I think I'm playing the game wrong

[Sneez]

So I'm basically a complete beginner to Monster Hunter, an so far it feels pretty bad because I'm almost certain I'm playing it wrong. Just rushing head on into monsters and relying on reflexes alone like Dark Souls clearly doesn't work, and it seems like I'm supposed to play more strategically, and use things like the arena and my slingshot to my advantage. However, I'm really not sure how, and since dodging has no IV frames and comes out really slow, it seems like I'm supposed to be avoiding attacks in some other way, but I just can't think of anything. This game seems like a lot of fun, but it's so frustrating knowing that you're doing something wrong but not being able to think of anything to do differently. Any tips for an absolute beginner on the general playstyle of the game (how to avoid attacks, general strategy and mechanics)?

[tom]

it could be the way you're using your weapon. what weapon are you using? you could be using it in a way that doesn't fully take advantage of monster attack patterns and openings

[Suzaku]

There are i-frames to dodging; half as much as Dark Souls. There are certain skills you can equip to increase how many i-frames you have, or how far you dodge. Since the dodge timing is so tight, and monster attacks can be so wide and sweeping, you need to try to dodge towards the attack (like if a monster swings their claw from right to left, dodge to the right so you spend as little time as possible inside the hurtbox of the strike).

Due to the nature of the combat, with many attacks being longer than most other games and no way to interrupt most of them, positioning and choosing your attacks becomes more important than ever. Learning the moves of the monsters, and the moves of your weapons, are the main things that turns a mess of a hunt into a dance of destruction.

If you'd like, I'm always happy to hop in and help people. I could give you tips on how to refine your gameplay.

[tom]

i would argue that with how narrow the iframes are and how wide/lengthy monster attacks tend to be, it's often best to just altogether get out of the way of the attack than try to dodge into it.

there's value in running evasion skills if you need extra comfort, but for the most part, it's not very worth it losing HP over an attack that could've been easily avoided with just a few rolls (anjanath forward ground slam for example)

[月]

You must be rushing to hop into the hunt and complete the game.

Try to explore all the weapons inside the training room, find one that suit your style.

Dodge have i-frames but less than a sec..
For big monster attack, try shield your weapon and do superman drive instead.

Some weapons can block, use those if that suit you better.

[Lumen]

Compared to DS it's pretty much the same, get used to the boss/monster movesets and find your spot to hit safely. However dodging is a thing here also. When decorations (gems that give/enhance abilitys) come into gameplay a lot of things will make more sense.

The only general tip I have for you is to allways keep your weapon sharp :D
If you're struggeling with a specific monster tell us which it is or fire up a SOS flare and see some other hunters destroy it in no time. Happy hunting.

[Definively Not Alchman]

monster hunter 101 like i was taught long ago:
"monster hunter is like a dance where the monster leads and you follow."

basically you commit to every thing you do in this game, once you do something you stuck with it till it finishes. doesn't matter if it is an attack, dodge, reload or item.

since monsters can leap or fireball you from a mile away. you need to be sure that you are safe before acting.

that's very different from dark souls where you can cancel stuff into dodges

but is the same for monsters, once the monster starts doing something they can't stop midway and that's the safest time act

so never be in a hurry, let the monster do something and then react to it. if you can attack during it that's great but if all you can do is not take damage that's good as well. having to heal up is a worse dps loss than not attacking once.

and as you learn your weapon and each single monster. you gonna learn how sneak more attacks in that you probably thought you could (go watch a good lance video it is insane) and even other ways to be safe or how to do things with a calculated risk

[Fredericks of Cursewood]

A big difference between MH and DS is how the monsters have different hit zones. Monsters will have weak points and certain weapons are better on different body parts. Along with that, certain elements will work differently during the course of the fight with some monsters as they go through different phases.

A good offense is the best defense. Dealing damage will lead to trips and KOs which are really large openings to deal more damage. Depending on how far you are into the game, you should be able to make traps. You can carry a couple with you and supplies to make another couple. Very worthwhile to use in order to get a lot of damage.

Don't forget about your palico. You can equip them with status elements like paralyses, poison, or sleep. All are really effective in either dealing damage over time or giving you openings. Most monsters are at least somewhat vulnerable to sleep and palico is usually good for at least sleep on the monster and then you wake it up with some barrel bombs on the head.

Know your surroundings. There are many traps and other creatures that will damage or inflict status effects on the monster. Know where they are and how to set them off without harming yourself.

[J-INFINITY]

As a TL;DR to what everyone above me has said:
You need to un-learn Dark Souls and learn Monster Hunter.

[Kapakc]

sheathe ur weapon, easier to dodge. Use slinger on head of monster to knock him into wall free damage. play with a shield with some blocking skills, dont need to dodge as much. use the slinger hook to make a weakspot, more damage.

[Mr. September]

I started playing MHW after I was in 450~ hours in Dark Souls 3. You don't get weeks worth of iframes in MHW like in Dark Souls games. You need to observe the monster and learn the moveset over time. It is possible to dodge without evasion skills but it will require a better grasp on attacks/roars.

