In Monster Hunter World, food is more than just a meal—it’s a crucial part of preparing for battle, boosting your stats, and ensuring you survive the toughest encounters. Whether you’re eating at the canteen or crafting consumables in the field, understanding the game’s food mechanics can make the difference between victory and defeat. This guide will delve into everything you need to know about food, eating, and how it impacts your hunts.
The Role of Food in Monster Hunter World
Food plays a vital role in enhancing your hunter’s performance during hunts. Eating a meal provides buffs that can boost your health, stamina, attack power, and defence, giving you a significant edge in battle.
Key Benefits of Food:
- Health and Stamina Boosts: Meals increase your maximum health and stamina, essential for prolonged battles.
- Stat Bonuses: Depending on the ingredients, meals can provide attack, defence, or elemental resistance boosts.
- Skill Activation: Specific ingredient combinations unlock powerful food skills that enhance your abilities.
Pro Tip: Always eat before a hunt, either at the canteen or in camp, to maximize your effectiveness.
Eating at the Canteen
The canteen is your primary source for meals in Monster Hunter World. Here’s how to make the most of it: Here’s how to Use the Canteen:
- Select a Meal Type: Choose between Chef’s Choice, custom meals, or pre-set platters.
- Pick Ingredients: Customize your meal by selecting specific ingredients for tailored bonuses.
- Pay with Points or Money: Use research points or Zenny to pay for your meal.
- Watch the Animation: Enjoy the delightful cooking cutscene (or skip it if you’re in a rush).
Ingredient Types:
- Meat: Boosts attack power.
- Fish: Increases elemental resistance.
- Vegetables: Improves defence.
- Drinks: Enhances stamina recovery and other utility buffs.
Pro Tip: Chef’s Choice Platters automatically provide the best available health and stamina boosts.
Food Skills and How to Unlock Them:
Food skills are powerful buffs that activate when you eat specific ingredient combinations. These skills can turn the tide of a hunt by enhancing your performance.
Examples of Food Skills:
- Felyne Safeguard: Prevents a single cart from counting against your team’s total.
- Felyne Booster: Temporarily increases attack and defence at the start of a quest.
- Felyne Moxie: Prevents fainting when you take a fatal hit, as long as your health is above a certain threshold.
- Felyne Defender: Reduces damage taken when you’re low on health.
How to Unlock Ingredients for Skills:
- Complete optional quests and deliveries to unlock new ingredients.
- Find rare endemic life and resources in the field to expand the ingredient list.
- Progress through the story to unlock additional canteen upgrades.
Pro Tip: Experiment with ingredient combinations to activate skills that suit your playstyle and hunt objectives.
Crafting Consumables for Health and Healing
In addition to meals, crafting consumables is essential for staying alive during hunts. Here’s what you need to know:
Essential Healing Items:
- Potions: Basic healing item crafted from Herbs.
- Mega Potions: Stronger version crafted from Potions and Honey.
- Max Potions: Fully restores health and increases max health temporarily.
- Ancient Potions: Fully restores health and stamina and maxes out both bars.
Field Healing Tips:
- Carry a Vigorwasp Spray Mantle: Use it for quick healing during combat.
- Collect Herbs and Honey: Always gather these resources in the field to restock your inventory.
- Use Rations or Well-Done Steak: Restore stamina quickly by consuming these items.
Pro Tip: Keep a Farcaster in your inventory to retreat to camp for a full restock during tough hunts.
Using the Oven Roaster and BBQ Spit
Cooking isn’t limited to the canteen. You can prepare meals and snacks on the go using the BBQ Spit or Oven Roaster.
BBQ Spit:
- How to Use: Set up a BBQ Spit in the field to cook raw meat into Well-Done Steak.
- Timing is Everything: Press the button when the music stops to avoid burning your meat.
- Benefits: Well-Done Steak restores a significant amount of stamina.
Oven Roaster:
- How to Use: Place raw meat in the Oven Roaster at camp. It will cook over time while you hunt.
- Benefits: Saves time compared to the BBQ Spit and provides the same stamina benefits.
Pro Tip: Use the BBQ Spit during downtime in hunts or expeditions to stock up on stamina-restoring items.
Specialized Tools for Eating and Buffing
Certain tools and items in Monster Hunter World enhance the effects of food and buffs. Here are some you should know:
Mantles and Boosters:
- Health Booster: Creates a healing field that restores health over time.
- Rocksteady Mantle: Reduces flinching and knockbacks, making it easier to eat or use items mid-combat.
Charms:
Equip charms to improve food-related skills or enhance specific buffs, such as faster stamina recovery.
Pro Tip: Use these tools strategically during hunts to maintain health and stamina without needing to retreat.
Multiplayer Considerations for Food and Healing
When hunting in multiplayer, food and healing strategies take on a new level of importance. Canteen buffs only apply to the individual player. Make sure each team member eats before the hunt.
Team Support:
- Bring items like Life Powder to heal teammates in emergencies.
- Equip Wide-Range skills to share item effects with your team.
- Plan your food skills and items to complement each other. For example, one player can focus on healing while another boosts attack power.
Pro Tip: Communicate with your team to ensure everyone is properly prepared before starting a hunt.
Advanced Eating Strategies for Tough Hunts
Tougher hunts require advanced preparation and eating strategies. Here’s how to stay ahead:
Pre-Hunt Rituals:
- Always eat at the canteen before heading out. Prioritize health and stamina boosts for prolonged battles.
- Use vouchers or gourmet vouchers to maximize the effectiveness of meals.
In-Hunt Recovery:
- Carry Ancient and Max Potions for emergency healing.
- Use Well-Done Steak or Energy Drinks to maintain stamina during long battles.
Post-Hunt Recovery:
If you faint, eat again at camp to regain buffs and re-enter the fight at full strength.
Pro Tip: Save your strongest consumables for critical moments to avoid wasting resources.
Common Food Mistakes to Avoid
Even experienced hunters can make mistakes with food and eating. Here’s what to watch out for:
- Skipping Meals: Always eat before a hunt, even for weaker monsters.
- Ignoring Skills: Pay attention to food skills and choose meals that match your hunt’s needs.
- Wasting Resources: Use consumables wisely to avoid running out during extended hunts.
- Burning Meat: Practice with the BBQ Spit to perfect your timing.
Pro Tip: Treat food as a core part of your preparation, not an afterthought.
Final Thoughts
Food and eating in Monster Hunter World are essential for preparing for battles, maintaining health, and maximizing your performance. By mastering the canteen, crafting consumables, and utilizing tools like the BBQ Spit and Oven Roaster, you can give yourself a significant edge in every hunt.
So next time you embark on a hunt, remember: a well-fed hunter is a successful hunter. Happy feasting, and may your meals bring you strength!
