Posted by As of this past week, all of the content has been released for Monster Hunter Wild‘s Title Update 1, so I’m able to give my complete thoughts on everything the free update has to offer.
First up is the main new addition: the returning leviathan monster Mizutsune. Mizutsune is a solid addition to the monster roster with some decent new gear. The fight is fun and definitely feels like a step up from its Rise version both in terms of difficulty and spectacle. This version of Mizutsune has the ability to spit flaming bubbles once it enters an enraged state, which is similar to its deviant variant in Generations Ultimate. Mizutsune can also hit HARD, especially when tempered. Overall, Mizutsune isn’t a bad addition to the roster, and I definitely appreciate it more here than I did in Rise, but I can’t deny that it being the only real new monster adds a bit to be desired. Personally, I think it would’ve been really cool for Mizutsune and the other Fated Four (Glavenus, Astalos, and Gammoth) to appear together because in my opinion Mizutsune can’t carry a Title Update alone. There is more to the TU, as this review will highlight, but Mizutsune being the only truly new monster is a bit disappointing.
Zoh Shia, one of my favorite fights in the game, finally has a high rank version with new armor and weapons. High rank Zoh Shia is a fantastic addition that I’m really happy is here. The fight is super fun, challenging, and intense at times while still being filled with awesome spectacle. However, it really should have been in the game from the beginning. While TU 1 did originally launch in early April so high rank Zoh Shia was only absent from the game for a month or so, it’s still strange that it was absent in the first place.
Another addition that really should’ve been in the game at its launch is the new Grand Hub: an actual central gathering space where you can play minigames, hang out with other players, and use all of the NPCs you’d need (minus melding and smelting; those two features are still exclusive to Suja and Azuz respectively). Again, the Grand Hub is awesome. It’s got all sorts of fun little details, and the minigames are a great way to kill time between hunts while gathering materials. But again, this should’ve been in the base game at launch. Another feature of the Grand Hub is a new kind of quest: Arena Quests. I hate Arena Quests. They have you fight a specific monster in the Wounded Hollow with a specific loadout, and your goal is to clear it as fast as possible. Now, I’m not asking for crazy endgame builds (especially against a Chatacabra and Rathian), but the gear they give you is often so pitiful that one of my friends struggles to use them well despite being proficient with many of the options available. As for myself, who really only uses bow and dual blades, it’s awful being forced to use weapons that I don’t know how to use with suboptimal gear that barely works. It’s not fun, but at least it’s only optional content you can choose to engage with, and it doesn’t have achievements tied to it.
The Title Update introduced the first event for Wilds: The Festival of Accord: Blossomdance. It was fun enough. It brought some cool, though not unfamiliar, gear with it, as well as some nice event quests. I enjoyed the event, and it definitely spiced the grind up a bit as it brought back some old event quests while introducing some fun new ones.
My favorite addition, however, was Arch-Tempered Rey Dau. AT Rey Dau was a limited time hunt that introduced a tougher Rey Dau for hunters to fight. I really enjoyed it. AT Rey Dau was faster, had a few new moves including lightning AoEs that followed after some of his attacks, and overall felt like the best version of the Rey Dau fight. It also introduced a new set of rarity 8 armor, which was very welcome given the distinct lack of rarity 8 armor sets in the game. If the other Arch-Tempered fights are as good as Rey Dau, then they might become my favorite parts of each Title Update. Accompanying AT Rey Dau was a challenge version where hunters could compete to clear the hunt as fast as possible. My friends and I were eventually able to squeeze out an A-rank or two, and it was incredibly satisfying to do so because it forced us to focus on how we played, minimizing mistakes, while maximizing the use of items and tools we didn’t normally bother with.
Finally, the last things added with the Title Update are the new Street Fighter collab and a few additional features. Beginning with the additional features, one is the new ability to view and release endemic life you’ve captured in the base camp in the Windward Plains. It’s a very lackluster feature that missed the point of what people wanted: a way to display their captured endemic life to other hunters. A better feature is the option for region apexes and Gore Magala to now spawn as 8-star tempered quests in addition to their original 7-star versions. The 8-star versions are tougher, with increased health, damage, and resistance to wounding. The only one I’ve attempted so far is Uth Duna, and he was noticeably tougher than his 7-star variant. Community consensus is that Gore Magala in particular is absolutely brutal. I welcome the new challenges, especially because they’re optional. As for the collab, it surprised me. I was sufficiently whelmed when I saw it would be Street Fighter, but when it released, I’ve actually come to really enjoy it. The primary addition is a new Akuma armor set that lets you use his moves, effectively becoming the long-awaited 15th weapon. It’s fun. I can definitely enjoy using it to spice up hunts and break up monotony, but I wouldn’t trust myself to use it against any super high rank monsters. The collab quest was also surprisingly developed, relatively speaking of course. In previous games, the collab quest was just a new event that you ran a few times until you could craft the new gear, but this time there’s a little exploration beforehand that culminates in actually meeting Akuma as an NPC. It’s a fun little quest, and it makes me excited for future collabs.
Overall, Title Update 1 was a mixed bag. It had some really good new additions, while others were either lacking or should have been in the base game. It also makes me both incredibly worried and excited for Title Update 2. While Lagiacrus’ return has already been teased, TU2 needs to add more than just one monster, one Arch-Tempered apex, one seasonal event, and one collab. I sincerely hope that with Zoh Shia and the Grand Hub done, that frees up resources for a second monster bare minimum, if not a third. Regardless, TU2 has a lot riding on it. TU1 wasn’t bad by any means, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish it brought a little bit more (mostly in terms of new monsters).
Broad Scope Entertainment 