Monster Hunter Wilds: May 28 Update Details Revealed by Developers

Yuya Tokuda, the director of Monster Hunter Wilds, has shared exciting details about the upcoming Ver. 1.011 update set to launch on May 28. This update promises "an abundance of new features and changes" including a thrilling collaboration with Street Fighter 6.

In his latest Director's Letter, Tokuda emphasized the team's commitment to enhancing the gaming experience, stating, "We wanted to provide more great content for you to enjoy as well as make various adjustments to make Monster Hunter Wilds even more fun to play." A highlight of the update is the introduction of Street Fighter's Akuma as a new challenger. Players will have access to a full Arkuma armor set and layered armor. When equipped, these sets will add three special items to your item bar: Assisted Combo Akuma, Drive Impact, and Gou Hadoken. For more details on these items, check out the official Monster Hunter website.

The Ver. 1.011 update also introduces eight-star "challenging" monsters available to hunt at HR 41 and above. This includes Gore Magala, Rey Dau, Uth Duna, Nu Udra, and Jin Dahaad, offering players new options for hunting eight-star tempered monsters beyond Arkveld, which remains available at seven-star difficulty. These new eight-star versions come with increased health, wound resistance, and adjusted multiplayer scaling. Tokuda warns that the Tempered Gore Magala will be a "particularly tough challenge" even for seasoned hunters. Expect more high-difficulty quests and multi-monster encounters as your HR progresses.

In addition to new content, "player-centric balance adjustments" are planned for both Ver. 1.011 and Title Update 2. Weapons such as the Hammer, Hunting Horn, Gunlance, Light Bowgun, and Heavy Bowgun will receive various tweaks. Notably, certain aspects of the Gunlance Artian weapons have been enhanced. Tokuda noted, "While some weapons have had certain parameters adjusted downward, other parameters have been adjusted upwards, and viewed in totality I think you will find that all weapon types have had their possibilities expanded, so I encourage you to give them a try for yourself once the update is out." He also mentioned that the Hammer and Dual Blades will see "various improvements."

Quality of Life (QoL) enhancements are also part of the update. Hunters can now rest in the Grand Hub and Suja, Peaks of Accord, which restores all destroyed Pop-up Camps. A new feature eliminates the need for a confirmation window when obtaining an item with a full item pouch, automatically sending the item to your item box. The visibility of meal effect timers has been improved, with a countdown starting 10 minutes before expiration. All notifications have been adjusted to reduce frequency and prioritize high-priority targets in the environment overview, no longer obstructing map access.

Tokuda reiterated a previously announced feature, allowing players to view individual endemic life they've captured in the Windward Plains through Ecological Research. This feature displays creature names, as well as the size and weight of caught fish. Players can favorite creatures to keep them even if storage is full, and note unique patterns or elements on individual creatures.

Stability improvements, particularly on Steam, are also on the agenda. With the addition of eight-star monsters, rewards for eight-star investigations and field surveys have been increased. Guild Point rewards for fishing have been "rebalanced," though specifics are yet to be disclosed.

Monster Hunter Wilds is the latest entry in Capcom's renowned Monster Hunter series, featuring dynamic environments and a dual-natured world where monsters and humans coexist. In our review, we awarded Monster Hunter Wilds an 8, praising it for "continuing to smooth off the rougher corners of the series in smart ways, making for some extremely fun fights but also lacking any real challenge."

Interestingly, Monster Hunter Wilds players have discovered an unconventional method of dodging attacks by using their emotes, adding a unique layer to the gameplay experience.