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Despite both State of Play and Summer Game Fest dropping 2 juicy trailers, much info on Monster Hunter Wilds is still up in the air. Will Monster Hunter Wilds be an open world? What does the Focus Mode do? Will Lagiacrus ever come back? Is this game just Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Dos?
Well, at Summer Game Fest, Capcom had invited various media and content creators for closed-door presentations of the game, as well as interview sessions with the developers. Today, new info has been dropped for Monster Hunter Wilds, answering many community questions about the game. Without further ado, here is a compilation of the most interesting bits of what was seen behind closed doors.
Media and creators were treated to a behind closed doors presentation of Monster Hunter Wilds at #SummerGameFest Play Days! Keep an eye out later this week for first impressions and coverage. #MHWilds pic.twitter.com/zFnKHvfa5o
— Monster Hunter (@monsterhunter) June 10, 2024
Seamless Large Maps
You know the loop, grab quest, eat, start hunt, and repeat. Now, from what we have learned, Capcom seems to be moving away from traditional quest boards and quest listing – rather we will be selecting the available monsters on the map and start tracking them while on the field.
The villages and settlements are now integrated within the map itself, and there will be no loading screens when traveling into the wilds. Villages would even react to the shift in environments and many said that they still have the quirky charms the series is known for. Apparently, the village produces cheese and you can visit a cheesemonger who makes cheese puns to buy cheese. Speaking of food, hunters can cook meals anywhere but require specific ingredients for specific buffs.
Upon selecting the quest, the hunter alongside their handler Alma and their Palico will travel together into the wilderness seeminglessly. According to Capcom, the size of the locales in Monster Hunter Wilds will be two to three times larger than those in Monster Hunter World, and this game will not be an open world but feature much larger hunting locales, in the plural, than the series has ever seen. A notable element in the locale is that you can order your Palico to build temporary camps anywhere – these camps can be destroyed by monsters, though main camps still exist.
According to those who watched the gameplay, the map menu will now showcase the map in 3D with detailed topography and multiple elevations.
The Hunt
The quest showcased in the presentation is to hunt the ursine fanged beast Doshaguma in the Windward Plains. As heavily marketed in the trailers, Monster Hunter Wilds puts a focus on the large monster herd. Unlike in Monster Hunter World, where you see up to 3 large monsters on a map, there are dozens of large monsters in the locales of Wilds at any given time.
In Doshaguma’s case, the hunter was seen trying to bait the alpha from its pack. The hunter rides their Seikret and leads the pack, as shown in the trailer, and shoots slingers to trigger various environmental traps to separate the pack. You can even bait the Doshaguma into the Balahara’s territory in the desert and have them trapped in the quicksand pits that the leviathan creates.
From what was spoken, quests seem to only start when the player first hits the target monster, similar to how Wild Hearts does its hunt timer. Combat is described to be closer to the pacing in World, rather than the anime parry fest which is Rise. Onto mechanics, there is a new way to initiate a hunt, which is through the button-prompted sneak attacks, allowing you to deliver a Zorah Magdaros’ size of damage to a monster that was not aware of your presence.
Remember the epic moment in the trailer where the hunter blocks a Doshaguma going in for a bite and holding it in a cinematic fashion? That is described as something called a Power Clash, which can happen every so often. Heavy Bowgun can also perform that block, and the hunter is seen unloading an explosive blast into Doshaguma’s mouth and go kaboom! Speaking of which, Mounting is back and so are Mantles, while at least the Ghillie Mantle is for now.
There will also be a new Wounding mechanic, but unlike the Clutch Claw, this mechanic happens naturally as you damage the monster, with red Scoutflies gathering the wounded area to mark it. Wounded parts can be exploited for a burst of damage in a fashion similar to popping those Qurio spots on Afflicted monsters in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak.
Accompanying the new Wounding mechanic is the Focus Mode, which had the community questioning. From what was described, the Focus Mode is essentially a reticle much like how you would aim your ranged weapons, but also available for melee weapons. When using Focus Mode, allows you to ensure attacks hit targeted parts more reliably. It would seem all weapons will have unique moves in Focus Mode, with at least one specifically designed to exploit the wounded parts.
On the topic of weapons, Capcom noted that Hunting Horn has been changed drastically and will be closer to the World version rather than Rise. Both the Light Bowgun and Heavy Bowgun were also said to have updated significantly. Sadly… there will be no new weapon types, only the same 14 weapon types.
The big star highlight of Monster Hunter Wilds‘ marketing is the dynamic weather system. It seems that this weather system is much grander than expected, with it both, directly and indirectly, altering combat and monster behavior. Each season alters the map drastically in terms of monsters, and behavior, but also mining outcrops, foliage, and other collectible resources.
After completing the quest, rather than the usual reward screen and heading back to the village, in Wilds, you can choose to stay on the field like an expedition. Speaking of which, that mysterious thunder railgun wyvern is actually the apex monster of Windward Plains, and Capcom said that they have yet to reveal the flagship monster.
Aside from that, here are some other notable things that have been pointed out.
- Firing S.O.S. flare offline calls in NPC hunters to help you
- You can pick up and reposition Barrel Bomb
- The soundtrack will be a lot more dynamic
- While carving you no longer clip through the monster, but rather climb onto the actual body
- There will be no underwater hunting
- Potion healing is closer to how it is in Monster Hunter World with no instant 50% healing like it is in Monster Hunter Rise
- A red line from a monster similar to the enmity from Behemoth indicates if the monster is chasing you
- You can change the Palico voice from speaking to the classic cat noises
- Some story cutscenes you’ll have to watch solo like in Monster Hunter World but Capcom said it is “a lot more convenient” for multiplayer
Monster Hunter Wilds will launch sometime in 2025 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
