Monster Hunter World Multiplayer Expeditions: how to play expeditions with friends
In Monster Hunter World's online multiplayer is a little more complicated than it should be. Getting into a multiplayer quest is one thing, but if you want to free-roam in an expedition with friends online that becomes a little more complicated. On this page, we'll go into how to play a multiplayer expedition, plus how the assigned quests system works with multiplayer.
The work-arounds are pretty simple when you know how, involving SOS flares, completing a quest and then selecting a certain menu option or quitting and restarting, depending on what option you're trying to reach. It's well worth doing, too - Monster Hunter World's brilliant zones feel practically made for exploration in the open-ended format of an expedition, and it's a game that's always better with friends. Anyway, here's how it all works:
Before you actually go on that expedition, make sure your hunting strategies are sound with our guides:
- Guide Hub: Tips & Tricks for Newcomers & Experienced Hunters Alike
- Weapons Guide: which of the 14 weapon classes is best for you?
- Armor Guide: skills, strengths, weaknesses, forging and upgrading
- Multiplayer Guide: how to play with friends, set up parties and send invites
- How to Change Character Appearance after Character Creation
- Female Armor Sets: All Low Rank Female Armor Sets
- Trophy Guide: full trophy & achievement list
How to play Expeditions with Friends in Online Multiplayer
There are two ways to access multiplayer in expeditions, and neither is particularly intuitive - Monster Hunter World is a great game, but boy it sure likes being a little obtuse, and nowhere more than in how you get friends together for multiplayer.
So, there's essentially two ways to play exepditions with friends online, thus allowing you to free roam the maps exploring with friends.
First, after an Optional Hunting Quest or an investigation, players will have the option to "return to camp" or to "return to headquarters". Any players that choose to "return to camp" will be shuffled into an expedition corresponding to the quest that they completed.
For example, if players completed a High Rank quest in the Coral Highlands, then the expedition will be a High Rank Coral Highlands Expedition. If the quest was a low rank Rotten Vale, then the Expedition will be a Low Rank Rotten Vale Expedition.
The other way to play Expeditions in multiplayer is to send out an SOS Flare, as mentioned above. The process is the same as outlined above for Assigned quest: go into the Options menu, Quest options, and then choose "Fire SOS flare".
Assigned Quests - how to play them with friends in online multiplayer
Players can join quests after they've begun, and conversely players can send out "SOS Flares" to call for backup during a quest. Unfortunately, this is the only way for players to complete Assigned quests in multiplayer without failing the mission first, as you are barred from joining another player's assigned quest until they've already seen the cutscenes that these quests have to offer.
In order to access multiplayer for an Assigned Quest, the player that posts the quest must have already viewed the cutscenes that appear in the middle of the quest.
Any cutscenes that show after the quest is completed don't count. If the player fails a quest after seeing the cutscenes, other hunters can join their quest posting from the get-go and set out with them. Otherwise, they'll have to start the quest, progress until they're notified that SOS Flares can be used, and then shoot one out by going into the Options menu, Quest options, and choose "Fire SOS flare".