Monster Hunter: World – Understanding the HUD

Monster Hunter: World is just around the corner and to help players get ready for the impending hunts, we wanted to take a moment to go over the HUD to make sure that any new or returning players understand everything that they see in the game. In this article we’ll go over the most important parts of the Monster Hunter: World HUD (or interface) to make sure you understand all the things that you’re seeing on the screen.

Understanding the HUD

There’s quite a bit to take in while you explore the New World in Monster Hunter: World, and not knowing what everything means can make things confused very quickly. That’s why we’ve broken down everything below so that you know what you’re looking at when you play the game.

Health and Stamina

You can see the current breakdown of your health and stamina in the top left-hand corner of the screen. These two are important because they determine how long you’ll survive out in the world. If the health bar drops too low, your character will faint and be returned to the base camp. Likewise, if your stamina falls too low, you’ll pretty much be useless, as you’ll be completely immobilized.

Weapon Sharpness

Directly beneath the health and stamina bars you’ll make note of a third bar. This bar represents the sharpness of your current melee weapon. The more that you use a melee weapon, the duller it will become. You will then need to make use of a Whetstone to sharpen it back up and get it into fighting shape again.

Charge

Depending on the weapon you’re uses, you’ll also have access to a Charge meter underneath the indicator for your weapon sharpness. This bar will fill up over time as you build up your charge, allowing you to make use of more powerful attacks.

Felyne Status

Along the left of the screen you should also see another bar with your Felyne companion’s name above it. This is the status of your companion. Keep it in mind when fighting and try not to let it die.

Weapon Controls

Up in the top right-hand side of the screen you should see a series of text and button prompts that outline the basic controls of the weapon that you currently have equipped. Use this to keep in touch with how to use your weapon properly, as this will maximize its usefulness in battle.

Activity Feed

The activity feed beneath the weapon controls area will give you a blow-by-blow account of each battle to let you know what’s been going on. It will also showcase any items that you’ve collected recently.

Quick-Use Item

In the bottom right-hand corner of the screen you should also see a small icon. This is the current item that you have equipped for quick use when you press square. You can cycle through the different options by pressing L1.

Current Target and Map

Finally, the current target that you have and the mini-map will be located in the bottom left-hand corner. This will show the current creature you have targeted, as well as your location on the map and the surroundings near you.

Now that you understand more about the HUD, make sure you check out our other guides for the latest Monster Hunter game, including our Monster Hunter: World tips, as well as our Monster Hunter: World preview where we talk about our feelings on the game.