First time playing Monster Hunter ? Good! The MH4U demo is a great place to start (until the actual game is released on Feb. 13 , that is) and I’m here to give you 5 beginner tips for you to get the most out of the hunting experience.

1. Beginner mode is your friend (And the tutorials too!)

Seriously, if this is the first time you’re trying out Monster Hunter, make sure to select ‘Beginner’ difficulty and leave the additional tutorial messages on.

I know some people might resist the idea thinking that, because they’ve played lots of third-person action games, they’d be totally fine, but Monster Hunter is just different enough that they could probably use a little guidance here and there.

And hey, knowledge is power, remember? The more you know about the game (or your weapons) the best your experience will be!

2. Try out different weapons

Speaking of weapons, the Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate demo comes with 14 different classes for you to choose. We’ve marked a few recommendations (on Beginner) with a little star, but to be honest, we don’t know you… and don’t really know what you might like best.

So go through the list, pick a weapon and try it out for a few minutes in the field. If you didn’t like it, hit the Start button, select “Abandon Quest” and try something else.

Great Sword feels too slow for you? Maybe try Dual Blades . And if you don’t like getting too close and personal, then maybe the Long Sword is what you’re looking for.

3. Keep an eye on your health bar

It’s easy to get yourself immersed in all the action happening on screen, so do yourself a favor and keep your health bar (the green one) on check. After all, you don’t wanna be in the middle of an awesome combo and get hit by a small Jaggi causing you to faint and get sent back to base camp, do you? =)

When developing this demo, we’ve made sure to equip your Felyne Palicoes with healing flutes, but it’s always recommended you just look up once a while, just in case your trusty companions are also busy doing awesome Team Attacks .

4. On mounting monsters…

Upon landing a jumping attack, you may initiate the mounting sequence. See the green bar? That’s you; mash X or A to stab the monster repeatedly and topple it to the ground.

But! Notice how the little dragon head icon moves toward the right? That’s the monster; when the icon is green , you’re clear to stab away. When it’s yellow or red , it means the monster is trying to shake you off.

Just… keep calm and hold down the R button. 😉

IMPORTANT: When playing with others, DO NOT attack a monster if someone is mounting it! This will cause the hunter to fall off the monster, rendering all their hard work useless.

5. Hunt online!

Didn’t you know? The MH4U demo – like the actual game – has full online multiplayer support! So take the precious skills you’ve just learned and go on epic hunts with up to 3 other hunters!

Just remember to share your supply items, don’t hit your teammates, don’t attack mounted monsters and have fun! The more you hunt with others, the more likely you are to learn something new.

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For a full demo guide, head over to the Monster Hunter Wikia . And stop by this thread on our forum to share more tips for online play.

For weapon tutorial videos, check out gaijin hunter ‘s YouTube playlist:

Happy hunting!