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We have only played Monster Hunter World, Monster Hunter Wilds, and some of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, so that's where our knowledge draws from.
Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter! In the mainline series, the gameplay loop consists of preparing at base (eating food and crafting armor), hunting monsters for better armor, fighting stronger monsters, over and over! There are 18 weapon types to choose from. Some Hunters are skilled in many weapons, while others are only good at one/a few. We have always liked hammer, as it's not too complex and it's satisfying to bonk a monster on their head and knock them over. If we had more time for games, we would love to learn Great Sword, the most iconic MH weapon!
In Monster Hunter world, there is a large focus on ecology and graphics, which made it the most successful MH game in a time where the gaming sphere highly valued gritty graphics. But the MH series wasn't always so concerned with realism.
Frontier is a good example of a game that was a lot more cartoony with its creature designs.
I'm not exactly sure what's even happening on this Harudomerugu! But, nowadays, the franchise is fairly concerned with having plausible in-universe explanations for every facet of every monster.
A good example is Glavenus.
A dinosaur with a knife for a tail is hard to believe, but the attention to its lore given by its designers makes it feel possible in a fantasy world. Glavenus sharpens its blade tail with its own teeth and can use the leftovers as a sort of gunpowder for fire breath! Its tail can also become red hot from friction when it uses it on its surroundings and scaled foes. Another example of interesting biology is the subspecies of normal Rathian, Pink Rathian.
These Rathian are tougher and more hardy than their normal counterparts due to their unique mutation. Because they are a bright pink, they stand out against the forests they reside in and are attacked much more often. As such, it's a rare subspecies. (In Monster Hunter, the word 'subspecies' doesn't really mean the Monster is a different distinct species)
There are many different monster classes. Each class shares a general body plan. Most Flying Wyverns have two wings and two legs, while most Brute Wyverns have two arms and two legs, and most Leviathans have long bodies fit for aquatic environments. There is a very indepth evolutionary tree here. Let's list off every class of monster and give a few examples for each!
Bird Wyverns are a weak class of wyverns and are the usual "first hunt" kind of monster you may encounter. They are smaller than other wyverns.
The Kulu-Ya-Ku is a poor monster that is commonly bullied due to its place low on the food chain. It steals other monster's eggs, and likes to use rocks as a weapon.
Many Bird Wyverns belong to a social hierarchy. The strongest in the pack are the Greats or the Dromes, and the weaker are the Preys. Take a look at this Velocidrome and Velociprey!
Here are some more "Great"s:
This is a Great Jaggi.
And this is a Great Maccao!
This is a Malfestio. Not all Monsters are scary in appearance! But this is a very very big owl.
By far the most populous and most popular of all the monster classes, Flying Wyverns are very large and have two muscly wings they use to fly. They have no front legs, but they do have back legs. There is a lot of diversity in this class.
Rathalos is the Pikachu of MH, and you will see him everywhere! He is a very basic Flying Wyvern, but that doesn't mean he isn't the King of the Skies. Commonly, he is a pretty difficult battle in low rank for beginners.
And this is a Nargacuga! It's so furry and cute. It's in the same class as Rathalos, but it doesn't really fly, and rather uses its wings as sharp weapons. Even though Nargacuga looks soft, I wouldn't reccommend petting them. Unless they are your Monstie :)
Khezu is a weird one. Despite being a Flying Wyvern, it has no eyes and spends most of its time in caves. They have hard skin instead of scales or fur.
The same can be said for Gigginox. Unlike most wyverns in general, Gigginox lays baby larva. If you're a bit too adventurous in a cave, one might fall on your head... it's happened.
Splat!! For some reason, baby Giggi look like Khezu.
Brute Wyverns are a hardy class of wyverns that bear superficial resemblance to Bird Wyverns. Despite their similar body plans, Brutes are much larger and stronger. Anjanath, on the right of your screen, is an iconic Brute Wyvern. Isn't the pink so cute? Anjanath is the beginner-killer of Monster Hunter World! There are more iconic Brutes than Anjanath, though.
This toxic t-rex is Brachydios, who debuted in Monster hunter 3U. We actually hate its design, but it is one of those Monsters that is very 'Monster Hunter'. They're a very moldy species.
Deviljho is the de-facto Brute Wyvern. Fans like to call them Pickle. This wyvern hunts everything and can/will show up to your hunt. When they get mad, their veins bulge out of their scales!
