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X MONSTER HUNTER (MH) TRI - ONLINE GUIDE X
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X Co-authored by Xandria & Novembre X
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X Version: 1.1 X
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============================================================================
TABLE OF CONTENTS
============================================================================
Introduction [INTRO]
Version history [VERHI]
How to use this guide [HTUTG]
Why an online guide? [WHYGU]
What will this guide cover? [WATCO]
What will this guide not cover? [WATNO]
ATTN: Newbies (AKA, Why Offline Is Also Your Friend) [WHYOF]
Online Etiquette - General/City play [OEGCP]
Online Etiquette - Quest/Team play [OEQTP]
Your choice of weapon - and how it can be annoying [WEPCH]
Online play structure [ONLPS]
Key Quests & HR requirements [KQAHR]
Online NPC's [ONNPC]
Monster Hunter shorthand [MHSTH]
Handy Information For Hunters [HIN4H]
Credits, Copyright and contact information [CCCIN]
============================================================================
INTRODUCTION [INTRO]
============================================================================
Hi all. For those on the European MH servers, you may know me (the one who
is actually writing this) as Xandria. Otherwise, my Gamefaqs handle should
do - rhb263. On the EU servers, you may also know my housemate & co-author,
Novembre. Who are we to be writing an online guide? We are both returning
1st generation Australian players, with far more hours put into the Monster
Hunter series than we should admit to.
It should also be noted that most of this guide is intended as a guide for
new players just starting out online and/or playing in random teams. It goes
without saying that if you are playing with a static team (regular members,
regular times) or real-world friends and you have a set of in-house rules
that work for you, go nuts.
One last thing - this guide was written to be hosted on Gamefaqs.com. While
other sites have been granted permission to host it, this was the original
purpose of the guide - as such, all references to "the board" and "the board
users" refer to the gamefaqs.com Monster Hunter Tri message board and users.
============================================================================
VERSION HISTORY [VERHI]
============================================================================
18/06/2010 - Version 1 posted online, complete with factual misinformation
and a bunch of spelling and grammar mistakes.
23/06/2010 - Update work for version 1.1 started:
~ Found and fixed (I hope all) formatting, spelling and grammar mistakes.
~ Added version history.
~ Added Online Play/Structure, Key Quests & HR requirements, Online NPC's &
MH Shorthand sections.
~ Added summaries to Online Etiquette General/City, and Quest/Team sections
and a note on interruptions and upswings to Your Weapon section.
~ Removed some of the cross-referencing within the guide.
~ Updated wording to accurately reflect co-authoring throughout the guide.
~ Updated introduction.
~ Updated Handy Information section (Status Attack edit and removed some
points into new guide sections; "Free hunting" info added).
~ Updated Online Etiquette General section (elitism and friend requests).
~ Updated Online Etiquette Team section (online hunt-quest mining & hunt
quest participation).
~ Updated the Your Weapon section (SnS & LS edits, added known worst moments
to be interrupted for all weapon types, added general information).
~ Updated contact information.
~ Updated credits section, as relevant.
~ Updated authorised websites for hosting.
25-26/06/2010 - Version 1.1 edits completed and checked by both Nov & I and
Version 1.1 submitted for update.
============================================================================
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE [HTUTG]
============================================================================
While it should seem fairly obvious this guide was written to be read from
start to finish by people unfamiliar with the series, should you wish to
skip to a certain portion of the guide, simply highlight the corresponding
shortcut, as listed to the right in the contents, press CTRL+C to copy the
text and use your chosen web browser's "find" function to skip to that part.
============================================================================
WHY AN ONLINE GUIDE? [WHYGU]
============================================================================
Hopefully to provide some guidance to the plethora of casual Wii owners
turned Hunter. This sort of guide hasn't been needed (or at least produced)
since the original Monster Hunter back in PS2 days, since the game has
(until now) generally had a pretty hardcore cult-following, and everyone
kinda knew what was expected, and what to expect online. However, with the
large number of new players, and some changes to the online system, we felt
that it may prove of some use.
============================================================================
WHAT WILL THIS GUIDE COVER? [WATCO]
============================================================================
Some basic online etiquette and some tips to avoid annoying the hell out of
fellow Hunters while on the job. We have also had some requests to include
a few bits of online gameplay info and structure, so there'll be some of
that too.
============================================================================
WHAT WILL THIS GUIDE NOT COVER? [WATNO]
============================================================================
~ Tips/strategies for using particular weapon types.
~ Tips/strategies for hunting particular monsters.
~ Monster, Combination or Item listings/checklists or locations.
~ Weapon and/or armour paths or creation materials.
~ Anything else there are already ample guides on, which can be found in the
FAQ section of this site.
============================================================================
ATTN: NEWBIES (AKA, WHY OFFLINE IS ALSO YOUR FRIEND) [WHYOF]
============================================================================
For anyone who has played the series before, or already feels comfortable
with basics, feel free to skip over this section - it's designed for those
who have picked up Tri as their very first Monster Hunter game.
A) When you play offline (and you should), you are unranked. In online play,
hunters are given a HR, or Hunter Rank. There are several "lock-out points",
which will prevent Hunters joining quests that are beyond their rank. HR is
earned online, and online only, by completing quests. There are three over-
arching difficulties in MH: Offline, Online Low-rank and Online High-rank.
Quests are tailored to meet these three difficulties. We are explaining this
here so that point D of the Online Etiquette General section below will make
more sense.
B) The early stages of offline mode can be considered a "tutorial" of sorts,
I suppose. The village chief and his son, as well as a few others, will give
you a run down on the basic mechanics of gameplay, and a few other handy
bits of information. This continues until you have your first meeting with
the Lagiacrus (the big blue thing on the box that probably caught your eye
to start with).
