Check out the best MH wiki!
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.
