In much of the world, monsters were a constant threat to the livelihoods of the human race. Best case, they wielded terrifying physical force capable of flattening residences. Duramboros. Tigrex. Diablos. Worst case, they had primal elemental powers in their grasp. Rathalos, capable of razing a village to cinders in minutes. Legiana, capable of blanketing a corner in uninhabitable cold. Zinogre, capable of shredding even large buildings with a vicious lightning storm.

These were just some of the many monsters that threatened to upend the livelihoods of those who lacked the strength and courage to fight back. Hunters were integral to human survival: brave souls with seemingly supernatural strength and stamina that could go toe-to-toe with the titans capable of wiping out ordinary humans without a thought.

In a remote corner of the world, though, things were different. A small village guarded the knowledge of an art forbidden by the rest of the world: that of Monster Riding. Monster Riders obtain their loyal companions and steeds by lifting monsters' eggs from underneath them, hatching them through a secret ritual after returning to the village, and raising them from birth.

Secluded from the rest of the continent, this region of the New World was one where none of the rules Hunters knew applied. While rogue monsters were still a threat, they were opportunities for Riders and their monstrous steeds to foster Kinship between them, and were for the most part easily quelled.

The village harboring Monster Riders faces a unique threat: a research party composing of Hunters had happened upon their enclosed ecosystem. Though they claim to come for study only, their true intent is to settle the land and establish another Hunter village. Both sides are wary of one another, and tensions have already boiled within the Rider village when it is clear that their lifestyles are in direct opposition to one another.

The New World awaits those who are dare to challenge the unknown. As the pioneering spearhead of all sentient kind, the Guild has sent out a new commission for a fresh batch of frontiersmen.

You are a hunter in the Fifth Fleet, or perhaps a researcher of the very same. You are the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the aces in the deck, and it is upon you that the success of this commission hangs. This won't be your first rodeo, I hope, 'cause your experience in the 'old world' will be carried over to the new.

Afraid you can't be bringing any of that old gear of yours. No room for luggage here. You're leaving it all behind until we establish the trade lines, so get your house in order until then, you hear?

Now listen up! The ecosystem there is not as foreign as one might think--and who knows, maybe you'll see some familiar faces when you're there.

Haha... no, I ain't talkin' about friends.

Anyway, you lot better get comfortable... I hear getting there is a bumpy ride.

Hello, and welcome to the diverse world of Monster Hunter! For generations, the people of the world have lived alongside titanic monsters serving as the focal point of the ways of its intelligent inhabitants' lives. Even those who don't hunt monsters deal with them on a daily basis: those who forage, those who craft, and even ordinary villagers' lives are impacted by the majestic yet deadly creatures.

This information thread will be a constant work in progress as more information is added. It will also be the character database for Ride On! Monster Hunter.

As a Hunter, you are part of a research team that has landed at a secluded island to research its wildlife. As your lifestyle requires you to hunt for sustenance, you begin researching places where you can hunt without overly upsetting the island's ecosystem. One day while doing so, you bear witness to a young Rathalos laying waste to a small grove. Though the dragon is young, it fights with the full ferocity of an adult. As you get a closer look, you see a strange saddle on the creature's back, with a Wyverian occupying that seat. You feel the tremor of the Wyverian's hammer smashing a stone plate into dust from the sheer force behind its wielder's swing amplified by the Rathalos' momentum.

Clad in monster armor, your foreign gear arouses the Wyverian's suspicion. He spurs his Rathalos to speeds unlike anything you have ever seen a Rathalos reach, their display of Kinship redefining what monsters are capable of in your eyes. He demands your entire corps leave the island and never come back, which would go directly against the orders the Fifth Fleet has issued.

As a Rider, you are part of a small village built around a mine where the rare ore, Kinship Ore, is present. Found nowhere else in the world, this ore can be crafted into a Kinship Stone. Fuel for the hidden art of Kinship, the stone is the secret to this small but prvileged group's ability to form strong bonds with young monsters, which they have called Monsties.

You are part of a new generation of villagers who have recently extracted, crafted, and purified their Kinship Stones. You have just hatched your first egg and forged the bond of Kinship with your first Monstie, and yet, you have been entrusted with a task of utmost importance. Foreigners garbed in the garb of dead monsters have invaded your sacred land, hunting the very monsters sustaining your island's delicate ecosystem. The Elder will not let that stand, and has charged Riders, new and old, with repelling the invaders from the Riders' homeland.

Rider characters will start with one Monstie, a basic weapon, and basic leather or Rider armor. Riders can only start with one of the following weapons:

- Sword and Shield
- Great Sword
- Hammer
- Hunting Horn
- Bow
- Gunlance

Your starting Monstie can be from any common base-form monster in the entire series, regardless of whether or not it appeared in MHST(2) as a Monstie. Variants of monsters, including subspecies, Deviants, and Special Species cannot be chosen, and Elder Dragons cannot be chosen. Palamutes also cannot be chosen, for they identify with Hunters in this setting. Examples: Rathalos can be chosen as a starting armorset or Monstie, but Azure Rathalos cannot. Lunastra cannot be chosen as a starting armorset or Monstie because it is an Elder Dragon. Elder Dragons and some other special monsters, such as Deviants, may be obtained in the future by quest lines or through events.

If you are a Rider, your Monstie is not required to wear a saddle, though it is encouraged to make it easily apparent that your Monstie is under control of a Rider. Riders may keep as many Monsties as they wish in their Stables, but may only bring a maximum of five Monsties to any given thread.

If you are a Hunter, your starting package includes one of these Hunter weapons, one full armorset chosen from the list below, and a Slinger. Optionally, you may eschew your starting full armorset in favor of having a Palamute companion. If you choose this option, your character will have basic Hunter armor instead.

Weapons:
- Sword and Shield
- Dual Blades
- Hammer
- Hunting Horn
- Great Sword
- Long Sword
- Lance
- Gunlance
- Switchaxe
- Charge Blade
- Insect Glaive
- Bowgun (Light, Mid, Heavy)
- Bow

Armorsets:
- Chainmail
- Leather
- Hunter's
- Alloy
- Jagras
- Kulu Ya-Ku

Coexistence with monsters comes naturally, and culling monsters is only a necessity when they pose an immediate threat to the community's survival. Please do your best to maintain an ecosystem if monsters begin to overwhelm an area.