C) The village is the only way to access the farm, and offline play is the
only way to upgrade it. You want an upgraded farm. The farm is a great way
to gather stocks of materials you'll need while you learn to play (herbs,
mushrooms, etc). Later on, it can be used to supplement your income and earn
you quite a sizeable chunk of money.
D) The village can also be treated as a sandbox for new players - take your
time, look around, explore: the maps used online are the same as offline
(with a few exceptions) and as mentioned, offline monsters are the weakest
in the game.
Learn the attack patterns of monsters, and play around with different weapon
types until you find one you are comfortable with: no one will care if you
die offline, except maybe you.
Plus being able to solo <insert monster> will, in theory at least, make you
that much more valuable in a party situation.
E) The village will give you the easiest and quickest access to the low rank
armours and weapons since the weaker offline monsters will go down faster
with the same gear than their online counterparts.
F) Also, for the completionists out there, a series of awards have are again
included for the offline only portion of the game.
SUMMARY: In short, if this is your first Monster Hunter game, you will
probably want to play AT LEAST SOME of the village BEFORE YOU GO ONLINE.
It is possible to create a new character and take it online straight away if
you wish, however doing so makes things more challenging on yourself, and if
this is your first MH game, just learning to play should be enough of one to
start with.
On a personal note, we would recommend that you play through until at least
the Lagiacrus hunt quest (HUNT, not REPEL). If you can take down a Lagi solo
you should be able to pick up anything else you need to know in the course
of your online play. This may sound extreme to a totally new player, but
getting to understand the game mechanics and trying things out yourself is
the best way to learn.
============================================================================
ONLINE ETIQUETTE - GENERAL/CITY PLAY [OEGCP]
============================================================================
Okay, so you've got yourself some armour, found a weapon type that you like,
and learned that hunting monsters is not just button mashing exercise - or,
you ignored the section just above this one and jumped straight online.
Either way, there are a few things to keep in mind while playing online that
will make your hunting experience (and probably everyone else's) far more
pleasant.
A) Communicate!
Entering an established town, saying nothing and posting your own quests is
likely to get you ignored, at best. This IS an online game, and while there
is a limit to how much conversation is actually REQUIRED for MH, there is
a certain expectation that things like "Hi" "brb" or "gotta go" will be part
of the experience.
There are also numerous (and large) advantages to having a well-coordinated
team too, so the more/better you communicate, the more efficient your hunts
will be - and an efficient hunt is something everyone appreciates.
If you, like us, can only speak in one language, it may pay to include this
somewhere on your profile too. It need not be big - ours are simply notes
stating "Can only speak english" or "Speaks english only".
For those who are thinking "oh, but I don't have a keyboard" there are a few
options. Buy one - they are not that expensive and virtually any USB k/board
will do the job. If you are unable/unwilling to pay for one, MAKE USE OF THE
NO KEYBOARD STATUS ICON. You could even consider putting something in your
profile about not having one.
You can also manually edit your shout-outs to include phrases you use often,
such as "Hello", "Sorry", "Be right back", and so on by using the in-game
keyboard. This is a bit time consuming initially, but can save you and your
fellow Hunters a lot of frustration in the long run.
Notifying other Hunters that you are unable to respond promptly or in a
mutual language will let them know that you are not just being rude, and
allows them the choice of not hunting with you if they feel the communic-
ation barrier will be too great. Having said that, there may be times when
you are genuinely unable to communicate; this does not automatically mean
that your team will fail. More on this in the quest/team play section below.
B) Do not hijack towns/cities!
The recruitment server is NOT there for you to simply stroll in and expect
to find helpful hunters because you've "recruited" them. I can't really put
it any better than it has been put in a research topic I made on the board:
"High Rank Rathalos Rare Materials" means I want rubies, I don't care about
your Four Star urgent.
Basically, if your goals and the listed ones for a city don't match up, stay
out.
If there is something you desperately want to get done "liek omg nao!", set
up your own recruiting town, or make use of your forum of choice to arrange
a hunt in advance.
The flip side of this point is that you also need to consider what you set
the town up as. If you have created an Alatreon recruitment city, and then
lose two players, you are likely to get two more - who oddly enough, are
likely to want to hunt the Alatreon your town says you are.
If all four of you decide to ditch the Ala runs in favour of Rathalos runs,
fine - but please change the city you are playing in if positions in a
mislabelled one open up. Or at the very least, don't complain when people
enter your city wanting to hunt the monster advertised.
C) Solo Play towns!
Following on from the above point, Solo Play towns generally get setup for
one of two reasons: Either they genuinely want to play solo, or they made
the town Solo Play to avoid it being swarmed by players they don't know
while they wait for friends to log in and/or warp.
We are not really sure why you are able to search for Solo Play towns, but
you can. You probably shouldn't... But if you decide to and you don't
actually know the player/s in a "Solo Play" town, don't expect much out of
them if you enter the city. Not saying it won't happen - they may be bored,
or whatever - but the chances aren't great.
D) Do not expect or demand help from people with a higher HR!
While it certainly happens, people over HR 31 are probably less likely to
drop back to low rank quests to help out. They've been there, they've killed
that - probably a dozen times, at least. They have their own quests to do,
and are in no way obliged to help you.
There should be little shortage of players around your own rank, who most
likely need to do the same things you do. Find some. It will work out to be
more beneficial for all concerned.
E) Be polite!
When you enter a town, say hi, and if you need help, ask. Don't just post a
quest spit out "join" or "help", or worse yet, nothing. And if you get help
when you need it, be sure to thank whoever helped you. After all, they were
under no obligation to do so.
F) Elitism is rife (not to mention arrogant, and a little contagious...)
There are huge numbers of players out there who, right or wrong, consider
their way of doing things to be the best and only way. The point we wanted
to make here is this: Coaching is fine - Preaching is not.
By all means, make suggestions. Try to help out if you see something that
you consider to be an issue. But try to do so without insulting the other
player. The whole reason for this guide is THE LARGE NUMBER OF NEW PLAYERS.
