Monster Hunter has always evolved with each iteration, refining systems and introducing new mechanics that keep the hunt fresh and exciting. Monster Hunter Wilds, however, takes this evolution to unprecedented heights with its revolutionary changes to the equipment system. These transformations don’t just tweak existing mechanics—they fundamentally reshape how hunters interact with their gear, making the experience more streamlined and player-friendly than ever before.

From wishlist improvements to genderless armor options, let’s dive into the innovative world of Monster Hunter Wilds’ equipment system and discover how these changes enhance the core hunting experience.

Streamlined Crafting Through Wishlist

Gone are the days of tedious menu navigation for crafting equipment. Monster Hunter Wilds introduces a game-changing quality-of-life improvement: the ability to forge equipment directly from your Wishlist. Previously, hunters could only use the Wishlist to track required materials, then had to locate the specific weapon or armor in separate forging menus to actually craft it.

Now, once you’ve added desired equipment to your Wishlist, you can craft it directly from the “Forge/Upgrade from Wishlist” menu as soon as you’ve gathered the necessary materials. This streamlined approach significantly reduces menu fatigue and keeps you focused on the hunt rather than navigating interfaces.

The system maintains flexibility by preserving multiple crafting paths. You can still forge and upgrade through the main Forge Menu or even directly from your Item Box. This versatility is particularly useful for quick equipment upgrades, giving hunters unprecedented options for managing their gear.

Weapon and Armor Skills: A Revolutionary Split

One of the most significant changes in Monster Hunter Wilds is the complete separation of Weapon Skills and Armor Skills. This bold redesign fundamentally changes how hunters build their characters and opens up new strategic possibilities. By dividing skills between weapons and armor in equipment, Monster Hunter Wilds aims to make character building more flexible. This separation especially complements the new Secondary Weapon system that pairs with your Seikret, allowing for more diverse and specialized builds.

The division means certain skills are now exclusively available on either weapons or armor. While offensive and weapon-specific skills like Attack Boost, Critical Eye, and Guard generally fall under Weapon Skills, more defensive and utility-focused abilities like Defense Boost, Recovery Up, and elemental resistances are typically Armor Skills.

Enhanced Decoration System

Monster Hunter Wilds revisits the decoration system from World but addresses one of its most frustrating aspects: the difficulty in obtaining specific decorations. While RNG still plays a role, the game provides more reliable paths to acquire the decorations you need.

Hunters can now access the Decorations Melder early in the game, as soon as they reach Suja, Peaks of Accord. This facility allows you to meld any Level 1 Decoration by sacrificing materials or unwanted decorations. For higher-level decorations, you can sacrifice unused decorations, though this process involves RNG.

Here’s our tip to farm decorations. By finding Field Survey Monsters that drop High Level Decoration Orbs—yellow Ancient Orbs for Weapon Decorations and teal Ancient Orbs for Armor Decorations—and converting these encounters into Investigations, you can efficiently farm for decorations. Even unsuccessful hunts provide materials that can be used at the Melding Pot, creating a rewarding loop.

Genderless Armor System

Monster Hunter Wilds embraces inclusivity with its new genderless armor system. Hunters can now craft either the traditionally male or female variants of any armor set, marked by Green Circle and Yellow Diamond symbols respectively, regardless of their character’s gender.

Unlike previous systems such as Alpha and Beta armor variants which differed in skills and decoration slots, the male and female variants in Wilds are identical in terms of stats and abilities—they differ purely in aesthetic design. This freedom allows hunters to prioritize their preferred visual style without compromising on functionality.

Immediate Access to Layered Armor

Fashion Hunting reaches new heights in Monster Hunter Wilds. Unlike in previous games where hunters often had to endure mismatched, aesthetically displeasing armor combinations in pursuit of optimal skills, Wilds automatically grants access to Layered Armor versions of each High Rank armor piece you craft.

This means you can immediately apply the appearance of any High Rank armor you’ve crafted as a cosmetic layer over your functional gear. The Layered Armor can be accessed and customized from your camp, ensuring that hunters never have to choose between looking good and having effective skills again.

Monster Hunter Wilds brings meaningful improvements to the equipment system while preserving the core hunting experience. The ability to craft directly from the Wishlist simplifies gear acquisition, while the separation of weapon and armor skills offers unprecedented build flexibility. The revamped decoration system balances RNG with player agency, and the genderless armor system with immediate access to Layered Armor ensures that fashion hunters never have to compromise on style.

These thoughtful changes demonstrate CAPCOM’s commitment to evolving the series in ways that respect player time and creativity. By streamlining tedious processes and expanding customization options, Monster Hunter Wilds equips hunters with everything they need for their next adventure.

Happy Hunting!

Monster Hunter Wilds

Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Capcom

Release Date TBC

PlayStation 5, Steam, Xbox Series X|S

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