“There shouldn’t just be one weapon to slay them all”: Monster Hunter Wilds’ director will put up with my hammer bro shenanigans, but wants players to have options

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In Monster Hunter Wilds, you won’t conquer hordes of massive digital creatures without powerful tools. The game acknowledges this by improving all fourteen weapons, introducing some of the series’ most intriguing effects yet. Plus, you can now carry two weapons on a hunt to adapt to various scenarios. Most importantly, regardless of your chosen weapon, Capcom ensures you have a fair chance to excel in combat.

According to Monster Hunter Wilds director Yuya Tokuda, his belief is that no single weapon or skill should be considered the ultimate one for taking down any monster. Instead, he encourages players to maintain versatility and adapt their choices based on the specific threat they’re about to encounter. In other words, there are weapons better suited for certain monsters, and Tokuda wants players to consider this and approach each monster with a strategic toolkit tailored to their unique characteristics.

Back to the forge

Tokuda aims to ensure that players don’t get stuck using the same tools repeatedly without thinking. Instead of just selecting a weapon and setting up skills, then playing mindlessly regardless of the challenges they face, he wants players to be thoughtfully engaged in their choices. He explains that the difference between weapons isn’t about being the strongest or weakest, but rather how they interact with monsters, encouraging strategic consideration when choosing which one to use.

He goes on to say that he believes the difference in power among weapons in this game has decreased significantly, making them all potentially effective for players. However, whether this balance has truly been achieved is something he can’t determine until the game is released and fans provide feedback. He expresses optimism but avoids arrogance, stating he will watch how players react and be prepared to make adjustments in the future if necessary.

In the lead-up to Monster Hunter Wilds’ release, pre-launch updates have included modifications to certain weapons, as the team has taken player feedback from beta testing into account and made necessary adjustments and tweaks to some of their arsenal. Meanwhile, Capcom is trying to stay faithful to their original vision while considering fan reactions when deciding which weapons need a second look by the blacksmith for potential redesigns.

Tokuda suggests that sometimes, balance is a larger concept players can’t fully grasp from the beta version alone. He advises patience, stating that things will make sense once you have the full set of elements or all types within the game, as it may not seem viable against the monsters in the beta, but there are more creatures in the game and it will find its place in the roster.

However, not every time does this apply, as seen in certain post-release modifications. Tokuda explains, “Despite being limited in scope, some of the feedback I received indicated that the weapon designs weren’t aligning with the concept I had envisioned for them. For instance, the lance, which wasn’t quite striking a chord with players as it should have been – a weapon where you could attack the monster effectively while also having chances to defend and protect yourself. I aimed to create controls, moves, and combos that would facilitate this, but unfortunately, most players found it too challenging or couldn’t execute the desired moves at opportune moments when they wanted to.

The Monster Hunter Wilds development team observed numerous hours of content from creators playing, and occasionally joined the beta testing to interact with fans. According to Tokuda, this includes the lead designer of the lance weapon. “When I saw that,” Tokuda explains, “I realized it had gone beyond what would be comprehensible in the final game. It required adjustments and modifications.” Tokuda adds that player feedback is crucial in determining whether they need to revise a feature extensively or trust that it will become clear upon playing the completed game.

Skilling up

Instead of just an extra weapon for no particular reason, there’s thoughtful design behind allowing hunters to carry a second weapon during a hunt in Monster Hunter Wilds, which can be switched while riding your mount. This adjustment affects how abilities are applied between weapons and armor, as each weapon now has its own set of skills – a departure from the previous games where these skills were associated with the armor.

In order to prevent unnecessary repetition when it comes to mastering skills for different weapons, Tokuda suggests we should consider each weapon as requiring unique abilities. For instance, a guard skill might only be relevant to certain weapons. Therefore, instead of having guard boosts on your armor, it would be ineffective if you were to switch to a non-guard weapon. To prevent this issue, we’ve decided to transfer attack-related skills directly onto the weapons themselves. This way, each weapon can specialize in improving its own functions, while your gear can offer a versatile array of skills that apply equally across multiple weapons.

“I would love it if players broke out of their routine and tried other weapons.”

In a candid conversation with Tokuda, I can’t hide the fact that I’m a dedicated Hammer Bro for life. But does he understand, and is he concerned, about gamers sticking to their comfort zones? He chuckles. “As a director,” he shares, “I hope players venture beyond their usual playstyles and experiment with different weapons, as I believe we’ve made significant improvements to all 14 this time.” Encouragingly, he encourages us to let go of our old assumptions about these weapon types from previous games.

In essence, Tokuda explains that if you’re proficient with the hammer, you can stick with it. Instead of carrying two distinct weapons, you could bring two hammers along. One of these hammers might have unique elemental properties or a special focus in its attacks. This flexibility is intended to enhance your gameplay strategy, allowing for greater versatility without necessarily requiring you to diversify your weapon selection.

As a devoted fan of hammers, I must confess that the idea of wielding two hammers never crossed my mind until our conversation. It’s an intriguing concept indeed! And perhaps this is also a chance for me to delve into the world of bowguns? The allure is strong, and it seems Capcom has gone out of their way to cater to that desire with Monster Hunter Rise – it feels like now I have a unique opportunity to experiment with my hunting style.

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2025-02-19 17:13