Getting into MP

So I've played a grand total of maybe 11 hours of MH total, all of it in MH4U. I had a lot of fun, but came to it sort of late and ended up falling off, mostly because I was interested in multiplayer but it seemed intimidating (much like the rest of the game).

I recently picked up Generations and I want to give it a proper go this time. So my questions is, what do I need to do to prepare for any multiplayer hunts. I have a basic understanding of the cycle of this game and have already made my way on to the GB MH discord, which seems like a cool group of people, but I am unsure of how to prepare, when I should go online and play with people etc.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hop on with a friend! That's probably the best way to get into MP. You can play from the get go MP in generations so long as you understand the mechanics. I have a couple people I play with regularly if you want a group. I'll post my info later. I'm at work now and don't have access to my 3DS

It's preference really. Some people jump right into online and then use their online gear to speed through the offline content later. Some work through the offline content so they know all of the upcoming monsters and have gear to get through low rank quickly later. You don't really need to do much to prepare any differently than any other hunt. Just make sure you have plenty of supplies to keep yourself alive, and bonus points if you're the cool guy who can help everyone with traps, flash bombs, tranq bombs, etc.

Don't be too intimidated. Most players are pretty forgiving in my experience, and you can always leave those that aren't to find another group. I don't know how good you are specifically, but if you're afraid of making the team fail the quest just make sure to bring plenty of survival items and maybe even let the others do more of the work while you learn more about the monster. Up to you though.

Edit: Oh and most importantly: Know which of your attacks make your allies trip, and stay out of the way of certain people. Hammers have dibs on the head obviously, and let weapons who are better at cutting/breaking than you get to those parts. Don't trip these guys if they have better weapons for that particular job than you. If you happen to use a hammer or whatever, just keep in mind that other people will trip you and it will be frustrating.

@theanticitizen:Ahh, I didn't realize that, thanks! Yeah, none of my friends are in to the handheld scene let along a MH game, which makes that harder.

@mezza: This is all super helpful. Not only is finding people to play with a bit scary, but not knowing all of these unspoken rules adds an additional barrier.

@slax: Yeah that was a big issue for me back when I started on 3 as well. It helped me at the time to check out some youtube videos. You can probably find some people playing around here or in the GiantBomb discord who can help guide you a bit more on that as well. I'd type out some tips for playing each weapon's role, but I haven't played 4U or Generations enough to feel comfortable knowing where all the weapons fall right now in multiplayer sadly. Generally though cutting weapons with good reach want to be on the tail since they can reach it, hammers want the head for knockouts, and general dps like lance, longsword, etc. want somewhere on the body or where ever else they can go without stepping on someones toes. Hammers and Greatswords are the big ones that you do not want to get in the way of since their weapons are so timing based. Tripping them will mess up their whole game. If they're good at least.

I can't think of any tips that wouldn't just be good tips in general for offline hunting as well. Maybe spend some time in the Hunter's Hub to customize your Chat messages if that strikes your fancy, though I suspect that you'll have a clearer idea what you'd want to say while on a quest after you've had some experience being on them.

Setting your bottom screen up so that you can "signal" other players could be useful, though paintballing the monster usually has the same effect as it still shows up for everyone. Just generally have your affairs in order such as having spent a little time setting up your Item Sets so you can quickly put all the usual things you need for most quests in your bag. I generally just use two type of Sets, one with traps & tranqs and one without. These Sets don't include items that you don't need every time, like Antidotes or Cool Drinks, 'cause I just add them to the inventory separately depending on the situation.

If you're worried about letting people down and them yelling at you through the Chat (you can only type in chat while in the Hub, otherwise you're using a set of pre-written messages) then well...that's probably gonna happen sometimes. Though most people I've come across have either been pretty patient or just haven't bothered to speak up when things go bad. We just get back in it. It won't always be you who messed up either so it's easy to have sympathy for the person who unfortunately became responsible for all 3 defeats of a team. Just don't give others grief and hope for the best.

The best advice honestly is to play Hunting Horn and buff the shit outta some fools.

Barring that, maybe just don't get in the way of others if you play a class where you can stagger or interrupt.

