Monster Hunter Wilds’ Demo has come and gone, and with it came a completely new edition from the Monster Hunter Franchise in the form of Crossplay in Multiplayer. This new edition has allowed Console players and PC players to come together and create bigger lobbies and, at the moment, a bit of bigger trouble. Here we will take a look at those ups and downs now that the beta is done.
Monster Hunter Wilds’ New Era
Note that everything is currently in its beta phase, everything is subject to change as feedback is applied through the demands of players and the developer’s own idea improves. Crossplay is a big deal when it comes to Monster Hunter. It brings in new Hunters/Players for others to help and play with. It allows access to more and bigger lobbies, lobbies that include 100 players; previous lobbies were limited to around 40 players.
This is a huge jump for Monster Hunter as it will allow more players to connect with each other, especially with the boundaries between Console players and PC players finally coming down. All the while it will introduce a new system called the Link system. This is good because it will help players easily switch out with others if needed. The old way of joining people is still part of the game, hop into the lobby, find our handler aka Alma, and then join a quest. This will allow you to easily hop in and/or start a quest. You can also do a new way of starting a quest and allowing others to join in letting them connect seamlessly.
Having such large lobbies will help players find others to play with if they don’t decide to run with NPCs or are having trouble with NPCs. It will also help with any future Raids coming to the game. Raids are where you hunt down a large and sometimes abnormal target, and the more players participating the greater the rewards will be.
Crossplay Trouble
Now, this isn’t an issue specifically for Crossplay. Networking was an issue in the beta, disconnections happened where I would be fighting monsters with friends, and the PC players got separated from the Console player. While the issues during the beta weren’t because of Crossplay, there will be connection issues. However, it’s not out of the way to say that crossplay will put a strain on the networking capabilities of Wilds. The negative side to having 100-player lobbies will be harder to find quests, but that can be easily negated when in a linked party as it will filter when you talk to Alma. While it was nice to have a “link” option able to filter who you are with, the “Link Environment” was a mess as it rarely connected me with my friend’s environment or changed the environment to match his.
The system in place during the beta was confusing to use, especially with having friend codes to send in-game friend requests to your friends. Unfortunately, that is a common staple that will have to occur with crossplay as it gives PC players a way to add Console players. The integration of Discord on Xbox and PlayStation will allow them to have a place to join PC players, Voice Chat wasn’t awful, it was as clear as it could be for in-game chats. One complaint is there was no icon or logo, showing who was playing on what, which could lead to confusion but not a total loss.
Conclusion
There has been small talk about Crossplay in the Monster Hunter community saying it’s a bad idea for crossplay because of PC’s access to Mods. Mods allow PC users to alter the game, from adding new monsters to new armor and weapons, altering the game in small or major ways. It even allows PC players to cheat the game and create one-hitting attacks or multiple items. Not all Modders have malicious intent but not everyone wants to play with modders as it can result in bans if you remotely even play with the modder for a bit.
The concerns are valid and Crossplay can create issues regarding mods, but Capcom themselves are trying to step down on mods even trying to remove the ability to utilize them in Monster Hunter. They aren’t blind to the fact that mods have their own usefulness but rather want an environment where everyone can enjoy the game. I think personally this is a wonderful step for Monster Hunter and regardless of the beta we played, they have already stated the game is further along in development than what the beta revealed, which is wonderful news. Monster Hunter Wilds will be released for PlayStation 5, Xbox S/X, and Steam on February 28, 2025.
