Summary
Monster Hunter Wildsis finally here, taking players to the Forbidden Lands in what is arguably one of the most ambitious entries in the series to date. With a plethora of broken traditions, brand-new features, and a fresh story and world for players to discover, the release ofMonster Hunter Wildssees yet another notable title added to 2025’s growing list of must-play games.
Monster Hunter Wildsmay be the most accessible entryin the franchise to date, but players should still adequately prepare before they set off. One way they can ensure they are ready for the journey ahead of them is to familiarize themselves with several ofMonster Hunter Wilds' unwritten rules about its exploration and combat, especially if they’re a newcomer to the series.
The Unwritten Rules of Monster Hunter Wilds' Exploration
The Best Way to Travel Is by Seikret
One of the most valuable tools inMonster Hunter Wildsis actually its new Seikret companion. In fact, the game really likes to emphasize how special Seikrets are, even in its narrative, as if to let players know that they shouldn’t neglect to take advantage of the mount’s usefulness. As a mount, the Seikret is obviously the best way to traverseMonster Hunter Wilds' expansive map, but it’s really its built-in mechanics that make it worthwhile. If players want to get right to a hunt, they can put the Seikret in “Auto-move” mode, which causes the mount to automatically navigate to the objective. During that time, players can prepare themselves for the hunt by sharpening their weapons, eating food, or buffing themselves with other consumables.
Players can also use the Seikret to free-roamMonster Hunter Wilds' world, and with the game’s improved Slinger mechanics, they don’t really need to dismount for anything.
The Slinger Makes Item Acquisition Seamless
Monster Hunter Wilds' Slinger, especially in combination with the Seikret, is an incredibly useful tool. Specifically, the Slinger can be used to pull items toward them, even while they’re riding on theirSeikret inMonster Hunter Wilds, thereby eliminating the need for them to dismount and making exploration a more seamless experience. What makes this method even better than gathering items by hand is that players don’t even need to aim directly at an item to grab it with their Slinger; they simply need to aim their Slinger, and as long as the item is somewhere in front of them, their Slinger will grab it.
The Mini-Map and HUD Are Most Useful for Locating Items
While players can certainly pull upMonster Hunter Wilds' main map if they need help locating things, the most efficient method for locating items is the mini-map and the game’s HUD. Using the mini-map, players can identify the precise location of certain items without pulling up the map. Additionally, just above the mini-map, players will see which items are nearby as they exploreMonster Hunter Wilds' Forbidden Lands.
The Unwritten Rules of Monster Hunter Wilds' Combat
Exploiting Wounds Is the Quickest Route to Victory
Monster Hunter Wilds' new Focus Mode, which allows players to manually target certain parts of a monster’s body, also allows for Focus Strikes — arguably, the most essential part of the game’s combat. Focus Strikes are triggered once players attack and destroy an open Wound on amonster’s body inMonster Hunter Wilds, delivering some devastating damage in turn.
As players utilizeMonster Hunter Wilds' Focus Modeto target a specific area on a monster’s body, they might eventually create a Wound in that area, which is indicated by a red mark on the area players were focusing on. Once the red mark appears, players should activate Focus Mode, after which the wounded area will be pinpointed by a red light. Finally, attacking that area will destroy the Wound and trigger a Focus Strike, getting players one large leap closer to victory. From that point on, it’s essentially a process of rinse and repeat until the monster is down.
Weapons Are Less About What’s Best and More About What Works
Just as there are in any game like it,Monster Hunter Wildshas weapons that are considered meta by the vast majority of players. However, at the end of the day, a player’s effectiveness in battle comes down to whether they are using a weapon that they are comfortable with and proficient in. As such, rather than worrying about which weapon is considered better by others, players should experiment withall 14 weapons inMonster Hunter Wildsuntil they’ve discovered the one that best suits their playstyle. This is arguably the best way to bridge the gap between fun and success inMonster Hunter Wilds.
The Seikret Is More Than a Getaway Car
While the Seikret can certainly prove to be useful as a mount for escaping a fight, it is useful for far more than that. In earlierMonster Huntergames, if players needed to sharpen their weapon or drink a Potion mid-combat, they would need to do so either while a monster was stunned or they would simply need to put some distance between themselves and the monster in order to take care of their business. InMonster Hunter Wilds, however, players can use the Seikret to keep them mobile while they perform these tasks. Should players need to consume a Potion, sharpen their weapon, or even eat during a fight, they simply need to call their Seikret and then circle the battlefield on its back while they get everything in order.
The Seikret can also be used to fire pods at monsters, which often allows players even more time to get their bearings. Additionally, jumping from a Seikret onto a monster’s back will allow player a chance to expose a wound there and then destroy it.
Most Monsters Are Locked Behind Story Progress
Something a bit moretraditional aboutMonster Hunter Wildsis that it locks most of its monsters behind story progress. While players can still happen upon these monsters in the wild ahead of time, the Guild actually won’t allow them to engage those monsters until they’ve reached a certain part of the story. As such, if players really want to get the most out ofMonster Hunter Wilds' different armor sets and weapons, they should prioritize the story above all else and then go back for the extra materials that they need.
Hunters Are More Efficient When They’re Fed
Cooking has always been a staple of theMonster Hunterseries, as well as other Capcomgames likeDragon’s Dogma 2. The same is true ofMonster Hunter Wilds, leaving players remiss to ignore the advantages that come with consuming a meal. Before heading out on a hunt or continuing to the next part ofMonster Hunter Wilds' story, players should ensure they have consumed a meal to take advantage of the buffs that come with it. If they forget to have a meal before setting off, they can always use their portable BBQ Grill in the wild.
