Monster Hunter Wilds' nightmarish low-poly bug is back for its second beta, but don't be too surprised - Capcom said improvements wouldn't show until launch

A Monster Hunter Wilds NPC that's entirely polygonal.
(Image credit: Capcom / Reddit user JoeSmoke31)

Monster Hunter Wilds second open beta is well underway, but players are running into a familiar and sometimes hilariously quirky bug leftover from the first beta test.

During the first open beta for Capcom's big beast-slaying, fast fashion-crafting blockbuster, players struggled with all types of technical issues, from performance dips and stuttering to a graphics bug that would turn the game's usually handsome characters into nightmarish, polygonal blobs that'd even scare N64 NPCs. Funnily enough, some monsters were also affected and became giant, non-descript blobs.

Well, that pesky bug has reared its head once again. It shouldn't be too much of a surprise, though. Even at the time, Capcom admitted the beta build was outdated and said the in-development game was "already in a more improved state." Since then, the developers have only continued to hammer away at known issues, though the publisher had already confirmed that such improvements wouldn't be present in the second beta as the team were busy on Monster Hunter Wilds' final release, coming in just a few weeks.

Still, I'm not-so-secretly happy that the cursed bug is back because, like, just look at some of the screenshots below. How many big-budgets games look like that anymore!? It's glorious and ugly and the icing on the cake is how damn grumpy the Palicos look.

I wanted to share the silly graphical issue from r/MHWilds
My game looks good from r/MHWilds

It's not just humans and our feline friends who are being transformed into unsightly shapes. The bug is also laying claim to the titular monsters. The one below is some kind of ominous entity, and I really hope Capcom actually releases a post-launch enemy with a similar design as some sort of homage.

Polygon hunter: Wilds from r/MHWilds

If the wonky textures are really getting on your nerves, don't worry too much. Capcom's improvements will be in Monster Hunter Wilds' retail release, coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on February 28.

Check out the best Monster Hunter Wilds weapons and tier list for the beta.

Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.

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