The beta of Monster Hunter Wilds attracted over 360,000 players to the game over the weekend. A currently widely shared feedback is that the feel of combat is different from previous installments. The reason for this is likely a change in the animations.
How did the beta go? The first beta for Capcom’s new action RPG Monster Hunter Wilds took place last week on PC, PS5, and Xbox. The first players were allowed access to the servers on October 29, 2024, before the test ended on November 4.
Alone on Steam, at peak times, over 360,000 players faced the dangers of the game’s first area. MeinMMO editor-in-chief Leya is even convinced after the beta that Monster Hunter Wilds is a strong contender for Game of the Year 2025.
However, the joy was marred not only by significant graphics issues on Steam but also many players felt that the weapons lacked the usual impact
: On various social media platforms, players have increasingly voiced that something is missing compared to previous installments. Many cite the changed feeling of combat as the reason. In particular, heavy weapons seem to lack power, which has upset the community.
The hit does not feel as usual
What is different? For example, a user shares his opinion on Reddit that he felt something was missing in the beta. He writes that he has played several installments of the series before and that he enjoyed the beta.
Under his post with the question of why this might be the case, many respond that the feeling of combat has changed. In particular, the heavy weapons no longer feel as powerful as in other installments:
- WolfFangAmadeus via Reddit: “Now that you mention it, yes that’s true. I immediately fell in love with Wilds, but something felt strange. I mainly play with the Energy Blade and yes, something felt different; it definitely doesn’t hit the same way as in World. There’s still a lot of weight behind it, but there’s no “oomph” when the attack lands.”
- ElKisama via Reddit: “That’s my biggest concern; I love how each weapon feels and sounds in World. Here, I don’t feel like I’m hitting monsters.”
- Stratis127 via Reddit: “I have the same feeling with the Morph Axe; it just cuts through monsters without resistance.”
- @EvilHarry via x.com: “As a dual blades player, I feel like ‘something’ is missing. The constant attacks lack impact; once you destroy all focus points, the battle becomes ‘meh’. […]”
Even on Steam, it seems like many players in community threads share similar opinions: Players especially miss the resistance during an attack. The power with which the attack slams into the monster no longer seems to be felt. However, this makes up a significant part of the feeling of combat.
Do all feel that way? Besides the critical voices, there are also positive ones. Some describe the new feeling of combat as smoother or simply “different, but not worse”:
- jimbo_slice_02 via Reddit: “I somewhat agree. The impact feels a bit spongy or less strong, but the overall fluidity of movement feels somehow better. Overall, I like it better than in MHWorld so far.”
- @Dikkussu via x.com: “As a player who has been with MH since MH2, I’m not bothered by this change. It’s an overall good change, especially since the flow of combat is now better.”
- @EvilHarry via x.com: “[…] As a bow player, I loved the new features; it was fun to use the charged seeker arrow.”
The opinions of beta players about the feeling of combat in Monster Hunter Wilds seem to be very subjective at the moment. However, it is not entirely clear where the difference in the combat system from previous games comes from.
A change in “hitstop” as a cause?
There is a theory: Currently, a strong suspicion is circulating on the platform X.com: User Axelayer shares a video in his post, comparing the weapons and their attacks from previous Monster Hunter installments with those from the beta of Monster Hunter Wilds.
In it, it is noticeable that the brief pause immediately after a hit has been shortened in some cases and completely removed for some weapons. This is known as “hitstop.” It is a slowdown of the gameplay after a particularly heavy hit, aimed to emphasize the force of the attack for the player.
The post received over 15,000 likes and was shared over 3,000 times (as of November 5, 16:30). In the comments, it received much approval.
While previously the number of frames for hitstop was typically increased with each installment, consequently extending the hitstop, Monster Hunter Wilds took a scissor to this and drastically reduced the pause that is not unimportant for the feeling of combat. For example, the overhead attack of the Morph Axe was initially increased from 13 frames in Monster Hunter World to 15 frames in Monster Hunter Rise. In Monster Hunter Wilds, the frame count for hitstop for the same attack is 0.
Since hitstop plays a significant role in the conveyed force impact, the radical shortening has made the “power feeling” of players partially disappear.
What do you think of the change? Is it important for you to literally feel the power behind your attacks, or do you prefer a fluid movement flow? Or do you not even know which weapon it will be? You can find an overview of all weapons that await you in Monster Hunter Wilds here: Monster Hunter Wilds: All 14 weapons at a glance
