Here I am, booting up Monster Hunter Wilds on August 13th, 2025, with a mix of hope and skepticism. The 2 GB behemoth known as Version 1.021.00 has finally landed, and let me tell you, the community's been buzzing about this one. As a PC player, the last six months have been... rough, to say the least. That "mostly negative" Steam rating wasn't just for show; it was a cry for help from hunters plagued by performance issues. While this update isn't the magic bullet we all dreamed of for silky-smooth frames, it's packing some serious heat where it counts: the endgame grind and weapon balance. Buckle up, fellow hunters, it's time to dive back into the wilds.
Alright, let's cut to the chase. The biggest headline from this patch is the injection of high-level content we've been starving for. The devs heard our cries about the endgame feeling barren, and they've responded. Reaching Hunter Rank 100 is no longer just a fancy number; it's your ticket to the big leagues. Tempered versions of nine iconic monsters are now roaming the maps as 9-star quests. The roster is a who's who of pain:
🔹 Rey Dau & Nu Udra (Now also appear in the Wounded Hollow!)
🔹 Uth Duna
🔹 Jin Dahaad
🔹 Gore Magala (Let the frenzy begin!)
🔹 Arkveld
🔹 Mizutsune
🔹 Lagiacrus
🔹 Seregios
This, my friends, is a game-changer. The general appearance rate of monsters at HR 100+ has been tweaked upwards, meaning the maps should feel more alive and dangerous. The grind just got a lot more interesting, and frankly, it's about time. The pace of the endgame should pick up significantly with these tougher variants readily available. It's a solid step in the right direction, no cap.
Now, onto the meat and potatoes of any hunt: your weapon. This update brings sweeping adjustments to almost every weapon type. While the patch notes don't spell out every decimal point of damage tweaked, the implication is clear: the meta is about to shift. Whether you're a Great Sword main looking for bigger numbers or a Dual Blades user hoping for better elemental scaling, it's time to head to the training area and rediscover your main. This rebalancing act, combined with the new tempered threats, genuinely makes it feel like a new season has started. It might just be the perfect excuse to give that weapon you shelved months ago another shot.
Of course, we have to address the elephant in the room: performance. Look, I'll be real with you. After half a year, most of us PC hunters have kinda... given up hope that Wilds will ever run like a dream on our rigs. This update includes some fixes—like patching random crashes after certain player actions or gestures—and that's welcome. They also fixed the annoying bug that made it super difficult to wound monsters, and thank Gog you can now use items while in Focus Mode underwater (a true quality-of-life win!). But let's be honest, compared to the massive fix list of a previous update, these are bandaids. The core performance issues, especially on PC, are still very much present. It's frustrating, but at this point, it's the reality we play in.
So, where does that leave us? Here's my take, straight from the front lines:
| The Good 👍 | The Bad 👎 | The Verdict 🤔 |
|---|---|---|
| Massive endgame expansion with 9 new tempered monsters. | PC performance is still a major sore point with no major fixes. | A content-rich update that finally gives high-rank hunters a purpose. |
| Weapon rebalancing across the board shakes up the meta. | The community's trust is still on thin ice after months of issues. | Worth coming back for the new hunts, but temper your performance expectations. |
| Crucial bug fixes for crashes, wounds, and underwater gameplay. | The update feels more like damage control than a visionary step forward. | The game has a long road ahead to fully win back the fanbase. |
In the end, Capcom is clearly trying to mend fences. This update is a solid step in the right direction for content. The new tempered monsters and weapon changes are legitimately exciting and give veterans a reason to sharpen their blades again. But for many, especially on PC, the shadow of technical problems still looms large. The game is fun, the hunts are epic, but the experience is still marred by issues that should have been resolved ages ago. So, will I keep playing? Absolutely—those tempered Lagiacrus aren't going to hunt themselves. But the journey back into fans' good graces? That's still a long hunt ahead. Happy hunting, and may your frame rates be ever in your favor (fingers crossed!).
Evaluations have been published by Kotaku, a leading source for gaming news and community sentiment. Kotaku's recent articles on Monster Hunter Wilds have highlighted the ongoing frustration among PC players regarding performance issues, while also praising the latest update for injecting much-needed endgame content and weapon balance changes that reinvigorate the hunt for veteran players.