Maybe they just don't know that a certain skill is more useful than another.
Maybe they DO know, but they prefer what they have or haven't got the
materials together for your suggested equipment yet. Or perhaps, they are
just happy playing the way they are, much like you are.
If they choose not to take your advice, well hey - their loss right? And if
it's really so annoying for you and they refuse to listen, just don't hunt
with them again.
G) Friend requests are unlimited, and do not expire!
Well, virtually unlimited. Clearly you can only fill your friend roster, but
you can also just delete people and add more any time you like... Not the
point here though...
We do make a point shortly about adding competent players and people you had
fun with, but there seems to be a huge number of Hunters who instantly send
a request after a single quest, or even on sight in some cases. You CAN wait
a while before sending friend requests. It's not like they'll go off if you
don't use them within a certain period of logging in. Keep in mind here that
lots of players have real-world friends with whom they regularly hunt, so
not everyone you play with once is necessarily going to want to hunt with
you again every time you get on - or even hunt with you again at all. It can
also seem a bit... creepy, if you are just adding everyone you meet after
two seconds.
SUMMARY: Most of this stuff is just everyday courtesy. Communicating and
being polite are both to your advantage, particularly if you are asking for
or need help. It costs you nothing, and could get you quite a bit in return.
Oh, and stalking is bad, mmmkay?
============================================================================
ONLINE ETIQUETTE - QUEST/TEAM PLAY [OEQTP]
============================================================================
Okay, so you've found yourself a team and signed up for the quest. As with
general city play, there are a few pointers to maximise the enjoyment for
all concerned while questing too.
A) Heal when needed - but do so sensibly!
This point is twofold.
If you take a heavy hit, heal yourself. Don't rely on someone else using a
lifepowder/healing horn/recovery shot on you, and don't get cocky and
jeopardise the quest - remember how you only have three deaths per quest?
(Or you would if you followed our advice to play offline...) Online, this is
shared between the team: so if three of you die once each, boom - the quest
fails.
The second point here is to be smart about healing. Don't use a Mega Potion
if a Potion will do, and don't just start downing items the instant you are
hit. Wait until the monster has focused on someone else and committed to an
attack, or is leaving the area - hell, even leaving the area yourself to
heal and then coming back is okay if you genuinely can't find a safe
opening, or got hit too hard to withstand a second mistake.
One last thing with healing - the Horns are fun and all, and in rare
situations can actually stop a quest going belly-up, but please keep in mind
that horn spam is time consuming, aggro drawing, and almost totally
ineffective when you compare it with Lifepowders and Recov S (especially
when rapid fired). Use one of the other methods if you are SO attached to
the idea of healing others that you can't leave doing so for emergencies
only.
B) Try to be prepared!
This point is also twofold.
Firstly, basic supplies should become a staple of your inventory. This means
whetstones! This means some form of healing! It is very frustrating for your
team when you are completely unprepared for basic stuff, like sharpening a
weapon or healing when needed. This is ESPECIALLY important once you hit
the High Rank quests, as you will stop automatically starting every quest
in your base camp, and around half the time will actually spawn right in
front of the quest target. Running back to camp to grab meds because you
came without your own potions is time-consuming and irritating for the rest
of your team.
Secondly, check the quest when you sign up; will you need cool drinks? Hot
drinks? Are sonic bombs in order? Or dung bombs? Is it a cap quest, or a
hunt quest? Do you need spare traps or tranqs? And in the case of a hunt
quest, are you catching the monster, or killing it? Does someone already
have Capture Guru? Do you even NEED Guru?
Also, once you hit the High Rank quests, the supplies that you
ARE given (assuming you started in camp) are not as complete as the ones you
get in low rank quests - for example, don't expect cool drinks straight away
if you forget your own.
Small amounts of forethought and planning can go a long way to saving you
and fellow Hunters literal hours of frustration.
Also keep in mind that while you may be prepared, that is not to say that
other members of your team are. You may be playing with a competent team, or
you may be playing with a bunch of 8 year olds who have just found the Wii.
When we say "try to be prepared", we kinda mean for everything. And on
this note, adding competent players, or people you enjoyed hunting with for
some reason, is a good way to add to your online experience. Re-grouping
with past successful team-mates can be a great way to really enjoy what
Monster Hunter has to offer.
C) Supplies are provided for each member of the team!
Don't just assume that because someone is a Higher HR, that you can just
help yourself to the supplies allocated to them. Granted, some players may
NEVER use them. Granted, LOTS of higher rank players DO come prepared with
their own potions/steaks/whetstones/etc. However, that does not just mean a
free-for-all on the supply box.
D)Supplies taken should match your hunter type!
To be honest, we're surprised this required a special mention, but... here
it is:
Gunners: Leave the whetstones for blademasters!
Blademasters: Don't go pinching the supply ammo on the gunners!
Simple, eh?
E) Online mining in hunting quests!
If you are in the High Ranks and if you get the meal skill "Felyne Explorer"
this point can get a little blurry. Generally, however, heavy mining during
a hunting quest - and in particular, leaving your team to hunt while you are
in totally different areas mining - is frowned on. It slows down the actual
hunting, and in most cases there are the Harvest Tours which can be used to
do mining runs.
The only maps without a dedicated Tour quest available are the D.Island
(offline only, since you just use the Moga Woods - there is on online Tour)
and the Volcano, both on and off. We generally just use the Uroktor quests
to mine the Volcano.
A solution offered if you want to mine during a Hunting quest, is to help
with the actual hunting, and to mine the nearby nodes when the monster flees
to a new area, then follow it. Also, if you really want to mine so badly,
there's sure to be a mining city somewhere - and if not, you could always
make one yourself!
F) Participate in hunts you sign up for!
