Monster Hunter’s been a huge franchise in the video games industry for roughly a decade now, if not more than that, but with 2017’s release of Monster Hunter World, the franchise well and truly exploded, reaching the kind of global audiences the series never could before. In keeping with the series’ constant growth and World’s newfound philosophies of bringing new players into the mix, the smash-hit is being brought over to PC by Capcom, marking the series’ debut on the on the platform. Monster Hunter World on PC is almost upon us, so if you’re looking forward to purchasing the game, here’s ten things you should know about the PC version specifically before you jump in with both feet.
RESOLUTION AND FRAME-RATE
Perhaps the one reason so many gamers prefer to play their games on PC instead of consoles is the fact that the former is just capable of producing much better visuals and performances for the games it runs, depending on what kind of a setup you have, of course. And if you have the right setup, you will be able to run Monster Hunter World at a native 4K resolution, which is has confirmed support for. This is made even more impressive by the fact that the game can also be run at 60 frames-per-second.
VISUAL PARITY WITH CONSOLES
Capcom have also announced that they won’t be making any cutbacks or compromises to the game’s visuals or technical aspects in bringing it over to PC. Being a ridiculously more powerful platform than the PS4 or the Xbox One (or even the One X, for that matter), you’d almost expect that to be a given… but not all PC versions of modern AAA games abide by that. Remember Arkham Knight? Either way, Capcom have assured that Monster Hunter World on PC will at least look as good as the game’s console versions- though, of course, if you have a good setup, you can always kick things up a notch yourself.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS- RECOMMENDED
But what exactly is a good setup when it comes to Monster Hunter World? Well, according to the game’s recommended system requirements, you’re going to need a… well, a decent system. An Intel Core i3 8350 4GHz processor is recommended, though of course, an Intel Core i7 3770 3.4GHz or an AMD Ryzen 5 1500X would work just as well. Then there’s the matter of the graphics card- Capcom recommends you to play the game with either an AMD Radeon RX 570X or an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 installed in your PC.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS- MINIMUM
If there is anything in those requirements we just spoke about that you cannot afford or do not currently have access to, however, that doesn’t mean you just can’t play Monster Hunter World on PC whatsoever. Minimum system requirements require you to have an Intel Core i5-4460, 3.20GHz or an AMD FX-6300 processor chip, while on the graphics card front, either of an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 or an AMD Radeon R7 260x would work.
NO CROSS-PLATFORM PLAY
Cross-platform has been a red hot topic of discussion among the gaming masses these in recent months, so of course, whether or not Monster Hunter World on PC will feature cross-play with the game’s PS4 or Xbox One versions was a pertinent question for many people. The answer, sadly, seems to be no. And no, for once it’s not Sony’s fault (they actually have allowed cross-play with PC versions of games on some occasions). Monster Hunter World on PC won’t cross-play with the console versions simply because it will be receiving updates and patches (owing to the system’s different architecture) at different times than the game’s console versions, and though Capcom will try to sync that up, a cross-play would still remain highly doubtful.
DEVILJHO AND LUNASTRA
Deviljho and Lunastra are both fearsome, towering, terrifying beasts in the game, that may have only been added to the experience after its full launch, but have quickly clawed their way into fans’ lists of their favourite monsters. When Monster Hunter World releases on PC near the end of August, players sadly won’t get access to these two monsters at launch. That said, these two will be launching as post-launch content, just as they did on the consoles.
POST LAUNCH SUPPORT
In fact, Capcom in general seem to have plans in place for constant and engaging post-launch sopport for Monster Hunter World. Other than Lunastra and Deviljho, of course (both of which be free pieces of DLC), Capcom will also be releasing other future updates to the game, though once again, whether these will sync up with updates to the game’s console versions isn’t something they’re committing to yet. Interestingly though, Capcom have said that they want to make sure that hese updates on PC don’t take to come out like in the base, current Monster Hunter World.
DENUVO DRM
One of the most vehemently hated things in our masses – right up there alongside microtransactions, loot boxes, and EA – is the concept of DRM. Sadly, Monster Hunter World will have Denuvo DRM. What this means is that you will require an internet connection if you want to play the game. Of course, the game is centered on a co-op experience as it is, but it is also entirely playable solo, so we imagine several people will be miffed – and rightly so – at this particular bit of information.
DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION
When Monster Hunter World launches on PC on August 9, those who wish to shell out a little bit extra cash for a different deal will have the option of purchasing the game’s Digital Deluxe Edition. For a steeper price of $69.99, the Digital Deluxe Edition will include, other than the base game itself, the samurai armour set, the topknot hairstyle, the wyvern face paint, three gestures (zen, ninja star, sumo slap), and two sticker sets.
PRE-ORDER BONUS
We imagine quite a number of people are giddily anticipating the launch of Monster Hunter World on PC, and as such, many of you either have already pre-ordered the game, or will be doing so soon. If you do end up pre-ordering it (or have already done so), the game will also grant you bonuses. You will receive two in-game rewards, namely the origin armour set, a set that is built around defense and gathering stats, as well as the Fair Wind charm, a skill that increases your attack power.
