Monster Hunter Outlanders Launch Guide and Tips for Beginners

Foreign monster huntersthe free-to-play open-world survival game developed by TiMi Studio Group under license from Capcom, launched on October 29 for iOS and Android. Hunt monsters, collect materials, and craft gear on the island of Esoland, alone or in a team of four players.

Key terms to know

The playable characters are called Adventurers. Your protagonist is the destined adventurer, while the story adventurers you recruit are each tied to a weapon and one of three classes: Assault for damage, Disruptor for debuffs and crowd control, and Support for healing and buffs. Companions are companions, and the Companion, Rutaco, and Trillan side with Assault, Disruptor, and Support. Radiant monsters are creatures altered by a substance found on Aesoland. Standard contracts, used to recruit adventurers, come from quests or from exchanging Ruta coins.

Start with the Fated Adventurer

The Fated Adventurer is customizable and can use every weapon and role, so test out the weapons here before spending recruitment items. The store listing names seven weapons, and the makers have confirmed an eighth for launch: Great Sword, Long Sword, Dual Blades, Hammer, Lance, Heavy Crossbow and Bow and loaded blade. Recruitment only affects characters, so weapons and equipment are made from hunting materials. Some content is limited to the destined adventurer.

Choose a control scheme and learn the lock

Foreign monster hunters offers a traditional multi-button layout and a simplified three-button layout built around the attack, dodge, and a final one, this last one aimed at players new to mobile action games. The official site lists controller support. Holding down the lock button opens a radial menu for targeting parts like the head, wings, legs, or tail, but you still have to reposition yourself to land a successful hit.

Progress and manage resources

Building watchtowers clears the map of fog, while ziplines and wind-generating devices remain in place after departure, reducing travel times. Daily and weekly activities reward experience, currency and materials. Several guides recommend focusing upgrades on one main weapon instead of spreading rare materials across several, and one suggests forging gear immediately after defeating a monster. Check your in-game inbox for pre-registration rewards, which include Raya, a Disruptor with dual blades.

Build a balanced party

Cover all three classes and let a friend fill in any gaps. Recruited adventurers have preset roles, weapons, and ultimate abilities, and in some situations can surpass the intended adventurer. Learn their moves before pressing the attack button, because their animations may differ from the base weapon and leave openings.

Combat Tips

Monsters glow red before big attacks, so dodge when red appears. In the Tokyo Game Show demo, the glow was sometimes shown before a monster took flight, not right before the attack. Ultimates activate when you tap your character’s portrait once their gauge fills, and some force a noticeable flinch. Radiant monsters are tougher than standard monsters and can enter frenzied states, so upgrade your equipment before facing them.

Explore and team up

Minigames, gliding, and egg collection challenges are scattered across the map. Up to four players can hunt together, and test builds deal extra damage when teammates hit a broken part of the monster in quick succession.

Mobile requirements

The official site recommends iOS 17 or Android 12 or later with at least 6GB of RAM and lists controller support. Citing the pre-download notice, it provides a minimum of iOS 15 on an iPhone 8 Plus with 3GB of RAM or Android 12 with 4GB of RAM, plus about 20GB of storage on iOS and 16GB on Android. Monster Hunter Outlanders was also tested on Honor X9b and provided a smooth experience.