- Primary Subject: Monster Hunter Wilds – Upcoming Expansion (Post-Launch Content, Unannounced Version)
- Key Update: A potential Monster Hunter Wilds expansion could introduce a massive abandoned city or ruined kingdom, drawing from the series’ medieval fantasy roots and past castle-based maps.
- Status: Speculative Feature
- Last Verified: January 26, 2026
- Quick Answer: An abandoned city would fit Monster Hunter Wilds’ expansion by expanding its medieval fantasy roots, deepening lore around the Dragon Torch, and offering large-scale, open combat spaces for hunts.
Monster Hunter Wilds’ upcoming expansion is still a complete mystery, but I’ve always wanted to see the series return to a more medieval fantasy setting with towering walls and rows of ballistae completely abandoned by its former inhabitants.
Wilds’ selection of biomes is already great. We’ve got the lush glades and serene tranquility of the Scarlet Forest, a vast expanse of dust and sand in the Windward Plains, and even the eerie alien-like architecture of the Ancient Ruins of Wyveria. Each of the game’s standard five maps has its own unique presentation, as well as a roster of monsters that belong to it. Now it’s time for the game to go back to its castles and ruined cities.
Previous Monster Hunter titles have their fair share of grand castle ruins, most notably Castle Schrade in the first game of the series. We’ve seen it return in Monster Hunter World’s Iceborne expansion, where we face off against the Black Dragon in a cinematic boss fight that usually ended in multiple carts. While it wasn’t fully explorable, there was still an air of doom and gloom to it after Fatalis burned everything to the ground.
In Monster Hunter: Rise’s Sunbreak expansion, The Citadel was a massive map with three different biomes: a swampy marsh with Garangolm in its habitat, icy caves where Lunagaron rests, and at the center of it all lies a ruined Castle where Malzeno once wreaked havoc. The Citadel was one of my favorite maps in all Monster Hunter titles, as it evoked a feeling of loss after standing in a place that many people once called home. Seeing the next Monster Hunter game tackle more ruined cities and castles is a wishlist I’d love to see.
Monster Hunter Wilds already has a ruined city tucked away in its sprawling semi-open world. While we were exploring and gallivanting with our Seikret in the ancient ruins of Wyveria, we still hadn’t set foot in Zoh Shia’s destructive rampage around its inner and outer cities. We were only at the center of the Dragon Torch, where the artificially created Elder Dragon resides. Granted, the Iceshard Cliffs render most of Wyveria unexplored, but there is still a possibility that Capcom could make the architecture work via new story beats, such as an ancient new monster awakening after we defeated Zoh Shia.
That said, there’s also a design issue when developing a massive and explorable ruin. Hunters want a more open space to duel against Wilds’ plethora of monsters. Seeing another map in the expansion that shares the same narrow pathways and small arenas as the Iceshard Cliffs might not be enjoyable. No one wants to fight a potential Shagaru Magara in tight areas with barely any room for navigation.
Wilds’ lore also has a lot of unanswered questions for our Hunters. Huge craters are seen over the game’s map when looking from above. What caused this? What was the reason for Zoh Shia’s creation? Those questions might be answered when the imminent expansion drops, leading us to the other side of the Forbidden Lands’ map, a place totally untouched by man.
The Dragon Torch was central to Monster Hunter Wilds’ story, and now that we’ve gotten access to it after the main story, its origins may be well within our grasp. Harnessing the Dragon Torch’s energy could take us to new places far from the Forbidden Lands, or somewhere that was just hidden in plain sight.
The Monster Hunter franchise was always rooted in medieval fantasy, despite hunting big monsters. Bringing back ruined cities and castles takes the series back to its traditional roots, where civilizations aren’t always equipped to deal with world-ending creatures. Exploring that concept in the expansion could be a recipe for success for Capcom.
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