Skip To...
Monster Hunter Wilds is still months away from release. But as the obsessive fanbase is busy unraveling its mysteries, it appears they hit the jackpot. Recent leaks from the beta suggest that Monster Hunter Wilds plot may both move to new territories and also loop back to its earliest roots. How early, you ask? Think 2005 to the fourth generation of video game consoles, aka the days of the PS2. Capcom might have taken a look back into abandoned Equal Dragon Weapon ideas from Monster Hunter 1 concept art.
Before we dive in, though, here’s your spoiler alert. If you’d rather avoid spoilers until the game’s launch on February 28th, now’s the time to turn back!
Equal Dragon Weapon: A Blast From Monster Hunter’s Past
Leaked voice lines from the beta describe Arkveld as one of the ‘Guardian’ monsters designed to protect against a still-unnamed major threat. These Guardians aren’t your average wyvern; they don’t eat, breed, and, apparently, cannot even die. As long as they are powered by Wyveria Energy, a resource tied to the game’s world and its ancient lore. The energy is gathered from crystals called Wyvern Milk, which Nata, the kid we saved in the intro, used as his pendant. This energy source is also responsible for the inclement weather happening all over the Forbidden Lands.
Here’s where it gets as spicy as a Hot Pepper: the Guardians, including Arkveld, were ‘modeled after existing monsters’ with enhanced their traits. They sound less like natural creatures and more like an artificial creation, don’t you think? That’s already intriguing, but the real kicker is how much this idea mirrors the scrapped concept of the Equal Dragon Weapon from Monster Hunter 1.
If you’ve been around the Monster Hunter fandom for a while, you might’ve stumbled upon something called the Equal Dragon Weapon. It is a terrifying, human-made dragon cobbled together from parts of Elder Dragons, a leftover from the so-called Great Dragon War. The Frankenstein’s monster of the Monster Hunter universe were used to defeat Elder Dragons as fierce as a mature Lao Shan Lung.
The Equal Dragon Weapon never made it into the series proper and so far Capcom doesn’t even consider it canon. Nevertheless, its echoes can still be felt throughout the franchise, especially in the MMO spin-off Monster Hunter Frontier.
Monster Hunter Frontier laid some of the groundwork for Wilds‘ storyline, intentionally or not. The now-defunct online game featured the Sky Corridor, a massive, trap-filled skyscraper left behind by an ancient civilization. This area hinted at a highly advanced society that may have had the technology to build artificial monsters. One such suspect is Duremudira, an Elder Dragon who resides at the Sky Corridor that can shoot glowing energy beams and eats oil for sustenance.
Sound familiar? Both Duremudira and Arkveld embody the concept of monsters not entirely bound by nature’s laws. They reinforce the idea that some sort of ancient civilizations in the Monster Hunter universe were capable of an out-of-this-world feats.
Will the White Wraith Carry On Equal Dragon Weapon’s Unseen Legacy?
While the lore has always been steeped in mystery, the connections between Arkveld, the Equal Dragon Weapon, and Monster Hunter Frontier are hard to ignore.
The question now is will Monster Hunter Wilds plot fully embrace this, never-before-explored ‘roots’? While most are content with the daily hunts, some hardcore fans have long speculated about the Great Dragon War. Exploring the aftermath of such apocalyptic event could add a rich new layer to the franchise. Arkveld the White Wraith could serve as the perfect bridge to introduce a fresh take while paying homage to the series’ earliest concepts on ancient bioweapons.
Of course, until Capcom officially spills the beans, all of this remains speculation. There could be a chance that the leaked voice lines are bogus too, who knows! But if these leaks hold up, Monster Hunter Wilds plot could finally deliver on a 20-year-old promise. A battle against humanity’s own hubris in the form of monsters they created to save themselves. Now, if only Capcom could bring Duremudira and more Frontier monsters back for a cameo again!
