"Monster Hunter Wilds: No New Weapons Due to Design Challenges"

The developers of Monster Hunter are facing the challenge of innovating new weapon types for the series. Dive into their approach to balancing weapons across titles and learn about the upcoming MH Wilds x MH Now collaboration event.

Monster Hunter Wilds Developers Considering Adding A New Weapon Type

The Monster Hunter (MH) series, known for its diverse arsenal, might soon expand with a new weapon type. In an interview with PCGamesN on February 16, 2025, Monster Hunter Wilds Director Yuya Tokuda discussed the possibility of introducing a 15th weapon type.

Currently, Monster Hunter Wilds offers players a choice of 14 weapon types, unchanged since the introduction of the Insect Glaive in Monster Hunter 4 over a decade ago. Tokuda revealed that the team has considered adding a new weapon type during the development of both MH World and Wilds. "It’s not off the table for any particular reason, it’s just that we never really decided that we wanted to for the recent titles," he explained.

The challenge lies in creating a weapon that complements the existing lineup without overlapping functionalities. Tokuda elaborated, "With each title, we always adjust all the weapon types and maybe bring new concepts to them and their relationships with each other to make them feel fresh. We also bring new depth with new combos and moves. The resources and time that it takes to do that is something that, in every case since the last weapon was added, we’ve always decided were better spent bringing the whole lineup to a better place than to simply start adding another new one in."

Capcom On Tweaking Weapons For Monster Hunter Wilds

Capcom continues to innovate by adjusting weapons to fit the vision for MH Wilds, introducing features like Focus Mode and Power Clash. The team has taken community feedback from the MH Wilds beta into account, but Tokuda emphasized, "We don’t want to change anything so drastically that it doesn’t feel like that weapon any more."

Discussing the approach to weapon balancing, Tokuda noted, "We have a concept in mind for each title where we think, ‘This is how the Insect Glaive will feel, this is how the Great Sword will feel.’" He added, "That’s just a concept, though – you can design it and test it, but it’s really only when the players get it in their hands that you can see if the concept is matching the reality and they’re having the experience you thought they would have."

Regarding specific adjustments for MH Wilds, Tokuda shared, "With the weapons in Wilds, one particularly difficult balancing decision was with the predecessor title being Iceborne, a lot of things were added to each weapon’s upper echelons of moves and abilities, because it was an expansion and was adding in the master rank difficulty level." He continued, "People who were playing a given weapon in Iceborne were assumed to have mastered the basics and it was going beyond that with adding new combos and moves and abilities."

However, MH Wilds aims to be a fresh start, as Tokuda explained, "That was something that I took a lot of care to decide – not just to keep things because players liked it in the last game, but [ask if] it actually fits in with my concept for the play feel of this game."

Monster Hunter Now x Monster Hunter Wilds Collaboration Event Phase 2

Monster Hunter Now will launch phase 2 of its collaboration event with MH Wilds to celebrate its upcoming release. This event will feature the Chatacabra in MH Now and offer players 12 Hope weapons from MH Wilds. Additionally, two new layered armors, the Hope armor style and a Seikret mount-themed armor, will be available. Phase 2 of the MH Wilds x MH Now collaboration event is set to start on February 28, 2025.

Moreover, MH Now players can earn vouchers for items usable in MH Wilds by completing limited-time quests, including Mega Potion, Dust of Life, Energy Drink, Well-done Steak, and Dash Juice. These vouchers can be redeemed on any platform where fans play MH Wilds.

In a press briefing for Season 5 on February 18, 2025, Niantic Senior Producer Sakae Osumi hinted at future collaborations with MH Wilds. "This is the beginning of the collaboration between Monster Hunter Wilds and Monster Hunter Now, and we are planning to do more down the road," Sakae said. "I would like to get more monsters from Wilds. We will work on it closely with Capcom."

Monster Hunter Wilds is scheduled for release on February 28, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Stay updated with the latest on Monster Hunter Wilds by checking out our article below!