Capcom has just issued a major update to Monster Hunter Wilds, which includes a collaboration with FINAL FANTASY XIV Online and a revised roadmap for title updates, which are all free of charge. The update was released moments ago, but judging by the expressions of the people around me, I’m sure they want to discuss something else.
It certainly is remarkable that Monster Hunter Wilds is getting its crossover with Final Fantasy XIV, as well as the other events that are happening, but is it even exciting? There is an incredible amount of talking about other issues, but not about the collaboration. It certainly is not appropriate, but it is impressive that the two main franchises are not focusing on bringing such amazing expansions.
Their new monsters are actually the center of the new hype, and frankly, the new roadmap shows what is coming in the free updates. The comments are actually dominated with hate and this new rage surrounds whether Zoh Shia is treated as a new monster or not, because there is a lot of arguing over whether it even counts. It was already in the game before being made accessible, so there a lot of people writing books about it, some named JoshAnimator, talking about “Given access to a monster that was there doesn’t count” and unlike the highly described negativity surrounding it, that is actually positive about the whole argument.
That really isn’t all, because now there is the whole ‘Seregios’ case. The updates are supposed to bring two new monsters based on interviews, but now there are people debating on what a “new” monster even is. Thise statement is true, because the intensity in those replies is shocking.
As if that wasn’t enough, someone under the name BLoobama claims that Tigrex was meant to be in TU2 and that they instead promised Seregios in exchange because they released Seregios on promotional material, which is false because people are asking for receipts and calling each other’s point of view incredibly false as there never was any official material. Now, community of leakers is telling that the Tigrex story is true, so now everything surrounding this is a complete mess of lies and the truth.
In another case, other users simply ask, “Is there not even a new AT in this TU?” and then there is Raviel97 “requesting once again vergil layered armor” which I personally support. There is also a user requesting Gogmazios instead of “omega Final fantasy stuff” and they say they are going to skip TU3 if they get that, which sounds kind of weird.
In my opinion, the collaboration looks great — Final Fantasy XIV merging with Monster Hunter Wilds should attract players from both games. However, the reactions seem to show that people are more concerned about the lack of new monsters than the crossover content.
The most distinctive thing about the update is that it has been divisive — some users look forward to the Final Fantasy collaboration, while others want the old Monster Hunter staples such as new monsters and new sieges. It would have been nice if a player asked whether a siege similar to Safi’jiiva and Kulve Taroth from World would be added.
It continues with strange requests, such as “fixing female character models to be more feminine and not Woooman beast!” which I do not comprehend. The replies seem to be a mess, ranging from a serious conversation about update patterns to outright requesting specific monsters.
With regards to information, Capcom have said nothing of value — “stay tuned for more info to come,” which is developer speak for ‘no comment.’ While all of this is happening, I am fairly sure they are watching it happen while sipping coffee.
Although the update’s the most notable, the collaboration’s really underplayed — an opportunity like this shouldn’t be missed for a partnership with Final Fantasy, an extremely well-known game. Monster Hunter players, however, are unapologetically specific in what they want: Proper content updates, new monsters, and no crossover filler.
Even crazier are the commentaries in the replies — People are counting monsters from past updates, arguing on what “new” means, and making wild guesses about future ones based on patterns. The Monster Hunter community is serious business if you want to talk about a hunter’s schedule.
While we can all speculate, the truth is that Capcom has to detail what this collaboration includes. Are we looking at just some Final Fantasy-themed cosmetics? Some new quests? Maybe classic Final Fantasy creatures? The hunt-centric imagination is endless, even for players who are dubious about the collaboration.
One has to appreciate the goodwill of the roadmap itself as it guarantees more free title updates. The Monster Hunter franchise has always had the tradition of offering free updates every now and then, so Wilds carrying the tradition is reassuring. A crossover or new monsters aside, there’s always more to do and that’s never a bad thing.
Those responses really show the mixed feelings toward the announcement — excitement, skepticism, a list of demands, and outright confusion. Tell-tale Monster Hunter community cues. The real question is, what will this collaboration unveil once the mystery gets lifted?
