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Is Capcom’s upcoming action RPG, Monster Hunter Wilds easier than its predecessor, Monster Hunter World? Let’s find out.
Monster Hunter Wilds’ open beta, despite the myriad of technical issues, was received quite well by most players. While the demo was limited to a handful of hunts with only a few weapons and armour loadouts, it still ended up being a good representative of the full game. However, having played the demo for roughly 72 hours (or more, on PlayStation), some players do have some valid concerns regarding the upcoming title. While Monster Hunter Wilds seems to be the perfect title for newcomers to jump into the franchise, returning players seem to have some concerns regarding the series’ growing mainstream approach. One of the biggest points of discussion among Monster Hunter fans has been the game’s difficulty.
While Monster Hunter has never been a series that’s known mostly for its combat difficulty, a la souls-likes, it surely isn’t alien to it. In fact, the series is notorious for having a rather steep learning curve, even in some of its most recent entries. However, with Monster Hunter Wilds, Capcom has tried to minimize the barrier for entry, making the series more accessible to new players. But in doing so, did Capcom have to tone down the game’s difficulty? Is Monster Hunter Wilds easier than Monster Hunter World? Well, no, Monster Hunter Wilds isn’t inherently easier than its predecessor. However, there are reasons why it might feel like it is.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author’s opinions.
Why Does Monster Hunter Wilds Feel Easier To Play Compared to Monster Hunter World
The first thing to note about difficulty in Monster Hunter games isn’t linear, akin to most action RPGs. Instead, difficulty in Monster Hunter games is divided into two groups: Low and High Rank. The Low Rank quests/hunts are usually much easier than High Rank ones. Low Rank quests are essentially meant as an expanded tutorial of sorts. However, unlike other RPGs, Low and High Rank quests exist together. You’re essentially free to choose at any time which difficulty you want to pursue. While High Rank is where the majority of your end-game time will be spent, you can return to Low Rank any time you want. Both High and Low Rank offer their own set of rewards.
As such, there’s plenty of incentive to return to Low Rank, even if you’ve maxed out your High Rank build. While veterans players (me included) would have liked to experience some of the High Rank quests, Monster Hunter Wilds’ beta only featured the Low Rank hunts. This partly explains why some returning players might’ve found the game much easier compared to Monster Hunter World. Furthermore, the gear Capcom provided in the inventory to take down the few handful of monsters was way too overpowered.
To me, it essentially felt like we were given High Rank gear to tackle Low Rank quests. While having overpowered gear doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll trounce every encounter with relative ease in Monster Hunter, it does increase the chances of doing so. This is especially true if you’re already familiar with the series, or even Monster Hunter World. The biggest hurdle any new player faces in any Monster Hunter game is choosing the right loadout or weapon. If you have experience with the series, you’re already past the first barrier of entry.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Makes Monster Hunter Wilds Feel Incredibly Easy
Another major reason why Monster Hunter Wilds might’ve felt easy to returning players is Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. Most players who played through Monster Hunter World also played through the entirety of Iceborne as well. And compared to Iceborne, Monster Hunter Wilds (open beta) is definitely a breeze. However, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is meant to be challenging. If you have conquered Iceborne (and perhaps even Alatreon and Fatalis) and have sunk in hundreds of hours into it, there’s no way Monster Hunter Wilds’ beta was going to feel challenging to you. This also holds true for Monster Hunter Rise and the Sunbreak expansion.
If you’ve conquered Master Rank or G-Rank hunts, there’s no way MH Wilds’ Low Rank hunts were going to feel “challenging” to you. That’s not to say Monster Hunter Wilds isn’t challenging, it just isn’t so for players familiar with the series, especially MH World. I personally found Monster Hunter Wilds to be quite easy. Even Rey Dau was a breeze, despite me trying a new weapon for my first playthrough of the beta. However, I can totally see how MH Wilds can feel quite a challenge to a newcomer.
Maybe Capcom did not want the beta to feel challenging in the first place. The whole point of the play-test was to gather necessary feedback before release and test out the game’s new online features. The full-release version of the game is hopefully going to feel significantly more challenging (and fun) if you’re a veteran or a newcomer to Monster Hunter.
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