What's New In Monster Hunter: World?
Nov. 4, 2017What’s New In Monster Hunter: World?
InMonster Hunterthe set-up usually plays out like this: you play as a custom created hunter tasked with slaying massive and terrifyingmonsters, which are terrorizing near-by settlements. You battle these monsters and upon victory, you can carve out thematerialsthat they drop. These materials can be fashioned intoequipmentsuch as a piecearmororweapon. And progress through the game/story requires you to hunt even bigger threats, giving you better materials to craft stronger gear. And then, you rinse and repeat.
So in a nutshell, you slay monsters, make gear out of them, then you rinse and repeat. Although it may seem like a simple loop, it is one that will thoroughly engage you.
The Beta will comprise of threequests, which can be played either online or offline. And players will be tasked with hunting three of the manymonstersfound throughout the game, and they are theGreat Jagras,BarrothandAnjanath. So, your only real options are either to plunk down cash for a PS4 machine just for the Beta (and possiblyBloodborne,Uncharted,etc), or wait until release day on your preferred platform. Let’s hope an Xbox and PC Beta announcement will be made.
At its core,Monster Hunter: Worldplays much like its predecessors in terms of itsgameplayanddesign, but with the addition of various changes; some big and small, that have been made to create a game that is much more accessible for a wider audience. Which is in line with the development team’s vision for this upcoming game. With hopes that it’ll be the breakout title for the franchise, especially in the West.
One of the biggest changes implemented is doing away with the lack of proper explanations onskills, items and more. For instance, gone are the days of having to go online in search of just what kind of loot amonsterdrops. Instead, you’ll be able to conduct research on the creatures and acquire your information and materials in a more efficient manner.
Also, simply attacking a monster now shows you how much damage you actually deal. Furthermore,skillshave been streamlined in a way that it no longer requires getting 10 points for them to activate in the equipment, and can have its status in effect even with just a single point. And continuous use will strengthen its effects up to a certain number of stacks.
So far, no newweaponshave been added intoWorldand it will not be including the “Hunter Arts” and “Hunter Styles” found in the previousMonster Hunter: Generations.But with that said, there will be close to a hundred weapon types players can in wield in the game.Itemsare now selectable via a quick radial menu for easier access, and they can be consumed during movement, but at the price of mobility. There’s also a new customizable training room, which can contain obstacles to climb and jump from, as well as be a place to practice moves and test out weapons.
The new town hub is called the Research Commission HQ that’s located inAstera, and it’ll be the place players can stock up on items, dine at theCanteen, craft or upgradearmorand weapons at theSmithyand accept new quests. All complete with non-intrusive mini-tutorials to give new players a chance to learn ofMH:W‘snuances. And supplies like “Whetstones“, forsharpeningweapons are now in infinite quantities.
New gear for getting around the massive new maps in the game have been included in the form of the notableSlingerandGlider Mantle. Which makes exploring levels easier and much more fun in a thrilling way. Previewing armor is now a thing, allowing you to check out a set to see if it suits your tastes, and prevents you from experiencing buyers remorse. Finally, a new “Wish List” system is in place. And upon adding a piece of desiredequipmentto the list, it’ll track its material whereabouts and then inform you of its location. Making the hunt a little less tedious.
QuestsinWorldhave been overhauled to be more organized and straight forward. You’ll no longer have to go on hunt after hunt in hopes of progressing through the game. Now, the “Main Quests” will be neatly displayed in their own sub-section called “Assigned Quests”. Meanwhile, Side Quests have been split into “Bounties” and “Investigations”.
Bounties are a replacement for mundane tasks like: slaying a certain number of monsters or procuring a type of material in certain quantities. Instead, they can be completed at your own pace, out in the field during your adventure, with up to six bounties being active at any given time. Investigations on the other hand, are optional quests that can net you useful items without having to grind for them.
Another welcome improvement over it predecessors isMonster Hunter: World‘slevel design. For a while now,Monster Hunterhas been synonymous with portable systems like the Sony PSP and the Nintendo 3DS. With numerous loading times between areas in any single map due to hardware limitations, which also limited battles to take place in a stage-like arena cordoned off by invisible walls.
But now, by taking advantage of the processing power found on current generation hardware, Director Yuya Tokuda, Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto and their team have realized their vision of creating sprawling and dynamic maps. With realism in mind, they’ve crafted a living and breathingworld. Resulting in an organic ecosystem complete with its own weather, day cycle, wildlife, plant life and of course, monsters for your to slay. All of this will happen seamlessly in a single giant map. And each map, like theAncient Forestand theWildspire Wastelocations, are their own worlds, each housing unique climates and species.
The creatures inhabiting such maps will behave in ways that appear natural and believable. Roaming from place to place to even interacting with their surrounding environments. For instance, one of the new monsters in the game, thePukei-Pukei, will consume near-byScatternutsand combine it with its own poison to unleash a projectile spit against predators, against you. Moreover, battles will no longer take place in small cordoned-off space and can transition into different areas of a map as the fight progresses.
A newmultiplayersystem has been put in place for an easy drop-in/drop-out co-op session, and is no longer sectioned off as a different mode. Now weaved into the single-player experience, hunters can just drop into other player sessions to embark on quests with a party of up to4 players. And if they’d like, the new Squad/Guild system will allow players to host exclusive hunting sessions with their preferred members and can adorned their new team with a crest of their own
The co-op quests this time around are from the same quests that are featured in solo play. Meaning that any quest can be completed either solo or through co-op. Making for a progressive and seamless experience. In a way, its new online system is similar to FromSoftware’s persistent multiplayer for theirDark SoulsandBloodbornetitles, which have their single and multiplayer portions combined as well. Finally, there will be cross-play between Japanese and Western servers so long as players on both ends are on the same platform.
We will continue to update this article should new information arise. Thoughts to add to this body of knowledge? Opinion of the series to share? Go wild in the comments!
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I want this game sooooo bad. But there are still 80 days left…
