Monster Hunter World (MHW) is a sprawling ecosystem brimming with life, challenges, and, most importantly, quests. While the main story quests drive the narrative forward, the optional quests are where the true depth of the game lies. They offer fantastic rewards, deepen your understanding of the world, and unlock crucial upgrades. However, accessing these quests isn’t always straightforward. This guide will illuminate the path to unlocking every optional quest in MHW, ensuring you don’t miss out on valuable content.
Understanding Optional Quests: More Than Just Side Activities
Optional quests in Monster Hunter World serve multiple purposes. They aren’t simply filler content; they are integral to progressing your hunter, improving your gear, and accessing new areas. Successfully completing optional quests can unlock:
- New canteen ingredients for stat-boosting meals.
- Augmentations for your weapons and armor, dramatically increasing their power.
- Specialized tools like mantles and boosters that provide tactical advantages in combat.
- Unique armor sets and layered armor for customizing your hunter’s appearance.
- New investigations for rare monsters.
- Access to higher-ranked optional quests, creating a chain of challenges.
Ignoring optional quests means missing out on a significant portion of the game’s potential and making your hunting life considerably harder.
The Core Mechanics: How Optional Quests Are Triggered
Unlocking optional quests in Monster Hunter World is a multi-faceted process. It often involves a combination of factors, including:
- Hunter Rank (HR): Many quests are tied to your Hunter Rank. As you progress through the main story and complete assigned quests, your HR will increase, unlocking new tiers of optional quests.
- Completion of Previous Quests: A significant number of optional quests are unlocked by completing other optional quests. This often creates a branching questline where completing one quest unlocks several more.
- Speaking to NPCs (Non-Player Characters): This is perhaps the most crucial element. NPCs throughout Astera and Seliana will offer quests upon speaking to them. They often have an exclamation mark (!) above their heads indicating they have something important to say. However, sometimes the exclamation mark is subtle, or doesn’t appear at all until specific conditions are met.
- Discovering New Monsters: Successfully hunting or capturing a new monster for the first time can trigger new optional quests related to that monster.
- Completing Deliveries: Resource deliveries given by the Resource Center often unlock optional quests upon completion. These deliveries usually involve gathering specific materials found in the various hunting locales.
- Research Level: Increasing your research level of a monster through tracking and hunting it can unlock optional quests related to that monster.
- Location Exploration: Sometimes, simply exploring new areas within the game’s locales can trigger events or NPC encounters that lead to new optional quests.
Mastering these mechanics is the key to unlocking the full spectrum of optional quests in MHW.
A Step-by-Step Guide To Unlocking Optional Quests
The following breakdown will guide you through the process of unlocking optional quests, broken down by key areas and specific triggers.
Astera Optional Quests: The Foundation
Astera is the hub for your initial Monster Hunter World experience, and it holds a wealth of optional quests.
- Early Game Quests: Focus on completing the assigned quests to raise your Hunter Rank. This will unlock basic optional quests involving gathering materials and hunting smaller monsters. Talk to all NPCs in Astera frequently.
- The Botanical Research Center: Completing deliveries for the Botanical Research Center is crucial. These deliveries often unlock quests related to cultivating specific resources and enhancing your farm.
- The Canteen: Completing quests for the chef in the canteen will unlock new ingredients and meal options. These ingredients provide valuable stat boosts before hunts.
- The Smithy: Interact with the smithy frequently. He will provide quests related to gathering materials for crafting new weapons and armor.
- The Resource Center: The Resource Center offers bounties and deliveries. Completing these can unlock new optional quests, particularly those involving specific monsters.
- The Third Fleet Master: Speak to the Third Fleet Master to unlock quests that involve capturing endemic life.
Seliana Optional Quests: Iceborne’s Bounty
Once you’ve progressed to Iceborne and reached Seliana, a new wave of optional quests becomes available. These quests are generally more challenging and offer even better rewards.
- Master Rank: Seliana introduces Master Rank quests. Focus on completing the assigned Master Rank quests to unlock higher-tier optional quests.
- The Seliana Canteen: Similar to Astera, completing quests for the chef in the Seliana canteen unlocks new ingredients and meal options. These meals are essential for surviving the tougher Iceborne hunts.
- The Steamworks: Interacting with the Steamworks in Seliana and providing fuel will unlock quests and items.
- The Smithy (Seliana): The Smithy in Seliana offers Master Rank crafting quests, requiring new materials found in the Hoarfrost Reach and other Iceborne locales.
