Monster Hunters Wilds FAQ: Everything you need to know about monsters, weapons, gameplay, release date, and more

In 2004, the renowned game developer Capcom introduced the Monster Hunter franchise to the world. This is a series of action games where players band together to hunt giant monsters and use their carved hides to create powerful weapons and armor so they can hunt bigger game in an endless and addictive gameplay loop.

The Monster Hunter series was primarily popular in Japan, but eventually grew to become a worldwide phenomenon in 2018 when Monster Hunter World debuted and refined the gameplay formula for modern audiences. This game was regarded by many (myself included) as one of the best Xbox Games and best PC games Capcom has ever made, and was so financially successful that it became Capcom’s best-selling game of all time, selling over 25 million units worldwide.

Now, Capcom is looking to redefine the Monster Hunter series yet again with the next mainline entry, Monster Hunter Wilds. This game is aiming to take the series to new heights of immersion and action with dynamic environments, new gameplay mechanics, and a host of new terrifyingly awesome monsters to hunt.

Here is everything you need to know about Monster Hunter Wilds.

What is Monster Hunter Wilds?

Monster Hunter Wilds - 1st Trailer - YouTube

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Monster Hunter Wilds is an action-hunting game, a sub-genre of action games pioneered by the Monster Hunter series that generally involves a gameplay of hunting increasingly bigger and scarier monsters.

The game has you play as a professional, player-created monster hunter tasked by the Guild to investigate an unexplored region called the Forbidden Lands, document its secrets, look out for any hunters that have gone missing there, and hunt any giant monsters threatening to destroy the ecosystem.

Along your journey, you will encounter a cast of characters who will aid you and a sizeable bestiary of horrific beasts that will destroy you if you come unprepared.

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What will the gameplay be like?

As per every Monster Hunter game, Monster Hunter Wilds’ gameplay loop will involve taking on quests where you will need to explore a wide variety of breathtaking locales and hunt down your assigned quarry. Once you have slain your target, you will then carve its body parts and take them back to your base, where a blacksmith will use them to craft new weapons and armor for you so you can hunt more difficult monsters.

This is easier said than done, as Monster Hunter Wilds will bring all kinds of new challenges and hazards for players to watch out for. For starters, the locales of Monster Hunter Wilds will feature dynamically changing environments where it goes from looking like a peaceful, vibrant paradise to a dangerous wasteland wracked with dangerous weather patterns that cause damage to both players and monsters alike.

Another challenge that players will need to contend with is Monster Herds. In the Forbidden Lands, both small and large type monsters will form herds with their kind to protect themselves from the hostile environment and gang up on weaker prey. When battling Monster Herds, players will need to find creative solutions to whittle their numbers or separate the alpha leader from the herd so they can deal with them without interruptions.

Fortunately, Monster Hunter Wilds will provide players with an arsenal of weapons, support, and gameplay mechanics to help them accomplish their mission. For instance, Monster Hunter Wilds will feature 14 weapon types for the player to use in battle and will include a variety of new moves and mechanics not seen in previous Monster Hunter games.

These 14 weapon types include:

• Great Sword
• Long Sword
• Sword & Shield
• Dual Blades
• Hammer
• Hunting Horn
• Lance
• Gunlance
• Switch Axe
• Charge Blade
• Insect Glaive
• Light Bowgun
• Heavy Bowgun
• Bow

Monster Hunter Wilds: Focus Mode Overview - YouTube

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One of the new mechanics that will be available for every weapon type in Monster Hunter Wilds is Focus Mode. Focus Mode allows players to go into a stance and bring up a targeting reticle to help them aim their attacks at weak spots for extra damage, defensive counters, and evasive maneuvers to avoid incoming attacks from monsters. 

In addition, Focus Mode will allow players to activate new attacks called Focus Strikes that can inflict devastating damage on monsters when aimed at wounded body parts.

Focus Mode is essentially an assist-targeting camera mode designed to help new players aim their attacks better. However, it's completely optional and can be ignored if you prefer to aim your attacks without it.

