Monster Hunter Wilds: Title Update 3’s Familiar Collab
Monster Hunter Wilds first roared onto the gaming scene earlier this year, promising a fresh frontier for Hunters across the globe. In the Forbidden Lands, Hunters were welcomed to a new fight with a fresh story that decisively split fans. When compared to Monster Hunter World, many found the depth of the wilds lackluster, believing it only really challenged itself graphically while the roster of monsters to hunt suffered in the meantime. Others seemed excited by the promise this game had and held onto hope that these title updates—released two to three months apart from each other—would help fill in the gaps as Worlds’ own title updates did. Now, Title Update 3 is finally here, and the debate continues over whether these are enough to sustain its player base.
Crossovers and Cosmetics
At the heart of Title Update 3 is Monster Hunter Wilds’ crossover with Final Fantasy XIV, in what seems like a tradition of collaboration now. Hunters will not only find a new, dimension-hopping boss waiting for them in the Forbidden Lands, they will also be able to earn exclusive materials from the fight to unlock the “Dark Knight” set and “Pictomancer” spells. Omega Planetes joins the monster roster and dares any willing hunter to challenge it for the ability to level up their style to reflect some of Final Fantasy XIV’s iconic jobs.
By equipping the Bale Armor set, Hunters will gain access to the bonus skills, such as the “Soul of the Dark Knight.” This gives them access to the hot-bar ability known as “The Blackest Night,” allowing Hunters to consume a portion of their health-bar to summon a mighty shield around them. Hunters will not only be dressed as iconically as the “Dark Knight”, but the matching weapon blends fashion with deadly force as the familiar class of weapons Monster Hunter fans know and love is forged from its Final Fantasy collaboration: “Shadowbringer”. This great sword will be an iconic addition for anyone who loves the slow-but-powerful class of weapons.
Another aspect of this collaboration is the introduction of “Pictomancy” spells, a hot-bar ability similar to the one mentioned above. Hunters will be able to cast flashy spells that are reminiscent of the FFXIV job that are most effective against Omega Planetes and the event quests introduced in collaboration with Final Fantasy. These kinds of additions are slowly becoming a staple in Monster Hunter Wilds, with similar features being first introduced with the Street Fighter collaboration a few months ago. While they are visually appealing and fun to use, their niche application and long-casting speeds make it difficult to justify using them over the already powerful Hunter attacks.
The last part of this collaboration is two new weapons in addition to the previously mentioned abilities and gear. Fans of the Sword & Shield and the Insect Glaive will be happy to see that a more difficult version of the event quest will be permanently added to the game in conjunction with the collaboration’s release on September 29th. Other rewards from completing this high-difficulty event include a new Kinsect for the Insect Glaive, a new armor set, a new gesture, and a Final Fantasy XIV pendant that can be attached to your weapons for a cohesive look. Meanwhile, the update also brings Arch-tempered Nu Udra, rewarding those who can bring it down with a more powerful version of the gear introduced in the base game.
Community Consensus
Title Update 3 might be packed with crossovers and cosmetics, but the Title Update 4 teaser near the end of the trailer reminded many fans of just how lackluster Monster Hunter Wilds’ release was. With a sneak peek of Gogmazios, a familiar Elder Dragon from Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, the community was quick to point out that this was the first Elder Dragon to be joining the new installment’s line-up of monsters. These powerful dragons were once a staple of a Hunter’s quest to gear up, and now are only added to the game months into the title’s lifespan. Decisions like this and the lack of new Elder Dragons have led many to lose hope for this game. With that said, Capcom has shown no signs of slowing down their content release and looks forward to the many Title Updates to come in the roadmap on their website (Free Title Update Roadmap | Monster Hunter Wilds). This leaves many more excited to see what monsters Capcom chooses to add and just how much more creative they can get with the new armor and weapons.
Ultimately, Capcom is committed to keeping this game alive. So, Hunters, it’s time to sharpen your blades and venture into this new frontier to decide if Monster Hunter Wilds’ free updates are enough to keep the familiar cycle fresh for old and new players alike, but don’t let the hunt end there—subscribe to Pages and Pixels for more Wilds news and gaming updates every weekday!
