Monster Hunter: World is basically designed so that you can enjoy all of its contents solo, but I won’t be playing this game all by myself, and neither will you. After all, the majority of the fun of playing MHW comes from playing in a party with friends, acquaintances, or even with total strangers. Countless hunters are probably going after monsters in groups right at this moment as you read this.

But doing multiplay doesn’t mean it will always be fun- just like any other game, your allies could turn out to be even more dreadful than your enemies. It is the same in MHW- dealing with your allies could be more of a challenge than the monsters. It’s also possible that you, unbeknownst to yourself, could actually be the one holding back your allies. Not really sure if you are? Well, here is the list of things that you shouldn’t do when partying in Monster Hunter: World. If you avoid doing all of this, you shall prevent yourself from becoming a terrible ally, and maybe even become a better hunter.

Hitting allies with Arc Shots

Bows have been becoming popular among players lately for their powerful damage- there is always more than one player with a bow in every party. However, the bow causes great suffering for allies, because of its Arc Shot.

You probably don’t notice much if you’ve only been using ranged weapons, but the Arc Shot tends to interrupt ally attacks and combos. This is why you shouldn’t go crazy and spam your Arc Shorts when you see the monster knocked down- your allies with melee weapons won’t be able to do anything with the combo-halting AoE around the monster. If you don’t control when you use Arc Shot and end up annoying everyone in your party, you’ll eventually get kicked out of the party.

Using Dragon Piercer at the wrong time

Dragon Piercer is the most powerful and satisfying skill you can use with the bow. However, its charge time is sadly too long. One main difference between multi and solo play is that in multi you never know who the monster will go for next. Bow users often think it’s safe to use Dragon Piercer when the monster is after someone else. Then they get killed on the spot when the monster turns around and charges at them. Monsters always come lunging at you without any warning, so never ever use this skill unless you know you won’t get hit. I have seen someone who got taken down three times in a party, and every time was when he was using Dragon Piercer.

Not using potions

You are responsible for your own health. Even if you do have a support in your party, they won’t be always there to heal you. If you want to hunt, you’ve got to stay alive. Not healing yourself even though you are low on your health can become a real burden for your party. Usually, those who die tend to be the players who get so immersed in attacking that they forget to check their own health. Always keep an eye on your health and use potions whenever you need them.

Going on a head hunt!

This is only for players with melee weapons. It may vary from party to party, but normally there is this unspoken rule among players about which part of the monster you should hit depending on the weapons you use. Usually, the head is left for the hammer, greatsword, and charge blade to deal impact damage. Meanwhile, the dual blades, longsword, and insect glaive, the weapons that deal cutting damage with many hits, should go for the tail. You may aim for the head if there is no one else with heavy weapons in your party, but if there is, let your ally go for it. Allies with hammers won’t be able to do anything if you get in their way since your attacks would interrupt their slow strikes.

Melee attacks without Flinch Free

Again, this is only for melee weapon users. You’ll find yourselves getting in the way of one another when you are clustered around the monster. Having one Brace Jewel to give you the Flinch Free skill will let you attack without any disturbance. It is actually a courtesy to have at least one Brace Jewel when partying for the sake of increasing the party’s overall damage. Of course, it would be even better if you just place yourselves away from each other a bit and attack.

What is saved goes to waste. Don’t tell someone else to use their items while you save yours.

There are players who think their items are worth saving, while the items of other players are not. At least have and use Flash Pod and Scream Pod. It’s not like other players use them because they are rich with materials; they use them because they have to. Sometimes, when I join a capture quest through an SOS Flare, I see some players standing there, doing nothing because there are no traps.

Don’t ever use Flash Pod on Kushala Daora when it’s inside a tornado.

Even though I did say you should use Flash Pod when you need to, that doesn't mean you should use it all the time. This applies especially when you are hunting the elder dragon, Kushala Daora. When Kushala Daora is flying into the air with wind around it, just wait for it come out of the wind. If Kushala Daora drops down with hit by Flash Pod, your allies won’t be able to deal any damage due to the wind pressure. This usually happens when oblivious players with ranged weapons throw Flash Pods at the dragon just as it flies into the air. Don’t do this, not unless you feel like annoying your party members. Same goes for when your teammates are in the middle of riding the dragon. It may seem like it doesn’t matter since both knock down the dragon, but knocking out a dragon by mounting it will last longer than a Flash Pod stun.

Tagging along with the wrong gear

You might think that you don’t need to care about what resistance you have as long as you have high defense, but this is not the case when you are hunting monsters with strong elemental damage. You need the right resistance and mantels; don’t go hunting without the right gear. Don’t equip items with weak thunder resistance when hunting Kirin, and don’t go after Teostra without a flame-proof mantel or else you’ll be burnt to a crisp. Same goes for hunting Vaal Hazak without effluvia resistance. You are a monster hunter. You should be ready for each hunt, and that involves foresight and proper preparation.