The thrill of the hunt in Monster Hunter World is undeniable, but to truly master the art of slaying behemoths, you need more than just sharp weapons and a keen eye. You need the right tools, and that means investing wisely in your research points. These precious resources, earned through quests and expeditions, open up a world of possibilities, allowing you to enhance your equipment, craft new armor sets, and even unlock powerful skills. But with so many options available, it can be overwhelming to decide where to invest your hard-earned points.
This guide will dissect the intricate world of research points, offering a comprehensive breakdown of the best ways to spend your resources and maximize your hunter’s potential. We’ll explore the key categories of research, analyze the most impactful upgrades, and provide insights into strategic allocation to ensure you’re always one step ahead in the ever-evolving hunt.
The Power of Research: Unveiling the Potential
Research points are the lifeblood of your hunter’s progression in Monster Hunter World. They unlock a multitude of crucial features, granting you access to:
- Weapon and Armor Upgrades: Refine your gear to its full potential, increasing its attack power, defense, and unlocking unique skill slots.
- New Gear: Craft powerful armor sets and acquire potent weapons, allowing you to specialize your build and tackle even the most daunting monsters.
- Item Crafting: Unlock recipes for new potions, traps, and other consumables, providing you with crucial support during hunts.
- Research Quests: Gain access to challenging quests that offer rare materials, unique rewards, and deeper insights into the world of Monster Hunter World.
Each research category offers unique benefits, but understanding the hierarchy of importance is key to optimizing your progress.
Prioritizing Your Investments: A Strategic Approach
The most effective way to allocate your research points depends on your individual goals and play style. However, certain categories offer a more immediate and impactful advantage, particularly for new hunters:
1. Weapon and Armor Upgrades:
Investing in your existing gear is paramount, especially early in the game. Upgrading weapons and armor significantly increases your overall power, allowing you to tackle increasingly difficult monsters and quests. Focus on refining the gear you use most frequently, particularly your primary weapon and armor set.
2. New Gear:
Unlocking new weapons and armor sets opens up new strategic possibilities and combat styles. As you progress, explore the vast array of weapons and armor sets available, experimenting with different playstyles and finding what works best for you. Prioritize crafting gear that complements your existing set or addresses specific weaknesses in your current build.
3. Item Crafting:
Unlocking new items and consumables is essential for staying ahead of the curve. Invest in crafting recipes for potions, traps, and other support items that enhance your survival and combat efficiency. Prioritize those that are particularly useful against the monsters you’re currently hunting.
4. Research Quests:
While important for unlocking new materials and rewards, research quests can be tackled later in the game. Once you have a strong foundation of weapons, armor, and crafting recipes, you can focus on pursuing the challenges and rewards offered by research quests.
Maximizing Your Research: A Deeper Dive into the Details
1. Weapon and Armor Upgrades:
The key to weapon and armor upgrades lies in understanding the “Master Rank” system. You’ll encounter different ranks for each piece of gear, with higher ranks requiring specific materials and a greater investment of research points. Focus on refining your most used weapons and armor sets to the highest possible rank, unlocking the full potential of your current gear.
2. New Gear:
Explore the different weapon classes and armor sets available in Monster Hunter World, seeking out options that complement your play style. Experiment with different weapons to discover your favorites, and craft armor sets that provide valuable defensive bonuses and skills. Pay attention to the unique skills offered by each piece of gear, as they can dramatically impact your combat effectiveness.
3. Item Crafting:
Prioritize unlocking recipes for items that enhance your survivability and combat effectiveness. Focus on crafting items that directly address your weaknesses or provide a strategic advantage. For example, investing in potions that increase your health or stamina can be invaluable in challenging fights, while crafting traps or bombs can offer a strategic edge.
4. Research Quests:
Once you’ve established a solid base of upgraded weapons, armor, and crafting recipes, research quests offer a wealth of rewards and challenges. These quests often provide access to rare materials, unique armor sets, and powerful weapons. Be prepared for a significant increase in difficulty and a greater focus on strategy.
Adapting Your Strategy: The Evolving Hunter
As you progress through Monster Hunter World, your research needs will evolve alongside your skills and equipment. Keep these key points in mind as you navigate the ever-expanding world of research:
- Prioritize the most used gear: Invest in upgrades and new gear that complements your current build and play style.
- Be aware of the “meta”: Stay informed about the latest trends in gear and weapon builds, as the game’s meta constantly shifts and evolves.
- Experiment and find your niche: Don’t be afraid to try different weapon classes and armor sets to discover what works best for you.
