Monster Hunter Wilds has been an massive success for publisher Capcom, but not everybody’s happy on PC, where the game has been repeatedly lambasted for its poor performance. Finally, however, a month after its release, Capcom has revealed a first round of performance-related PC improvements is coming later this week.
Capcom shared the news in a lengthy post from Monster Hunter Wilds game director Yuya Tokuda over on the official Monster Hunter website. After thanking players for their support amid Wilds’ impressive 10m sales milestone, Tokuda began detailing some of the improvements the developer is targeting in response to player feedback.
The big one, for PC players at least, is the promise of improved game stability. “The team is continuing to identify stability issues and make improvements where possible,” Tokuda wrote, “especially on the Steam version. This will be an ongoing process, where we’ll aim to make continual steps forward in this area and respond to critical issues.”
The good news is Capcom’s first round of performance-related PC improvements is set to arrive very soon – as part of Monster Hunter Wilds’ Title Update 1 this Thursday, 3rd April. This’ll include a promised reduction in VRAM usage, as well as an upgrade to the DirectStorage version on Steam – both of which “should result in an overall improvement in stability for our PC players”, according to Capcom.
Notably, VRAM usage and DirectStorage issues were both highlighted in Digital Foundry’s review of Monster Hunter Wilds on PC, in which Alex Battaglia detailed the games “profound performance problems” and “substantial” technical issues. At the time, Alex advised “caution” for higher-end GPU owners, but flat-out recommended anyone with lower-end graphics cards “avoid” Wilds until Capcom could improve the situation – so hopefully this week’s update will bring meaningful changes ahead of promised “continued improvements” in future patches.
Away from PC performance, Tokuda highlighted some other areas the team is targeting. There’s talk of weapon balance adjustments, for instance, which are set to be implemented “gradually” with each new title update. As for quality of life changes, Capcom says it’s currently looking to make it easier for players to access information they require through UI/UX improvements, alongside “additional adjustments… to further enhance the overall feel of the game to curate an even smoother gameplay experience.”
Capcom says to expect changes making it easier to restock items, check skill information, participate in multiplayer quests, and use the Seikret. Additionally, improved camera behaviour during hunts is also on the developer’s to-do list. More generally, the team is planning to “take a wider look at overall gameplay flow, which encompasses a range of things, such as the in-game economy, balance and other areas.” This, it says, will “require more time for preparation”.
Alongside the aforementioned PC performance improvements, this week’s Monster Hunter Wilds title update introduces a new social hub and a range of new monsters, including bubble dragon Mizutsune, a High Rank version of Zoh Shia, and the arch-tempered Rey Dau. Notably, Tokuda’s blog stresses additional tough monsters are on the way, following criticism of Wilds’ low difficulty at launch. May’s update, for instance – which previously appeared to be relatively small in scope – will bring tempered variants of Gore Magala, Rey Dau, Uth Duna, Nu Udra, and Jin Dahaad. Additionally, more “challenging monsters will also appear in future updates”.
“We will continue to add new elements and content to make Monster Hunter Wilds even more enjoyable for all hunters through our free content updates,” Tokuda concluded, “while at the same time making further improvements and adjustments to the game.”
