Platform(s): PlayStation 4
Beta Date: January 19, 2018 (2 a.m. UTC) / January 18, 2018 (9 p.m. EST)
Developer(s): Capcom
Publisher(s): Capcom
Size: 5.1 GB.
PlayStation Plus is not required for single or multiplayer play during the beta.
Beta is now over.
Important Notes About This Beta:
- The beta schedule is subject to change or cancellation without notice.
- This beta is online only. An internet connection is required to participate.
- Data will not be saved. Once the application is closed, your character's name, appearance, equipment, and all other settings will be reset to default.
- Quest completion data will be saved to the server.
- To claim participation bonuses in the full retail version, you must be logged into the same Sony Entertainment Network (SEN) account that was used at the time the quests were completed in the beta.
- Not compatible with PlayGo.
- Trophies are not available.
- Compatible with PS Vita Remote Play.
- Customer Support will not be available for the beta.
- You are allowed to stream the beta.
Helpful tips from user Hawkian:
Just wanted to offer a few quick setup tips for the Options menu that may improve your overall enjoyment for this and when the full came is upon us in one week, 2 hours and 38 minutes! This is all IMO of course, but definitely stuff to consider.
Important
Controls tab -> Radial Menu Settings -> Change to Type 2
Item Control Settings -> Change to Type 2
This was a huge one for me; you use the radial menu by holding L1 and pointing the right stick to select items MUCH faster than in previous games, but the default setting has you select by letting go of the stick, which feels weird and made me choose items accidentally a bunch. Type 2 means clicking R3 to select when the item you want is highlighted. Then, the default to switch between your four radial menus was the D-pad while holding L1 which was similarly awkward. Type 2 makes it L1 + face buttons to switch, which again is just nicer on the hands and becomes very natural over time.
Once you are familiar with the radial menu and the items you get access to in the beta, you can also pick Customize Radial Menu from Game Settings tab to tailor what you have quick access to.
Less Important
Camera tab -> Camera Style -> Target Camera
Target Settings -> Large Monsters only
The default setting has tapping L1 lock on and automatically follow any monster in your crosshairs which doesn't feel particularly natural to me. This setup will reorient your camera to center on boss monsters only when tapping it, without locking on. In all honesty however, I essentially never use this at all. 95% of the time I manually control the camera with the stick.
Camera tab -> Second page -> Camera distance -> Far
This just moves the camera back a bit from your character, improving your FoV, which can at times save your life.
Personal Preference Type Stuff
Game Settings tab -> Head Armor display and Damage Indicators (popup numbers) can be toggled off if you like
Controls tab -> Sheathe Settings -> Manual Sheathe
By default, the game will automatically sheath your weapon after a while if you haven't attacked rather than only doing so when you manually sheath with R1. I don't like this so I switch it to Manual.
Camera tab -> Camera speed can be tweaked to 5 levels, if you tend to mess with sensitivity settings you may want to check this out.
Display tab -> Screen vibration can be toggled off, I know some people loathe this.
I know a bunch more people are gonna be checking this out tonight, so a few things:
1. This post goes over some of the settings you may wanna tweak: https://www.resetera.com/posts/3477045/ (specifically to help you get the most from the awesome radial menu)
2. Note that the beta is a very poor introduction to the game as a whole. It is a repurposed show-floor demo and feels like it. If you're completely new to the franchise and intimidated by the complexity, you're possibly better off just waiting a week for the more gentle onramp. This beta is good for learning the controls, experimenting to find your favorite weapon(s), and challenging yourself with the basic combat and flow of hunting, but a ton is absent or changed from the full game:
-The full game will tutorialize the player and roll out mechanics over time to some degree rather than throwing you in the deep end.
-Timers in the full game are much much longer (to the point they are typically an afterthought), and you can roam any of the 5 maps without a timer in Expedition Mode to explore, gather, or hunt outside of a particular quest.
-There's a hub town with NPCs to take on quests, craft and upgrade armor, prepare for specific hunts, group up with other players, and so on that is obviously totally absent from the beta. Most importantly the whole loop of going out to hunt and loot monster parts, then crafting them into better armor and weapons, is the primary driving force in the game's progression.
-The convoluted multiplayer code system to join other parties won't be necessary.
-Instead of 9 or 5 "carts" (deaths) per quest, you'll only have 3 to work with in the full game.
