Monster Hunter Wilds offers players 14 different weapon types to go hunting. And if it’s up to Director Yuya Tokuda, they should use as many as possible.
What is this all about? It concerns the balancing of the individual weapons in the game. In a conversation with the website GamesRadar+, Yuya Tokuda, director of Monster Hunter Wilds, explains the philosophy they have pursued in balancing.
Players should not run through the whole game with one weapon
Why is this so difficult? Balancing is often a tricky matter in action games. Many players enjoy sweeping through enemies with a broken build. However, if a weapon or build is too overpowering, the motivation to try anything else diminishes.
Moreover, it’s somewhat boring when everyone relies on the same few meta builds. Conversely, players are often dissatisfied when a powerful favorite build is nerfed.
- The ARPG Path of Exile 2 promised before launch such overpowering builds that players should feel like they are breaking the game.
- In Helldivers 2, balancing has been a major challenge from the beginning. The developers responded with numerous nerfs, which led the shooter into a major crisis.
- A game by Nintendo shows that near-perfect balancing is indeed possible: here, the strongest and weakest characters are very close to each other.
How does Monster Hunter Wilds solve this? In an interview with GamesRadar+, Tokuda explains that no weapon should be so strong that any monster can be taken down with it. “I want players to think about it and really treat the weapons and skills like a toolbox, with which they can find the best way and strategy to defeat a monster,” says the game director.
Therefore, players should not just grab any weapon, set up their skills, and be equipped for the entire game. Instead, some weapons are better suited to take down specific monsters, while suitable skill builds can provide more or less of an advantage.
The comparison between two weapons should therefore focus less on which weapon is stronger or weaker, but rather how suitable each weapon is for the chosen prey. The differences in power between the weapons should be kept as small as possible.
The game director also admits that it is not up to him to decide to what extent the developers have achieved this goal. Until the release on February 28, he is therefore “confident, but not cocky.” He will wait and see what the players say, and then adjustments can still be made in the future.
In order for you to truly utilize the different weapons, you can carry a second weapon with you. For MeinMMO editor Alex, this is part of the 8 new features that make Monster Hunter Wilds better than its predecessors.
With its 14 different weapon types, Monster Hunter Wilds offers something for every type of player. However, for newcomers, the selection can sometimes be overwhelming. That’s why we have here at MeinMMO for you: The 5 best weapons to start in Monster Hunter Wilds.