Related to the point above, extended AFK'ing (being Away From the Keyboard)
during a hunt quest is also heavily frowned on. Of course phones ring, and
of course people knock on your door. And even occasionally, of course you'll
think you can hold that toilet break one more quest - but can't. Little bits
of AFK here and there are okay, and shouldn't really earn you any rage. It's
when you say nothing, or barely anything, and just sit in base camp until
the monster is dead or dying that you are likely to get raged at. If you are
not going to be able to take an active part in the quest and know that, sit
it out. And, of course, if you are knowingly leeching - be prepared to cop
that well-earned frustration.
SUMMARY: Be as prepared as you can, heal - but sensibly, don't intentionally
annoy your team, and have fun. At the end of the day. this is just a game.
Enjoy it. If you don't..."U R DOIN IT WRONG!!111!"
============================================================================
YOUR CHOICE OF WEAPON - AND HOW IT CAN BE ANNOYING [WEPCH]
============================================================================
General Information About Interrupts and "Launches":
First of all, all melee weapons will trip another Hunter, with all attacks,
if they are struck while they are not already attacking. Even the bowgun
melee attack will knock over another Hunter if they are not attacking. Trips
CAN be a bit frustrating, especially if they happen consistently but in most
cases, tripping is not the main issue with weapons online.
Secondly, many weapon types can only be interrupted by other players once
they're attacking if they are struck with certain attacks. These attacks can
"launch" other players. While this doesn't hurt them, it obviously stops the
damage they deal, as well as frequently sending the player hit flying quite
some distance from the monster.
Launches can also have a nasty habit of landing a Hunter in the line of fire
for an attack they would otherwise have had no trouble avoiding.
They key to polite weapon usage is to avoid launches, and where possible, to
minimise the tripping. It should also be noted that around 75% of tripping
could be avoided if both Hunters hadn't grimly decided to go after the same
body part. Ok, onto the good stuff.
Great Sword (GS):
This is simple. DO NOT UPSWING ANYWHERE NEAR A TEAM MEMBER. IF you happen to
collect a fellow Hunter with one, say sorry. However, there are few reasons
to be upswinging at all if you aren't aiming for a tail. Other attacks will
serve you better.
The worst time to do something that will interrupt a GS user while they are
attacking is during either of the two "triple charge attacks".
Sword (Sns):
Watch out for the final strike of the five-hit combo, and the shield bash
attacks. These launch: anything else will just end up tripping other melee
users. It's also pretty rare that an SnS user will trip a team member who is
actually attacking at the time, so interruptions are relatively few all
around with the SnS. In fact, from our experience, you are more likely to
BE tripped by unaware Hunters as an SnS user than you are to trip others.
Pretty much any interruption to an SnS user can be frustrating, since they
rely on hitting fast more than hitting hard, and they do get tripped a lot,
but the most relevant to mention here we feel is to try and avoid tripping a
status SnS user. Inflicting status requires that the "status damage" is
applied consistently and quickly - Grahf's faq:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/wii/943655-monster-hunter-tri/faqs/59207 covers the
gory details, but basically: the more a status SnS connects, the more often
the status can be applied.
Hammer (HMR):
Your "unsheathe" attack launches, but this can be fixed by unsheathing INTO
the charge. The "Superpound", or triple-charged slam, launches too. And even
though it's not a launch, the "whirlwind" attack is disruptive. It's also
not a good option for dealing anything but status, if that. On a side note,
a good hammer user will be focusing on the head, and will give heart-felt
thanks their team for leaving them to it. As will the team. KO is handy.
Lots of small attacks that don't bother other weapon types can trip hammers,
but the key point here is to stay clear of the head if you have someone who
is KO'ing, and to avoid hitting them during the charge up of the superpound.
Lance (LNC):
Another simple one. As long as you NEVER charge your team-mates, you should
NEVER hear a complaint. At least as far as interrupting your team goes. This
is another launcher.
It's possible that this will be argued by some, but there are few times when
we feel that a lance trip is actually that horrible. For those who are
comfortable/skilled enough, you can actually use the lance counter to
counter player attacks as well as monster attacks. Otherwise, just get back
up and keep making with the stabby-stabby.
Bowgun (LBG/MBG/HBG):
This is another relatively simple one. DO NOT PELLET IN TEAMS. Not unless
they are a particularly understanding team, OR you are a SUPER fantastic
aim. In previous games, some found one or two situations where pellet was
the optimal ammo to use, however in Tri, this has yet to have been the case.
Also, be careful with your Crag S and Clust S. The explosions they cause
won't damage your fellow Hunters, but they will send them flying - another
launcher.
Novembre doesn't gun (at least in Tri - so far), and I personally have yet
to find an attack that "interrupts" me, as such (except another gunner using
pellet... In this game, why? WHY??). But when other Hunters CONSISTENTLY
get in the line of fire of a gunner, it gets frustrating. In some cases, for
the blademaster, but almost always for the gunner who just wasted a shot.
Yes, we can aim over your head, and generally should be, but it is not
ALWAYS possible and/or convenient to do that.
Switch Axe (SA):
Pretty simple again. The upswing launches. The SA's "finisher" or "elemental
blast" also launches. And while not a launcher, the "endless combo" that
uses stamina is likely to be as annoying as a hammer whirlwind, particularly
if they haven't started attacking yet. Oh, and neither of us have personally
had issues with it as yet, but I have seen some board users complain about
the SA sword mode infinite combo.
Neither of us use the SA often, and from our experience, observing SA users
in game and my activity on the boards, very few complaints are voiced by SA
users other than being launched - which is a universal complaint.
Long Sword (LS):
For the sake of the guide, the mechanics here will be explained.
The LS uses the "Spirit Gauge" to modify its damage, from a base output
to a maximum output. For those who have not worked out how this functions:
The first charge gives a white aura around the blade. The second grants a
yellow aura, & the third grants a red. Charges are gained by landing the
"Finisher". This is one of the main reasons people would be spamming the
Finisher. And where the guide comes back in...