Originally posted by J-INFINITY:

As a TL;DR to what everyone above me has said:
You need to un-learn Dark Souls and learn Monster Hunter.

Basically this ^. I had to do that myself.

Originally posted by Definively Not Alchman:

monster hunter 101 like i was taught long ago: "monster hunter is like a dance where the monster leads and you follow.

This is accurate as well. The Hunter isn't the chosen one or some OP guy (until you achieve godhood of course). You can get killed as easily in MR as in LR if you didn't learn anything and don't use the skills you need.

Monsters have their own distinct patterns and behaviors. Of course, it's still video game AI but the monsters feel the most accurate, believable and fitting in the game's setting/atmosphere. 95% of the time, the monsters in hunts act like monsters instead of being another example of just another "CPU VS Player/s" fight. It feels more like "Monster fighting for survival VS The Hunter fighting to keep the balance of the ecosystem"

[SomoneSuspicious]

"to keep the balance of the ecosystem" ...ha!! Daddy needs a new pair of pants! >:)

[Mr. September]

Originally posted by SomoneSuspicious:

"to keep the balance of the ecosystem" ...ha!! Daddy needs a new pair of pants! >:)

Was talking about it canonically lol

In gameplay terms, we are probably worse than Fatalis

[DaBa]

You're on the right track OP. Because you have to commit to every single action you do, you have to anticipate attacks more in this game rather than just react to them at the last moment, especially when we're talking about the slower weapons. And while you still can i-frame through some attacks (your dodge actually has i-frames, but very few of them.), it's something that requires practice to be able to use consistently so I'd advise sticking to just getting out of the way at the beginning.

How do you do that? On the basic level you just have to learn the monster's attacks and make sure you position yourself well during the fight so you can always dodge out of the danger's way after your aggression, while also looking for openings where you can safely be aggressive. Learning not to overextend is also very important, it's better to play safe than get hit. The last piece is learning your weapon better so you can get better at keeping up the aggression while minimizing the time you spend dodging and running away. Some weapon even have specific techniques that are made specifically for that, like Great Sword's shoulder tackle or Charge Blade's guard points.

It will feel like you're just running like a chicken at the beginning, but that's perfectly normal. Combat in this game has much more depth than action games like Dark Souls, so it's also going to be more difficult to learn and master. As you play you will eventually get the feel for your weapon and learn how to get in the flow of combat. Eventually once you become skilled enough you'll be the one controlling the fight, not the monster.

[overmage]

Originally posted by Sneez:

So I'm basically a complete beginner to Monster Hunter, an so far it feels pretty bad because I'm almost certain I'm playing it wrong. Just rushing head on into monsters and relying on reflexes alone like Dark Souls clearly doesn't work, and it seems like I'm supposed to play more strategically, and use things like the arena and my slingshot to my advantage. However, I'm really not sure how, and since dodging has no IV frames and comes out really slow, it seems like I'm supposed to be avoiding attacks in some other way, but I just can't think of anything. This game seems like a lot of fun, but it's so frustrating knowing that you're doing something wrong but not being able to think of anything to do differently. Any tips for an absolute beginner on the general playstyle of the game (how to avoid attacks, general strategy and mechanics)?

Focus on simply not being there when an attack hits rather than attempting to iframe it. This will solve most of your initial issues.

There are skills you can slot in to get DS-like iframes, but that comes much later

[ase]

Originally posted by Sneez:

So I'm basically a complete beginner to Monster Hunter, an so far it feels pretty bad because I'm almost certain I'm playing it wrong. Just rushing head on into monsters and relying on reflexes alone like Dark Souls clearly doesn't work, and it seems like I'm supposed to play more strategically, and use things like the arena and my slingshot to my advantage. However, I'm really not sure how, and since dodging has no IV frames and comes out really slow, it seems like I'm supposed to be avoiding attacks in some other way, but I just can't think of anything. This game seems like a lot of fun, but it's so frustrating knowing that you're doing something wrong but not being able to think of anything to do differently. Any tips for an absolute beginner on the general playstyle of the game (how to avoid attacks, general strategy and mechanics)?

First of all,panic rolling right into boss when he starts moving is not "Reflexes",that strategy is not going to do you any favours in this game.Try reading the monster instead:
Monster is rushing/jumping/shooting at you from distance?Roll left/right to avoid getting hit altogether instead of trying to dodge with I-frames,or block.Monster tries to bite you in melee range?Try dodging to the side.Of course every monster has their own twists and that info will be useless in no time,but that's a general direction you need to take as of now-try focusing and remembering patterns of monster's attacks,and figure out where to dodge-usually you can tell by common sense,since they act rather natural.
Don't try I-framing attacks through forward dodging,at least until you get a solid grasp on game's mechanics,at best you will get frustrated,at worst you will fail the quest.