Am I progressing poorly?

[nomeatmashers]

I just started the game recently, and am at the point where you slay the Jyuratodus for the first time after finding the lost researcher. I've been forging new weapons and equipment for stat boosts and crafting and using items that increase my attack, yet in every combat situation I'm still only doing single-digit chip damage with my attacks. For weak-spot hits, I can get an occasional 14-17, but it still takes me 20-30 min of dodging and smacking away at any large monster to actually kill it. Is this normal, or am I grossly underdeveloped for where I am at in the story?

[Seamus]

Well, jyura's kinda a bad example because his hitzones are rather trash in the first place.

What weapon type are you using, and which one?

[nomeatmashers]

Originally posted by Seamus:

Well, jyura's kinda a bad example because his hitzones are rather trash in the first place.

What weapon type are you using, and which one?

I've been using the Dual Blades because they have the fastest rate of attack - most of the weapons give me the same result of single-digit damage, even stuff like the Switch Axe and Greatsword. I found I get the best DPS with Dual Blades because of that.

[Nine]

20ish minute fights when you are just starting out is pretty normal.

[Suzaku]

Damage per hit largely depends on the weapon type, which attacks you're using, and what you're hitting. Certain weapons hit harder than others. Certain attacks hit harder than others. Certain monster body parts are stronger/weaker to certain damage types, or may be armored in some way, or will take more damage once broken. If you have Iceborne purchased, you'll have access to the clutch claw, which can be used to weaken sections of a monster so you can deal more damage.

There's also your weapon sharpness to consider (if using melee weapons). As you attack, your sharpness will drop, and your weapon deals less damage and bounces more often. Keep it sharp to deal optimal damage.

You can also boost your damage by eating meals with more meat ingredients. As you advance through the game, you'll be able to make larger meals for larger bonuses. You'll also gain access to other consumables like might seeds and demon powder, or skills such as attack boost, or skills that improve affinity (crit chance) like critical eye or weakness exploit.

Hunt times also vary massively based on player skill. Your first hunt might take 20, 30, even 40 minutes, but if you knew how to properly handle your weapon and how the monster moves, you could bring that hunt time down to a handful of minutes. So take your time, learn from your mistakes, maybe watch a couple guides for your current weapon, or maybe even consider learning a new weapon that might suit your preferences more.

[Seamus]

Originally posted by Nine:

20ish minute fights when you are just starting out is pretty normal.

This, pretty much.

But, learning where weak points are(or just looking them up... there's plenty of resources for that.) and learning when and what element is appropriate for your weapon type is a core part of the gameplay. As is learning to use the movesets effectively.
https://mhworld.kiranico.com/monsters/oAyTx/jyuratodus
Jyura's hitzone values can be found here in the Physiology section. Higher numbers=better. The lines with a blue symbol only apply if you're in master rank, which will be a while before you need to worry about.

Do you have Iceborne?

[nomeatmashers]

Originally posted by Seamus:

Do you have Iceborne?

I do not, just the base game.

[Seamus]

Ah, shame.

Iceborne adds new moves to each weapon alongside all the end game content it adds.

Some of them are a pretty major addition to the weapon movesets.

[Emerald Lance]

Your numbers seem appropriate for early dual blades. If it starts to take 40+ minutes to finish a hunt, then I would start considering ways you can switch up your gear.

[AKYM |]

For new player who dont familiar who monster move sets and/or weapon combo, 14~20 min are within the average time. Low rank around 10~14, high rank 14~20, So you're not too poorly.
Also, capture everything that you can to skip the last 20%/15%/10% hp and safely finish the hunt.This may not be important in low rank but super helpful in early HR since you're not too different from LR.

At low rank you have no choice to run with weapon base damage with incomplete utility skill(s) for support.
At high rank, the mob hp will get around ~2 to 3k+ more then low rank. You will be given access to the idea of "skill set" and 'decorations', that means the main skill choice will be expended and shifted from utility to set of damage out put boost, aka build crit.
HR start with about ~4K, then 6k~8k+ with mid to late mobs like elders

[𝓇𝒾𝓃𝒶𝒶𝒶𝒶𝒶]

Nope, you're doing just fine. Don't focus on hunting times, just have fun and enjoy the game.

[FuyuNoSora]

You should watch speedruns and copy paste what they do, never use attacks or builds that they don't use, your hunts should last maximal 3 minutes. Also I suggest you to use all cheats available to see the monsters health and your dps.

[Chadwick Strongpants]

Originally posted by FuyuNoSora:

You should watch speedruns and copy paste what they do, never use attacks or builds that they don't use, your hunts should last maximal 3 minutes. Also I suggest you to use all cheats available to see the monsters health and your dps.

I assume this is satire.

[Mr. September]

It actually is.

[Smaugi]

Originally posted by FuyuNoSora:

You should watch speedruns and copy paste what they do, never use attacks or builds that they don't use, your hunts should last maximal 3 minutes. Also I suggest you to use all cheats available to see the monsters health and your dps.

Someone Has trouble with arguments huh

[Veritas]

Originally posted by 「Ｈｉｒｏ」:

Originally posted by Seamus:

Well, jyura's kinda a bad example because his hitzones are rather trash in the first place.

What weapon type are you using, and which one?

I've been using the Dual Blades because they have the fastest rate of attack - most of the weapons give me the same result of single-digit damage, even stuff like the Switch Axe and Greatsword. I found I get the best DPS with Dual Blades because of that.

Most of the low rank weapons are 130 or less True Raw (the attack value listed in the armory is an outright lie, bloated based on the weapon class). So yeah a weapon with low motion value does not hit very hard in low rank. If you don't understand what that means, just look up a guide to how damage in Monster Hunter works, it's important to understand if you want to take a go at optimizing builds.

But anyway, low rank gear is trash. Basically, just make the bone helmet, bone torso and kestadon arms, along with the jagras coil. Worry about actual gear in High Rank because all low rank armor becomes obsolete very fast.