The Spirit Combo (SC), in particular the "Finisher", is VERY disruptive. LS
users tend to get the worst rep for team interruptions, second to people who
insist on pellet gunning. If you are going to use the SC, especially on the
smaller monsters (Jaggi/Baggi/Peco/etc) be considerate, and more important,
be aware of the reach the LS actually has.
You may have noticed a lack of a launching attack listed. The LS hasn't got
one. Why is this section at least as big as the rest? We said "minimise the
tripping" and that trips weren't so bad "as long as they weren't consistent"
and the LS is a great consistent tripper if you are careless with one.
Like the SA, the LS has little to complain about from other weapon types,
besides launches. You may occasionally get tripped as you move in and
unsheath but otherwise, just watch out for the launching attacks from other
players.
Bombs:
This possibly should have gone under team play etiquette, however the bombs
ARE a weapon. If you plan on using them, PLEASE warn your team. If not long
in advance, as is preferable, before you actually do. Not only will these
send unsuspecting team-mates flying if they hit them accidentally, THESE
also will actually deal damage to your fellow Hunters.
FINAL NOTE:
There may be occasions when an interrupt is unavoidable, so try not to rage
at your team unless it's happening consistently. Give some consideration to
the circumstances too - was it really a noob GS'er carelessly upswinging, or
did you actually just run into the upswing aimed at a tail? If a hammer is
pounding and sending you flying, perhaps you're just too close to the head?
Also, while this gets claimed as an excuse for careless upswings more than
it should, there HAVE been times an upswing of some sort has saved a Hunter.
Interrupting players trying to carve is also pretty rude - unless they
happened to have just leeched the quest... which is equally rude.
============================================================================
ONLINE PLAY STRUCTURE [ONLPS]
============================================================================
This next section is basically just to provide some information on how the
online system in Monster Hunter works, and some tips to help with searching
for and joining cities & hunts. (Please note that this information is based
on the EU servers. If there are significant differences on the NA servers we
will happily include those and credit whoever provides the information.)
We have also chosen to skip over the whole initial network setup part, as
the console and game manuals, as well as the game itself, do a very good job
of walking you through it.
When you initially log in and have chosen the character you wish to play
with, you will need to find a city/town to start in. The server/city system
is set up like this:
World ==> Server ==> City Gate ==> City
The "Worlds" (for lack of a better term) contain the servers, which contain
city gates. From the city gate, you can either join an existing city, or you
can create your own.
Worlds:
Open (Hunters of all ranks may gather here)
Rookie (Only hunters HR 30 or lower may enter)
Expert (Only hunters HR 31 or higher may enter)
Recruiting (Hunters in search of hunting companions can gather here)
The description of each world is important to note. Once you reach HR31, you
CANNOT enter the Rookie server, and you CANNOT enter the Expert server if
you are not at HR31 yet. If you are looking to set up a party with someone
who is outside your HR bracket, you will HAVE to use one of the two other
worlds than allow HR mixes.
Servers:
Open ==> Valor 1-4, Sincerity 1-4, Minegarde 1 & 2
Rookie ==> Rookies 1-4, Fresh 1
Expert ==> Veterans 1 & 2
Recruiting ==> Greed 1-4, Wisdom 1-4, Mercenaries 1
Each server contains 40 City Gates, which are the portal to the actual city
and where you can meet up with other players and initiate quests.
City Gates:
Each Gate contains 40 cities, with each city holding up to 4 players. Easy.
They also fill up - fast. Much like the world selection, if you are looking
to set up a town to recruit Hunters, be aware of where you start the city.
Don't start your city in a full, or nearly full, gate. These are generally
gates 1-3.
Go somewhere less crowded, so that people who may want to join you can
actually get into the city to do so.
From the City Gate you have access to several things. On your far right is
an Arena Clerk, who will search the world you are currently on, for all
cities that have "Arena Battles!" as the city description. Handy if you want
in on Arena-based cities quickly.
Between her and the warp point into the cities is a "Group Board". This one
works in a similar way to the clerk on the right, only it searches your
current world for one of a few possible town descriptions. These range from
"Everyone Welcome" to "Solo Play" and most things in between. On the
Recruitment world, you can also search for specific monsters to hunt and
ranks of quests to take part in.
On your left, is the City Greeter. Guess what he does... Still, he may be
worth chatting to once or twice if this is your first game.
Straight ahead, between the Greeter and Group board, is a warp point to the
city selection screen. Here you can view information about existing cities,
such as what the town creator was seeking and the population of the city.
Selecting an empty city allows you to set up your own, or you can join one.
On the Open, Rookie and Expert worlds, unless a city is full, selecting it
will first bring up a list of the people in that city, their HR, currently
equipped weapon type and if they are actually in the town or on a quest.
When a city is full, you will not be able to join or pull up the list of
players and their in-town status. You can also view the in town/on quest
status of the city to the right of the city selection screen, without
selecting it. This is displayed as two numbers, like this;
4(0)
4(1)
3(3)
In the first example, four players are on a quest, and none are in the city.
In the second, four are in the city, but only one is in town, and in the
third example, three people are in the city and all of them are in town. YOU
WILL BE UNABLE TO ENTER A CITY WITH FOUR PLAYERS IN IT EVEN IF ONE IS ON A
QUEST. Cities get reserved as the hub for players and questing players will
return to the same city they left from.
In addition to the above, you can also set and view the following city info
when on the Recruiting servers:
~ A HR-bracket requirement, for Low or High Rank Players. This will prevent
players from one bracket entering that city if they don't match up.
~ A target monster for that city, indicating it is what people there are (or
should be) hunting.
There are also a random assortment of other townsfolk added, we figure, to
stop the town being purpose-built NPC's only. You can talk to them, and they
are occasionally informative or funny, but not really of any major use.
