Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX brings a series that has long been dormant here in the west back to our screens for the first time since 2006. Whether this is your first time trying out the series, or you’re just trying to wrap your head around the games again, then you’ve come to the right place. this guide will show you how to get started in Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX without the pain of failure. Here's some Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX Tips to get started.
How to Geta Monster in Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX

The first thing you’ll need to do in Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX is to get yourself a monster to ranch with. There are two ways of getting a starting monster. You can either visit the shrine to generate one from a CD, or you can go to the market and pick one up. At the start of the game, you’ll only be allowed to generate certain species of monster, mostly because if you could get the OP ones from the get-go the game would be over in 2 seconds flat.
Advertisement
For your first time, I recommend just grabbing one of the market monsters. You can use our CD Guide if you want to grab a decent starting monster that way, but there’s not much of a reason to. The selection of starting monsters is different for both games, but realistically, you can get away with choosing any monster you like. In the first game, Tiger is a solid choice for a money-spinner, and Zuul can fill that same role in the second game.
If you want tips on what to actually do with your monster, check out our Monster Raising Guide. If you’d rather fly solo, just remember to focus on either power (POW) or intelligence (INT) and not both. Attacks come in two types, Int or Pow, so make sure your monster has mostly the one type of attack, and focus on the relevant stat.
Advertisement
How to Make Money in Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX
The first thing that you really need to do in Both Monster Rancher games is to make yourself some cash. You start out with around 5000 to spend, but that is nowhere near enough to raise a top-tier monster. Your first 3 monsters will probably be mostly about getting cash, so don’t grow too attached to them now. Making money works differently depending on the game that you’re playing, but there are also some universal tips.
It goes without saying, that you need to not spend too much money. When you’re feeding your monsters each month, only feed them fish until you’re raising your first battle monster. There’s no point wasting money on your money-making monsters. Also, if your monster discovers any items that you don’t need, sell them immediately for quick cash. Just make sure you’re not selling anything useful like Apple Cakes, Mint, or Taffy.
Advertisement
Monster Rancher 1 Money Making

In Monster Rancher there are two main ways of making money: work and battles. Work is a great choice because it gives you money, as well as raises the stats and loyalty of your current monster. However, bear in mind that you get very little money for this. Make sure to regularly rest your monster too, as you’ll need them to be in top condition for the fights when they roll around.
Your best bet is to stick to the unofficial fights, as the official tourneys will raise your rank, and make it harder to win and earn money. At the end of the day, you want to make sure you’re battling as often as possible (assuming that you’re winning) with your first monster, and ignore anything about trying to advance your ranching license.
Monster Rancher 2 Money Making
In Monster Rancher 2 there is no such thing as work, or at least, not work that your monster can do for you. The best way to earn money is to once again take part in battles all the time without raising up the ranks, with the added bonus that if you do well in a fight, your monster may get some stat gain. There is a new Job option in town that brings the old PocketStation minigame back from the dead.
You can do this minigame by selecting the job option and saving the job data. Then, in the main menu, you can access a number sorting mini-game by pressing Y. Is it worth doing? Not really no. The game is a tedious higher or lower sorting game that pays out a tiny amount of gold for a lot of effort. It might have made sense when it was on the PocketStation, as it gave you something to do away from your game. These days, you’re better off sticking with battles to make money. (bear in mind, the original version of this mini-game used to give out DNA pills for rare monsters. Right now, it’s not clear if it still does or not, but the point stands that it’s a crap way to make money.)
Advertisement
How to Battle in Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX

As with many monster-collecting RPGs, Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX revolve around battling. However, there’s a lot of little nuances to figure out, and the game doesn’t really provide you with a tutorial fight or anything. Here are the basics that you need to know in order to not come away with a very bruised monster after every fight.
First up, you don’t have to actually fight if you don’t want to. At the start of any battle in both games, you’ll be asked if you want to give your monster advice. Depending on their loyalty, or on how confident you are in their abilities, you can elect to say ‘no’ and the monster will sort of do its own thing. Of course, for the best outcome you should really get involved, but bear in mind that a low loyalty stat means the monster won’t listen to you anyway, so focus on getting that higher before you start taking charge in battle.
