Monster Hunter Wilds’ upcoming expansion is just around the corner. Capcom may not be privy to the details yet, but we can already tell they are cooking something up for players to dive back into the Forbidden Lands.
When it comes to every Monster Hunter expansion, a new gameplay mechanic will be available that adds something fresh to the hunt.
A Brief History of Monster Hunter’s Expansion Mechanics
World to Iceborne gave us the Clutch Claw. An interesting tool that aided us in stunning monsters by grappling and flinching them against walls. It was great until the game’s entire identity relied too much on it, encouraging more hunters to use it for optimal damage.
Rise to Sunbreak introduced new Silkbind skills that add specialized new moves to our weapons. With the game’s Switch Skills, we can seamlessly swap between multiple movesets to maximize combo potential thanks to the Wirebugs.
Both of these fresh mechanics are great, but they’re far from perfect. They all have their quirks, as well as a set of pros and cons. Capcom is always listening to player feedback, and pretty sure they’ve taken most of the community’s concerns about overreliance on Wirebugs and Clutch Claws. Hence, Monster Hunter Wilds’ major gimmick was a Focus System that doesn’t feel too powerful, but also not easy to do.
So, what can we expect from Monster Hunter Wilds’ expansion?
Speculating the 15th Weapon
Call this a shot in the dark, but it feels like the expansion might bring us the elusive 15th weapon.
It’s been almost a decade since Monster Hunter received a new weapon, and that’s the Charge Blade and Insect Blade for Monster Hunter 4. Capcom doesn’t seem to have any plans for adding a 15th weapon. (Tonfa’s don’t count!)
Personally, I could see Capcom turning this 15th weapon into a pair of blunt fists. This essentially turns our hunter into a monk-like character with movesets straight out of a Jackie Chan film. Like the Dual-Blades and Sword & Shield, it is agile and costs stamina with every move. Hunters would need to charge each punch (and kick) to maximize stun potential.
We’ve already had our taste of this kind of weapon with Akuma’s Street Fighter 6 collaboration. It’s not as seamless or polished as the other 14 weapons, but it felt like Capcom was testing the waters for a potential ‘gloves’ as weapons.
Will it be a viable new weapon for the series’ already adored 14? Maybe. But it would have to be balanced and fair; otherwise, it would only cause power creep to the game’s existing armaments.
Of course, not all of this is set in stone. For all we know, the Monster Hunter Wilds expansion could introduce two weapon types, or return an old gameplay gimmick like the Clutch Claw or Wirebug. Only Capcom knows this. In the meantime, all we can do is speculate.
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