Monster Hunter Wilds' foes have higher health and flinch resistance than they did in World, "but this doesn't mean that hunts will be tedious"

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You'll just have to make sure you make good use of the new Focus Mode mechanic

A screenshot of three huge monsters facing a player in Monster Hunter Wilds.
(Image credit: Capcom)

There's little over a month to go now until the release of Monster Hunter Wilds, and it sounds like making use of certain new mechanics wisely will be key to dealing with the action RPG's beefed-up monsters. 

In Monster Hunter Wilds, hunters will be able to use Focus Mode to aim their attacks and guards, as well as unleash powerful Focus Strikes, which deal catastrophic damage to any wounds inflicted upon monsters (formed after they've been repeatedly attacked in the same spots). However, with this new inclusion, those looking for a challenge might be concerned that it'll be too easy to quickly burn through monsters' health bars, but it sounds like this won't be a problem. In an interview with IGN, director Yuya Tokuda confirms that – comparatively to World – monsters will have have more health. 

"It's not as if that was our intention from the start, but health did end up being a little bit higher than World once we thought about maintaining appropriate playtimes and player satisfaction, compared to past titles," the director explains, adding that "elements like flinch resistance are also higher, but this doesn't mean that hunts will be tedious."

It sounds like all these changes will ultimately balance out overall, as Tokuda  explains: "Part of the purpose of Focus Mode is to allow players to feel more accomplished through shorter loops. We tried to design it so that the time they spend hunting is even more concentrated than before."

Otherwise, Monster Hunter: World veterans will be pleased to know that the notorious decoration system has been reworked – instead of relying on RNG, you'll be able to craft the ones you want to complete your perfect build without being let down by stingy drops. 

Be sure to check out our Monster Hunter Wilds big preview hub to see more about the upcoming action RPG from our hands-on preview. 

Catherine Lewis
Catherine Lewis
Deputy News Editor

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.