Summary
Monster Hunterhasn’t always had a consistent difficulty level across the series. There are more than 25Monster Huntergames, counting all the re-releases and spin-off entries, so it would be difficult for that not to be the case. Most of the games tend to load their biggest challenges into the late game High Rank hunts, with many becoming more challenging when the games are fleshed out with DLC or re-release content.
Not everyMonster Huntergame is difficult to simply complete.Story campaign bossesoften aren’t the games' hardest, or final, monster. But 100% completing the games is a different proposition. SomeMonster Huntertitles have particularly brutal endgames, a long grind to get the best gear sets, or one stand-out monster that brings up the whole challenge level. These are the hardestMonster Huntergames to 100% complete.
Monster Huntergames are often made more difficult over time with expanded editions.Monster Hunter 3(orMonster Hunter Tri) was no exception, withMonster Hunter 3 Ultimateexpanding the game in several ways. This included the addition of new gameplay elements like underwater fighting, but these new additions didn’t all feel consistently balanced.
Many players felt that the difficulty of certain hunts, especially the underwater ones, far eclipsed the difficulty of other comparable hunts at the same rank. This makesMonster Hunter 3 Ultimateone of the more difficult games to 100% complete, but not necessarily for the right reasons. Fortunately, the game also has some truly memorable encounters, like Brachydios and Alatreon.
As the first game in the franchise,Monster Hunterhad no existing frame of reference for what would be a fun challenge and what players would find too tough or too tedious. It hits the mark more often than it misses, but there are some aspects that make this a difficult game for newcomers. Anyone coming from amore modernMonster Huntergame may be caught off guard by how much monster knowledge matters in both the first and second games.
It will often take multiple attempts at learning a monster’s attack patterns before players can survive the tougher fights in the originalMonster Hunter.Some menu delving to learn a monster’s specific weaknesses is also expected. It’s arguable whether the original or the re-release,Monster Hunter G,is harder to 100%. The added Fatalis fight is incredibly tough, but the rereleased game has some additional quality of life improvements, too.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak,the expanded version ofRise, feels like a much more complete game than the original release. The addition of the Master Rank hunts not only provided an end game that had been mostly lacking, but it also introduced some tough challenges. The new final boss, Gaismagorm, is a memorable hunt, but players can test their hunter skills even further after they’re defeated.
Anomolies are unlocked after beating Gaismagorm, only available to top-rank hunters, which are much harder variants of existing monsters. Some of these fights are tough even by veteranMonster Hunterplayer standards, with Risen Shagaru Magala and Primordial Malzeno offering some of the hardest fights in the series. These tougher challenges will definitely test any player going for 100% completion.
Monster Hunter Worldhad its challenging fights even in the base game. The expansionIcebornebrought some even tougher endgame monsters with it. Many players will remember Alatreon and Fatalis inIceborne, as these are two tough encounters and their most epic representations so far in theMHseries.
Some players will argue that the addition of the clutch claw mechanic made the game easier overall, especially when applied to some of the base game monsters. Yet, with the additional Master Rank bosses andtempered monsters, the challenge certainly ramps up towards the end for players who want to get to 100% completion.
4Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
Hyper Monsters & Deviants
The fights found at the highest hunter ranks ofMonster Hunter Generations Ultimateare some unforgiving tests. With Extreme Deviants, Hyper monsters, and more to deal with,MHGUhas some of the most amped-up variant fights in the series. Boltreaver Astalos and Bloodbath Diablos stand out as two of the toughest EX Deviant fights.
It’s not just these variants that can be a pain, though; there are also fights like the Hyper monster duo of SilverRathalosand Gold Rathian. Then there are the Elder Event monsters, with Crimson Fatalis in particular being a tough fight that can easily cart unprepared hunters with single attacks. Getting through all of these top-rank fights is a test for anyMonster Hunterplayer.
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, which was essentially the final updated release ofMonster Hunter 2, remains one of the most challenging games in the series to 100%. For more modern players, weapons will feel mechanically limited, and the game demands knowledge of the monsters' movesets and weaknesses to master them.
There are a lot of monsters inMH: Freedom Unite,which makes fighting through the full roster a challenge in itself. The game also imposes some pretty strict time limits on some later hunts, something that has been massively relaxed inmore recentMonster Huntergames.MHFUfeatures some late-game monsters with deadly attacks that must be learned to survive, like Fatalis and Bloodbath Diablos. 100% completion is a long and grueling task.
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate’s highest level of challenge is its G-Rank hunts. These encounters include some of themost challenging hunts in anyMonster Huntergame. The Apex variants inMH4Uare incredibly tough variants of some already tough monsters like Rajang and Zinogre. Some G-Rank hunts will have players hunting multiple high-level monsters at the same time, and can be incredibly difficult for all but the most experienced players.
Some fights inMH4Utake the challenge level to borderline frustrating. Soloing the G-Rank content is inadvisable at best, and any player looking to go back and 100% the game should take an experienced co-op friend along for the ride if they want to enjoy the experience.
1Monster Hunter Frontier Z
A Long Grind & Vicious Endgame
Monster Hunter Frontier Zwas aMonster Huntergame in the form of an MMO, and as a result, it had one of the longest and most challenging endgames in the series. There are a few reasons for that: the levels of material grinding required inFrontierare more demanding than inthe mainline games. The game is an MMO, so a lot of the content is designed for groups, with many of the tougher fights being raid-style experiences.
The overall design and pitch of the difficulty is slightly different from the averageMonster Huntergame, as there are stat walls that players won’t be able to pass with skill alone. This forces a lot more of the slower-paced grinding, and means that getting 100% of the way throughFrontieris a time-consuming task. Raid boss-style player annihilating mechanics are common, and players will need to get with a guild to fully complete the game. There’s also the difficulty of playing the game, as the official release is no longer supported, and modern players will have to find private servers to access it.