City Searches:
When using the search board to try to find a particular town to join up with
and even more importantly when you are setting up your own towns, you might
have to try a few different combinations of search terms to get whatever
you're after. "No rank limit, Rathalos, Everyone Welcome" towns are not so
great for farming high rank rare materials, so be specific, and try more
than one combination of terms out if the first one is not getting you what
you wanted.
Cities:
Here is where you group up and hunt, or shop. To the left as you enter the
city, you have Lodge Street, which is basically the online version of your
house in the village. The centre area you start in is basically a market.
Refer to the online NPC's for more information on each of them.
On the right is the Armoury. Straight up, down the "alley" between an old
man and the "Jamaican" is the tavern. This is where you initiate quests from
while playing online. The felyne chef has also been replaced with self-
service. Or the kitchen & all the staff are invisible... either way, you eat
online by sitting at one of the long benches around the tavern, then picking
your ingredients as you would offline. If you have used your voucher/s while
offline - you'll probably kick yourself now - but you can also host meals
for fellow Hunters by using these online. As offline, voucher meals are free.
There is also the Guild Merchant in here, who is your new Gal.
Also within the tavern is another board, which looks like the Group Boards
in the Gates. This is where you sign up for a quest someone else has posted.
============================================================================
KEY QUESTS & HR REQUIREMENTS [KQAHR]
============================================================================
The following is a list of each of the Key Quests required to unlock the
next Urgent. It should be noted that this is not a complete listing of all
quests available at each rank - enough of these exist elsewhere - this is
ONLY the Key Quests. It should also be noted that simply clearing the listed
quests will not be enough, and there is also a HR requirement for unlocking.
The extra quests not listed will provide you with a chance to gain the HR
needed without as much repetition. Also (here's your carrot...) you will get
an award - two, actually - for finishing ALL the Low and High rank quests.
One award per bracket.
One star quests/HR 1-8:
Sunken Treasures
Help The Farmer
Playing With Fire
No Guts, No Glory
The Fisherman's Tale
Completing these quests and reaching HR 8 will unlock the Urgent to proceed
to two star quests, Leading The Charge. You will also need to be HR 8 or
over in order to join Leading The Charge as a participant.
Two star quests/HR 9-17:
Bug Hunt
Flooded Forest Extermination
Scene Of The Crime
The Merchants Mission
The Butler's Great Baggi
Completing these quests and reaching HR 17 will unlock the Urgent to proceed
to three star quests, The Fisherman's Fiend. You will need to be HR 14 or
over to join The Fisherman's Fiend as a participant.
Three star quests/HR 18-30:
We Need A Hero
Into The Danger Zone
The Creeping Venom
The Bard's Barioth
To Catch An Uragaan
Completing these quests and reaching HR 30 will unlock the Urgent to proceed
to four star quests, The Festival of Fear. You will need to be HR 27 or
over to join The Festival of Fear as a participant.
Four star quests/HR 31-39
Reel In A Rathian
Jumping For Jaggi
The Mysterious Mimic
Avenging The Fallen Hunter
Grab A Gobul
Completing these quests and reaching HR 39 will unlock the Urgent to proceed
to five star quests, Double Trouble. You will need to be HR 35 or over to
join Double Trouble as a participant.
Five star quests/HR 40-50
Into The Danger Zone
Rotten Fish
The Creeping Venom
The Molten Monstrosity
Run Down A Rathalos
Completing these quests and reaching HR 50 will unlock the Urgent to proceed
to six star quests, The Brilliant Darkness. You will need to be HR 46 or
over to join The Brilliant Darkness as a participant.
There are no key quests for the six star quest list, as there are no seven
star quests.
HR Requirements:
Your HR will not only prevent you from taking part in quests over the cut-
off point, but also impacts on the following things:
~ The level of housing you are entitled to online.
~ The tavern's kitchen skills accessible.
~ When you can collect High Rank materials - these are only available from
HR 31/four star quests onwards.
~ Which severs you can play on, and depending on the original setup of the
city, which cities you are able to enter.
~ As mentioned previously, HR also prevents you from entering the Rookie and
Expert worlds accordingly, BASED ON HR 30/31.
============================================================================
ONLINE NPC'S [ONNPC]
============================================================================
This is simply a list of the online NPC's of note, and their uses. Most of
these are based in the "Market" area as soon as you enter the city. There is
also a few others, the location of which have been listed as well when they
are not in the Market area, and some that we have not listed - but these are
of little use.
One other thing - all of the Traders or Merchants in Tri have the option to
"Buy, Send to box", which does basically what it says. Items bought/traded
are sent directly to your item box. This can be handy when you want to stock
up on things (during the half-price days, for example) as the maximum
"stack" you can buy/trade into your storage is usually more than you can put
into your inventory.
Trading Post Lady:
This busty beauty will trade you items in exchange for other items. As she
puts it, you can trade even when you have no cash to spare! As long as you
have the required amount of the corresponding item, she'll give you the
items she has in stock in exchange. Her stocks do change, so check her out
every so often. Also, she WILL occasionally have items for trade that can't
be bought or farmed (using the offline farm). Spiderwebs, and such.
Pint-sized Peddler:
The kid is basically a merchant, and stocks herbs, berries, fish and
mushrooms of various types. During the Jhen events, his stock increases, and
in particular it's worth noting that he starts selling Thunderbugs. It is
also worth mentioning here that during the Jhen events, the merchants all
run "half price days".
The Combinator:
For a fee, this old fart will combine anything that you have already made
yourself if you provide him with the materials. These combinations are 100%
successful (as they should be, for a fee).
He also has "combination jars", which are a bit like a lucky dip of
combining. You can select up to three items from a presented list to mix up,
and he'll get to combining. This service is free, but as it uses three items
instead of two, presents you with a somewhat random item and takes several
quests actually combine, we rarely visit this guy other than for kicks.
