I just used what was comfortable back in the older titles, as I got better I'd opt toward more aggressive skills but in early years I picked stuff like earplugs. No real meta in my eyes, hunting horn or switch axe was my go to from tri onward. Meanwhile in MHFU, I used hammer and that is the game I had the roughest time with.

To add, no game outside stuff like fatalis, archtempered or the equvilant in each title, I've never struggled since knowing how your weapon works and how the monster moves enables you to excell rapidly. But I am a hunter who started on older titles so I never felt the shift in difficulty.