@jacksukeru:This is helpful! Do you have gathering gear in one of those sets too, or do you just bring it around when necessary.

@mrnovember13: I messed with the hunting horn in 4u, it wasn't my favorite, but maybe i'll give it another go. I do want to make sure to enjoy sp content as well and it doesn't seem like the hunting horn would be the best for that, but maybe I'll end up really liking it.

@slax: Yeah, I usually bring 5 Pickaxes and 5 Bugnets as I always end up spending 'some' time complulsively hacking away on a node while in a map. My basic Blademaster Item Set at the moment looks like this:

• 10x Mega Potion
• 5x Well-done Steak
• 10 Whetstone
• 8x Paintballs
• 5x Pickaxe
• 5x Bugnet

When using Traps I have all that plus:

• 1x Shock Trap
• 1x Pitfall Trap
• 5x Tranq Bomb

Generally I just have less than the maximum of an item 'cause I don't think I would need more and I just like the number but in the case of Tranq Bombs the maximum you can hold is 8 and for Capture quests they usually give you 3 so I just carry 5 so I can definetly pick up some extras and save my own supplies. (it takes only 2 Tranq Bombs to capture a suffiicently weakened monster). Also I usually carry around the Mega versions of the Pickaxes and Bugnets rather than the regular versions, I just can't buy them from the shop yet where I'm at in the game.

Other useful sets to "set up" would be Gunner Sets for either Bowguns or Bows, if you ever intend to use those, since they need ammo but don't need stuff like whetstones. An "Arena" set for when you're just in a single room with a monster and just want the maximum amount of healing items without needing paintballs or gathering items. And a plain ol' "Gathering" Set that just have pickaxes and bugnets for maximum storage capacity! (Actually bring along some Well-Done Steaks as well since running out of stamina really sucks).

I played a lot of MH4U and got pretty confident handling the early monsters, I used to carry around a lot more healing items than I do now(10 regular Potions and 10 Honey to turn them into Mega Potions, or just 3 honey to upgrade the First-Aid Meds) so you might want to consider that as well. Also as you progress through the game and learn monsters general locations and movements you'll find yourself relying less and less on paintballs. There are also a few items that you get benefits from, from just carrying with you. Basically what I'm saying is your Item Set needs are likely to change eventually, if you spend enough time with the game.

It takes some work and is a bit of a pain to set up, but it pays off in the long run.

@jacksukeru: This is extremely helpful. I appreciate the work you put in to help me out!! I will absolutely use this advice and get some item sets all set up.

One last piece of advice I can give is that most multiplayer runs end up feeling a little more chaotic because 4 people at once and all that. Just try to keep up the best you can and be careful to not step on toes (avoid accidentally hitting teammates and whatnot). It'll just start to click in time, but at first it can seem daunting if folks just bust it out the gate or beeline to where they know the critter will be.

Worst case, make a room that mentions "beginners welcome" or something to that effect, and you ought to be ok in my opinion. Otherwise, running with friends is a good alternative. I've got a lower level character in Gen (playing 4U at the moment so I haven't done TOO much), so feel free to message me if you want someone to run with.

I found Hunting horn's great in a party, but not as much fun solo. But, guns are a blast, especially if someone can "draw the aggro", allowing you to FIRE ZE MISSILES!

Hey I'm going to be playing some low rank with a friend around 8 PM Pacific tonight. Just hop on the Discord server and message me. As for weapons you should just choose whatever you like.

@hamdoughnuts: I appreciate the offer! I'm actually going to be in a parade tonight, because reasons, so I won't be able to make it. Thanks though!

@slax: Glad I could help. Hope you have fun!

@slax: no problem! Sorry I forgot to give you my information! I'll try to remember tonight!

@slax My friend code is 2492-4153-5185 if you want to add me!

@theanticitizen: I totally will if I remember when I get home.

I basically do the village quests until rank 3 to get a decent variety of armor sets available for crafting before jumping into multiplayer. It's all preference, tho.

@theanticitizen:I added you. Mine is 0018-3327-7321

@shivermetimbers: This is a good rule of thumb. I'll work towards that!

Sorry I haven't replied yet. Been really busy lately. Will add you tonight!