Monster Hunter Wilds gets its first time-limited Free Challenge Quest, and reactions from fans of the action RPG range from "too forgiving" to "frustratingly hard"

Monster Hunter Wilds trailer screenshot showing a young woman with long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail smiling slightly, pumping her left fist in the air — (Image credit: Capcom)

Capcom has just introduced Monster Hunter Wilds' first-ever Free Challenge quest, granting players the chance to score unique pendant rewards – if they can manage to slay Rey Dau in a certain amount of time.

The Free Challenge quest lets players take on the Arch-tempered lightning-charged behemoth while sporting their own gear, hence the "free" portion of the name. Fans can either take Rey Dau on solo alongside their trusty Palico, or they can opt to join fellow hunters online and support characters in a party of up to four. As for the pendant rewards, there are three – one for a sub-50-minute kill, another for under 20, and one for 13 minutes or less.

It's certainly not an easy kill to secure for many players, especially if aiming for that A Rank prize in under 13 minutes. Fans are already sharing their thoughts on the challenge, taking to a Reddit thread to report on its difficulty. "As an average player, I appreciate the 13 mins," writes one such user, going on to say they eventually scored a top-reward kill. "It was still frustratingly hard for me, but I was eventually able to pull through with 12 mins."

AT Rey Dau Free Challenge Time Ranks from r/MHWilds

Elsewhere in the comments, fans express their doubts about slaying Rey Dau in under 13 minutes. "My ass is not getting A Rank solo," admits one. "I'm an old man," jokes another. "I'm happy with my C rating." A player amusingly asks why they were "even worried" as 13 minutes is "VERY forgiving" – only to later edit their response to say that they "carted," or died," during their "first try" at the new Free Challenge quest.

Not all hunters are struggling to snag that coveted sub-13-minute kill, though. "I thought they would make it tighter lmao," boasts one fan. "This is too easy." Another agrees, thinking that Capcom should've made the required time even lower: "Too forgiving. A should be like sub 8 or 10." Regardless of its difficulty, however, the Free Challenge quest won't stick around forever. Players only have until May 20 to take Rey Dau down.

There's plenty more to come after that, as per the Monster Hunter Wilds roadmap, so there's not too much of a rush to clock that A Rank kill – I know I personally need all the time I can get.

After you finish playing one of the best Monster Hunter games to date, here are some of the other most exciting new games this year and beyond to keep an eye on.

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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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