- The Resource Center (Seliana): Completing deliveries and bounties for the Seliana Resource Center unlocks Master Rank optional quests, often involving new monsters and challenging hunts.
- Hoarfrost Reach Exploration: Thoroughly explore the Hoarfrost Reach. Discovering new areas, monsters, and endemic life can trigger new optional quests.
- Guiding Lands: Unlocking and exploring the Guiding Lands is essential for unlocking many Master Rank optional quests, particularly those related to tempered monsters and augmentations.
Specific Quest Triggers: Diving Deeper
Beyond the general guidelines, some optional quests have very specific triggers. Here are a few examples:
- Capture Quests: Many optional quests require capturing a specific monster rather than hunting it. Capturing provides more research points and often unlocks subsequent quests.
- Special Arena Quests: Special arena quests unlock after capturing a specific monster for the first time. These quests allow you to fight the captured monster in a confined arena setting.
- Layered Armor Quests: Certain optional quests, often involving challenging monsters or special events, unlock layered armor sets, allowing you to customize your character’s appearance without affecting their stats.
- The “Talk to Everyone” Rule: Seriously, talk to every NPC in Astera and Seliana after completing major story milestones or unlocking new Hunter Ranks. You’d be surprised how often a seemingly insignificant conversation triggers a new quest.
- Endemic Life Photography: The Ecological Research team will sometimes offer quests to photograph specific endemic life creatures in certain locales. These quests often reward you with items or decorations.
Tracking Your Progress: Staying Organized
With so many optional quests available, it’s easy to lose track of which ones you’ve completed and which ones you still need to unlock.
- The Quest Board: The quest board in Astera and Seliana displays all available optional quests. You can filter them by rank, locale, and type. Pay attention to the “Completed” and “New” icons.
- The Resource Center: The Resource Center’s “Manage Investigations” option allows you to view your current investigations and any special assignments you’ve received.
- External Resources: Numerous online resources, such as wikis and fan-made guides, provide detailed information on how to unlock specific optional quests. These resources can be invaluable when you’re stuck.
- Personal Checklist: Consider creating your own checklist of optional quests, organized by rank or locale. This can help you stay focused and ensure you don’t miss anything.
- Remember the ! Marks: Keep an eye out for exclamation marks above NPCs’ heads, both in Astera and Seliana. These usually indicate a new quest or important dialogue.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Even with a comprehensive guide, you might encounter situations where you’re unable to unlock a specific optional quest. Here are some common troubleshooting tips:
- Double-Check Requirements: Carefully review the quest’s requirements. Make sure you’ve met all the prerequisites, such as Hunter Rank, completion of previous quests, and resource deliveries.
- Talk to All NPCs: As mentioned earlier, talk to every NPC in Astera and Seliana. Sometimes, the quest giver is not immediately obvious.
- Explore the Locales: Thoroughly explore the locales associated with the quest. You might need to discover a specific area or interact with an environmental object to trigger the quest.
- Increase Research Level: If the quest involves a specific monster, increase your research level by tracking and hunting it.
- Restart the Game: In rare cases, a glitch might prevent a quest from unlocking. Restarting the game can sometimes resolve the issue.
- Consult Online Resources: If you’re still stuck, consult online resources such as wikis and forums. Other players may have encountered the same issue and found a solution.
- Check Your Quest Log: Make sure you haven’t already accepted the quest. It might be hidden among your active quests.
Maximizing Your Optional Quest Experience
Here are a few tips to make the most of your optional quest experience:
- Team Up: Playing with friends or other hunters can make challenging optional quests much easier.
- Experiment with Builds: Optional quests are a great opportunity to experiment with different weapon and armor builds.
- Focus on Rewards: Prioritize optional quests that offer rewards you need, such as canteen ingredients or augmentation materials.
- Enjoy the Journey: Don’t rush through the optional quests. Take your time to explore the world, learn about the monsters, and enjoy the challenge.
- Be Patient: Unlocking all optional quests can take time and effort. Don’t get discouraged if you encounter roadblocks.
Unlocking all the optional quests in Monster Hunter World is a challenging but rewarding endeavor. By understanding the core mechanics, following the step-by-step guide, and troubleshooting common issues, you can unlock the full potential of the game and become a true master hunter.
What Are Optional Quests In Monster Hunter World?
