Monster Hunter Rise reached PC on January 12, 2022, roughly ten months after its Switch debut, and it is built around Kamura Village and the Rampage. The Wirebug is the headline change: it lets all 14 weapon types climb walls, cancel knockdown animations and mount monsters in mid air. Magnamalo is the flagship, with Wind Serpent Ibushi and Thunder Serpent Narwa closing out the base story.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Shrine Ruins | Wirebug and Silkbind attacks basics | Big opening burst | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Frost Islands | Wyvern Riding mastery | Big opening burst | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Sandy Plains | Spiribirds and Petalace + gear | Counter duelist or Big opening burst | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Flooded Forest | Build optimization | Counter duelist | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Lava Caverns | Min-max | Counter duelist or Aerial mounter | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Shrine Ruins)
The first map and the most forgiving. Great Izuchi, Aknosom and Arzuros live here, and the vertical shrine structures are ideal for practising Wiredash traversal.
Level/Difficulty: Low Rank 1 to 3 Key Rewards: Basic ores, Monster Bone Small, first armor sets
What to Do in Shrine Ruins
- Learn Wirebug and Silkbind attacks. Two Wirebugs recharge on their own and power both traversal Wiredashes and weapon specific Silkbind moves. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Big opening burst as your starting role. See our builds guide for why.
- Do a Spiribird lap before you engage. A full collection with a good Petalace adds several hundred health plus a meaningful attack boost, which is a bigger swing than most armor upgrades at the same stage of the game.
- Acquire your first weapons upgrade: Great Sword or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Wirebug and Silkbind attacks fundamentals
- Big opening burst selected and functional
- Shrine Ruins main content cleared
- Ready for Frost Islands
Phase 2: Early Game (Frost Islands)
Snowfields holding Khezu, Goss Harag, Lagombi and Barioth. The terrain does more work than the weather, with ice slides that carry you between areas faster than running.
Level/Difficulty: Low Rank 3 to High Rank Key Rewards: Ice element materials, Goss Harag parts, Frost Islands endemic life
What to Do in Frost Islands
- Work on Wyvern Riding. Enough mounted damage, or a Silkbind hit on a monster already slammed by another monster, puts you in direct control of it. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Great Sword if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Wirebug Recovery turns a knockdown into a dodge for the cost of one Wirebug. Getting comfortable with it deletes the long recovery animations that made older Monster Hunter punishing, and it works from almost any launched state.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Sandy Plains.
- Consider whether Counter duelist might suit your playstyle better than Big opening burst.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Wyvern Riding integrated into gameplay
- Great Sword acquired
- Frost Islands fully cleared
- Ready for Sandy Plains
Phase 3: Mid Game (Sandy Plains)
Desert map split between an open surface and a cave system below, hosting Diablos, Rathian and Kulu-Ya-Ku. Sandstorm areas cut visibility in the outer regions.
Level/Difficulty: Low Rank 3 to High Rank Key Rewards: Diablos parts, Machalite Ore, Rathian plates
What to Do in Sandy Plains
- Master Spiribirds and Petalace. Coloured birds scattered across each map add health, stamina, attack or defence for the length of a quest. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Long Sword. It's the best weapon and becomes accessible around now.
- Wyvern Riding is at its best when two large monsters share an area. Mount one, drive it into the other, and a two monster nuisance becomes free mounted damage plus a knockdown.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Switch Skills for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Spiribirds and Petalace mastered
- Long Sword acquired or in progress
- Sandy Plains fully cleared
- Ready for Flooded Forest
Phase 4: Late Game (Flooded Forest)
Waterlogged map where deep sections slow melee weapons badly. Mizutsune, Almudron, Somnacanth and Royal Ludroth all use the water far better than you can.
Level/Difficulty: Low Rank 4 to High Rank Key Rewards: Mizutsune parts, water element materials, Almudron materials
What to Do in Flooded Forest
- Finalize your build. You should be running Counter duelist or Big opening burst with optimized gear.
- Long Sword should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Switch Skills change in the tent, so bring the loadout that suits the target. Against something fast like Nargacuga a counter oriented set beats the raw damage alternatives on nearly every weapon.
- Rampage quests optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Lava Caverns.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Long Sword upgraded to max
- Flooded Forest fully cleared
- Ready for Lava Caverns
Phase 5: Endgame (Lava Caverns)
Split between a scorching upper layer and a cooler flooded lower layer. Rakna-Kadaki and Volvidon appear here, and the vertical shafts reward Wirebug confidence more than any other base map.
Level/Difficulty: High Rank and above Key Rewards: Dragonite Ore, Fucium Ore, Rakna-Kadaki materials
What to Do in Lava Caverns
- Lava Caverns tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Rampage quests are won at the gate installations, not on foot. Set Ballistae and Cannons before the wave lands, save the Dragonator for the apex monster, and time your Hunting Installations off the counter signal.
- The endgame loop: run Lava Caverns, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Aerial mounter for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Rampage quests mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Lava Caverns fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Skipping the Spiribird collection because it feels slow. Hunters who sprint straight at the monster fight with a fraction of their possible health pool and then wonder why they cart twice.
- Treating the Hunting Horn as a support only weapon. Rise plays melodies as part of the attack chain, so a Horn user focused on damage still buffs the party at almost no cost.
- Never touching Switch Skills. Leaving the default set on every weapon means ignoring roughly half of what the game handed you to work with.
- Fighting Rampage waves on foot instead of using installations. The gate defences do far more damage than you do, and a wave that reaches the gate is much harder to reverse.
- Building pure raw attack on Dual Blades. The weapon's hit count makes elemental scaling much stronger, and an elemental set against a matched weakness beats raw by a wide margin.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Do a Spiribird lap before you engage. A full collection with a good Petalace adds several hundred health plus a meaningful attack boost, which is a bigger swing than most armor upgrades at the same stage of the game.
- Wirebug Recovery turns a knockdown into a dodge for the cost of one Wirebug. Getting comfortable with it deletes the long recovery animations that made older Monster Hunter punishing, and it works from almost any launched state.
- Wyvern Riding is at its best when two large monsters share an area. Mount one, drive it into the other, and a two monster nuisance becomes free mounted damage plus a knockdown.
- Switch Skills change in the tent, so bring the loadout that suits the target. Against something fast like Nargacuga a counter oriented set beats the raw damage alternatives on nearly every weapon.
- Rampage quests are won at the gate installations, not on foot. Set Ballistae and Cannons before the wave lands, save the Dragonator for the apex monster, and time your Hunting Installations off the counter signal.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More MONSTER HUNTER RISE Guides
- MONSTER HUNTER RISE MONSTER HUNTER RISE Overview
- MONSTER HUNTER RISE Best Builds
- MONSTER HUNTER RISE Tier List
- MONSTER HUNTER RISE Beginner's Guide
- MONSTER HUNTER RISE Tips & Tricks
- MONSTER HUNTER RISE Weapons Guide
- MONSTER HUNTER RISE Combat Guide
- MONSTER HUNTER RISE Boss Guide
- MONSTER HUNTER RISE Maps & Locations
- MONSTER HUNTER RISE Crafting Guide
- MONSTER HUNTER RISE Classes & Characters
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