Monster Hunter Wilds was revealed at the 2023 Game Awards. Since then, we’ve seen a couple of trailers showing the world and some monsters. Over the last week, Capcom has been rolling out short videos showcasing the new and returning features. There’s a lot to take in! Read on as I break down the core features and new updates to the first six weapons highlighted by Capcom, with more to come as the rest of the weapons are revealed.
Basic Mechanics
Every Monster Hunter game comes with its own tailored mechanics. Monster Hunter World introduced Scoutflies, as well as larger maps and simplified items and gathering. While Monster Hunter Rise played more with the verticality of levels, and introduced Wire Bugs and Silkbind attacks.
Below, we’re starting to see some of the new mechanics coming into Monster Hunter Wilds, some returning and some brand new pieces that seem very exciting.
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While Palico and Malamute buddies haven’t been seen yet in this footage, we do have a look at a new buddy who will be joining you on your hunts. The Seikret feels immediately reminiscent of Chocobos from Final Fantasy. These bipedal giant birds are kitted out for your hunts. The below video shows tracking monsters automatically with the ability to use items, sharpen weapons, heal and gather materials while mounted.
Most excitingly for me is the brand new ability to switch between a primary and secondary weapon while mounted. As someone who mains Hunting Horn, but dabbles in other weapons this is one of my most anticipated features. Taking a Hunting Horn for buffs and a Longsword or Switch Axe for damage will be a dream come true, and greatly increase variety for hunting teams.
The below video also mentions the Slinger as a returning means of quick damage or utility like blinding monsters. There’s also the Hook Slinger for mobility and utility while riding.
Focus Mode
Focus Mode is one of the newest overall features that will apply to every hunter – regardless of weapon.
In the below video, Focus Mode gives a reticule to the player that can be used to more carefully target attacks and blocks. This looks like a way to isolate your targeting and strafe around the monster or block incoming attacks from behind.
Throughout the individual weapon videos, we’ve seen how certain attacks can apply wounds to monsters, which subsequent attacks can take advantage of.
While in Focus mode, enemy wounds are highlighted on the monster, so that you can more easily target these weak spots for big damage.
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Lastly, Focus Strikes look like ultimate abilities that are weapon-specific, and deal further increased damage to monster Wounds.
All this means Focus Mode is a strategic way to fight monsters, keep track of them and dish out some big punishing hits.
Great Sword
The Great Sword is the long-running poster child of the Monster Hunter franchise. It’s also the go-to weapon for hunters wanting huge damage numbers at the expense of mobility.
The below video calls the Great Sword “highly adaptable” and great for hit-and-run tactics. As anyone who has used this weapon will know, with it sheathed you can move full-speed, while with it drawn you’ll slow to a crawl.
The below video showcases many returning strikes, such as the classic charge slash and True Charged Slash. The new Focus mode attack seems to hit multiple times as it passes through monster wounds, which could be a great way to bump up status effects on monsters.
Lastly, it seems the Great Sword’s blocking ability has been bumped in utility, as there’s a clip of the hunter blocking a charging bite with his sword. Whether this is a one-off moment or a specific animation to a well-timed block, we’ll have to see.
Heavy Bowgun
The Heavy Bowgun has always been the most damaged-focused of the ranged weapons in Monster Hunter. This powerhouse trades mobility and status effects for pure damage, with a bit of defence thrown in for good measure. Heavy Bowgun players are either walking tanks in heavy armour, shrugging off attacks and blasting monsters with heavy fire. Or they’re nimble snipers moving to their perfect shot to bring down monsters with a well-placed round.
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The below video shows off Ignition Mode, which looks as though it might be a replacement for the previous games Wyvern Heart and Wyvern Snipe special attacks. The video shows off the use of a gatling attack akin to Wyvern Heart which uses an energy bar that refills over time.
All of the Heavy Bowguns shown below come with the front shield, which historically provides an additional block to the weapon, but here’s hoping some of the customisation options make a return so hunters can kit out their guns in style.
Insect Glaive
Forever the weapon for those who favour mobility – the Insect Glaive is back for all your acrobatic needs.
The Insect Glaive has always been one of the more complicated weapon types in Monster Hunter. The weapon highlight is acrobatics, with abilities that involve leaping into the air and staying airborne with carefully timed attacks.
