Posted by Monster Hunter Wilds released its second Title Update this past Monday, and while I could wait to cover all the new content like I did for the first, I’d rather discuss the two new monsters introduced in the update since they’re more relevant now, and it lets me talk about the game’s trajectory.
TU2 introduces Lagiacrus and Seregios as returning monsters. I actually really like both of them. I wasn’t particularly hyped for Seregios when I heard the rumors about him because I hated the fight in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, but he’s a lot better in Wilds. Seregios is fast, but his speed feels comparable to the hunter, so it isn’t too frustrating. My issue with him in Sunbreak is that he felt like another generic monster that was too fast and hit too hard. Seregios is definitely fast and hits hard, but I think the new defensive tools in Wilds makes the fight more enjoyable. I really was pleasantly surprised with this one, and I don’t have too many complaints. His new armor is fine, but nothing that I see myself using. His weapon, however, is really interesting because it features a new skill that rewards perfectly dodging and using those defensive tools I mentioned. While his armor technically does the same thing, the skills themselves aren’t new and there are better available options to use, at least for my playstyle. Lagiacrus is the other new addition, and this my first time ever fighting it. It’s a great fight, and very challenging. Lagiacrus has some really flashy moves and difficult dodge timings, but it feels very rewarding when you successfully learn how to deal with it. Lagiacrus also features a forced underwater section of the fight. I need to do the fight more, but I’ve found the underwater section really cool thus far as it does change up the pace of the fight and lets you do something different. Lagiacrus’ armor is similar to Seregios’ in how it isn’t bad by any means, but for me there are personally just better options and skills I’d prioritize. As for the weapon, it also features a new skill that looks really cool, but it does require building into it to use most effectively. That being said, it is nice to have more thunder elemental options seeing as it is one of the more neglected elemental types in the game. My one real complaint against Lagiacrus is how his name is pronounced. Now that we have official game audio saying it, I’m not a fan of the pronunciation.
Seregios and Lagiacrus are challenging fights at their normal baselines, and arguably the new hardest fights when tempered. I did successfully hunt a tempered Seregios so while I found him difficult, I’d still say he’s fairly manageable. Tempered Lagiacrus was a whole nother story. I still need to successfully hunt that one, though I did only attempt it once. For all of the people in the community complaining that the game is too easy, these two monsters are the answer to that complaint. I don’t mind the difficulty spike for the most part, mostly because these fights are ultimately optional. The only unique materials these two drop are the same hunter symbols shared by all tempered Apexes and other tier 3 monsters, so you don’t actually have to fight them if you don’t want to.
TU2 also adds in a cute little fashion side mission that rewards Gemma’s jacket. It’s an innocuous little addition that I can’t complain about. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it is fun.
My big gripe with TU2 boils down to the Wilds release schedule. TU1 released at the beginning of April, roughly a month after the game did. TU2 dropped on the last day of June. A personal pet peeve of mine is when developers or companies say “it will release at the end of the month” and it releases on the last day. At that point just say “the beginning of this month” and save the frustration. That being said, TU2 released three months after TU1 and only added in two new monsters. Two new monsters that aren’t even fully new because apparently Seregios has had files in the game for months. I was really hoping that with the completion of the Grand Hub, more resources could be directed towards a second and third monster per update. At least we got two monsters, but a third really would’ve helped flesh out the game’s roster even more. A new flying wyvern to hunt is really nice, but it’s not like we have any shortage of leviathans, especially in the Scarlet Forest. To make the content drought even worse, TU3 is being teased for the end of September. That’s 3 more months of more of the same. Sure, there will be a seasonal event with some new quests and things to do, but it’s more of the same. I know that that’s the central gameplay loop of Monster Hunter, but you can only do these hyper difficult fights so many times before it’s time for something new, and it’s not like it takes that long to craft the new monster gear. The other notable things included in the Title Update are Arch-Tempered Uth Duna and a collaboration quest with Fender Guitars. The Fender collab is really, really strange, but we’ll see how it goes, I guess. AT Uth Duna is also arguably the Arch-Tempered fight I’m the least looking forward to because Uth Duna’s armor set is just bad. Its skills and specialization is really bad, and I doubt the AT version will save it even if the fight is fun.
Overall, TU2 is good in that the quality of the content is polished and fun. Unfortunately, I really wish there was more. It reminds me of Destiny‘s April Updates where Bungie would add in new content that could be cleared in a leisurely evening of playing. While this obviously isn’t the exact same, TU2 just doesn’t add in enough new content to really drag me back. That being said, I have like 150 hours in Wilds already, so it makes sense why I’m a little fatigued. TU2 isn’t bad, but it isn’t good enough to really suck me back into the game.
Broad Scope Entertainment 