Monster Hunter Wilds Doesn’t Have The Biggest Monster Roster, But Another MH Game Proved Why That’s Good
Monster Hunter Wildskeeps players busy with its hunts, but it doesn't have the most in the series by quite some margin. Each monster is given a lot of love in MH Wilds to bring them to life, from the dancing Lala Barina, to the octopus-like Nu Udra, and this attention to detail is what the series is known for now. Quality over quantity seems to be the name of the game with MH Wilds' roster, and while there are some returning monsters from older titles, there are also a lot of additions to the sixth generation.
The current roster will also see additions through updates, with Capcom looking to add the Mizutsune as a challenge above Tempered, and if the developer continues its trend of making massive expansions for Monster Hunter titles, the roster could end up doubling by the time MH Wilds is all said and done. Although it would have been great to have these monsters in the game from the get-go, there's a reason why Capcom has begun to lean toward smaller monster rosters. Wilds proves that this is probably for the best.
Monster Hunter Wilds Has Fewer Large Monsters Than World Or Rise
But It Has More Skeleton Variety
Although both Wilds and World have been critiqued for their smaller rosters, this is largely because these games have been built from the ground up, where many other titles would essentially port older monsters from other games while making new ones. MH Wilds has a total of 29 large monsters to hunt, while base World has 36 (30 at launch), and Rise has 46. What works in Wilds' favor is its skeleton variety compared to World in particular, offering octopus-like monsters, spiders, as well as the rest of the usual monster skeletons.
The Deviljho, Lunastra, Behemoth, Kulve Taroth, Leshen, and Ancient Leshen were all added to World as free DLC after launch.
This means that it feels like there is more variety with Wilds, since there are essentially more monster categories compared to World, and with monsters being added after launch, the roster sizes will end up being comparable. Both pale in comparison to Rise, although it benefited from coming after World and porting many of its assets to save time. MH Wilds was made from the ground up to bring the series forward, which is needed with all the new mechanics in Wilds, and MH Generations proves that this is probably for the best.
Monster Hunter Generations Highlighted The Problem With A Huge Roster
Corners Need To Be Cut To Make Up The Numbers
Monster Hunter Generations has 71 large monsters, and the Ultimate version has 93. By comparison, Monster Hunter World, with its Iceborne expansion and post-launch additions, has 71 large monsters, making Generations look massive by comparison, but such a large roster comes at a cost. While the game is iconic and loved for good reason, some of the monster additions come straight from the older titles without the ample love and care to get them to fit with all the new mechanics. This led to some inconsistencies with the monsters, and came across as a quantity over quality approach.
Monster Hunter Generations launched on the 3DS, with the Ultimate edition being released on the Switch.
There are always going to be some inconsistencies with monsters, since the developer can't always strike gold, but Generations' integration of many returning monsters did make these inconsistencies more evident. With a game that has as many new mechanics as MH Wilds, just porting over monsters like what Generations did wouldn't have worked without some issues with behavior. Building monsters from the ground up allows them to work as well as possible with new mechanics, although this does mean that the roster will be smaller compared to other titles.
More Large Monsters Will Come To Monster Hunter Wilds
And An Expansion Will Make The Game Even Bigger
With the Mitzutsune already announced as a monster beyond Tempered difficulty, it seems that Capcom is keeping the formula of post-launch additions. The monster roster will continue to grow as time goes on, and these monsters will be added with care to fit all the new mechanics and technical developments new to Wilds. This is probably better than having them rushed into the base game to begin with, and also means that these monsters can be added to late High Rank for an extra challenge, as is the case with the Mitzutsune.
Monster Hunter Wilds Reveals Event Quests Schedule, With Two Events Available To Play Right Now
The first Monster Hunter Wilds Quest Events have been revealed, and players can expect to have a busy month ahead through the limited time quests.
Monsters will also come through collaborations, like how World added Final Fantasy's Behemoth, and an expansion with Master Rank will probably cause Monster Hunter Wilds' roster to be close to Generations' anyway. Except with this method, the game will make sure that the monsters are as well integrated as possible. The downside is that players will have to buy the base game, then fork out again for an expansion, which can leave quite a hole in the wallet, but if the expansion is as good as Iceborne and Sunbreak it will be worth it.
OpenCritic Reviews- Franchise
- Monster Hunter
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
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