Monster Hunter World Hunter Rank Guide: how hunter rank works and what it means to you
For both longtime fans of the series and newcomers alike, Monster Hunter World's Hunter Rank system might seem more than a little confusing at first. The system has been a staple in the series since the first game on PlayStation 2, but while it has had its changes over the years - it's fair to say that Monster Hunter World's implementation is the most different yet.
The way that Hunter Rank worked in previous games tied directly into multiplayer quests, which were previously separated from singleplayer quests. Each time your Hunter Rank increased, you would have access to higher rated quests.
After a certain point your Hunter Rank would get high enough as to unlock High Rank quests (and eventually G Rank quests, in some games!) before eventually unlocking once the "final boss" of that game was defeated. But in Monster Hunter World, it's quite different. Let's get into how, after the break:
Got your weapon of choice? Master the rest of Monster Hunter World with our guides:
- Beginner's Guide: Tips & Tricks for new hunters
- Armor Guide: skills, strengths, weaknesses, forging and upgrading
- How to Change Character Appearance after Character Creation
- How to pick up your pre-order bonuses
- How to get the Horizon Zero Dawn Palico Watcher gear
- Event Quests: current quests and their notable rewards
How Hunter Rank works in Monster Hunter World
Monster Hunter World keeps the same basic idea of locking certain quests behind certain hunter ranks, but this time even different quests confined to the same quest difficulty rating might have different Hunter Rank requirements.
For example, despite both being 8-star quests, Nergigante only requires Hunter Rank 13, whereas Teostra and the other Elder Dragons require Hunter Rank 14.
Of course, much like other titles in the franchise your true Hunter Rank will eventually unlock once you clear the final "story" quest.
Basically, it'd be accurate to say that any Hunter Rank above 16 is an "unlocked" Hunter Rank. Some games in the series maxed out the Hunter Rank at 999, but Monster Hunter World adopts the slower burn to Hunter Rank 100.
Along the way the Hunter Rank will periodically get relocked at certain milestones, where then a new challenge will be assigned in order to progress further into the Hunter Ranks. One such quest would be the Hunter Rank 29 quest that requires the hunter to take down two Tempered Bazelgeuse.
Once your Hunter Rank unlocks, completing any quest will contribute to your rank and towards your next Hunter Rank up. Any side quests and grinding you might've done previously will also contribute to this number, of course - so most players will probably be somewhere in the mid 20s when they unlock their rank for the first time.
Hunter Rank itself doesn't have any passive bonuses to your character outside of increasing the rate at which Xeno'jiiva's optional quest will spawn, as well as the aforementioned Assigned Quests that will gate a players progress.