Monster Hunter Wilds Director Confirms Balance Adjustments, More Challenging Monsters, UI/UX Improvements, and Plenty More Are on the Way

Monster Hunter Wilds is laying out its future roadmap. Alongside its planned Title Updates, director Yuya Tokuda has confirmed a few additional goals the team has, as post-launch support for the latest entry in the Monter Hunter franchise carries on.

In a letter from the director, Tokuda started by laying out the roadmap seen in the recent Monster Hunter Wilds Showcase for Title Update 1 and beyond. The first big Title Update drops on April 4, this Friday. Then, the seasonal event Festival of Accord: Blossomdance runs from April 23 through May 7. Additionally, April 30 through May 21 will see the Arch-tempered Rey Dau storm into Monster Hunter Wilds.

At the end of May, Update Ver. 1.011 will bring an unannounced Capcom collaboration and some “other additional features.” Title Update 2 is then planned for this summer, with a new additional monster and seosonal event. Tokuda confirms more free updates are arriving beyond that.

A greater challenge awaits

Part of the Mosnter Hunter Wilds’ director’s letter dug into the question of challenging monster content. Already, fights like Tempered Arkveld, the aforementioned Arch-tempered Rey Dau, and a refight with Zoh Shia are confirmed. Tokuda also confirmed Mizutsune, arriving with Title Update 1, will have an 8-star Tempered Mizutsune fight, available at HR 41 or higher.

The end-of-May update will add even more 8-star Tempered monsters to the Wilds. Tempered versions of Gore Magala, Rey Dau, Uth Duna, Nu Udra, and Jin Dahaad will make their way to the game in this update.

“Each of these monsters have had various behind-the-scenes adjustments to make them more resilient, such as increased health, resistance to wounding, and tweaks to multiplayer scaling,” Tokuda said. “Challenging monsters will also appear in future updates, so keep an eye out for further information about them.”

Balancing it all out

Specifically addressing feedback from launch, Tokuda said that Capcom is planning to make “various adjustments,” including weapon balance changes.

“These will be implemented gradually with each upcoming title update in order to make the game more enjoyable for everyone for a longer period of time,” Tokuda said. “Depending on the content, these changes may take some time to prepare.”

The director noted the Hammer as one weapon being considered for “upward adjustments,” which sounds like good news for Hammer mains. Some “unintentionally overpowered” things will be adjusted down — the Corrupted Mantle is one example — but Capcom said it plans on adjusting other parts upward, making for a “generally balanced” update. The team is currently aiming to implement the overall weapon balance adjustments in either the end-of-May update or in Title Update 2 this summer.

Performance adjustments

Additionally, Capcom is targeting stability and performance for Monster Hunter Wilds, specifically noting the PC version. Title Update 1 is planned to bring a reduction in VRAM usage and an upgrade to the DirectStorage version of the Steam version, which should result in an “overall improvement” of stability for PC players.

More improvements are planned, to bolster the overall technical experience for players on all platforms. Additionally, the in-game economy, balance, and other areas are planned for improvement too.

Quality-of-life is also a major target for the Monster Hunter Wilds team moving forward. The Grand Hub, arriving in Title Update 1, is part of this, condensing various functions into one end-game area. The team has also reduced waiting times for facility functions at each location.

The team is continuing to work on UI/UX improvements and other quality-of-life updates too. A few items on the docket include restocking items, checking skill information, engaging in multiplayer quests, using the Seikret, and camera behavior during hunts.

The rollout stars with Title Update 1 this Friday, April 4, and on into the summer as we approach Title Update 2. Though it’s still fresh, Monster Hunter Wilds is already one of the year’s most popular games, and it doesn’t look like Capcom is planning to slow down its roadmap for it anytime soon.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.