The account linked to Monster Hunter has announced that players now have the opportunity to take part in ‘The Cold Path to Oblivion,’ the new challenge quest that is offered absolutely free of charge. The players will be required to eliminate the Arch-tempered Jin Dahaad within a specified timeframe to earn the ‘pendant’ that is specifically made for the cosmetics. The participation of the players is so lively that they are discussing the quest and its highest time of 18 minutes, and also the debate goes to the implications of cosmetic rewards and the right level of difficulty for such activities. This update is a good indication of the tough choices that the developers are making to strike a balance between casual players and hardcore hunters in the Monster Hunter community.
So, the official Twitter account of Monster Hunter just informed us about a new free challenge quest, and it is a topic of discussion in the community. What I mean by talking is the usual beautiful chaos of hype, salt, and balancing requests. The quest is named ‘The Cold Path to Oblivion,’ and your objective is simple: kill the Arch-tempered Jin Dahaad. The catch is that to get the exclusive pendants, you have to do it within a specified time. There are three tiers: 18 minutes for gold, 25 minutes for silver, and 50 minutes for bronze. The pendants will be given later, so no instant gratification, but still.
The first reactions? Quite a rollercoaster, which, to be honest, is the most Monster Hunter thing ever. One player stated, “18 minutes? This is going to be a piece of cake,” just as user Nevzge2878 expressed. At the same time, others are like, “phew!”. User Viem said, “Oh, thank God. I could not get him under 14 in my practices, 18 is much more doable! Let’s go!” So it is the speedrunners who are uneasy and the regular hunters (like me, no shame) think this is the time when they can finally prove their worth.
But then, all of a sudden, the whole discussion turns around, and this is very typical. The rewards are the core issue. Only the pendants will be given out. Cosmetic items. No extra materials, no special armor spheres, nothing. And this has split the players straight in half. User NIGHTFIREOO3 perfectly stated one side of the argument: “Yawn Finally the time is more fair but still only gets a pendants, no additional items or anything interesting.” This point has a certain amount of persuasion! After the hard work of a tough hunt, a small pendant can seem… trivial? Like, where is my layered armor, Capcom?
Conversely, there are players who maintain that if the rewards are only for cosmetics, then they should be difficult to obtain. User samustodd816 jumped into a thread saying, “They’re something to strive for, is the point. The cosmetic rewards are the only reason people participate.” It’s once again the typical elitist vs. casual debate, but in this case, it is being held in the icy scales of monsters. NIGHTFIREOO3 replied that it is an “elitist POV” and reminded everybody that “most players touch grass.” LOL, brutal but true. The reality is that the developer needs to find a middle ground which does not drive away the majority of players who just want to hunt and have fun.
And speaking of the developer’s decisions, this whole time limit system reflects past problems. Remember the old challenge quests? They had leaderboards that only allowed the top 10,000 fastest clears to get the pendant. User polari_s pointed out the change was due to this: “The problem… was that hackers were filling the 10k with hacked times… and the entire leaderboard was filled up with 1-second clear times.” So, the fixed time tiers we have now? That is pretty much damage control. It is a method to assure a reward for skill without letting cheaters spoil it for everyone. It makes sense once you consider it, although it does not feel so “competitive.”
Oh, and do not forget about the weapon balance crew who are always lurking in the shadows, waiting to attack. User fixchargeblade saw the announcement and immediately changed the focus, “you are not done with the Charge Blade yet…” and then he went on to list an array of necessary fixes. The conversation is not even about the quest anymore, it is about the never-ending battle of Charge Blade mains claiming that their weapon is “insanely repetitive.” Their dedication is genuine and you have to applaud them for that.
So what is the overall feeling? If we look at the replies, many players are just… getting it done. User PrinceNeroDevil posted a cool 13’58” clear and is already asking for more. This update for Monster Hunter Wilds shows the series’ ongoing evolution, even as players debate its future on platforms like PlayStation and Xbox.