Captain Tool:
Sounds a bit like one when he talks too... But he's another merchant, who,
as you probably guessed, sells tools and bait, as well as oxy supplies and
cleansers. He also follows the half price pattern in sync with Jhen events.
Interior Diviner:
Kitty likes shiny things, basically. You can present him with your choice of
items, although again your choices are limited, and from these items he will
"draw inspiration" and "brainstorm" furnishings for your house/s. He's also
one of only four ways to gain furnishings; you are given the Prismshroom
Lamp by your Chamberlyne, the Argosy captain (offline) will trade you a very
small selection of the available furnishings and the trading post has a
single, "rare", furnishing available. The rest will have to come from this
lil guy.
Guild Store Clerk (located inside the tavern):
As mentioned, this is your new standard goods merchant. Potions, ammo,
whetstones, etc.
Guild Master:
Revered... or decrepit... master of the Hunters Guild. He doesn't really do
much except get really excited when you clear your Urgent quests and announ-
ce that you have new ones available.
Master Blacksmith & Armoury Clerk (inside the Armoury):
The online blacksmith, just like offline. The Armoury Clerk is the online
version of that excitable woman who sells the base level equipment offline.
Guest House Honcho:
This is the chilled out dude with the pet pig in Lodge St. He's the one you
talk to when you want to move into a different house online.
============================================================================
MONSTER HUNTER SHORTHAND [MHSTH]
============================================================================
Given the horrible character limit of the text chat online, and the amount
of people who don't have/don't like to use Wiispeak, lots of the monster
names have been abbreviated into what has become pretty common language for
Hunters. Granted MOST of these are new monsters, but even so, the shorthand
is quickly emerging. There are also a number of skill abbreviations, as well
as some other common shorthand.
Few of the "minion" monsters have names long enough to need this in Tri
though.
---------------------------
MINIONS
---------------------------
Aptonoth Apto
Epioth Epi
Rhenopolos Rheno
These are the only minions we have seen with regularly shortened names, but
if you have found others, let us know and we'll happily update the guide.
---------------------------
BOSSES
---------------------------
Agnaktor Agi/Agna
Alatreon Ala/Alat
Barioth Bari
Barroth Don't usually see this one shortened
Ceadeus Actually haven't seen this one even MENTIONED much online
Deviljho Jho/DJ/Joe
Diablos Blos
Gigginox Nox
Gobul Don't usually see this one shortened, but Gob when it is
Great Baggi G.Baggi/G.Bag
Great Jaggi G.Jaggi/G.Jag
Jhen Mohran Jhen
Lagiacrus Lagi/Lagia
Qurupeco Peco (have also seen quru, but only a few times)
Rathalos Los
Rathian Ian
Royal Ludroth Rudy/R.Lud
Uragaan Ura/Uru/Leno (Nov is insisting on a :) at Leno)
Again, these are just the most common. If you see something that is gaining
REGULAR use, feel free to let us know.
---------------------------
SKILLs/OTHER ABBREVIATIONS:
---------------------------
HP The universal "health" abbreviation hasn't changed for MH.
Or "hit points", technically speaking. Either way, your
life bar and how it is measured.
Rec Recovery, can be used to refer to HP recovery speed or item
efficiency.
Def Defence, pretty universal as well.
AUL/AUM/AUS Attack Up Large/Medium/Small.
Exp Could be used as a lazy reference to HR, but more commonly
this is either the armour skill "Expert" which increases
your affinity, or the kitchen skill "Explorer" which ups the
chances of starting a quest in the 'secret area' for that
map.
Crit "Critical", usually in reference to a critical hit, which
deals more damage than a standard one. It is also possible
to deal a negative critical but other faqs deal with damage.
Res Resistance, such as Fire Res, which reduces the damage from
Fire Element based attacks. This can apply to all elements
and status based damage, including environmental effects.
HGE High-grade Earplug, armour skill that is a step up from the
regular earplugs. Basically, if it's possible to negate a
scream, HGE will do it.
Eva Evasion, the armour skill giving you more frames during
evasive manoeuvres in which you are invulnerable.
ESP ESP doesn't technically exist anymore, but the term is a
hangover from previous games and older generation Hunters.
The skill is now called Mind's Eye, and it stops you from
bouncing off monster parts that you would normally bounce
off. It does NOT decrease the sharpness lost or damage
reduction from a bounced attack, sadly.
Pots/Potts Potions. The double T version is what we have seen, and use,
most commonly online, as "Pot" is censored.
Hots/Cools These are simply hot or cool drinks, respectively.
Mats Short for materials, the all important element in forging
new armour and weapons, as well as tools and ammo.
============================================================================
HANDY INFORMATION FOR HUNTERS [HIN4H]
============================================================================
This is just a random assortment of useful tips that have been picked up
both over our history as Hunters but also from users of the Gamefaqs board.
~ The faqs section is your friend.
~ The Monster Hunter Wiki is also your friend.
~ If between the two above resources, you are unable to locate what it is
you are "affter", the "Search" function of the board is also definitely your
friend.
~ Some items can be used with the SnS drawn by holding block and pressing
the button you would normally (depending on your chosen controls).
~ It is not possible to "free hunt", as in Moga Woods, outside of Moga
Woods - you have to start a quest.
~ The "free hunt" bonus listed on the reward screen is gained by killing
a large monster that was not listed as the target of your quest. Killing the
Jaggi when summoned by a Qurupeco, for example, will net you a "free hunt"
bonus to both your HR points, and the money earned.
~ Completing one or both listed Sub Quests will also earn you additional HR
and money.
~ Yes, we all know that the word "after" is censored. Yes, we all know that
many english words are censored that it makes little sense to censor in an
english-speaking-only environment. Monster Hunter is NOT an english-speaking
only environment. Deal with that.
~ "Pinging" your position is great, but only if you actually have a reason
to. Endless pinging is also annoying, even with a good reason.