Rompopolo is one of our favorite new Monsters from MHWilds. Actually, before writing this, I hadn't consciously assumed Lolo to be a Brute Wyvern, but of course it is. They have a sharp face and claws despite their body being puffed up like a balloon. Definitely one of hypothetical god's strongest soldiers!
Leviathans are a Monster class introduced in Monster Hunter 3. In Japanese, they are called Sea Wyverns, so they are still wyverns. In MH3, you could fight Leviathans under water! Nowadays, their fights take place on land or shallow water, but they are still aquatic creatures.
Lagiacrus is the most iconic and beloved Leviathan. The flagship of MH3, Lagiacrus is to the sea what Rathalos is to the skies. Lagi uses special muscles on its back to store electricity in its dorsal fins/spikes. Which will then be electricity stored inside you!
Mizutsune is a similarly beloved Leviathan! But he doesn't look like Lagiacrus at all. Mizutsune is fluffy and fox-like, and makes bubbles as its main attack. The Guild does not hunt female Mizutsune as they are a bit smaller and seemingly not as much of a threat to humans.
Jin Dahaad is one of the largest and most unique Leviathans. A newcomer to Wilds, Jin is almost on the level of an Elder Dragon when it comes to size and power. They are a little infamous for their ice nova which will instakill you if you haven't figured out how to avoid it. Not like that would ever happen to us, or anything... Anyway, this Monster is a wonder to see in motion.
Piscine Wyverns are little fishies. Okay, not that little, but they are on average, not the biggest Monsters. Nor are they that interesting or plentiful. But we can still look at a few.
This is a Plesioth. More specifically, a green one. Their scales are shiny and pretty, and around 32 feet / 10 meters tall. Which is taller than a Rathalos, so maybe you should disregard my 'little' comment. In the Monster Hunter community, Plesioth is well known for its "large hips", but it seems most of that mass is... invisible?
Jyuratodus is a silly mud fish. Actually, this Monster made us like Monster Hunter. Let me explain... We had began playing World around 2022, played it on and off, but when we got to the Jyuratodus fight... that was the first time it felt like we were dancing. It's not the most amazing fight or Monster, but it will always hold a special place for getting us to understand the waltz that is a Hunt!
Fanged Beasts are Monsters that usually walk on all fours, are fluffy and have big chomper. They may look like bears, monkeys, or any other kind of creature. Let's see them.
Rajang is an as-previously-mentioned monkee. This thing terrifies me. Monkeys in real life are already pretty violent, but now imagine it Extremely large! And it can shoot beams from its mouth. Good luck.
Lagombi is like a big big bunny. Actually, we haven't fought this Monster yet, as we have only seen it in Stories so far. Some cultures domesticate Lagombi, as it is a herbivorous creature.
Gammoth is a beloved Fanged Beast. Their name is derived from the Hindu elephant deity Ganesha, who is actually a really chill guy. Gammoth is also chill, but in other ways.
Finally, let's talk about Elder Dragons! The most revered, feared, and mysterious class of Monster. Most Elder Dragons have six limbs, but it's not a requirement to be an Elder Dragon. The label is one that the Guild slaps on to any creature that defies what is already known about Monsters. It's another extremely diverse class, but I'll show you my favorites.
Kirin is one of the original known Elder Dragons. Named after the Qilin of Chinese mythology, they possess a horn used to electrocute their foes. In Monster Hunter World, there is a quest to defeat two Kirin, which we took on alone, but some random person ended up joining us. We were nervous that they would throw the fight (and that we, too, would throw the fight,) but we ended up splitting up to defeat them. It took a long time and we were already on 2 faints, so if one of us messed up, it'd be over. That hunt is one of our favorite Monster Hunter memories, so we like Kirin.
Namielle is an Elder Dragon that lives in the deep ocean. It's a very chill dragon that isn't out to get people, but will throw hands if you invade its territory. The singlet original identified heavily with Namielle due to them sharing a nickname. I like Namielle too!
Fatalis. The Elder of all Elders. This Monster is surrounded by myths, mystery, and terror. Out of all Monsters, Fatalis is rumored to have close to human level intelligence and a disdain for everything to boot. There are myths that wearing armor made of Fatalis' body parts will eventually turn the wearer into a Fatalis, but this isn't proven to be true. According to the wiki, Plesioth is one foot shorter than Fatalis, which I refuse to believe. Fatalis' main weapon is fire, and its chest is usually smeared with the melted remains of its victim's armors. Fans like to call this Monster Fatty.
There are more Monster classes than this, but you get it, right?
