Monster Hunter Fans Say Goodbye to Their Favorite Chefs From Past Games As Wilds Launches

Monster Hunter Wilds is now out in the wild, and monster hunters are logging on in droves to start exploring the Forbidden Lands. Before they go, though, a few are taking a moment to remember some beloved NPCs from games past who kept their bellies full for every hunt.

Over on the Monster Hunter subreddit, posts have popped up reminding players to leave well-wishes for the chefs of previous Monster Hunter games, specifically Monster Hunter World and Rise. Cooks aren’t just the NPCs you tend to interact with pretty often, ensuring you’ve got good food buffs before heading out to fight against a scary beast; they’re also, broadly, pretty well-liked in the community.

The Grammeowster Chef from Monster Hunter World Iceborne, for instance, is a sweet elderly Felyne all bundled up in scarves, since she’s the head chef at Seliana’s Canteen. One post reminded players to let her know they’d be away for a while, because of Wilds’ launch.

Similarly, another post jokes about letting Monster Hunter Rise’s dango chef Yomogi know that they’ll be gone for a bit, saying they’re “going out to get cigarettes.” Though, the chef certainly made some decent revenue on all those dango. “Bro it’s fine, I’ve paid her entire college tuition by this point,” said one commenter.

We can’t talk about chefs without mentioning the classic one from Monster Hunter World, the Meowscular Chef, either. He’s a personal favorite NPC, with his eye scar, giant knife, and incredible poses every time he served up a new meal. The “best, most muscley boy”, as one commenter so aptly said.

It might seem silly to get sentimental over this, but chefs are a core part of the Monster Hunter loop. They’re the NPCs you tend to visit often, and you always get little cutscenes of them serving up the food that fuels your hunts. It doesn’t hurt that their designs are often fantastic, from a burly Felyne chef to the sweet Grammeowster.

A nice meal before heading out was routine for my own multiplayer ventures, and it might even be why Capcom is adding a new “place to gather” in its first Title Update for Monster Hunter Wilds. Having those little zones adds a lot, and having the right character in place only helps, if it wasn’t clear from all the players of previous Monster Hunters wishing the chefs goodbye before heading to Wilds.

Players are certainly digging into Monster Hunter Wilds too, with player numbers hitting massive peaks within 24 hours of its official launch. It hasn’t all been perfect, as PC players have been reporting concerns over performance, prompting Capcom to issue an official response.

To help get your Monster Hunter Wilds adventure started, take a look at what Monster Hunter Wilds doesn’t tell you, and a guide to all 14 weapon types in the game. We’ve also got a detailed Monster Hunter Wilds walkthrough in progress, a Monster Hunter Wilds multiplayer guide to explain how to play with friends, and if you’ve played one of the open betas, here’s how to transfer your Monster Hunter Wilds Beta character over.

IGN’s Monster Hunter Wilds review returned an 8/10. We said: “Monster Hunter Wilds continues to smooth off the rougher corners of the series in smart ways, making for some extremely fun fights but also lacking any real challenge.”

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.