The Hunter's Guild's main purpose is preventing the ecosystem from being further damaged, in an attempt to prevent extant species from becoming extinct. It intends to coordinate humans with nature, despite the two having become separated over millennia. To enforce this policy, the Guild uses trained experts called hunters. The populations of monsters in each region are recorded, and hunters are not allowed to repeatedly hunt the same species unless otherwise stated. Hunting without permission from the Guild is illegal, and it will take action against poachers.
The Hunter's Guild unifies and regulates all hunting activities. It collects hunting and gathering requests from all over the world, posting them within their gathering halls and outposts for hunters to undertake. There are many purposes to such tasks, such as keeping people and towns safe from harm, or researching the anatomy and biology of monsters. On certain occasions, such as an Elder Dragon attack or the discovery of a new species, the Guild itself will issue a hunting request to a specific range of hunters. It keeps a comprehensive list of all known monster species and variations, and will provide hunters with this information on a regional basis.
Furthermore, the Hunter's Guild is responsible for determining areas can be embarked upon when hunting. It will sometimes restrict which hunters can enter certain areas. Finally, the Hunter's Guild will build colosseums and arenas for controlled fights between hunters and monsters to occur. They are typically used for training purposes, but also for the entertainment of the public.
The Hunter's Guild is an association of local Hunter's Guilds that have appeared around the world, sharing the same values and goals. Laws and concepts may differ between guilds, however. Known guilds include the Minegarde, Dundorma, Loc Lac, Tanzia and Val Habar Hunter's Guilds, each administrated by a Guildmaster. The different Guilds also have branches set in certain remote villages with high hunting activity, including Kokoto, Pokke, Yukumo, Bherna and Kamura. Each is lead by a Guild manager.
The Hunter's Guild also works in close collaboration with other organizations like the Royal Paleontology Scriveners, the Dragonwatch and the Wycademy. For long-term expeditions into unknown lands, the Guild may create groups like the Research Commission, sent to explore the New World, or the Forbidden Lands Expedition Team, sent to investigate the Forbidden Lands.
The Hunter's Guild's funding mainly comes from the brokerage fees it collects in exchange for distributing requests to its hunters and selling monster materials, which it obtains by collecting a portion of the items hunters find on hunts. Additionally, hunters need to pay a fee when accepting a quest. This money is used to pay for supply and transportation costs, and to pay the Felynes who bring them back to camp if they faint.
In order to undertake quests from the Hunter's Guild, one must register themselves as a Monster Hunter. Every hunter starts their career with a Hunter Rank of 1. 'Hunter Rank' is basically a measure of personal skill through which the Guild can determine one's ability to complete varying levels of requests. The Guild will also assign rankings to quests, ensuring that only those with the correct practice will carry out such tasks.
Each hunter is also given a Guild Card, which can have its design changed at their own free will. This is used as a method of identification for hunters, as it lists their name, custom title, rank, what tasks they have completed, what awards they've collected, and the species that they have hunted. The cards are typically made from wood, ore, or the body parts of monsters.
Monsters are sometimes captured instead of slayed. The most common reason for capturing a monster is research, but there are others, like getting it out of a certain region without killing it or personal requests. In Astera, captured monsters are typically studied and released. The captured monsters of the Forbidden Lands are typically left where they were knocked out, awakening and wandering off later on. Obviously, monsters put in arenas had to be captured beforehand.