In addition, the Slinger from Monster Hunter World will return for this game. This is a support crossbow/grappling hook device that will allow players to fire rocks at monsters to distract them, pick up gathering materials from afar, or activate environmental traps to damage monsters.

Players will not be alone in their hunts even while playing solo, as they will be accompanied by two trusty allies, the Palico and Seikret. The Palico is a Felyne (which is a cute humanoid cat) assigned to be your hunting partner and aid you in battle using a variety of hunting tools.

Seikret is a dinosaur-like creature that acts as your personal mount. While riding Seikret, you will be able to traverse the Forbidden Lands at a greater pace than on foot, climb up unscalable terrain, and even pick up crafting material while moving.

Seikret can also provide support during battle by picking you off the ground if a monster knocks you down, allowing you to use items or sharpen your weapon while riding it, or even allowing you to attack with your weapon while riding Seikret. Seikret can also carry a secondary weapon for you to switch to in the middle of battle in case your current weapon isn’t effective against your present target.

Monster Hunter Wilds: 3rd Trailer | Lala Barina & Scarlet Forest Reveal - YouTube

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On top of Palicos and Seikret, players will be able to employ the assistance of NPC Supper Hunters during their journey, as confirmed through Monster Hunter Wilds' 2024 Gamescom trailer. 

NPC Support Hunters are characters you meet throughout the game's story and can fight alongside you during a mission with their own set of gear and weapons. This was an optional feature that debuted in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak with the intention of helping solo players tackle the game's more difficult monsters if they couldn't play with other people online if they desired to and now it's coming back in Monster Hunter Wilds.

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What kind of monsters will Monster Hunter Wilds have?

Monster Hunter Wilds will feature a smorgasbord of new monsters and familiar beasties such as the series mascot Flying Wyvern, Rathalos.

The most visually striking new monsters revealed so far are the Doshaguma, Chatacabra, Balahara, Lala Barina, and Rey Dau. The Doshaguma is a large mountain bear/dog-esque creature that travels in herds and attacks with reckless abandon, using its jagged claws and gaping maw to devour prey whole.

The Chatacabra is a freakish muscle-bound monster that looks like a cross between a gorilla and a toad. It attacks by tripping players using its disgusting tongue and punching them to death with its giant fists. The Chatacabra can also use its glue-like saliva to attach rocks to its fists to form gauntlets and deal even more damage to players.

The Balahara (revealed during Summer Game Fest 2024) is a terrifying Leviathan-type monster that looks like a giant sandworm. They travel underground in packs and create quicksand pit traps to ensnare their prey before emerging from the ground to strangle with their snake-like bodies and eat them.

The Lala Barina is a giant spider monster that attacks its prey with toxic pollen that paralyze its victims, razer sharp claws, and a gigantic stinger. It also disturbingly moves like a demented ballerina dancer when it fights, using complex dance moves to catch a player off guard.

One of the most intimidating monsters revealed so far is the Rey Dau. This Thunderbird-inspired Flying Wyvern rules over the Windward Plains and swoops down from its perch during Sandstorms to hunt prey and destroy anything intruding upon its territory.

It attacks enemies by using its blade-like wings, ram attacks with its horn, and discharging lightning bolts from its horns can obliterate players in one shot if they're not equipped with tons of lightning-resistant armor.

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Will Monster Hunter Wilds have multiplayer?

In the Sony State of Play 2024 trailer, a player is shown firing off an S.O.S. flare to summon three additional hunters to aid them in fighting a Doshaguma. This was a mechanic introduced in Monster Hunter World that allowed players to invite random players online to join their hunts mid-game.

If S.O.S. flares are returning, then that confirms that Monster Hunter Wilds will once again feature online co-op multiplayer that will support up to 4-player squads. How exactly multiplayer will function beyond that is currently unknown at this time.

However, Capcom has confirmed during Summer Game Fest 2024 that Monster Hunter Wilds' multiplayer will feature cross-play support across all platforms, fulfilling one of the biggest requests on our Monster Hunter Wilds wish list.