~ Sharpening takes time, so be picky about when you do it.
~ Mining IS tedious and irritating, however it's not half as irritating as
not having <insert ore> when you need it.
~ Don't sell anything when you first start. Many things that seem to have no
use at first may later on.
~ When you need a particular monsters materials, and feel comfortable taking
said monster down without item spamming, feel free to abuse the items that
HAVE been made available to speed up the process. E.g., flash bombs, sonics,
traps, etc.
~ You can whisper people, which only you and they can see, while you are in
the same town. You can also use whispers to chat with Hunters in the tavern,
even while on a quest, and vice versa. Whispering controls are as follows;
Keyboard users can press the tab key - pressing it repeatedly will cycle the
Hunters in your town. Classic control users use the ZR button and those with
the Wiimote & 'chuck use Button 1.
~ Cut scenes, monsters deaths and other fixed camera angles (such as
dragonator usage and fishing Gobul out) can be skipped using +. Some cannot
be skipped if not "previously viewed" by the character being played.
~ “Hunt” quests mean you can either kill or capture the monster to complete
them. “Slay” quests require killing the creature - catching won't cut it.
Somewhat obviously, "Capture" quests REQUIRE the monster be caught. Quests
with the “Repel” option simply require you (or your team) to do enough
damage to drive the monster away.
~ A number of maps have shortcuts to areas from base camp. For instance, if
you swim through the ruins underwater in the Deserted Island Base you will
come out in area 9, and heading through the cave/tunnel to the left of where
you start in the Sandy Plains will lead you to area 7.
~ During underwater combat, you can dodge not only forward, backward, left
and right but also up and down. How this is achieved will be dependent on
your chosen control scheme, however logic would dictate that it is possible
with all available control types.
~ When you have been set on fire, you can put the fire out by rolling: once
into or through water, or 3-4 times on land. The fire will eventually go out
by itself, and can also be cured using Firedouse Berries (strangely...)
~ When you are asleep, drowsy (falling asleep) or covered in mud or snow,
being kicked by a team-mate or hit by an enemy attack will cure the status.
Curing paralysis requires that you hit with an attack that would launch
otherwise.
~ When you are pinned by a monster (Ian/Los/etc), KO'd/Stunned or covered in
Mud, you can free yourself faster by either rotating the analog sticks (CC)
or shaking the nunchuck (wiimote).
~ Freeing Hunters from a monster pin can also be done by throwing a dung
bomb at the monster; this can be done by any Hunter, even the one pinned
down. Staggering the monster will also work, and apparently, a VERY well
placed flash is also capable of freeing your hunting buddies. Clearly this
is best left to the host of the area - see Element_Pearl's stickie topic at:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/943655-monster-hunter-tri/54747668 for more
information on hosting and lag.
~ Be cheap with your money, particularly early on. Why buy a potion when you
can make one? Or whetstones when you can pick them up on virtually every
Moga Woods free hunt?
~ “Status Attack Down” and “Status Attack Up” affect not only conventional
ailments such as paralysis and sleep but also Tranqs. Tranq bombs are 50
Tranq status each and a monster requires 100 to be captured. If you have
“Status Attack Down”, you’ll need 3 tranq bombs to catch a monster instead
of 2.
~ The “Perception” skill makes the icon of the monster you are hunting
“flash” on the map when you have paintballed it. This tells you that it's
ready to capture. It is often easier to see the flashing of the icon when
the map has been zoomed in...
~ You can zoom the map in to magnify the area you are currently in. In Tri,
this is done by pressing the Menu button, then Y (using CCP controls).
~ Auto Guard is useless for the Long Sword, Switch Axe, Hammer & bowguns, as
these weapons either cannot block or already auto guard.
~ You can avoid monster roars, even those requiring HGE, by "panic diving"
just before they would have stunned you.
~ Monsters can be placed in your monster list by entering “Hunter Notes” in
the menu and "capturing" them with your Wii Remote. Press B to take out the
pointer and hold A to choose and drag a monster into the book. You will then
add them to your list. Adding all monsters to your hunters notes and filling
out 13 full pages of combos will earn you an award. (See the wiki for a full
combination list, as well as page numbers.)
~ Materials needed to make armour and weapons can be highlighted and added
to the Memo Pad in the same way as adding monsters to the Hunters Notes, and
the game will make a special sound when you obtain one of these items in the
field. Note that the special chime (like the regular chimes) does not sound
if you acquire the item through the rewards.
============================================================================
CREDITS, COPYRIGHT AND CONTACT INFORMATION [CCCIN]
============================================================================
A) Credits:
Credit for this guide goes to:
Mr_Hartgrave for the original online/beginners guide for PS2, and who
inspired this guide. Congrats, Mr_Hartgrave =)
My housemate, who co-authored this guide, and who wishes to be known only as
"Novembre". (P.S - No, he does NOT speak French!)
Every single person we have ever hunted with - be you awesome or "omg, noob"
you have taught us something.
All the posters in my research topic "What annoys you most online", who
allowed us to present the most up to date frustrations instead of only our
1st generation ones.
All the posters of the board who contributed to the formation of the
"Stuff You Should Know About Monster Hunter Tri" thread, and in particular,
mikerockssomuch, for compiling the posts of said contributors into a single
thread for easy access.
The Monster Hunter Wiki & Staff.
Jhenzo, for the suggestion on city/city gate & city searching.
Primum Mobile, for providing the alternate controls to whisper others. Also
for the suggestion of online NPC information.
King & HolyPhantom, for the Key Quests list request/suggestion.
Cacovangor, for the SnS correction.
EchoNull, for the keen-eyed proofread and feedback.
Victor, for the suggestion of analog stick/'chuck shaking to cure KO, etc.
Renmaka, for the mining etiquette suggestion.
Capcom, Sony and Nintendo, for the game, and their continued development of
the series.
Copyright: 2010, Richard Hillas-Brown
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