Monster Hunter: World guide to using the D-pad, the item bar and radial menus

Monster Hunter: World lets you access many items quickly from your HUD, but getting to them can be confusing. In this guide, we’ll demystify the options options you have with the D-pad, radial menus, L1/LB and the item bar.

Monster Hunter: World’s select item menu

To access and use items in your inventory — things like health potions and your whetstone — you have two options: radial menus and the item bar. Press and hold L1 (on a PlayStation 4) or Left Bumper/LB (on an Xbox One) to see these menu options.

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When you’re holding L1/LB, new HUD elements appear at the bottom of your screen. From here you can access the radial menus and cycle through the items in the item bar.

Figuring out how and when to use each menu isn’t exactly intuitive, but we’ll explain it all in the sections below.

Monster Hunter: World’s radial menus and the D-pad

From the select item menu, you can access the radial menu. Here’s how:

1. Hold down L1/LB to load the select item menu.
2. Press up, down, left or right on the D-pad to choose a radial menu. (Or press nothing if the radial menu you want to use is already highlighted, as it is above.) In Monster Hunter: World parlance, this is the “switch wheels” option.
3. Move the right analog stick in the direction of the item you want to use in the radial menu. (Above, we moved it up or north or to 12 o’clock.)
4. Let go of the right analog stick to use the item you’ve highlighted. (Letting go at 12 o’clock meant we used our whetstone.)

That’s how radial menus work: Enter the select item menu, optionally use the D-pad to choose your radial menu, highlight the item you want to use and, finally, let go of the analog stick.

Customizing your radial menus

Grid View

• Capcom
• Capcom

You can customize the contents of your radial menus. Press the menu button and then go to Items and Equipment > Customize Radial Menu. From here, you can even rename the default Shortcut 1 and Shortcut 2 menus that you access from the D-pad in the select item menu (L1/LB).

Monster Hunter: World’s item bar

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Monster Hunter: World’s item bar (which is at the bottom right of your HUD) lets you use items with the press of a button. Press left and right on the D-pad to cycle through the items in your item bar. Alternatively, you can:

1. Hold down L1/LB to load the select item menu.
2. Press Square/X or Circle/B to cycle through the items.
3. Release L1/LB.

Either way, you can press Square/X to use the item displayed in the item menu at bottom right of your HUD (as long as you don’t have your weapon equipped).

Customizing your item bar

Grid View

• Capcom
• Capcom
• Capcom

You can customize the contents of your item bar. Press the menu button and then go to Items and Equipment > Item Pouch and press Triangle/Y. From the menu that loads, you can pick and choose the items that you’ll cycle through.