While you’re fighting, your Insect Glaive comes with a creature called a Kinsect. The Kinsect is used to steal essence from the monsters you’ll be fighting, increasing your stats and giving you access to additional attacks.
The movesets below seem very similar to those found in Monster Hunter World. There are of course Focus Mode attacks included, such as a very fun-looking attack where you spin around your glaive like the deadliest pole-dancer ever. There’s also another where it seems you fire your Kinsect from your slinger at super speed.
Gunlance
Gunlances are another weapon that trades mobility for high damage. This time you’re equipped with a huge gunblade that would make Squall Leonhart blush, and a shield big enough to stop the most ravenous monsters.
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The Gunlance is the explosive cousin of weapons like the Great Sword. It slows you down to a crawl when drawn, but can be punishing for any monsters caught in its close-range explosive barrages. In the below video, we see a hunter fighting the frog-like Chatacabra.
Many of the attacks seem consistent with previous games, including some big swings punctuated with explosions from the barrel of the Gunlance. The newest piece here is the Focus Mode ability, which seems to charge forward with a spinning portion of the weapon. Previous iterations featured the Wyrmstake Cannon ability, which pinned into monsters and then exploded for bigger damage. This new Focus Mode ability feels akin to that, as we see it pinning into our froggy friend and blowing up.
Hunting Horn
Hunting Horn has always been my main weapon in the Monster Hunter Series. This is a bit of a sleeper weapon, but it acts quite similarly to the Hammer, with big swinging hits that can stun even the biggest monsters. The Hunting Horn’s main calling card, however, is the ability to play songs that buff yourself and the rest of your party. The specific horn you bring with you will determine the songs you play. But you’d likely see damage up, damage resistance, healing songs and more.
Below we see the usual big swinging hits, and a couple of stun attacks, as well as some party buffs. The biggest new moves are called Echo Bubbles, which look like area effects that the player can place on the ground, and they amplify songs you play. We also see the player placing what looks like three of these bubbles, which seem to chain together to amplify abilities.
Suffice to say, I’ll be rocking out on day one.
Long Sword
For the budding Samurai in the audience, the Long Sword is up next. The long sword has always been one of the most anime of the weapons. Its move set focuses on big wide arching and direct thrust attacks. Between these, you often have counters and special moves to cut and slice monsters to ribbons.
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The Spirit gauge is a returning feature that fills as you land combos, then stacks increased damage onto your swings when it’s full. The below footage also emphasises timing and setting up counterattacks for big damage. The Focus Mode abilities seem to double down on this with more focus on counters and weak spot targeting for those sweet anime sliding slices and jump cuts.
Suffice it to say, this new monster – the sand-swimming Balahara – barely gets a shot in the whole fight.
Charge Blade
The Charge Blade is another combo weapon on this list, which has two states – a sword and shield, and a powered axe mode. The general flow is that you fight with a sword and shield to build up ‘phials’, then load these into your axe mode for big attacks. Charge Axe is often favoured as an elemental and status effect weapon, but can do wild damage in the right hands.
I’ve always considered Charge Axe one of the more difficult weapons in the franchise because you need to stay on top of your charges and change at the right time to take advantage of gaps in the monster’s movements.
The video below gives a decent look at both sword and axe mode (and a gorgeous-looking weapon, very Kingdom Hearts). It seems as though axe mode might have a couple of new wider-swinging attacks, and potentially more fluid opportunities to transition between the two states mid-combo.
The Focus Mode additions seem like a whirling buzzsaw-style attack with the axe and some fast flurry attacks with the sword and shield.
Hammer
Last for today, the Hammer is the weapon used by players who want big damage, and big baseball-swing stun attacks to knock the monster unconscious.
First thing on the video below, both the weapon and armour set are amazing, almost plague-doctor inspired with the spectacularly spooky brain hammer. You can see in the footage that the monster spends more time stunned with spinning stars about its head than it does attacking – so Hammer wielders will be happy.
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We also see a couple of new combos including what looks like a counter hit at 00:41, followed by a big new wind-up spin attack that puts this monster down.
So that’s it! We’ve seen seven of the 14 total weapons so far. From big swinging Hammers and Hunting horns, to acrobatic Insect Glaives and razor-sharp Longswords. We’ll be back with more breakdowns when the rest of the weapons are live and of course, more Monster Hunter Wilds news as the release draws close in 2025.
