Hey Riders, With the launch of Monster Hunter Stories rapidly approaching on June 14, we thought we’d hatch a new series of posts to help welcome you all to our RPG set in the world of Monster Hunter, where instead of hunting monsters, you’re raising them! To kick things off, we’ll start with a brief introduction, for both those who are familiar with Monster Hunter and played other titles in the series, as well as those of you who are brand new (Hello there!) to Monster Hunter and are joining us for the first time with Stories and its RPG experience! If you’re here with us on Steam, there’s a good chance you’ve seen our latest trailer, showcasing some of the story, combat and Monstie raising elements of the game. But, just in-case, you can check it out below: [previewyoutube=N5rgFruN1bg;full][/previewyoutube] Adventure awaits as you explore the land to acquire and hatch eggs to raise monsters into your Monstie companions, engage in strategic, turn-based RPG combat and save the world whilst you’re at it! [h1]Welcome, Riders![/h1] First things first, welcome to the world of Monster Hunter Stories! In the 20-year history of Monster Hunter, you’d usually assume the role of a hunter, tracking down and hunting powerful creatures known as monsters! However, in Monster Hunter Stories, instead of hunting monsters you hatch them from eggs and raise them, building a team of monsters now known as monsties, to fight alongside in turn-based RPG combat. As you progress through the narrative driven story of Monster Hunter Stories, you can build your team of monsties as you please, suiting your personality and playstyle! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44921309/68653ab88e18df7d8bd6ebe05206367e64cb4849.jpg[/img] [h1]Your Rider![/h1] But first things first, before you can start your adventure and build your team of Monsties, you need your character! Very early on in the game, you’ll be given the ability to customise your appearance in-game! You can choose to opt for the young rider you can see on the cover art and image above, or create your own custom character from an array of options, including your body, hair, eyes and more! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44921309/af3e728a755df76f72bc62f0464892b575789bf9.jpg[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44921309/fbf80f8640ae77ee1334f0f7b78e25d174c49549.jpg[/img] Whether you choose to have a go at having your avatar share your resemblance, or become a Rider of your own custom design, you’ll soon be on your way and ready to get your very first Monstie! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44921309/c69394c2d13cbee2a7cd1617949a070c1ac1ffd9.png[/img] So now we’ve had a quick look at how you’re Rider will come into shape, but what’s a Rider without Monsties!? Let’s see how you’ll find, hatch and grow your team of companions. [h1]Monsties![/h1] You’ve now made your Rider and even hatched your first Monstie, but how do you get more? Throughout your adventure in Monster Hunter Stories, you’ll come explore various fields from a lush forest, to a ice cold snowfield and more. All of these locales feature “Monster Dens” which you can discover via exploration, or by searching nearby after a monster retreats from a successful battle. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44921309/35e87f9fbeb357b13eb1c6c4f9274617e1b5eb5c.jpg[/img] [i]A Monster Den is discovered![/i] Monster Dens are where you can find Monstie eggs, allowing you to find new Monsties and expand your team! If you’re familiar with RPGs, Monster Dens can be compared to “mini-dungeons”, as you explore these locations, battling monsters, finding useful items and searching for your grand prize at the deepest part of the den, a monster nest full of eggs! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44921309/558c70d34c70a26e900a37a124e9e2cf2a25124b.jpg[/img] [i]Easy does it, waking up the monster can lead to a challenging battle![/i] Now all you need to do is grab an egg! You can try multiple times to find a particular egg you’re looking for, but be warned, the more times you reach into the nest, the higher the chance the monster protecting it will awake and go on the offensive! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44921309/f07acb96131e1fee64eef4828deb3f77123d0986.jpg[/img] [i]RUN![/i] After finding the egg of your choice, start running! Upon reaching a safe distance from the nest, you can leave the den with your new Monstie egg! And in an eggshell, that’s how you’ll expand your team of Monsties! There’s plenty of Monsties to find and hatch, giving you a wide range of powerful, cute and interesting companions to raise and fight. Those of you familiar with Monster Hunter may well come across some of your favourites too! [b]To the Stables![/b] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44921309/1d872402d82b5cb1d8f077f917bd993be1cb4a74.jpg[/img] [i]So many to choose from, how eggciting![/i] Now you’ve got an egg, or eggs, you’ll want to head to the nearest Stables to hatch your new Monsties! What hatches will depend on the eggs you grabbed, so if you’re looking to get more varied Monsties, or more of a particular one, pay close attention to the colour and pattern on the egg, as well as where the dens you sourced them from are! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44921309/af7ca58c23d49c43c2e36634c468aa4e6f61e54b.jpg[/img] [i]Baby Monsties![/i] Now, they’re ready go join you on your adventure! Make sure to bring any you want to use along with you so they can gain experience and grow throughout your adventure, helping you overcome any monstrous adversaries that stand in your way! [b]Rite of Channeling[/b] As you progress through Monster Hunter Stories, you’ll unlock the Rite of Channelling, a way for you to further customise and grow your favourite Monsties by channelling genes (modifiers that dramatically impact how your Monsties perform in battle), from one Monstie to another. This can change their stats, attack moves and even their elemental type and damage! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44921309/173554958107e8e698c083de1aaa7d30d61d0dbb.png[/img] Moving this particular fire attack gene from Yian-Kut-Ku will transform Lagombi’s element from ice to fire! You can try this with a range of monsties, so feel free to experiment to create your ideal team and even include a few surprise twists on what you’d expect from these monsters in other Monster Hunter titles! The power is in your hands, Riders! [h1]Ride On![/h1] That wraps up today’s post! To those of you new to Monster Hunter Stories, or Monster Hunter in general, we hope you found this post helpful! Monster Hunter Stories release is imminently and we hope you join us for a grand adventure where instead of hunting monsters, you team-up to save the world! If you’re reading this before release, there’s still time to pre-order for some snazzy Rathalos and Rathian outfits for Navirou too: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2356560/Monster_Hunter_Stories/ Thanks, Riders! - Monster Hunter Community Team