Monster Hunter Wilds DLC director retunes

Capcom is retuning the difficulty standards for the endgame of the upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance expansion. The adjustment follows player feedback on the base game's challenge curve and an acknowledgment that the player base's skill level exceeded developer expectations.

Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance director Takuro Hiraoka told PC Gamer that balancing difficulty is one of the most challenging aspects of game development. His primary objective is to prevent a situation where players feel they cannot finish the game they purchased, as those players are unlikely to return. In my mind, that's where the difficulty curve should be for Wilds, and I think we achieved that-but the player base was so good and so skilled, Hiraoka said via translator. "We had a bit of a gap in expectations. Maybe players got better than we expected in the intervening years."

Learning from player feedback

The reception to Wilds' difficulty has been a learning experience for Capcom. Hiraoka noted the studio grew its audience greatly since Monster Hunter: World, a game where many players dropped off before finishing the story because it got too hard too quickly. For the base Wilds game, the goal was to avoid driving away newer players. This approach led to initial player perceptions that the game was too easy, followed by later frustrations that updates amped up difficulty through arbitrary increases to monster damage.

Hiraoka said this feedback is now informing the studio's work on the Ascendance expansion. The aim is to appeal to "not just the hardest of the hardcore" while ensuring challenge-oriented players do not feel alienated. We expect that if you purchase the DLC, you're going to want to see as much of the story that we've presented as possible-but for players who want to go far beyond and have the really toughest challenges, we expect that the endgame loop is what really satisfies their needs, he explained. We're working on that balance at the minute.

Managing expectations for new mechanics

Hiraoka also addressed player expectations surrounding new combat mechanics shown in recent weapon breakdown videos. The videos highlighted the new Boost Bracer attacks, which can appear extremely aggressive. He cautioned that the actual hunting experience is not quite so constant and aggressive. The videos are edited to highlight the impact of the new mechanics.

There is a cadence to it, where the player is building a gauge, keeping an eye on how many charges they have, and deciding when they want to bust out those actions. And you only have a certain amount of time in boost mode whenever you do activate it, Hiraoka said. He emphasized that the Boost Bracer is a new strategic tool, not a transformation into a permanently overpowered state. Overall, the player hasn't become this hyperaggressive, constant demon mode type of presence. It's a new tool in your box.

Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance is scheduled to launch in 2027. The expansion is currently available to wishlist on Steam.