This week has been filled with nothing but major gaming news, particularly with Capcom’s acclaimed Monster Hunter series. Yesterday, we finally got our first look at the Elder Dragon Gogmazios coming this December, as well as a gameplay snippet for the Omega Planetes hunt in Wilds’ FFXIV collab. But there was one more Monster Hunter entry announced, and it wasn’t in the Capcom showcase: Monster Hunter Outlanders.
We’ve talked about Monster Hunter Outlanders at length in our previous piece here, but now that we have gotten gameplay snippets, I’m more worried than excited. There are just too many red flags all over, and it might not be the kind of game a Monster Hunter fan is looking for. Why? Let me explain.
It's a Gacha Game
Right off the bat, Monster Hunter Outlanders is a gacha game designed for mobile devices. While it may not be obvious to the untrained eye, Outlanders has a progression system tied to what most Gacha games have. For starters, it has a ‘Stamina’ mechanic that limits the number of hunts and rewards you can have per day. Walking around the game’s open world doesn’t drain it. However, getting inside monster nests and hunting monsters will. Stamina will regenerate in real time, so you might have to wait a few minutes (or hours) until you can hunt and get rewards again.
It’s a completely bizarre choice given that Monster Hunter has always been a game that thrives on multiple hunts and getting the best rewards. Unfortunately, this is just one of the Gacha traps that Outlanders will have.
Armors and Weapons Are “Probably” Locked Behind Paywalls
One major issue I have with Monster Hunter Outlanders is that you don’t get to control a single main character. Instead, you have a wide variety of heroes to choose from. While that may sound good on paper, it actually expands the grind even further. It could even go beyond encouraging players to shell out real money for its microtransactions.
Your main protagonist, The Fated Adventurer, will have his own set of armor (Rathalos Armor) and will have access to multiple weapons from the series’ base 14. However, this is where my issue begins. By the looks of it, you can’t swap between any of these weapons and armors. Meaning if you love an Anjanath greatsword, you’re going to have to find a character that’s rocking that kind of weapon.
All of this is speculative as of now, as TiMi Studio Group (Pokemon UNITE, Honor of Kings) hasn’t officially explained in detail how its gacha system works. But given the number of gacha games in the market, it’s safe to say that most of Outlanders’ progression will be tied to unlocking new characters and upgrading their stats.
Sure, you can always upgrade your Fated Adventurer’s limited weapons and armor, but it might just be a regular stat bump rather than a full-fledged makeover like what we do in the original games.
Monster Hunter Outlanders “Feels” Grindier
Another cause of concern, apart from having limited options in weapon and armor customization, is that Outlanders’ monster hunting loop is much more grindier. Why? In the TGS 2025 Showcase with Monster Hunter Outlanders creators, they mentioned that the playable characters we unlock are classified into three character types: Assault (Damage), Disruptor (Crowd Control), and Support (Healing, Buffs).
That means in harder endgame hunts, a balance between these character types is necessary to maximize offense and defense. Failure to do so will put your progress to a halt, encouraging you to grind more or spend real-life money. This is a similar case with MiHoyo’s Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero, where characters each have their own archetypes and elements that are useful against certain enemies, making missions easier. But there is a silver lining for this feature; this might be what Outlanders intended, so players can rely on queuing up with friends and join them on 4-player hunts. Solo players may have to grind even further to maximize their damage and defense.
As a big fan of the Monster Hunter series, Outlanders already feels like a different Monster Hunter game for the worse. One, it limits character progression through its limited weapons and armor customization. Two, it increases the grind tenfold with its multiple characters. And three, it discourages multiple hunts due to its “Energy” or Stamina system.
These three factors already exist in-game to an extent (as per gameplay videos and interviews), and I am not confident that this will attract veteran Monster Hunters in the long run. But if we look at the bright side, this is another way to introduce casual players into the Monster Hunter brand. Unfortunately, with its obvious gacha traps and limited customization, it sets a bad first impression for new hunters looking to try a true Monster Hunter experience.
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