10 Most Exciting New Features From Monster Hunter Wilds Open Beta

The Monster Hunter Wilds open beta was a massive success for Capcom, finally giving players a hands-on experience to try all the new features the game has to offer. While the newest release has already received several massive changes from previous entries in accessibility and quality of life improvements, players managed to discover even more that Monster Hunter Wilds has to offer. From overhauled weapon playstyles to massive increases in the overall scope of Monster Hunter, fans have a lot to look forward to with the upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds.

Monster Hunter is as popular as ever thanks to the smashing success of Monster Hunter World, introducing a new generation of players to the beloved franchise, with the Monster Hunter Wilds open beta keeping the trend alive. Despite its popularity, Monster Hunter Wilds’ beta wasn’t without its flaws, as the game was plagued with rocky performance issues and some visual bugs that quickly went viral from their comedic appearances. Even with these issues, the Monster Hunter Wilds beta broke franchise records, surpassing Monster Hunter World’s peak player count in only a few days, with many players excited to see even more new features joining the franchise in Wilds .

10 An Incredibly Detailed Character Creator

More Hunter Customization Than Ever Before

Character creation has always been a fun and detailed part of many players’ experiences within each Monser Hunter entry, but Monster Hunter Wild’s incredibly in-depth character creator is astonishing. Not only is there a wider array of options than ever for detailed character customization, but there’s a greater variation for each area, allowing for precise changes that weren’t possible before. This customization also stretches to the player’s trusty Palico, with some fans, like X (formerly Twitter) user apepe, recreating some adorably nostalgic characters in Monster Hunter Wilds’ Palico creator.

Continuing the new standard of the franchise, Monster Hunter Wilds also allows for any combination of standard gender options, being referred to as different types instead. Given that Monster Hunter Wilds will have a fully-voiced protagonist for the first time in the franchise, there’s even more importance in making a good choice. Players will want to make sure they choose an option they like the first time around for the full game unless they want to waste a rare character customization ticket.

9 Solo Hunting With NPC Companions

Improving The Mechanics From Monster Hunter Rise

With Monster Hunter Wilds aiming to incorporate the best features of the two latest entries in the franchise, one of the best features carried from Monster Hunter Rise is NPC companion hunting. Unlike its Rise counterpart, players won’t need to go through a long set of quests and story requirements to summon these helpful NPC hunters, as they can easily choose them from the in-game menu. When firing off a multiplayer game, and activating SOS Flare, players have the option to choose between only other players, a mix of NPCs and players, or purely NPCs.

Not only do these fellow hunters add reliable teammates that can’t negatively affect a player’s experience, but NPC hunting companions can make farming for materials significantly faster. Hunting alongside important characters from the game is also a great way to connect on a deeper level with the story, experiencing more of each character’s personality through their voice lines and weapon choices.

8 A Slightly More Terrifying Arachnophobia Mode

Adding A Never Before Seen Gelatenous Foe To Monster Hunter

One of the features that players noticed right away was Monster Hunter Wilds’ built-in Arachnophobia Assistance, providing more accessibility for fans with spider-related fears. With Monster Hunter’s gameplay requiring precise hitboxes, Capcom couldn’t opt for a simple but cute option like the survival game Grounded‘s viral Arachnophobia Safe Mode. Monster Hunter Wilds developers chose to opt forturning the terrifying arachnids into oozing green slimes, being just as scary for most players but for wholly different reasons.

While the setting has been met with humorous responses from fans, its inclusion is a fantastic accessibility option for players who struggle with arachnophobia in real life, given that their encounters are a necessary part of Monster Hunter Wilds’ story. These slimes move incredibly unnaturally, stretching aggressively toward the players before launching themselves, slowly consuming them much like a traditional Dungeons & Dragons slime.

While players will have to wait and see what the horrifying yet beautiful Lala Barina will look like with this setting enabled, there’s a good chance the giant arachnid will appear as a much larger red version of these strange and slimy creatures.

7 Incredibly Seamless Level Transitions

Allowing Hunters To Freely Explore Vast Environments

The most groundbreaking feature experienced in the Monster Hunter Wilds beta was its seamless hunting and level transitions, which has been a franchise goal for decades. While the beat doesn’t include the loading screen free travel between different locales as advertised in gameplay showcases, players can still hunt on the go without having to wait between multiple loading screens. This feature helps to aid immersion while allowing players to get right into the action without being slowed down by sorting through a growing list of menus.

Where seamless hunting shines the most is within Monster Hunter Wilds‘ new and improved co-op functionality, letting players create and invite their friends to free-roam expeditions at any time. Being a franchise first, players can also simply target enemies in the wild to create quests on the go, reaping the increased rewards of a standard mission in real time. After finishing a hunt, players no longer need to return to the hub and select a new quest or wait for their friends to join them, as they can simply move on to the next monster just by traveling on foot.

6 A Sneak Peek at Monster Hunter Wilds’ Story

Experiencing A Taste Of The Upcoming Cinematic Experience

While fans had seen snippets of the Monster Hunter Wilds story in the many trailers released so far, it was unclear how much of it was a playable event or merely a pre-rendered cutscene. Launching players into the action immediately after character creation, it was pleasantly surprising that the incredibly cinematic moments were fully playable after all, albeit somewhat on rails. While the story segment itself was much shorter than what fans can expect for Monster Hunter Wilds‘ full release, it still gave an enticing hook for what’s to come in the future.

Unlike previous entries in the Monster Hunter franchise, the player isn’t an inexperienced greenhorn being shown the ropes for the first time, but a veteran hunter ready to tackle any threat they come across. This is a greatly refreshing change of pace for fans of the franchise, especially returning players from Monster Hunter World who have already been pushed to the limits by the game’s challenges. While fans will have to wait and see where the Monster Hunter Wild story takes them, players can expect a handful of widely varying environments to explore while uncovering the secrets of these new lands.

