Summary
How many RPGs have no HP meters? Some make them hidden, forcing players to research HP via spells or accessories.Final Fantasy 7, for example, has the Sense Materia spell, which can highlight an enemy’s HP and weaknesses.Monster Hunter Wildshas a guidebook for players to consult to see the weaknesses and strengths of monsters, but no HP is ever recorded. It has been like this since the series debuted in 2004, which is truly odd for an RPG series as big asMonster Hunter.
There are other ways to see if a monster is about to die, such as if it starts limping or if it has scars sustained fromWounds inMonster Hunter Wilds. There are a variety of ways to deal damage to monsters to get them to go down faster besides just using weapons, and one of these methods is usingtraps. Some traps can be crafted while others appear in the environment. Let’s go through all the ways players can trap monsters—in the literal and more obscure sense of the word—inMonster Hunter Wilds.
4Animals And Bugs
From Flashflies To Sleeptoads
Players will quickly realize that they can turn almost anything into a trap if they are observant enough. For example,Flashflieswill be hard to miss as they are large clusters of floating glowing orbs located sporadically in eachbiome ofMonster Hunter Wilds. If players trigger them by using their grappling hook, shooting at them, or going up to them, then they will emit a flash of bright light. If there is a monster in the vicinity, it will be slightly dazed. Always be sure to check the map, which will highlight the locations of these critters.
Palicos have aSupport Ability inMonster Hunter Wildsthat can summon Flashflies to their location if players need another way to trap and stun monsters in their wake. Besides these tricky little bugs, players will find a variety of toads that they can interact with. Like the Flashflies, players can activate the abilities of these toads by using their grappling hooks, shooting at them, or going up to them manually. One example is theParatoad, which will release a gas that can paralyze monsters, similar to a stun, but more effective. Similarly, aSleeptoadwill lull monsters to sleep. Players can use these bugs and amphibians to hit monsters without resistance, lay down some traps of their own, or simply run away if need be.
3Essential Items
Lure Monsters In
The best traps inMonster Hunter Wildsmust be crafted, but before getting to those essential items, let’s get to some other trap-like items that can be crafted. There are a variety of meats players can tamper with after harvesting some flesh from smaller monsters in the game. For example,Tinged Meatwill paralyze a monster if it eats it.Drugged Meatwill put monsters to sleep, andPoisoned Meatwill naturally poison a monster, making it take damage over time. After making these tainted morsels, all players have to do is put them down and wait for unsuspecting monsters to chow down.
Of those three, Poisoned Meat is the best one to craft to gain an advantage in battle. Besides food-based traps, players can also turn a bunch of barrels into bombs, the best of which is called theMega Barrel Bomb. Players can place it on the ground, run away, and then trigger it with an arrow or stone to cause a massive explosion. All four of these items are easy to craft, so it wouldn’t hurt to bring some along on a hunt, just in case.
2Grappling Hook
Causing Damage Or Trapping From Above
TheGrappling Hookcan trigger more than a bunch of toads. If players pay attention to the environment, they should see grapple points on natural traps that they can set off. For example, there are several trees in the open area of the Windward Plains. There is brush hanging in trees, and if players trigger it with their Grappling Hook, this will cause a bramble trap to spring up. Players should learn about this during their first encounter withQuematrice inMonster Hunter Wilds. Trees in the Ruins of Wyveria also have bramble patches, so be sure to look up from time to time. Besides bramble patches, there are also environmental traps that can deal huge amounts of damage to monsters.
A well-timed trap from above can help a mission go quicker. For example, there are areas in the Scarlet Forest with Entangled Rocks. Triggering this trap will cause an avalanche of rocks to tumble onto a monster, which will pin them to the ground on top of causing a massive amount of damage. In the Iceshard Cliffs, players can find Floating Rubble, which will do the same thing. The coolest environmental trap has to be in the Oilwell Basin, though. There is an old forge outside of the village aptly called The Ancient Forge. In the initial fight with Nu Udra, players can trigger it to essentially punch this monster into bits, which is both spectacular and incredibly satisfying.
1Pitfall/Shock Traps
Capturing Monsters Leads To Better Rewards
There are only two traps in the game that players can craft tocapture monsters inMonster Hunter Wilds. They are thePitfall Trapand theShock Trap. One is not necessarily better than the other, and players should bring both along on any hunt. This is because catching monsters isn’t as simple as laying down a trap, waiting for them to walk into the ambush, and then being done with it.
First, players have to weaken their target monster, and when it starts limping along, players may want to try and lay down a Pitfall Trap or a Shock Trap. Once the monster steps in it, it might automatically be caught, but the chances of that are slim. That’s why players should then drop some Tranquil Bombs to lull it to sleep. If the monster breaks free, players can try their other trap after doing some more damage. It’s a similar gameplay loop to thePokemonseries when it comes to catching Pokemon with Pokeballs, only in this case, the Pokemon are massive, mean, and won’t wait for their turn to attack.