Here are the controls, because the game doesn’t necessarily go out of its way to tell you:
Action | Switch Controls |
Move Monster Left | ZL (MR1) or L (MR2) |
Move Monster Right | ZR (MR1) or R (MR2) |
Force Monsters Apart (when close) | B |
Use Attack | A |
Change Attack | D-Pad |
Forfeit | Y |
Remember that forfeiting is always preferable to being knocked out and that you can also press X to view these controls during battle. The controls are probably the same on Steam with a gamepad but don’t hold us to it.
Advertisement
The final thing you need to know is how attacks work. Each attack has a different range, so your monster needs to be a certain distance away before the attack will work. This is indicated by the red sliding bar above your different attacks. When the bar is above an attack, you can navigate to it and use A to perform that attack. Bear in mind that the meter in the middle denotes your percentage chance of hitting, and how many attack points you have left (Will in the first game, Guts in the second). Without enough points, you can’t perform certain attacks and they’ll become greyed out.
Some Final Tips

If you’ve been hanging around some more experienced Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX players, you may have heard about expeditions. These are journeys you can go on to unlock specific monster types, as well as find cool items. You’re probably wondering how you get to these, but the truth is that they’ll show up once you’re ready to do them. They’re unlocked by having a monster hit the appropriate stat levels, by a certain time of year, so once you’ve raised funds and are actually creating battle monsters, they should show up on their own. Don’t worry about them in the early stages.
Remember that you can experiment with the CD system in this game. Once you've got some funds, it's worth spending a few hours just trying random CDs until you find a cool-looking monster with decent stats that you want to actually use. Of course, bear in mind that a lot of the rare monster discs from the old games have been changed, probably to keep the game feeling fresh for returning players, so your old lists and tricks probably won't work.
Finally, just have fun with the game. It can take a long time to get the hang of, but there's plenty of room for experimentation. Save often, and make good use of the new fast forward feature in the options menu. With these two things combined, you can make several practice runs while you're learning the ropes of the game before you really buckle down and start training powerful monsters.
FAQs
What is a good starting monster in Monster Rancher 1? ›
The selection of starting monsters is different for both games, but realistically, you can get away with choosing any monster you like. In the first game, Tiger is a solid choice for a money-spinner, and Zuul can fill that same role in the second game.
Should I start with Monster Rancher 1 or 2? ›Both Monster Rancher 1 and 2 are very similar, so most of what I say applies to both. Monster Rancher 2 is the better game, but the first one has a lot of charm that its sequel is missing. The animations in Monster Rancher 1 are adorable! In both games, you raise monsters, one at a time on a ranch.
What is the max stats in Monster Rancher 1 DX? ›Max out several Stats to 999 in 1 game Week
As long as you feed these items on the last day you plan on raising the monster, (freeze immediately after) there will be no lifespan hits that week. Lifespan hits only occur the following week (after rest, drill, or event that puts you into the next week).
How To Unlock Ghost In Monster Rancher 2. Once you have the Stick, head to Town and go to the Lab and then combine any two monsters using the Stick as a secret seasoning to create Ghost. Note: Once you have unlocked Ghost, you can also generate it from CDs at the Shrine, but it is a very rare result.
What does FF mean in Monster Rancher? ›You guessed it; Googled it. Monster Rancher 1&2 DX are very bad at tutorials. In a way, that adds a bit of mystery to them. With the fast forward function, I know that there is an option in the options menu that says “FF”.
What is the strongest monster in Monster Rancher? ›A very powerful, dark Dragon breed who is one of the strongest monsters in the later games.
How long to beat Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX? ›Single-Player | Polled | Average |
---|---|---|
Main + Extras | 1 | 35h |
All PlayStyles | 1 | 35h |
The game will end if you run out of money and you will be returned to the title screen. Note that you will then have to restart the game from your saved data.
How do you unlock the ghost in Monster Rancher 1? ›- To obtain a Ghost in Monster Rancher 1, let any monster die. Holding a funeral or not should not affect the outcome. ...
- To obtain a Ghost in Monster Rancher 2, let a monster die. Colt will ask if you want to build a memorial shrine for it, so say yes.
Head into Town and go to the Lab. Choose any two monsters to combine and use the Zilla Bear as the secret seasoning ingredient to get a guaranteed Zilla as a result.
