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Progression and Quests

Progressing in Monster Hunter Rise means increasing your Hunter Rank (HR) and unlocking tougher monsters. The game separates its campaign (Village) from its multiplayer hub (Hub). Understanding how these intertwine saves you from unnecessary grinding.

Key Quests and Urgent Quests​

You do not need to complete every quest on the board to advance. Progression relies on completing a specific number of "Key Quests."

  1. Identify Key Quests: Look for quests marked with a special symbol (usually a red diamond) next to their name.
  2. Fill the Quota: The top right of your screen displays how many Key Quests you must complete to trigger the next progression step.
  3. The Urgent Quest: Once you complete the required number of Key Quests, an "Urgent Quest" unlocks. This is usually a boss fight against a new, challenging monster.
  4. Rank Up: Successfully completing the Urgent Quest increases your rank and unlocks the next tier of difficulty (e.g., moving from 2-Star to 3-Star quests).

Village vs. Hub Progression​

As outlined in Getting Started, you have Village Quests and Hub Quests. They have separate progression tracks.

If you play entirely solo, you should start with the Village Quests. They introduce the monsters gradually and provide the story context. However, be prepared for the "difficulty shock" when transitioning. Hub Quests are permanently scaled for multiplayer lethality. They possess substantially more health and aggression parameters than their Village counterparts, even when played completely solo. You must rely on optimized damage rotations and better loadouts to survive.

Special License Tests​

If you complete the Village Quests, you do not have to start from the very beginning of the Hub Quests. As you reach higher ranks in the Village, you unlock Special License Tests.

These tests pit you against multiple monsters in a single arena or map. If you pass the test, your Hub Rank automatically increases to match your Village progress. This mechanic allows solo players to skip the early, redundant grind in the Gathering Hub and jump straight into High Rank content.

Low Rank vs. High Rank​

Your progression is split into two massive tiers (three if you own the Sunbreak expansion).

  • Low Rank (LR): Covers all Village Quests and Hub Quests up to 3-Star. Monsters hit softer, have simpler move pools, and drop basic materials.
  • High Rank (HR): Starts at Hub 4-Star. Monsters gain new attacks, deal significantly more damage, and drop High Rank specific materials (usually denoted by a "+" in the material name, like "Rathian Scale+").

When you enter High Rank, your Low Rank armor becomes obsolete immediately. Craft any basic High Rank armor set as soon as possible to survive the incoming damage spike.

Uncapping Hunter Rank​

Initially, your Hunter Rank is tied directly to your Hub tier (e.g., completing the 4-Star Urgent makes you HR 4). The base game caps visually at the 7-Star tab. Do not look for 8-Star quests here. Those are reserved exclusively for Master Rank in the Sunbreak expansion.

Once you defeat the final boss of the base game's story in the 7-Star Hub, your Hunter Rank "uncaps." After this point, every quest you complete awards Hunter Rank Points (HRP). Accumulating HRP levels up your Hunter Rank continuously (e.g., HR 45, HR 100). Reaching specific HR milestones unlocks the game's hardest challenges and "Advanced" quests, which are simply appended to the existing 7-Star list.