3. Mess with the different weapons in the training area (open the item box and choose Change Equipment) to get the basic controls down before trying to figure out how to use any given one in the field (which wastes time). Finding the weapons that really click with you is crucial to enjoying the game as each one plays very differently, but good beginner choices are (bold is the weapon class, next to that is the specific beta item to look for in the equipment box):
Hammer - Binding Rock (aim at and bash head of monster until dead)
Dual Blades - Jyura Hatchets (activate Demon Mode with R2, go ham to build up meter and enter Archdemon Mode which will run out over time, repeat),
Bow - Hunter's Bow (charge shots by holding R2 or dodging, aim for weak spots, line up as many Dragon Piercer shots with Triangle + Circle as you can)
Sword & Shield - Iron Bang (use the Circle/shield bash attacks to hit monsters' heads to interrupt/stun them, hit and run for quick combos, charged jump attack you can use to mount or bash heads, heal/use items without sheathing your weapon)
Long Sword - Wyvern Blade (great range and damage, charge up Spirit Meter with consecutive hits then spend with R2 attacks. Note: this is a good beginner choice solo, but in multiplayer there is a substantial risk of tripping/knocking over your allies and it requires more skilled positioning)
4. Besides the quest monsters, there are 5 other monsters you can seek out and hunt in this beta. If you're hunting something other than the quest monster, open your map with the touchpad and select the one you want to track in the bottom left (once you've found some traces of it) and click R3, and your scoutflies will aim your toward it.
Here are the 9 monsters available to hunt in the beta:
The four quest monsters:
Great Jagras: a total jobber, Great Jagras is just there to teach you the basics of tracking and hunting. He is squishy and pathetic, and if serving you any substantial challenge this means you haven't gotten the basics of your weapon down yet.
Barroth: your first test of skill. Barroth is easy to embarrass if you know what you're doing, but can be a challenge while still learning the ropes. He can shake off mud to both slow you down while in it and cause Waterblight, which reduces stamina. With most weapons you want to avoid his armored head- his weak point is actually his feeble T-rex arns,
Anjanath: Anjanath is a pretty legit challenge until you're very familair with all his attacks. He has a super aggressive enrage state, can do burning/fire damage at close range, and is just overall way more punishing than the other two. Being able to solo Anjanath with your preferred weapon without any trouble is a good sign that you're ready for the bigger challenges.
Nergigante: by many accounts tough as nails unless you're a pro at this, though seemingly easier to solo than to fight in a group. You want to stay as close to him as possible as his aggression becomes even more of a threat at range. If you happen to be using a bowgun, I have it on good authority that slicing ammo is his weakness. Nergi is an elder dragon, so traps will have no effect on him- don't even try.
Two others spawn in the Ancient Forest:
Pukei-Pukei: this guy has some wacky attacks with a long tongue, ranged shots and the ability to poison, but is squishy and easy to stun. Just keep the aggression on and he crumblues. Only think to watch is staying on top of Antidotes.
Rathalos: Apex predator in this map. He spawns in a nest in the Northeast of the map, very close to the Ancient Forest Camp (this is also where he retreats when very weak to sleep). Does tons of fire damage and poisons with his claw attack. Biggest thing with him is knocking him out of the sky as quickly as possible each time he takes off. Your options for this are flashflies (in the environment, hit them with anything to activate), flash pod ammo (shoot the ground in front of him rather than shooting at him), paralysis knives, Palico flashfly cages, bomb pod ammo shots to the head, and mounting.
And three others spawn in the Wildspire Wastes:
Kulu-Ya-Ku: adorable sassy bird that digs up rocks to use as shields and hit you with. Very low HP, so unless you get unlucky with a rock smack he's a pushover.
Jyuratodus: weird mud-fish monster. He can inflict waterblight like Barroth and basically stays in the mud wallows exclusively, which can restrict your movement. Generally he's not all that tough to manage in the first place, but if you're hunting him in particular, the Waterproof Mantle can make it even easier.
Diablos: apex predator of this area. Diablos has tough skin, really hard-hitting charge attacks, and the ability to burrow underground super fast and pop out for high damage upon reaching you. Get good at sheathing your weapon, running and diving to avoid this. He spawns in the central underground cave in the Wastes. Directly above that, in the area with all the flying creatures, you can hit these creatures with slinger ammo to stun him and notably cause him to pop out of his burrow attack.
3 monsters spawn on a map at a given time, with the quest monster being guaranteed to spawn. So if you're hunting a non-quest monster, it may not be present on your map (though the odds are always good). You can always abandon a quest and retry if you realize your target isn't present.
Diablos, Rathalos, and Nergigante are a substantial challenge compared to the other monsters. If you manage to successfully down all 9 available and still want more MH during this beta, you can go for double or triple hunts where you go after more than one monster per map in the same time limit- just make sure to slay the quest monster last.
Tips for beginners from Monster Hunter: World developer Yuya Tokuda:
The game plays quite differently depending on your choice of weapon, so for newcomers to Monster Hunter, I'd recommend choosing one of the faster weapons, such as the Dual Blades or the Long Sword. These are actually the two weapons I personally use when I'm first testing out a new monster during development, as they let you move around quickly so you can easily get a read of the monster's behaviour.
We also have some ranged weapons available to use: two kinds of Bowgun (Light and Heavy) and the Bow. These weapons have been rather tricky to control in the past, so for Monster Hunter: World, we've made them a lot easier to use. If you're used to playing shooter games, I think you'll be able to pick these up pretty quickly and get right into the hunt.
Links:
[Game Manual (Web)]
[Control Guide (Downloadable)]
[Monster Hunter Era Discord]
[Source 1]
[Source 2]
[Source 3]
Last edited:
