Monster Hunter Wilds is rumbling on the horizon like a stampeding herd of Gastodons. For those who can’t wait until February 25th, you’ll have an opportunity to test out the game early next week.
Capcom announced the Open Beta Test on Thursday as part of the Monster Hunter Wilds Showcase. PlayStation Plus subscribers will have a staggered access period. Below is the full breakdown of times, as well as some key details about the test.
Access and download times:
- PlayStation Plus Subscribers in Australia will have access to the Open Beta from Tuesday, October 29th to Thursday, October 31st on PS5.
- Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC (Steam) players will have access from Friday 1st November until Monday, November 4th.
What’s Included?
Below are the three main pieces of content included in the Open Beta Test.
Character creation
During the Open Beta Test, players will be able to access the full suite of character creation for both their hunter and their Palico partner. Players can recreate these characters as often as they like, and Capcom confirmed that character creation data will carry over to the full game on release.
Story trial
Open Beta players can play through the opening cutscene to set the scene for our new monster-hunting adventure. Players can then get to grips with the new weapon mechanics like Focus Mode and all the returning weapons. This first quest will involve hunting the amphibious Chatacabra monster that we’ve seen in previous trailers — this hulking brute is very froggy, and we covered his trailer reveal in a previous story.
READ MORE: Monster Hunter Wilds | All the biggest changes coming to the game (Part One)
Doshaguma hunt
The main activity of the Open Beta test once players have made their character and trialled the weapons on offer is to hunt the fanged wyvern Doshaguma. Doshaguma was first revealed in the Windward Plains trailer back in May 2024. Interestingly, the Capcom website names this hunt target the “Alpha of the Doshaguma pack”, implying we might see other creatures of its type or smaller pack members. We’ll also have access to the Seikret mount to get around the Windward Plains, as well as the hotly anticipated ability to swap between two weapons mid-hunt.
The Capcom website also highlights that we’ll have access to SOS flares in the Open Beta period to quickly team up with other hunters remotely. This feature was a godsend to building hunt teams in Monster Hunter World but was missing in Monster Hunter Rise, so we’re very glad to see it returning in Wilds.
Also mentioned for the first time in the news post is the option for NPC support hunters to join you in place of live players; this will be a first for the series and likely a big boon for anyone playing solo.
Other announcements
A few additional updates were also included as part of the Monster Hunter Wilds Showcase, including new monsters and new environments to hunt in during the final release.
READ MORE: Monster Hunter Wilds | All the biggest changes coming to the game (Part Two)
Azuz The Everforge is shown as a steamy industrial area that seems to be a part of the new expedition in the game’s story. It backs onto the Oilwell Basin, which is home to a few newly revealed monsters. Rompopolo is an oily insectoid creature that can spray oil and gas as well as cause explosions. We see Rompopolo fighting Ajarakan, a new fanged beast with ignition abilities similar to series mainstay Glavenus. Suffice to say, oil and fire don’t mix well in the new trailer.
There’s also a reference to a mysterious monster only called the Black Flame, in the trailer we see an oozy, tentacled octopus creature, seemingly brought on by The Everforge being lit. We’ll have to wait to see more.
Check out the full event video below:
We’ll have more coverage of the Monster Hunter Wilds Open Beta test in a few short weeks when we dive in.