- Stay focused on your goals: Always have a clear objective in mind when allocating research points, whether it’s upgrading your current gear, crafting a new set, or unlocking new crafting recipes.
By utilizing these strategies and investing your research points wisely, you can transform your hunter from novice to master, conquering every challenge and dominating the arena of Monster Hunter World. Remember, the journey of the hunter is a continuous process of growth and evolution, and with each research point invested, you’re forging a path to greatness.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are Research Points, and how do I get them?
Research Points are a valuable resource in Monster Hunter World that lets you unlock and improve various skills and abilities for your Hunter. You earn Research Points by completing quests, capturing monsters, and gathering materials. Each monster you hunt or capture awards a specific amount of Research Points. Additionally, completing certain quests can yield bonus Research Points. The more you explore and engage with the game, the faster your Research Points accumulate.
It’s important to remember that Research Points are a limited resource, so prioritize spending them on the skills and abilities that best suit your playstyle and the monsters you’re hunting. Use your Research Points wisely to optimize your Hunter’s performance and make your hunts more efficient.
2. What are Skill Trees, and how do I use them?
Skill Trees are a core gameplay mechanic in Monster Hunter World that allow you to customize your Hunter’s abilities and unlock new equipment and decorations. Each Skill Tree represents a different aspect of your Hunter’s abilities, such as weapon mastery, armor skills, and crafting techniques. By spending Research Points on a Skill Tree, you unlock new nodes that enhance existing skills or grant new abilities.
As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock more nodes within each Skill Tree, offering greater customization options for your Hunter. Experiment with different skill combinations to find the perfect setup for your preferred playstyle and the challenges you face. Remember that some skills are specific to certain weapon types, so choose wisely based on your favored weapon.
3. Which Skill Tree should I focus on first?
The best Skill Tree to focus on first depends on your playstyle and the weapon you prefer to use. For beginners, the Hunter Skill Tree is a good starting point, offering basic abilities that enhance your overall survivability and combat effectiveness. These skills are beneficial across all weapons and can greatly improve your Hunter’s performance early in the game.
For those who want to specialize in a specific weapon, focus on the corresponding Weapon Skill Tree. Each weapon type has its own unique Skill Tree that unlocks skills specific to that weapon. These skills can drastically enhance your weapon’s performance and provide you with new combat options.
4. Should I prioritize unlocking skills or decorations?
While both skills and decorations are valuable, prioritize unlocking the skills that best suit your playstyle and the monsters you’re hunting. Skills provide significant passive bonuses that can make a substantial difference in your performance, especially early in the game. Decorations, on the other hand, are more specialized and often require multiple decorations to achieve a noticeable impact.
However, as you progress through the game, decorations become increasingly valuable for fine-tuning your build and maximizing your potential. You can often find decorations by dismantling armor pieces, completing certain quests, or participating in events.
5. How do I find the right decorations for my build?
The best decorations for your build depend on the skills you want to maximize and the specific monsters you’re hunting. Some decorations offer powerful boosts to a single skill, while others offer more balanced bonuses across multiple skills. Consult the Decoration list within the game or use online resources like the Monster Hunter World Wiki to find the right decorations for your needs.
Experiment with different decoration combinations to find the perfect balance between maximizing your strengths and covering your weaknesses. Remember that decorations are often specific to a certain rarity level, so you may need to progress further in the game to acquire higher-level decorations.
6. What are the best skills for early game?
For beginners, focusing on skills that enhance your survivability and combat effectiveness is crucial. Health Boost, Stamina Surge, and Fortify are excellent early game skills that can significantly improve your Hunter’s resilience. Sharpness, Weakness Exploit, and Focus are also powerful skills that can increase your damage output and overall efficiency.
Invest in these skills first to gain a strong foundation for your Hunter’s abilities. As you progress through the game and face more challenging monsters, you can then explore more specialized skills that cater to your specific weapon and playstyle.
7. Are there any tips for optimizing my Research Point usage?
To maximize the effectiveness of your Research Point usage, prioritize the skills that directly benefit your playstyle and the monsters you’re hunting. Avoid spreading your Research Points thinly across multiple skills, especially early in the game. Focus on a few key skills that will have the greatest impact on your performance.
Additionally, consider completing quests that offer bonus Research Points for faster progress. These quests are often designated with a special symbol on the quest board. Finally, remember that you can always reset your Skill Tree for a small fee, allowing you to experiment with different skill combinations and find the best build for your Hunter.