How do you get the red ghost? ›
Ann-Gree is a red Ghost Writer in Yooka-Laylee who must be attacked before collected. The only way to collect the ghost is to hit it until it turns yellow, then green. If Yooka and Laylee are within Ann-Gree's attack range, Ann-Gree will chase after the duo to attack them with an uppercut punch.
What is the hardest monster hunter boss? ›Arguably one of the most difficult foes to take down in the entire series, Extreme Behemoth (or 'Extremoth', as he's affectionately known by players) is an absolute titan that effortlessly ranks as Monster Hunter World's hardest monster.
How do you get the Dragon in Monster Rancher 1 DX? ›To obtain a Dragon in Monster Rancher 1, win the B Class Trial Cup on April 4. Subsequently raise your monster to Class A and win the Dragon Tusk Tourney (Invite on Aug. 2, Tourney on Aug. 4) to receive a Dragon Tusk.
What is the max monster level? ›Level cap. In Monster Sanctuary, the maximum level is level 42. When a Monster has reached level 42, it can still gain EXP after battle. Gaining enough EXP will not cause it to level up but instead gives the player Level Badge 42s.
How to beat Monster Rancher 1? ›- Save Often. ...
- Take Advantage of Sales. ...
- Make Sure You Have Some Savings. ...
- Look After Your Monster. ...
- Your Monster Will Eventually Die. ...
- Move Around In Battle. ...
- CDs Generate Different Monsters In Each Game. ...
- Take Part In Tournaments Often.
The Final Battle is the season finale of Season 3, the series finale and the seventy-third overall episode of the Monster Rancher anime series.
What is the most hated monster in Monster Hunter? ›- 8 JYURATODUS.
- 7 LAVASIOTH.
- 6 ANJANATH.
- 5 DEVILJHO.
- 4 LUNASTRA.
- 3 GAJALAKA.
- 2 KUSHALA DAORA.
- 1 BAZELGEUSE.
Overall, Monster Hunter Rise is a great introduction to the series for newcomers. Veterans will breeze through those first dozen or so hours, but there are plenty of hard challenges as you progress.
What is the longest Monster Hunter game? ›Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite - 206H
And this also grew the length to complete it too as it stands as the longest entry in the series with 206 hours until a gamer can beat the game.
Once you have the mask, you can head into Town and go to the Lab. Combine any two monsters using the Mask as a secret seasoning ingredient and you will be guaranteed a Joker.
What makes the most money in ranch simulator? ›
To survive in Ranch Simulator Early Access, from Toxic Dog and Excalibur Publishing, you need money. Money comes from selling your wares, i.e. eggs and milk. The best way to earn money is hunting deer and selling the meat to the local store.
How do you extend life expectancy in Monster Rancher? ›Stress Levels
Stress greatly affects the lifespan of your monster. At the beginning of each week, you will learn about your monster's stress levels from Colt. Rest and playing will reduce the monster's stress. You can also use Mint Leaf to reduce stress.
Sueki Suezo is useful for a couple reasons. You can use him to win some E/D rank battles for extra cash, use him to combine, or take advantage of his 1 week lifespan to easily unlock the couple breeds that require a monster to die to unlock them.
How do you get a green ghost? ›The Green Ghost is a hostile spiritual entity that can be found in various locations of the Frontier, although it is quite rare to find one. Its most popular spots can be found in The Rolling Road or at Topple Hill.
How do you unlock Jill in Monster Rancher 2 DX? ›To obtain a Jill in Monster Rancher 2, raise your monster to Class C with at least 50 Fame and 210 Life. You must have already gone to Kawrea once with Dr. Talico and be at Rank 6 or higher.
Is Zilla Godzilla's son? ›Is Zilla Godzilla's son? Zilla Junior (also called "Godzilla Junior" by his fans and simply called "Godzilla" in the series itself) is the son of Zilla, a mutated iguana who attacked New York in 1998 and was killed on the Brooklyn Bridge.
Is Zilla the same as Godzilla? ›Ever since 2004, Toho's official stance has been that any future incarnations of the character be referred to hereafter as 'Zilla'." Keith Aiken (co-editor of SciFi Japan) also clarified that "Zilla is a variation of the 1998 Godzilla" but stressed that only the incarnations from the 1998 film and the animated series ...
