Capturing a monster in Monster Hunter World works just the same way as it has in the past, but newcomers to the series may not necessarily know why they might want to do this instead of watching their lifeless prey fall the ground after an intense battle. We're here to teach you how to capture monsters in Monster Hunter World.
Put simply, going through the trouble of capturing a monster in Monster Hunter World has a bunch of unique benefits. You'll usually gain more rewards and even be given the chance to finish off the beast in the 'Special Arena' - a single-zone map in the game where environmental hazards, ballistae, and even the elusive dragonator is set up for you to really carve up your prey for even more rewards.
How To Trap Monsters In Monster Hunter World
Capturing a monster in Monster Hunter World can be a little confusing to newcomers. After all, you start with a 'capture net' item in your loadout from the moment you first gain control of your character. This, despite how it sounds, is not what you'll use to snare a Rathalos, Legiana or any other big monster you go again. Instead, you'll need a couple of items; Tranq bombs and either a Pitfall Trap or Shock Trap.
Where to find Pitfall Traps and Shock Traps in Monster Hunter World
Finding the items essential to a successful capture is much easier in Monster Hunter World than in past games, and so long as you keep plenty of Trap Tools on hand - which can be quickly bought from the Vendor - you'll be able to craft the trap of your choice with materials stored or found during the hunt.
Crafting a Pitfall trap or Shock Trap requires a trap tool and either a Net for the Pitfall Trap or a Thunderbug for the Shock Trap. With these items in your inventory, you can simply go into the Crafting List menu and shove to the two together for the trap of your choice.
While Thunderbugs are easy to come by all over Monster Hunter World, making a Net for a Pitfall trap is a craft in itself. You'll need to track down both Ivy and a Spiderweb to craft the Net needed for a Pitfall, and the latter is certainly rarer than the former.
You'll find Spiderwebs in clusters on the ground in certain areas, but area transition points - which bridge the gap between numbered zones - may sometimes be covered by a large spiderweb (and a spider). Stand next to either of these and you'll be able to pick up the spiderweb like any other item. Along with Ivy, you can turn these two items into the Net needed for your Pitfall trap.
If you need to traps in bulk to make your hunt prep a little easier, you can convert monster spoils and research points for Shock Traps, Pitfall Traps, and even Tranq Bombs at the Elder Melder shop.
How To Make Tranq Bombs In Monster Hunter World
The second part of the process relates to how you'll prep a living monster for the journey back to Astera. You'll need Tranq Bombs to put a monster into a deep slumber so that it can be taken back with you, and a quest won't end until either a monster is dead or in a Tranq Bomb-induced coma.
You'll usually have a handful of these in the Supply Box back at Base Camp if you're out specifically on a Capture quest. If not, you'll need to bring or make your own.
Tranq Bombs are fairly simple to piece together, but the materials used can sometimes be hard to come by. To craft a Tranq Bomb you'll need a Sleep Herb and a Parashroom. Keep an eye open for these during any hunt as you'll want a healthy supply of them to keep the Tranq Bombs coming in fast.
Remember; if you want Tranq Bombs in bulk, turn in unused monster spoils and research points into Tranq Bombs (or traps) at the Elder Melder shop.
Trapping A Monster In Monster Hunter World
Once you have your Tranq Bombs and a trap of your choosing, it's time to put the capture a monster. You can capture a monster in both Hunt and Capture quests to complete your mission, but killing a monster during a Capture quest will result in failure.
But even if you're not doing it for the loot, capturing a monster has a clear advantage over a kill - speed.
Capturing a monster can successfully end a quest quicker than killing your prey, so it's sometimes a great option if the monster is weak enough and you're either in a rush or scared to use up your last faint. Monsters weak enough to capture typically run off and go to sleep, and waking them up can still send them into a powerful frenzy that might just undo all your hard work.
You won't be able to capture a monster that isn't sufficiently damaged, either, so keeping an eye on the state of the monster you're trying to capture is key. Typically, you want to attempt a capture when the monster evidently limps away after a long fight, but this can sometimes be difficult to notice.
This is made slightly easier in Monster Hunter World than in past games, as the monster icon on the mini-map will display an animated skull icon if a monster is close to death's door. If you see that, the monster will is ready to capture.
The best thing to do in these situations is to let the monster escape as it's probably going to fall asleep in another zone. Lying down with its eyes closed means it's incredibly easy to set up your Pitfall Trap or Shock Trap right underneath the monster, eliminating the chance of it destroying your only trap or running off to another zone.
Once it's in there, switch to your Tranq Bombs and toss use them in close proximity to the monster. Unlike past Monster Hunter games you don't need to aim and throw these, as you'll always toss them at your feet in Monster Hunter World. It typically takes two Tranq Bombs to capture a trapped monster, so just keep using them until it falls.
And that's it. The quest should end (if that's your only quest target) and the quest countdown should begin. Congratulations!