In Monster Hunter Wilds, you hunt monsters in the wild… but some monsters make it harder than that since they have wings. Now excuse me while I briefly deal with my Pink Rathian PTSD from Monster Hunter Worlds. Okay, done. Suffice it to say, that winged monsters are the worst. However, Monster Hunter Wilds has given players a new chance to deal with winged monsters or flyers with a classic video game killer: fall damage.
Thanks to a Reddit user’s discovery, we now know that there is fall damage in Monster Hunter Wilds and it’s a rather effective way of not just chasing winged monsters but also taking them down for good. Monster Hunter Wilds beta-tester and Redditor u/Iroiroanswer shared his discovery during the game’s OBT (open beta) a few days ago.
In the clip, you can see the player chasing a flying Arkveld which looks like it’s starting to get away. However, a flash pod at the right moment and angle managed to bring down the Arkveld. Thereafter, the impact of the fall slayed the winged monster, surprisingly ending the hunt.
Doing something like this in Monster Hunter Worlds, for example, won’t damage the monster and players will still have to manually hack it on the ground as it struggles to get up. Thus, the fall damage for monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds is something of a welcome change and could even invite more ingenuity in hunts.
It’s worth noting that fall damage is limited to monsters and doesn’t apply to players for some reason (not that I’m complaining). Players will still be able to jump around and dive headfirst into the deepest chasms without suffering the same fall damage. So there’s nothing to worry about.
Monster Hunter Wilds Combat Has Generally Changed
Apart from the newly discovered fall damage for monsters, the damage system has also been overhauled with a new set of mechanics. Monster Hunter Wilds has introduced a “Wound” and “Focus” system that makes it more rewarding to hit monster weak spots
Hence, precision is rewarded better in Monster Hunter Wilds and you might even be able to prevent the hunts from turning into tedious slugfests and endurance battles if you aim right. Consequently, the Focus and Wound systems also incentivize deep research of the monsters in-game before hunting them, which could potentially increase immersion.
Granted, there is speculation that the fall damage might be an unintended interaction since the aforementioned footage was from the open beta test. Some things could change in favor of a balance. My fingers are crossed though. It’s about time these winged wretches get what they deserve.