Optional quests are side quests that offer rewards and contribute to your overall progress in Monster Hunter World. Unlike story quests (assigned quests), they aren’t mandatory to advance the main narrative, but completing them unlocks new items, ingredients, canteen meals, armor upgrades, and more. They act as a way to improve your hunter’s strength and efficiency, and they also often provide opportunities to hunt specific monsters repeatedly for their materials.
Completing optional quests is crucial for a well-rounded experience in Monster Hunter World. Beyond the immediate rewards, they often unlock important features, such as new specialized tools or layered armor. Many optional quests also lead to even more optional quests, creating a branching network of content that rewards diligent exploration and completion. Engaging with them is a vital part of preparing for the more challenging hunts later in the game.
How Do I Unlock New Optional Quests?
New optional quests are unlocked in a variety of ways in Monster Hunter World. A common method is by completing assigned quests, the main story missions. As you progress through the storyline and rank up, new optional quests become available at the Gathering Hub or by speaking to NPCs in Astera, Seliana (Iceborne), or other locations.
Another way to unlock optional quests is by fulfilling specific conditions, such as capturing a certain type of monster, discovering endemic life, or collecting specific items in the environment. These conditions are often hinted at by NPCs, so pay attention to their dialogue. Some quests are also unlocked by increasing your research level with specific monsters or by progressing through other optional quest lines.
What Are The Benefits Of Completing Optional Quests?
The benefits of completing optional quests are numerous and significantly enhance your hunting experience. Many quests provide crucial rewards, such as new canteen ingredients that provide powerful buffs during hunts, or unlock important mantles and boosters that grant temporary advantages in combat. Successfully finishing optional quests also unlocks new armor and weapon upgrades, allowing you to strengthen your equipment and tackle tougher monsters.
Beyond direct rewards, optional quests contribute to your overall progression. They increase your hunter rank, which unlocks access to higher-level monsters and areas. Furthermore, completing specific sets of optional quests is often a prerequisite for unlocking some of the most challenging and rewarding content in the game, like special assignments or event quests. Ultimately, optional quests are a vital component of a successful Monster Hunter World experience.
What Is The Difference Between Optional Quests And Investigations?
Optional quests are pre-defined side quests with fixed rewards and objectives. They are available after meeting specific conditions and can be repeated as many times as desired. The monsters you hunt, the map you fight in, and the rewards you receive remain consistent each time you undertake a particular optional quest.
Investigations, on the other hand, are randomly generated hunts that appear after discovering monster tracks or breaking monster parts during expeditions or quests. Investigations have variable rewards, limited attempts, and often include additional conditions like time limits or limited faints. They provide a dynamic way to farm specific monster materials and offer a welcome change of pace from the structured nature of optional quests.
How Do I Find Specific Optional Quests?
The easiest way to find specific optional quests is to check the quest board in Astera or Seliana. Filter the quests by difficulty level (1-9 stars) to narrow your search. You can also use online resources like the Monster Hunter World Wiki or dedicated fan sites to find lists of optional quests, their requirements, and their rewards.
Another helpful tip is to speak to all the NPCs in Astera, Seliana, and other hub areas. Many NPCs will have a speech bubble with an exclamation point (!) over their head, indicating they have a request for you, which often unlocks a new optional quest. Keep in mind that some quests might only be available after progressing through the story or completing other specific optional quests.
Are There Any Optional Quests I Should Prioritize?
Yes, several optional quests are particularly beneficial to prioritize early on in your Monster Hunter World journey. Focus on completing quests that unlock canteen ingredients, as these provide essential buffs like increased health and attack power. Also, prioritize quests that unlock important mantles and boosters, like the Vitality Mantle and the Apothecary Mantle, as these can significantly improve your survivability and combat effectiveness.
In addition to those, aim for quests that reward you with armor spheres. Armor spheres are essential for upgrading your armor, increasing its defense stats, and allowing you to withstand more damage from tougher monsters. These optional quests often involve hunting smaller monsters or gathering resources, making them relatively easy to complete and providing a valuable boost to your overall progression.
Do Optional Quests Disappear After A Certain Point In The Game?
No, optional quests do not disappear once they are unlocked. Once an optional quest becomes available, it will remain accessible on the quest board unless specific rare exceptions occur, usually due to story progression temporarily locking areas. You can return to them at any point in the game, regardless of your hunter rank or story progress.
However, note that certain event quests are time-limited and will disappear when the event ends. These quests are not considered optional quests in the traditional sense, as they are only available for a specific duration. Regular optional quests, however, remain permanently unlocked and repeatable, allowing you to continue farming materials and improving your hunter’s equipment at your own pace.