5 Capturing Rare Endemic Life

Catching Bugs And Other Critters Has Never Been More Fun

While some of these friendly creatures were seen in initial trailers for Monster Hunter Wilds, their inclusion in the beta was a welcome surprise. Endemic life was a surprisingly fun mechanic in Monster Hunter World, with players scavenging the land to discover and collect equally adorable and strange creatures. Some lucky players, like Reddit user Goblico have even come across rare versions of endemic life that are incredibly tricky to catch, likely requiring the use of the stealthy Ghillie Mantle to succeed.

For newcomers to the franchise, endemic life is drastically smaller than the standard monsters to battle, being caught by equipping and launching the Capture Net equipment. Collecting rare and unique creatures isn’t just for bragging rights, as players can likely decorate their various homes with all of their favorite creatures, like in its predecessor, Monster Hunter World. Ranging from the adorable wrigglers to the elusive fluffy Crakes, endemic life goes a long way to making the world of Monster Hunter Wilds feel like an even more alive and interactive ecosystem.

4 Undergarments For Fashion Hunters

Giving Players The Ultimate Freedom To Design Their Dream Armor Sets

Another unexpected feature in Monster Hunter Wilds‘ beta was in the game’s character creator, giving fans various options when choosing their undergarments. While this change may not seem like much at first, it greatly affects armor with areas of exposed skin, as players can now wear additional layers of clothing underneath to achieve a drastically different look at times. Players have already been able to select different casual wear they want to sport when unarmored, but this addition goes the extra mile to allow even greater customization to each hunter’s appearance.

Ever since it was first revealed that armor would no longer be gender-locked in Monster Hunter Wilds, fans have been more excited than ever speculating about all the stylish options they’ll have to choose from in the full release. While the varied armor types have been removed to make this change possible, there’s often a much greater difference between the armor worn by standard gender types. Fans can finally mix and match armor pieces to their heart’s content without restrictions, made even better with the undergarment effects.

3 Massive 100 Player Lobbies

Embracing MMO Mechanics For The New Generation

Announced right before the launch of Monster Hunter Wilds‘ open beta, many players were confused about how exactly the brand-new 100-player lobbies would work. While Monster Hunter Wilds isn’t by any means an MMO, it still embraces the large-scale social mechanics of the genre by having many players crammed into a single session. Thankfully, only 16 players will be loaded at a time in the gathering hub, preventing players from crowding around key NPCs and merchants.

While visceral monster hunting is the star gameplay loop of the franchise, Monster Hunter‘s social mechanics are a vital lifeblood of its widespread popularity. Whether gathering groups of friends or partnering with strangers online, the best aspects of Monster Hunter’s combat mechanics are drawn out in hunting parties, creating more memorable and tense moments. Monster Hunter Wilds plans to integrate co-op mechanics much more seamlessly thanks to the new and improved Link System, letting players easily join and start hunts on the go with little to no loading times.

2 Brand-New Combos For Each Weapon

Overhauled Mechanics That Build On Existing Foundations

It wouldn’t be Monster Hunter without a wide assortment of exciting weapon moves to unleash upon monsters, and Monster Hunter Wilds doesn’t disappoint. Previous trailers had already shown off most of the new abilities for each weapon, but players have already started discovering hidden combos and new techniques for each of Monster Hunter’s iconic weapons. While the changes to some weapons will take a bit of getting used to compared to previous entries in the franchise, each weapon offers even more ways to play.

Despite most weapons receiving a wide array of buffs and versatile utility options, some weapons were nerfed compared to previous titles, most notably the Insect Glaive. Even after being nerfed, each weapon is still as fun to use as ever, being given new attacks and combo paths to make up for the lost functionality that returning players expect. By far one of the greatest changes to each weapon shown in previous trailers is the new focus mode, allowing players complete control over their attack direction even during a combo.

1 A New And Improved Hunting Companion

Making The New Quest Handler A Key Part Of Gameplay

One of the most common areas of complaint from Monster Hunter World fans was players thinking the game’s Handler was at the best of times helpless and, at the worst of times, somewhat annoying. Monster Hunter Wilds has already gone to great lengths to improve players’ perception of their trustier handler Alma this time around, allowing her to accompany players out on the field. This simple change not only allows players to access basic mission functionality at various locations throughout the game world, but Monster Hunter Wilds goes a long way to make Alma feel like an actual companion, rather than a glorified quest board.

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While traveling through the various environments of Monster Hunter Wilds, Alma can provide information and tips about different areas or weapons, most notably reminding players when their Seiktret has been restocked with supplies. The increased functionality is already a fantastic improvement over Monster Hunter World, but it’s Alma’s personality that makes her much more agreeable with players. Being calmer and more reserved, Alma doesn’t try to take center stage with overly energetic enthusiasm like the Handler from World, making her a significant upgrade across the board.

While the open beta has sadly come to an end, players will have even more features and monsters to experience with the full release of Monster Hunter Wilds in February next year, being only a few months away from seeing all the game has to offer.

Sources: apepe/X, Monster Hunter/YouTube (1, 2, 3), Goblico/Reddit

Monster Hunter Wilds is the highly anticipated follow-up to Capcom’s multi-million seller, Monster Hunter World. Announced at The Game Awards 2023, Monster Hunter Wilds will put players into a sprawling world where they’ll hunt monsters to create new weapons and armor while protecting their home base and uncovering the secrets of unexplored lands with friends or alone.

Released

February 28, 2025

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Engine

RE Engine

ESRB

T For Teen // Violence, Blood, Crude Humor

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