Monster Hunter World is the best-selling iteration in the entire line of Monster Hunter games, and not without a reason. Up until now, MH has been one of the most niche and difficult-to-penetrate franchises out there. For example, the "tutorial" for the game usually takes around 30+ hours! And the post-game is where most fans say the "real" game begins. But, it seems like this new game had a mission to make the series more...approachable to new players. And, they're adding even more quality-of-life changes with the new expansion coming out called Iceborne. So, let's grab a meal at the cantina, prepare all our drops, and complete the investigation called "Find all the secrets the developers left behind!"
10 Poogie's A Monster Hunting Veteran
And starting us off is one of the longest-running staples of the series, Poogie! Now, to people new to monster hunting, Poogie just seems like a sweet little pig that the dev team decided to throw into the hub area. But, to faithful fans, Poogie is literally the symbol of Monster Hunter. This pig mascot has actually been in every single game to date and has fun new interactions in each appearance, especially in MHW. For example, placing Poogie down near the cantina will actually terrify the precious pig, and putting him in other specific locations will unlock costumes!
9 Mining Uragaan Is Old News
While fighting certain monsters in MHW, you can actually mine their back while they flail on the ground. Uragaan is the prime example of this, but Radobaan also gives the option to nab bones of its back. Now, when MHW first released, observant players felt incredibly special whispering this neat little easter egg to their friends. But, this has actually been the case since Uragaans debut appearance in MH3 all the way back in 2009. And that's not all, many of the monsters in this new game have special little tricks to them such as melting Laviasloths armor, disabling Tzitzi-Ya-Ku flashbang, and deflating Paolumu. It's a franchise that honestly encourages critical thinking.
8 Rotten Vale Is A Dalamadur Carcass That Feeds The Coral Highlands
It's unexpected in a game centered around hunting monsters, but the franchise actually has a pretty strong message of death and rebirth. Hunters pay respect to their kills by using every part of the animal, even the bones. Well, except when the bones are too big like the giant skeleton that makes up a large portion of the Rotten Vale. Turns out that we should've recognized this skeleton, considering it's been confirmed as a Dalamadur, one of the most fearsome monsters from MH4U. Using previous game monsters in this way is pretty new for the franchise and an awesome way to literally build lore on the backs of previous titles.
7 Farming Skills That Make Old Fans Cry
The biggest part of Monster Hunter is, of course, hunting the monsters. And, after each hunt, the materials from said monsters become new pieces of armor, each with their own special skills. But, what most new players kind of overlooked, was the farming-based skills. Stuff like Mushroomancer, Entomologist, and Detector are all 100% centered around gathering! In fact, if one was to build an entire armor set around gathering, that hunter would have at least 2x the amount of honey, herbs, and other materials. Gatherings a big deal, and only the people who remember having to bring pickaxe's, bug nets, and paintballs seem to keep that in mind.
6 First Wyverians = More Ancient Civilization Lore?
Oddly enough, the MH games don't actually have much "lore" in them. See monster? Monster bad. Go hunt monster. That's about it. Well, other than the Ancient Wyvern War thats hinted at in descriptions and journal entries throughout the series. It's where Gunlances, Switch Axes, and Charge Blades all originated from and apparently, the Monster Hunters are descendants of these ancient people which is why they seem to have supernatural strength. There are minor allusions to this in MHW but the real secret is that it seems like the game is introducing its own new "ancient lore" with the First Wyverians, who, going by the name alone, might've been a third faction in the war.
5 Elder Dragons Can't Be Contained
Not necessarily a "secret" per se, but definitely something that classic MH fans don't even bother trying. The elder dragons have never been "capturable" in these games, thats just too demeaning for them. These monsters are comparable to the "Gods" of this world so stopping them from moving with a simple snare seems a bit laughable. Don't even both putting down traps or thinking about capturing them, because it's just not possible. But, make sure to use a flash bug when they're flying, because watching a "god" fall on its face is seriously gratifying.
4 A Familiar Face From MH4U
The Excitable A-Lister is literally the first NPC the Hunter meets at the start of MHW. He's the bright and cheery kid with a real "go-getter" attitude. But, what new players might not know is that this character is actually one of the few in the franchise to return from a past game! Turns out the Exciteable A-Lister is actually the Ace Cadet from MH4U. In that game, he was a brand new hunter and now it seems that he's grown into an A-class and is ready to go out on his own, which is some pretty neat character progression.
3 And The Huntsman Too!
And, speaking of NPC's from past games, there just might be one more in Monster Hunter World, The Huntsman. This character shows up pretty early in the story quests as a sort of "silent and mysterious" hunter wielding a longsword and Rathian armor. There's only one NPC that's been shown to wear almost the exact same gear and its the hunter that showed up in the MHP2ndG trailer. This cinematic shows a hunter working his way up the ranks until an accident with a Nargacuga. Again, it's not confirmed, but the hints are all there. 40 years of hunts, the same armor, and the fact that he knows the Admiral? All too coincidental.
2 Where The Meowscular Chef Got So Buff
Now, this isn't actually a huge reference to a past game or something like that. Rather, this is a cute easter egg for any diehard fans that pay attention to every little piece of dialogue. The Meowscular Chef is the head cook at the Cantina where our hunter eats all his meals before heading out. He's huge for a Palico, and oddly buff as well, which is awesome. But, he also carries half of a cat-sized greatsword on his back. Turns out that this chef actually used to be a hunter, for none other than the Admiral himself, but broke his weapon while fighting a monster and took up the life of a culinary artist instead. How admirable!
1 And Elder Dragons Affect Even The Map
This last secret is just a teensy little detail that fans might like. MHW has by far the most complex environments and animals in the series. The amount of bugs, fauna, and smaller creatures in every map is staggering. And, they all have their own such complex behaviors. But, seems like the Elder Dragons are able to impact more than we thought, such as the weather of these lush areas. For example, Kirin makes the Coral Highlands into a dark and stormy nightmare, Kushala Daora makes wind soar through the trees of the Ancient Forest, and Teostra somehow makes Wildspire Waste even hotter! The Elder Dragons are no joke, and even the terrain itself is trying to let the Hunter know.