Grand Theft Auto 6 may be one of the most anticipated games heading into 2025. However, for a different subset of players, the hunt begins again when Monster Hunter Wilds launches for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.
As the first title in the series exclusively available on current-gen consoles, it looks like the successor to the massive locales, epic hunts and high-fidelity visuals that characterized Monster Hunter World. The latest trailer debuted during State of Play, presenting more definitive gameplay and a peek at several new features, followed by a PlayStation Blog post with even more information.
Here are ten big things you should know about Wilds, what makes it so exciting for long-time fans and newcomers, and what you should look forward to playing it.
The Forbidden Lands
The Forbidden Lands is the new setting the player and their Investigation Team travel to, with the Windward Plains serving as the first locale. The latter is a mix of environments – desert, grasslands and rock formations (including a conspicuous half-circle shape in the distance) adorn the landscape. Other regions await, with the developer promising “a world full of countless surprises and discoveries.” Wherever you go, you can begin quests when you encounter the relevant target, further streamlining and improving the gameplay flow while cutting down on the back-and-forth fast traveling to camp and back.
Herds
As showcased in the first trailer, herds comprise much larger groups of monsters than previous titles populate a region. Ceratonoths move along, the males catching and dispersing lightning with their giant spikes, occupying the center of the herd to safeguard the females. The Dalthydon may look unassuming as it migrates between seasons and its young travel aside it, but it can defend its pack thanks to a very hard head. You also have the vicious small monsters that feed on the herbivores, but they aren’t the only ones who travel in packs.
New Large Monsters
Brutish and very territorial, the Doshaguma is a new Fanged Beast traveling in packs of four, sometimes six, that can be very aggressive. As the first trailer showcased, they have no qualms punching aside the small monsters to pursue the player, even as a sandstorm bears down on them. They can pick up Ceratonoth corpses and chuck them at the player from afar. By contrast, the Chatacabra – a new Amphibian – comes across as more wiley. It attacks with its tongue, leading saliva on the ground, but also coats its forelegs with it to form a protective layer from nearby materials. Deceptively fast and capable of closing the distance with a charge, caution is required when facing them.
Complex Ecosystems
We’ve seen this in previous titles, but Monster Hunter Wilds’ ecosystems are on another level. Every living creature is independent and will react accordingly, depending on the situation. They’ll adapt to changing weather and other circumstances, whether it’s a hostile pack attacking, a sandstorm rolling in, or your actions, which feels like more of a proper ecosystem.
Hazardous Weather
Wilds makes another big departure from the series is how weather works. As noted in both trailers, sandstorms can roll in, covering the entire area, affecting your visibility, and even impeding some large monsters. When the player lures the alpha Doshaguma away from the pack, we see the other struggling and seemingly dragged under the sand. A sandstorm can also significantly affect the locale as grasslands look more desolate. Players must also be wary of lightning, which can strike in random spots. However, if you take advantage of the ecosystem, maneuvering near a male Ceratonoth who can disperse the lightning after catching it, you might survive longer. Overall, it’s a big step forward from the simple rain of previous games.
New Weapon Actions
Monsters and their ecosystems are an important part of hunting, but so is your weaponry. Monster Hunter Wilds features all 14 weapon trees from the previous titles, from the Insect Glaive and Long Sword to the Light and Heavy Bowguns, Dual Blades, Gunlance, Sword and Shield, and more. However, they sport new actions, like the Great Sword’s parry, which can knock a Doshaguma back and transition into a slash. You can also dig into a monster and drag the blade across, which seems to deal flinching damage and block an attack while struggling for leverage (though it’s unknown whether this is an ability or a gameplay sequence). The Heavy Bowgun also gets a new action to charge up an explosive shot, fired straight into a target’s noggin.
New Mount
Seikret, the new mount, will be your new best buddy while traversing the Forbidden Lands. Not only can it glide and surmount obstacles, but you can also use certain weapons, like the heavy Bowgun while riding it. Other actions like using items, sharpening weaponry, gathering materials, and more are also possible while riding, allowing you to more effectively farm or take a breather in the middle of battle. However, perhaps the most underrated new function it provides is carrying a secondary weapon. If you’re in the middle of a hunt, trying a new weapon, and it’s not working out, go to Seikret and swap for your trusted main. No return to base needed.
Focus Mode
Out of all the new additions, perhaps the most mysterious is Focus Mode. According to the developer, it allows hunters “more precise control over how they guard, aim, and attack to target a monster’s weak points for big damage.” It also “makes it easier to adjust your distance to the monster and aim your attacks,” leading to the game being “more accessible to a wider variety of players.” However, that’s not all – some weapon types have Focus Mode-exclusive moves, which provide some incentive for long-time players to dabble with the function. How it’s activated, the benefits, trade-offs and so on – we need to see a lot more gameplay and details, but for now, it sounds enticing.
Hook Slinger
As a modified version of the traditional Slinger, the Hook Slinger can collect items from afar. This is also available while riding, as seen in the trailer when the player gathers some ammo from afar and fires it at an overhead rock to drop it on some Doshaguma. There will also be some “contextual actions” which can be triggered from afar with the Hook Slinger, but it’s unknown whether you’ll be grappling onto Wedge Beetles or something similar for faster traversal.
Fully Voiced Protagonist
Why are we in the Forbidden Lands in the first place where tons of dangerous monsters lurk and death could strike at any moment? Are we stupid? As it turns out, the Guild’s Research Commission is on a mission to investigate an unexplored land and appoints players as the lead hunter. For the first time in the series, the player character is fully voiced and will engage in conversations with other characters throughout. You can still create your character from scratch, and it should be interesting to see what new features the character creator has to offer. Joining you on the journey is your Palico; Alma, a Guild Handler who manages quests and items; Gemma, the Smithy in charge of crafting armor and weapons; Nata, a mysterious youth who plays a “key role” in the story.
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