Summary
Now thatMonster Hunter Wildsis set to shake up the franchise by increasing its scale, there’s more potential than ever for meaningful additions to its combat system. As theMHtitles have evolved over the years, Elemental damage types and Secondary Status Effects/Ailments have become more prevalent with new varieties becoming available. Players ofRiseandWorldhave access to many different loadouts between these two sets of options, but the lack of additions throughout the series’ fifth generation givesMonster Hunter Wildsthe chance to introduce even more types of damage.
Using the strengths of certain monsters on others through crafted gear can be a highly effective strategy for faster weapons, butElements inMonster Hunteraren’t necessarily as useful with slower weapons that have a higher Motion Value, or raw damage per hit. They are still prominent among many powerful builds, but there’s potential forWildsto innovate on the system by adding more genuinely original Elements.
Monster Hunter’s Elements and Statuses Have Largely Remained the Same
Following the introduction of the majority of the series' usable damage types and effects in the first title, there have only been a handful of additions within subsequent mainline releases. There have been a plethora of Status Effects exclusively wielded by monsters across all the generations, leaving players with a relatively stagnant set ofElemental damage options inMonster Hunter Rise.
MH2 (Dos)
Gradual damage
Longer immobilization, increased damage
Short incapacitation
Damaging explosion
MH3U (as Slime)
Damages Types From Older Monster Hunter Titles
If Capcom takes inspiration from Elements which are currently only available in previous entries, there are several existing types that could carve out their own niche inWilds. Mobile titleMH Explorehad a completely original Earth element which might fit right into the new setting, but MMOMonster Hunter Frontier,where Espinas originates, managed to feature an entire suite of Elements consisting of fusions that can be adapted. Some are redundant upgraded versions of the same combinations, but the most distinct include:
Fire and Thunder
Fire and Ice
Water and Ice
Thunder and Ice
Ice and Dragon
Fire and Dragon
Water and Dragon
Thunder and Dragon
Fire, Ice, and Dragon
Fire, Water, and Thunder
Monster-Exclusive Status Effects Could Pave the Way for New Damage Types in MH Wilds
Novel effects wielded by enemies alone have continued to appear as recently as Sunbreak, and several of these are viable candidates for future options wielded by the player. While the likes of the Snowman or Leeching Statuses are obviously too specific to easily translate into direct damage, some oppressing conditions suffered by the player could end up being utilized. For example, Bleeding makes the player take more damage from moving, whileGore Magala’s Frenzy Virusand Malzeno’s Bloodblight are both takes on affecting health regeneration, all effects capable of being flipped on monsters with the proper adjustments.
Getting More Out of Elemental Blights
Blights are effects inflicted upon the player after taking damage from a respective Element, but allowing these to be used alongside the damage types could enhance them while paving the way for further inclusions. Unique monster versions of Dragonblight or Waterblight would make having these Elements on weapons even more appealing, but there’s also the opportunity to make the likes of Hellfireblight and Crystallization or Magnetism into fully accessible tools instead of just merehazards inMonster Hunter Wilds.
Monster Hunter Wilds
WHERE TO PLAY
The unbridled force of nature runs wild and relentless, with environments transforming drastically from one moment to the next. This is a story of monsters and humans and their struggles to live in harmony in a world of duality.Fulfill your duty as a Hunter by tracking and defeating powerful monsters and forging strong new weapons and armor from the materials you harvest from your hunt as you uncover the connection between the people of the Forbidden Lands and the locales they inhabit.The ultimate hunting experience awaits you in Monster Hunter Wilds.
