final upgrade is the Eagle Cleaver, but the materials for this will be impossible to collect until you finish the 5 star missions and unlock the secret ones, and can hunt Khezus for Electro Sacs. These are the materials that you will need:-

IRON SWORD
Cost- 1050
3 Iron Ore
Attack- 288

IRON SWORD+
Cost- 1350
2 Iron Ore
Attack- 336

IRON KATANA
Cost- 2850
10 Iron Ore
10 Earth Crystals
Attack- 480

IRON KATANA "GRACE"
Cost- 3450
15 Earth Crystal
7 Machalite Ore
Attack- 528

IRON KATANA "GOSPEL"
Cost- 4350
20 Earth Crystal
14 Machalite Ore
Attack- 624

So, overall, you'll need:

Cost- 13050
15 Iron Ore
45 Earth Crystals
21 Machalite Ore

It's a lot of work and money, but it is really worth it. The best plan is to begin the sword in the 1/2 star missions and finish it in the 3 star missions when you are earning more. The 3 star Slay the Velociprey mission is one of the best for mining. Hope this helps. Oh, and don't worry about asking. Many players like to help people who are new to the game, and want to pass on things that they've learned.