How big is Zilla Jr? ›Zilla tubes are made from an FDA certified TPE plastic and they are molded in Minnesota. The Zilla Jr tubes are 3 1/4” long and ½” in diameter.
Is there a white dye for ghost armor? ›The White Dye Merchant can be accessed as soon as you gain access to exploring the world, as you can find him in the Izuhara region. But to access the Black Dye Merchant--who's in the Toyotoma region--you'll first need to reach Act 2 in the story.
How do you unlock white ghost armor? ›The Ghost Armor Set will be given to you by Yuna during the first part of the From The Darkness story quest! A cutscene will play where she gives you the Ghost Armor made for you by Taka.
How do you get ascendant ghost armor? ›
The Ghost Armor is a piece of gear that you'll receive as long as you complete the main story quests in Ghost of Tsushima.
Who is the real red ghost? ›In Arizona folklore, the Red Ghost is a figure alleged to have roamed the Arizonan frontier in the late 19th century. It was said to have been a large, red camel, with a bleached human skeleton upon its back. Legends of it were widespread across Arizona, up until its supposed death before the dawn of the 20th century.
How do you get the blue ghost? ›Inky (light blue ghost) – This one's a little trickier, as it requires you to play as Pac-Man and eat at least 50 power pellets — cumulatively, not in one run, though if you can pull it off in one go, you have my admiration! Then you simply get killed by Inky to unlock him.
What are the starting monsters in Monster Rancher? ›Starting Monsters
Despite their main breeds being initially locked, the following monsters as sub-breeds are available right away: Baku, Dragon, Henger, Gali, Golem, Worm.
Yes, Monster Hunter Rise is a good game for beginners that want to get started on the popular Capcom franchise. Rise does a great job of easing you into the story with its initial Village Quests that sort of act as tutorials.
What are the best early game monsters in monster legends? ›Since you can get two strong monsters early on, namely Vapwhirl and Concidius (which is a Dragonian Beast), these are the ones you'll want to build your first core team around. We need Vapwhirl because he has good Shutdown and Stun.
How do you get the Dragon in Monster Rancher 1? ›To obtain a Dragon in Monster Rancher 1, win the B Class Trial Cup on April 4. Subsequently raise your monster to Class A and win the Dragon Tusk Tourney (Invite on Aug. 2, Tourney on Aug. 4) to receive a Dragon Tusk.
What is the easiest weapon for beginners in Monster Hunter? ›- 1 Sword And Shield.
- 2 Dual Blades. ...
- 3 Hammer. ...
- 4 Lance. ...
- 5 Great Sword. ...
- 6 Hunting Horn. ...
- 7 Long Sword. This is the weapon Rise starts players with, so it's clear the developers wanted to push it as an easy weapon for newcomers to try out. ...
One of the easiest weapons in Monster Hunter Rise is the Bow! What is this? Beginners should take baby steps when starting with the game. The best option for them to choose from one of the 14 weapons of Monster Hunter Rise is the Bow.
Which Monster Hunter game is easiest? ›Overall, Monster Hunter Rise is a great introduction to the series for newcomers.
Who is the strongest character in Monster Legends? ›
- Yoroi - 5,874.
- JoshDub - 5,863.
- Cyberiel - 5,841.
- Rara Avis / Dr. Wattz - 5,808.
- Erder - 5,775.
- Armor Claw / Blazinger - 5,720.
- Glubu / Mr. Beast / Daedalus / Crusty - 5,632.
- Xavipit / Quaxalcroc - 5,544.
As of December 2022, Monster Hunter: World was the best-selling entry in Capcom's Monster Hunter franchise, selling more than 18.6 million unit since its release in January 2018. Originally launched on PS4 and Xbox One, the game was also got released for PC in August 2018.
Who is the fastest mythic monster in Monster Legends? ›- Tayni / Kralik / Zorky / Illion / Moonhaze / Svart / Urcann / Siamiss - 4,862.
- Katufo / Vandecken / Abysmuss / Azte - 4,840.
- Tremur - 4,818.
- Gaidigo / Glamhead - 4,807.
- Arumel - 4,785.
- Dr. Wattz / Noar - 4,774.
- Rara Avis / Knightingale / Crusty - 4,752.
- Cyberiel / Metalbeat - 4,719.