Monster Hunter Wilds: Record-Breaking to Performance Pitfalls
Monster Hunter Wilds burst onto the gaming scene with the ferocity of a Rathalos in heat, smashing records and capturing the hearts of over 1.3 million concurrent players within its first 9 hours on Steam.
This monumental achievement catapulted it into the ranks of Steam’s top ten most-played games ever, surpassing heavyweights like Dota 2, Elden Ring, and Cyberpunk 2077.
But as the dust settled and the adrenaline waned, a less glamorous reality emerged.
Despite its explosive debut, Monster Hunter Wilds has been grappling with a slew of performance issues that have left many hunters more frustrated than a Kulu-Ya-Ku without its shiny rock.
The Hype Train Derails: Mixed Reviews and Performance Woes
While the game’s initial player count soared, its reception on Steam has been a rollercoaster of emotions. As of now, Monster Hunter Wilds holds a “Mixed” rating, with only 47% of players giving it a thumbs up.
The primary culprit?
Performance issues that make the game run about as smoothly as a Plesioth on land.
Image Source: Monster Hunter Wilds | Capcom
Players have reported a myriad of problems, from crashes and stuttering to abysmally low frame rates.
One disgruntled gamer lamented, “This game is absolutely amazing—but has the worst optimisation I’ve ever seen.”
Another shot out, “My air fryer is more optimized than this.”
The situation is particularly dire for Steam Deck enthusiasts.
Despite the Deck’s prowess, Monster Hunter Wilds seems to treat it like a B-tier console, with performance so poor that players might as well be hunting monsters on a potato.
DLSS 3/FSR 3: Frame Generation or Frame Degeneration?
In an attempt to enhance performance, Capcom enabled features like DLSS 3 and FSR 3 frame generation by default.
In theory, these technologies should boost frame rates and provide a smoother experience. In reality, it’s akin to slapping a turbocharger on a unicycle—it sounds cool, but it’s not practical.
Gamers with rigs that don’t resemble NASA’s mainframe have found that these features do more harm than good, leading to inconsistent performance and graphical glitches.
It’s a classic case of “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”
System Requirements: A Mirage of Playability
Capcom’s advertised system requirements painted a picture of accessibility, suggesting that a moderately powerful PC could handle the game’s demands. However, reality bites harder than a Deviljho.
Image Source: Monster Hunter Wilds | Capcom
Even players with setups meeting the recommended specs have reported subpar performance, with frame rates dipping into the dreaded slideshow territory.
As for those meeting only the minimum requirements?
They might as well be trying to play Monster Hunter Wilds on a toaster.
High-Resolution Texture Pack: Beauty and the Beastly Performance
For those seeking visual nirvana, Capcom offers a High-Resolution Texture Pack—a 75GB behemoth promising crisper visuals and more detailed environments.
However, this beauty comes at a beastly cost.
To run the texture pack without turning your PC into a jet engine requires a staggering 16GB of VRAM.
Even for high-end systems, enabling this pack can transform gameplay into a dumpster fire, with frame rates plummeting faster than a hunter carting after a misjudged Anjanath encounter.
What’s more disheartening is that the visual improvements are marginal at best.
Players have noted that the enhanced textures are hardly noticeable during the heat of the hunt, making the performance trade-off hardly worth the negligible gains.
Capcom's Response: Turning a Blind Eye?
In the face of mounting criticism, Capcom’s response has been as underwhelming as a Kelbi horn drop. The official Monster Hunter support account on X (formerly Twitter) offered the following advice:
“Hunters! If you’re experiencing any initial issues with Monster Hunter Wilds on Steam, please try updating your graphics driver, turning off compatibility mode, and then readjust your settings. Thank you all for your patience and support!”
Image Source: Monster Hunter Status | X.com
This generic troubleshooting guide has done little to quell the frustration of players who expected a more proactive approach. It’s the equivalent of telling someone with a broken leg to “buck up and walk it off.”
The Silver Lining: Hope on the Horizon?
Despite the rocky start, there’s a glimmer of hope for Monster Hunter Wilds. Capcom has a history of addressing post-launch issues, as evidenced by their work on titles like Dragon’s Dogma 2.
The game’s massive player base demonstrates a passionate community eager for a polished hunting experience.
The ball is now in Capcom’s court.
Will they rise to the occasion and deliver the optimizations and patches needed to make Monster Hunter Wilds the masterpiece it has the potential to be?
Only time will tell.
In the meantime, hunters are advised to exercise patience, tweak their settings, and perhaps invest in some high-quality thermal paste. The New World is vast and teeming with challenges, but with perseverance (and a few patches), it’s nothing the hunting community can’t overcome.
If you’re new to the Monster Hunter series, make sure to check out our guide on “Everything You Need to Know About Monster Hunter Wilds” before diving in!
Happy hunting, and may your frame rates be ever in your favor.
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