How to Get and Use Murtabak in Monster Hunter Wilds: Complete Guide

If you’ve spent any time grinding early to mid-game hunts in Monster Hunter Wilds, you’ve probably heard other players rave about murtabak as one of the most underrated food buffs in the entire game. I stumbled on it by accident last month when I was testing random cooking combinations to beat the fire elder dragon, and it single-handedly cut my hunt time by almost 12 minutes. Unlike temporary stat boosts from potions, this stuffed flatbread buff lasts your entire hunt, and it stacks with most other consumable effects you’ll use out in the field.

What Makes Murtabak in Monster Hunter Wilds Such a Powerful Buff?

First, let’s break down exactly what you get when you eat a properly made murtabak before a hunt. Unlike generic meat skewers or fruit salads that only give one or two minor stat bumps, this dish gives three consistent, high-impact boosts that work for every weapon type, from heavy greatswords to fast dual blades. You’ll get +20 base defense that stacks with your armor’s natural defense and any charm bonuses you have equipped, 15% increased stun resistance that makes you far less likely to get knocked out by charging large monsters, and 10% extra damage to broken monster parts that speeds up capture and reward farming runs. That’s right, it doesn’t just help you survive — it helps you get better loot faster too. I’ve tested it against 17 different large monsters so far, and the part damage boost applies to both blunt and sharp weapon attacks, so there’s no catch for your preferred playstyle.

Step-by-Step to Craft Your First Murtabak

You won’t find the murtabak recipe unlocked by default, so you’ll have to complete a small side quest first to get access. Head to the coastal trade post in the first main open world area, and talk to the cook NPC named Lira. She’ll give you a quest to collect 3 portions of wild wheat, 2 spiced meat cuts, and 1 jar of desert honey, all of which you can farm within 10 minutes if you know where to look. Once you turn in the quest, the murtabak recipe will be added to your camp cooking menu permanently, so you never have to do that quest again. The ingredients for each batch are easy to farm even for new players, but there are a few things you should watch out for to avoid wasting resources:

Wild wheat only spawns in sunny, flat grassland areas — you won’t find it in rainy forest or volcanic zones, so stock up when you’re exploring the starting grasslands

Spiced meat cuts drop from the small boar-like monsters that roam the northern edge of the grasslands, not the common deer-type creatures most players farm for basic meat

Desert honey can only be collected from beehives in the canyon area, and you’ll need to wear a smoke mantle to avoid getting swarmed by aggressive bees that can drain half your health in seconds

I made the mistake of trying to collect honey without a smoke mantle my first time, and I ended up dying twice before I figured out the trick, so don’t skip that step. If you’re still having trouble finding the wheat, look for the small golden patches right next to the river that runs through the center of the grasslands — that’s where I always get my stock.

Best Hunts to Use Murtabak For

You can technically use murtabak for every hunt, but it’s not always worth using your limited ingredient stock on low-difficulty fights that you can beat without any buffs. I save mine for three specific types of hunts to get the most value out of every batch. First, any endgame elder dragon hunt — these fights last 20 to 30 minutes on average, and the extra defense and stun resistance will save you from multiple one-shot attacks that would otherwise end your run instantly. Second, part farming runs where you’re trying to get rare drops from monster horns, tails, or claws. The extra 10% part break damage means you’ll get those rare rewards 2 to 3 runs faster than you would without the buff. Third, multiplayer group hunts where you’re playing with random teammates. You never know if your group will have a dedicated healer or not, so the extra defense and stun resistance gives you a safety net even if your team makes mistakes. That said, don’t waste it on low-rank hunts for small monsters, or gathering runs where you won’t be fighting anything dangerous. Your ingredients are better saved for fights where you actually need the boost.

Common Mistakes to Avoid With Murtabak

I’ve seen a lot of new players waste their murtabak stock or miss out on its full benefits because of small, easy to fix mistakes. The biggest one is eating it after you already started a hunt. The buff only activates if you eat it at your camp before you leave to track the monster, so if you forget and eat it out in the field, you’ll only get half the stat boosts and it will last half as long. Another common mistake is pairing it with other savory food buffs that override its effects. Any other savory food buff will cancel out the murtabak’s part damage boost, so stick to sweet or neutral side dishes if you want to add extra small buffs like increased stamina or cold resistance. The last mistake I see all the time is not stocking up on ingredients before you start a long grind session. You can farm enough ingredients for 10 batches of murtabak in less than 45 minutes, so set aside time once a week to stock up, and you won’t have to pause your hunt grind to run around gathering supplies every time you run out.

At the end of the day, small buffs like murtabak in Monster Hunter Wilds add up to make a huge difference in how easy and fun your hunts feel. You don’t have to grind for hours to get access to it, and the stat boosts are useful for every playstyle and weapon type, no matter how experienced you are. Next time you’re gearing up for a tough elder dragon fight or a rare part farming run, give it a try, and you’ll probably notice right away how much smoother your hunts go.