‘Monster Hunter: World’ Mistakes You’ll Never Be Able to Unsee

Even if you have hundreds of hunts under your belt, there are quirks in this game that jump out once you notice them. They range from small systems oversights to moments where the world and the camera refuse to cooperate at the worst possible time.

This list gathers ten repeat offenders that players bump into across the Ancient Forest, Wildspire Waste, Coral Highlands, Rotten Vale, and Elder’s Recess. Each item explains what actually happens in game terms and gives quick ways to work around it so your next hunt runs smoother.

You cannot join until the host sees the cutscene

Assigned quests that introduce a monster lock multiplayer until the first cutscene plays. Players who fire an SOS flare or try to join from the board will be blocked if they have not already viewed that cutscene on their own file. The quest only opens to joiners after the host triggers the initial encounter and the game posts the notification.

The fastest workaround is to enter the quest solo, rush the target’s first sighting to trigger the cutscene, then return to camp and fire an SOS flare. Friends can also post the same assigned quest in their own sessions to unlock it for themselves before grouping. Planning this step saves everyone a few empty loading screens.

Scoutflies loop you around vertical maps

Scoutflies sometimes choose paths that spiral through vines and ledges even when a shorter route exists. This is most noticeable in the Ancient Forest where targets move between the canopy and ground layers. The breadcrumb trail follows navmesh that favors known trails over straight lines, which can send you in circles while the monster relocates.

Pin the monster to force constant updates to the trail and place custom waypoints on the map to anchor a direct route. Dung pods can stop a wandering target from dragging you across layers, and using the wedge beetles and vine slides often beats the default scoutfly path by several minutes.

The camera loses the battle in tight spaces

In tunnels and corners the lock on camera hugs walls and pushes the monster off screen. Large bodies like Uragaan or Radobaan fill the frame while the camera clips into geometry. The auto correction prioritizes keeping your hunter visible which can cause the focus to whip away from the monster in the middle of a combo.

Switch to target camera instead of focus camera if you prefer manual snaps, then use the quick center input to reframe after rolls. Luring the monster a few steps into an open pocket prevents forced zooms, and unlocking the camera during mounting finishers keeps the angle stable when the monster thrashes along walls.

Monsters slide off traps placed on ledges

Traps deployed on slopes or at the lip of ledges can fail when a monster’s body tips over the boundary. The fall or slide animation pulls the hitbox out of the trap area and the monster never triggers the capture state. This wastes trap materials and can cost a capture investigation bonus.

Drop traps on flat ground with a body length of space behind the target. Pitfall traps work best in level zones away from edges while shock traps are safer in areas without height changes. If a monster is limping toward a transition, place the trap early and use flash or sonic tools to stall movement until it steps squarely into the trigger.

Slopes break wake up openers

Wake up strategies rely on hitting the monster’s head with a single strongest motion. On slopes the head hitzone can tilt below or above your swing arc which causes greatsword true charge or hammer big bang finisher to whiff or slide into a weaker motion. The slope state also alters animation speed and footing which shifts your timing.

Before planting bombs or lining up a wake up hit, rotate the monster on flat ground by walking around the head and nudging its body. Lances and gunlances can guard poke to micro adjust position. If you must take a slope, position slightly uphill so the hitbox meets the upper portion of the swing and buffer the input earlier to account for footing changes.

Flash pods stop working after a few uses on elders

Elder dragons build resistance to flash pods during a hunt. After a set number of activations the flash no longer forces a knockdown and later flashes only cause a brief flinch or no reaction. The change happens mid quest and the game does not present a clear indicator when the threshold is reached.

Track your flash count and reserve pods for resets that actually matter such as canceling Teostra nova prep or pulling Kushala out of a wind wall. Once resistance sets in, swap to traps for non elders or use environmental tools like boulders and vines. Mantles that reduce chip or hazard damage help bridge the gap when flashes no longer create openings.

Radial menu and item loadouts do not link together

Item loadouts and radial menu configurations save separately. Players often update a pouch and equipment at camp but forget the radial wheel which still points to the old slot order. The next craft or use pulls the wrong item because the wheel references a different layout than the saved loadout.

After finalizing a hunt kit, open the radial settings and save the wheel to the same slot number as the item loadout. Use wheel pages to separate traps, ammo types, and support tools, then lock the habit of saving both before departing. This keeps crafts like mega potions and traps mapped consistently across characters and sets.

SOS flares fail in multi phase assignments

Certain multi phase quests block SOS flares or restrict join windows to specific phases. Encounters like the Zorah Magdaros sequence or final boss introductions only allow help after scripted steps finish. Attempting to send an SOS too early produces no available participants even when the session is online.

Watch for the on screen prompt that confirms the flare is now permitted and post only after the phase transition. If you plan to farm these assignments with friends, agree on voice or chat cues tied to specific objectives such as mounting cannons or breaking cores. That lets everyone time their joins without guessing.

Sliding fish wyvern hitboxes feel larger than models

Lavasioth and Jyuratodus gain hardened states in their native terrain. During their sliding lunges the active hitbox extends beyond the visible body, which tags hunters who appear to side step the model. The hardening also raises part toughness which increases bounce and adds chip while the slide continues.

Keep lateral distance wider than usual during slide tells and counter when the monster finishes the travel portion. Water and ice damage soften the armor on Lavasioth and mud removal tools expose Jyuratodus, which reduces both bounce and chip. Using clutch claw flinch shots to plant them on a wall also cancels the slide and creates a punish window.

Micro terrain cancels rolls and attacks

Small roots, bones, or coral ridges cause stumbles that interrupt rolls and reset inputs. Ancient Forest roots and Rotten Vale bone piles are frequent culprits. The stumble state eats a fraction of a second which desyncs combo timing and can turn a safe window into a trade or a knockdown.

Identify these micro hazards in your usual routes and angle rolls across them instead of along them. Move fights a few meters to the nearest clear patch before committing to long animations such as switch axe discharge or charge blade super. Sliding moves that gain iframes also skip stumble checks which helps maintain your flow on rough ground.

Share the mistakes that trip you up the most in the comments so other hunters can learn the fixes that work for you.