Monster Hunter Wilds: Essential Tips & Settings Guide

Time: 2025-02-28 by mmojugg Game: Monster Hunter Wilds Guide

Welcome to Monster Hunter Wilds! Whether you're a seasoned veteran or new to this beast-filled world, this guide will help you maximise your experience and hit the ground running. Below you'll find a mix of practical gameplay tips and key settings adjustments to make your hunts smoother, more rewarding, and tailored to your style. Let's dive in and hone our hunting skills!

Gameplay tips for a strong start

Don't obsess over early builds - enjoy the ride

In the early game, it's easy to get caught up in the hunt for the perfect weapon or armour set. Resist the urge! Early gear will quickly become obsolete as you progress, so focus on having fun instead of min-maxing. However, if you want a reliable choice, try the Paralysis weapon tree after defeating Lala Barina - it's beginner-friendly, stuns monsters effectively, and retains a decent edge. For armour, prioritise defence to stay alive. If you can get your hands on the Ajarakan set, its bonuses for breaking parts are a nice bonus.

Mastering Wounds and Focus Strikes

Combat in the Wilds is fast-paced, thanks to the Wounds and Focus Strike system. Here's how it works:

Hit a monster repeatedly in the same spot until a red wound glows.

Trigger a Focus Strike (R1 on the controllers) to deal massive damage and stagger the beast.

Bonus Trick: After a monster makes a big move (such as a breath attack), watch for a temporary red glow and land a Focus Strike for extra damage. Combine this with offset attacks - such as the Great Sword's rising slash - for clutch counters. Practice your timing and you'll make hunting a breeze.

Ride your Seikret like a pro

Your Seikret mount is your best friend with no cooldown - call it up at any time. Use it to

Dismount for monster mounts and inflict wounds.

Access D-pad shortcuts to swap weapons, grab potions or automatically follow targets.

Tap into the Seikret pouch for backup items during long hunts. Master this trusty companion and you'll save time and stay flexible in the field.

Charms: Tiny boosts, big wins

Charms may take a little longer to unlock, but they pack a punch. These trinkets boost your equipment skills (such as Weakness Exploit) without clogging up your armour slots. Stockpile materials early - they pay off in both early advantage and late power.

Break parts, don't just kill

Focus on breaking monster parts with wounds - this will drop more materials than carving or capturing alone. Check your Field Guide for specific part rewards (e.g. Chatacabra's shell for a Weakness Exploit talisman). Capturing speeds up the hunt (possible at 30% HP) and offers exclusive rewards, so mix both strategies depending on your goals.

Side quests and exploration hacks

High-level side missions will shower you with XP, materials and villager perks such as resource gatherers and merchants. These NPCs can collect honey or trade for rare parts, reducing your grind time. Use the active monster list and custom quests to explore efficiently, and hunt during bad weather to boost rare material spawns.

Fuel up with custom meals

Skip the premade meals and make your own for longer buffs (up to 50 minutes). Tailor them to your needs:

Meat for raw damage.

Vegetables for status resistance.

Special ingredients like Sil Garlic for a weak shield. Save your go-to recipes for clutch HP and stamina boosts.

Upgrade your Palico and stockpile resources

Level up your Palico through missions (such as capturing Vigor Wasps) for skills such as Resurrection or Disease Removal. Equip it with a status weapon (Paralysis is a solid starter) to complement your play style. When exploring, use the Slinger to grab everything - bones, minerals, lightning pods. These will fuel equipment upgrades down the line.

Recommended settings Adjustments

Display options

Damage numbers: Choose whole numbers for simplicity or decimals for precision. Old school hunters can turn them off entirely for a classic feel.

Minimap rotation: Set to Fixed for better orientation - spinning maps can throw your sense of direction off.

Main map rotation: Also set to fixed for consistency when planning your moves.

Health meter display: Switch from Dynamic (collapses when idle) to Fixed to keep track of your HP and food buffs.

Weapon attack power display: Choose "No Coefficient" to see the true raw damage. It's easier to compare weapons accurately, especially as you gain experience. "With Coefficient inflates the numbers, which can be misleading for newcomers.

Gameplay options

Seikret Auto Explorer: Turn this off. It can make your Seikret wander when you're trying to concentrate. Use the down D-pad for full manual control when hunting.

Support Hunter Options: Adjust the behaviour of NPC hunters (e.g. disable offset attacks or power clashes) if they're stealing your mounts or wasting thresholds.

Special effects: Reduce hit effects on allies or critical effects in multiplayer to clear your screen.

Control Settings

Auto Cloak: Disable this immediately - it can sheathe your weapon in mid-fight, leaving you vulnerable. Manual control is the way to go.

Item Use Controls: Switch to "Type 2" (controller only) for precise item use. Click the right stick instead of flicking and releasing.

Focus mode: Switch to 'Toggle' instead of 'Hold'. It's a game changer for Insect Glaive users and increases the attack power of all weapons via "Focus Magnetism".

Button layout: On PC or with custom controllers, choose your preferred button layout (e.g. PlayStation, Xbox) for clarity.

Camera settings

Camera Distance Zoom: Zoom in for a wider view of the action.

Camera Distance Pan: Skip this unless you want an off-centre view (perhaps useful for gunners).

Camera Focus: Turn this off - it locks onto monsters and limits your view, especially in multi-monster fights.

Target Camera Control: Stick with "Type 1" (default). One button press will centre the camera on the monster without locking.

Monster Sighting Camera: Disable this cinematic "breakneck camera" after your first playthrough for smoother transitions.

Visual and audio tweaks

Shadow quality: Lower this for better performance on modest rigs without sacrificing too much.

Cutscene Graphics: Increase the quality of cutscenes for nicer visuals - frame rate drops here won't affect gameplay.

Cat language: Change your Palico's voice to meow or human speech, depending on your tolerance for 'pico-speak'.

Thank you for reading

With these tips and settings, you're ready to make your way through Monster Hunter Wilds. Experiment with what works for you, tweak as you go, and enjoy the thrill of the hunt. Whether you're breaking parts, riding your Seikret or perfecting your Focus Strikes, you've got the tools to succeed. So gear up, stay sharp, and happy hunting!