Monster Hunter, for me, had always been about the hunt. Getting together in a group to track huge creatures before taking them down is an exhilarating draw, but with Wilds, I’ve started hunting something else: style.
Capcom is starting to understand this too. Long gone are the days of body type armor limits and Blademaster/Gunner-specific armor sets. With layered armor being much more player-friendly this time around, your signature look will be more refined than ever.
Before you start your Fashion Hunter journey, you need to create your character. This might not matter to the players who want to be fully covered in the amazing armor sets the game offers, but for some, this is an art form; a finely tuned craft to create the perfect fictional fighter. Wilds is amazing for this, letting players remove their helmet to see the character they spent 5 hours on; not that I’m speaking from experience.
If this is important to you, take your time before rushing to play the game. Unless you’re willing to restart your file or spend real money on character edit vouchers, there’s not much you can do if you don’t like how your character looks later. Like with Monster Hunter: World, Wilds has mods on PC for infinite character edits, but I can’t promise you won’t get banned if you use them.
As with any character creator, there’s typically two main options:
There’s the original character: someone you made specifically for your first play through. This can be a character made to fit in with the rest of the game’s cast, as if they are already a part of the world, or an absolute abomination.
The other way is to recreate another person. Some people like playing as themselves, a celebrity, or a fictional character. You already know Homer Simpson’s out there right now fighting Congalala.
Both approaches to character creation are valid and factor into your chosen threads when filling your hunter’s wardrobe.
For me, with every past Monster Hunter game, I’d always end up with the same bargain bin anime protagonist of a character that I honestly couldn’t wait to cover up and hide with any amour I could find. This time though, using the whole time of the beta to fine-tune my character, I knew I landed on the perfect idea.
I would have to play as Dr. Eggman.
You don’t need to tell me, I know this is the pinnacle of gaming right here, but to find the perfect armor for your needs, you usually have to work for it. Those goggles didn’t come for free, you know.
You have to make a decision: stats or style? Of course, you’re going to have to keep getting new amour anyway unless you’re happy to get two-shot by Xu Wu; but in the early stages, there’s still a little bit of leeway in how often you really need to upgrade.
Even if you care about stats, you don’t have to fully sacrifice style, either. The limitations put on for who gets what amour sets are gone now, giving you a little more choice each time you craft; without your stats taking a hit.
Some of the full sets look incredible on their own. Though they might not be as personalized as you would like, the set bonuses that many of them offer are usually great. It might sound counterproductive to ask style savvy players to give stats top priority, but it can work out better for you. You might look like a crime against fashion right now, but the better equipped you are to take on monsters now, the sooner you get to use layered amour.
The real game – both in terms of game play and style – starts at high rank, where any amour can be used as layered armor, giving you the best of both worlds for vanity and vigor. Use this as your incentive to take on the White Wraith and open access to the rest of the game.
I think there’s something extrinsically rewarding about fashion in games. Sure, a stat boost and element resistance are always nice, but actually seeing your character’s look change before your eyes is so satisfying. This has always been especially true in Monster Hunter whether you care about aesthetics or not. Taking on an appearance inspired by the monster you just beat is really cool, physically showing you how much you have progressed.
How you look can inform how you play. If I stuck with my generic look from the past games, I’d probably still be using Dual Blades and Long Swords. Now that I’m playing as the greatest scientific genius in the world, I’m more considerate of how he would fit into this series. In true Eggman fashion, I’ve started capturing monsters rather than killing them, and while I might not have his high-tech gear in this low-tech world, trying out weapons like the Heavy Bowgun and my beloved Hunting Horn fits his inventive vibe.
This goes for any type of stylish player, too. Accessorizing using the weapon you wield can be part of the fun, and finding the right fit takes work. Learning a different weapon type takes some time, and getting all the necessary materials for one that matches the color of your look is a lot of effort. But for a true fashion hunter, this is what it’s all about.
In games like this, giving players new apparel is an important part of the experience. Even for players who don’t care about the minutiae of how their character looks, they still likely love seeing their character evolve over time. This is part of the incentive to grinding, fighting the same monsters over and over. It’s just that, for the fashion-focused players, this incentive is so much stronger. It actively encourages players to go out of their way for rare drops or facing some of the most difficult monsters again just to perfect their look.
Whether you too want to join the Eggman Empire or you’re just here to slay some monsters, you might as well look good doing it.