Unfortunately, Capcom has confirmed that Monster Hunter Wilds will not feature cross-save progression or cross-buy. This means you will not be able to share save files between different platforms if you plan to play Monster Hunter Wilds on multiple systems.

However, Capcom has noted this information could change in the future as the game is still in development.

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What platforms will it launch on?

Monster Hunter Wilds will be released on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5, and PC through Steam.

There has been no official word yet if Monster Hunter Wilds will come to Xbox Game Pass. However, it may be highly possible as Capcom has been adding some of their biggest titles to Xbox Game Pass’ library, including Resident Evil 2 and Monster Hunter Rise.

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What are the PC requirements?

Here are the minimum and recommended PC requirements you will need to run Monster Hunter Wilds on PC. Fair warning, you will need fairly powerful hardware to run this game even at minimum requirements compared to its predecessors Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Rise.

Minimum PC spec requirements

• OS: Windows 10 (64-bit required)
• Processor: Intel Core i5-10600, Intel Core i3-12100F or AMD Ryzen 5 3600.
• Memory: 16GB
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super (VRAM 6GB) or AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (VRAM 6GB)
• Storage: 140GB
• DirectX: Version 12
• Internet: Broadband Internet connection
• Additional Notes: SSD required. This game is expected to run at 1080p (upscaled from 720 native resolution) / 30 fps under the "Lowest" graphics setting. DirectStorage supported.

Recommended PC spec requirements:

• OS: Windows 10 (64-bit required)
• Processor:  Intel Core i5-11600K, Intel Core i5-12400, AMD Ryzen 5 3600X or AMD Ryzen 5 5500.
• Memory: 16GB
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super (VRAM 8GB), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (VRAM 8GB) or AMD Radeon RX 6700XT (VRAM 12GB)
• Storage: 140GB
• DirectX: Version 12
• Internet: Broadband Internet connection
• Additional Notes:  SSD required. This game is expected to run at 1080p / 60 fps (with Frame Generation enabled) under the "Medium" graphics setting. DirectStorage supported.

Will Monster Hunter Wilds' have any special pre-order bonuses?

If you have save data from Monster Hunter World, and its expansion, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, you will be able to claim free gear for your Palico in Monster Hunter Wilds.

Save data from Monster Hunter World will net your Palico the Felyne Leather armor set and the Felyne Acorn Spade weapon, while save data from Monster Hunter World: Iceborne will net them the Felyne Duffel armor set and the Felyne Trekker Peckaxe weapon.

In addition, pre-ordering the game will net players access to the Guild 'Layered' Armor set and a Hero Charm talisman. Layered armor is a cosmetic system where you can change the appearance of armor pieces you're currently wearing so you can retain their stats while looking fashionable at the same time.

Talismans are special accessories that grant bonus passive abilities on top of your armor set's abilities to give you an extra edge in battle.

More details can be found on the official Monster Hunter Wilds website.

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Will Monster Hunter Wilds' any special editions?

When Monster Hunter Wilds launches, there will be three versions of the game to purchase - the Standard Edition, Deluxe Edition, and the Premium Deluxe Edition. The Standard edition will only contain the base game, while the Deluxe and Premium Deluxe Editions will contain a loads of cosmetic items including layered armor, hairstyles, free access to future cosmetic DLC packs, and much more.

There is the full list of content you can expect from the Deluxe and Premium Deluxe Editions:

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What is Monster Hunter Wilds' release date?

Monster Hunter Wilds: 4th Trailer | Release Date Reveal - YouTube

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During Sony's September 2024 State of Play show, Capcom unveil its 4th cinematic trailer for Monster Hunter Wilds that not only revealed more of the story and three new monsters, but also its release date.

Monster Hunter Wilds will be released on February 28, 2025.

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Monster Hunter Wilds

Explore the uncharted Forbidden Lands to discover long-lost secrets and hunt monsters to protect the balance of nature in Monster Hunter Wilds. Hunt the vicious beasts of the Forbidden Lands alone or with your friends in 4-player online co-op.

Pre-order at: Amazon | Best Buy | GreenManGaming (Steam)