Monster Hunter Wilds — Update Summary (Ver.1.040) release notes

You must install the latest version of Monster Hunter Wilds in order to play online multiplayer and access downloadable content.

Release Date

Tuesday December 16, 2025 4:00 a.m. UTC (Monday December 15, 2025 8:00 p.m. PT)

Note: Release date and time are subject to change without prior notice.

Required Space

Approx. 12.0 GB (With High Resolution Texture Pack: Approx. 9.0 GB total)

Note: Make sure to have enough additional storage to allow for slight differences in final size.

Video Driver Version

Please update to the following driver versions to ensure the most stable experience possible.

– NVIDIA GeForce: 581.57 or newer – AMD Radeon: 25.9.1 or newer

Note: Some issues have been identified with AMD Radeon drivers versions 25.10.2 and higher. Note: This information is subject to change at any time due to factors such as NVIDIA and AMD support availability.

Major Additions and Changes

Monsters

Arch-tempered Jin Dahaad has been added. (It will be made available in a future Event Quest.)
Gogmazios has been added. Reach HR 100+ to unlock an extra mission that unlocks Gogmazios.
Additional 9★ tempered monsters (Doshaguma etc.) will be added as event quests.
Tempered (9★) Rathalos will now roam the Scarlet Forest, Oilwell Basin, and Wounded Hollow at Hunter Rank 100 or above.
For quests with two or more targets, the minimum quest time has been raised, resulting in longer quest durations overall. For existing saved Investigations, if the quest time falls below the new minimum time, it will be adjusted accordingly.

Player

Added new Support Hunters—Griffin (Great Sword), Nightmist (Light Bowgun), and Nadia—which will become available to join quests after completing the main mission "A Hunter's Pride." Nadia will only be available during a limited-time seasonal event, excluding certain quests.

Story Progression

The extra mission "An Ancient Resting Place" has been added. (This mission becomes available after having completed the main mission "A First Cry" and reaching HR 100.)
The extra mission "Ghosts Pay No Heed to Tomorrow" has been added. (This mission becomes available after having completed the extra mission "An Ancient Resting Place.")

Bases and Facilities

A new Festival of Accord event will be held from December 19, 2025 to January 14, 2026.
The following features will be temporarily modified during the Festival of Accord: the Handler's Outfit; Seikret decoration; the Diva's song list; the Grand Hub decorations; the Canteen's menu; Barrel Bowling; and Barrel Bowling Bombs.
In the Grand Hub, The Diva's song list has been updated.
Added new pin setups to Barrel Bowling.
Added options to upgrade to and reinforce Gogma Artian Weapons at the Smithy.
Added an option to perform Transcendent armor upgrades at the Smithy.
In the Reinforce Artian Weapons menu at the Smithy, the default sorting order in the weapon selection list has been updated, and new sorting criteria have been added while existing ones have been adjusted.
In the Dismantle Artian Weapons menu at the Smithy, new sorting criteria have been added for the weapon selection list while existing ones have been adjusted.
When smelting Armor Spheres and ore at the Smelting Foundry, the Smelting Points obtained from certain monster materials has been increased.
Added new sorting options for the following categories at the Quest Counter: Investigations: Most Attempts Left / Least Attempts Left Lobby Member Quests: No Passcode / Newly Started Quests / Open Member Slots
Adjusted the ordering of completed side missions within the Recommended sort option for Optional Quests at the Quest Counter. "
Adjusted the ordering of quests displayed under SOS Flare Quests, Lobby Member Quests, and Link Member Quests at the Quest Counter so that quests set to Auto-accept appear before those set to Manual Accept, making Auto-accept quests easier to identify."
Added a Quest Last Played quick access option to the Quest Counter menu.
Removed the Settings category from the Quest Counter menu. Settings can now be accessed directly via a shortcut button which varies by platform.
When beginning a Field Survey or saving as an Investigation from the map, a Begin Survey prompt has been added to the summary and the corresponding tooltip icons have been adjusted.
Added a feature that sends an important message notification at the start of a quest to remind players to use a Lucky Voucher. (This notification can be toggled on or off in the Quest Counter Settings.)
Added an option to reset settings to their default in the Training Area.
When opening the Customize Radial Menu screen from the Start Menu, the game will now automatically detect the input device in use and display the appropriate controller or keyboard-specific screen.
Adjusted the display of monster icons, bonus rewards, and quest difficulty to improve visibility for the following Environment Overview events: – Monsters troubling settlements – Multiple target quests – Pack quests

System

CPU/GPU optimization will be implemented across all hardware by: – Applying frame distribution, reviewing collision detection, and reducing the number of simultaneous effects to optimize processing time. – Reducing the overall load by eliminating unnecessary processing. – Implementing over 100 performance improvements for players, monsters, Seikret, Palicoes, NPCs, GUI, effects, gimmicks, and more.
When a communication error message is displayed, player movement and camera control will now remain available. Note: Depending on your settings in Open Menu Controls, player movement may still be disabled.
The Hunter Friends list will now display in order of most recent login time.
SOS Flare Quests will now include Arch-tempered monsters as targets. Note: These are treated as separate targets compared to regular monsters.
The following Event Quests can now be accepted even during offline mode: – A Silent Flash (Arch-tempered Rey Dau) – These Roots Run Deep (Arch-tempered Uth Duna) – Be Cursed, Ye Shadowy Flame (Arch-tempered Nu Udra) – Planetes Protocol (Savage)
2 Dragon Ammo can now be obtained during one round of crafting.

Miscellaneous

Made adjustments so that the player can no longer be pushed by the handler while in Photo Mode.

Bug Fixes and Balance Adjustments

Bases and Facilities

Sorting armor by skill now also highlights the individual armor pieces that have the skill.
The "Equipment Skills" sort criterion in the Equipment Box now only displays available skills possessed by equipment you own.
Equipment appearance loadouts now include an option for registering the currently applied hair design data.
Layered armor in the Equipment Appearance menu can now be filtered by α and β types.

Monsters

Fixed an issue where, if the player moves locales after the Jin Dahaad notification appears (indicating that Jin Dahaad is moving from the Iceshard Cliffs to Rimechain Peak) but before Jin Dahaad completes its move, the Jin Dahaad quest will fail to spawn.
Fixed an issue with the High Purrformance Barrel Puncher where Focus Strikes were not contributing correctly to the combo count.
Fixed an issue where Uth Duna's veil destruction animation could be canceled by another action, causing the veil to remain intact.
Fixed an issue where canceling Arkveld's Unleashed state (in which its chainblades sweep out in a wider area) during certain actions would fail and instead restore the damage required to cancel the state.

Player

General

Increased the max elemental values possible for the player's status.
Reduced the size of the reaction when performing a Perfect Guard against an attack that would cause a small knockback when guarding.
You can now chain from a Perfect Guard reaction more quickly into certain actions after performing a Perfect Guard against a powerful attack when using the sword & shield, great sword, lance, gunlance, charge blade, or heavy bowgun.
Fixed an issue where the Hook Slinger's range would be reduced when the capture net is equipped.
Fixed an issue where there was not enough guide info displaying when the player receives a restraining attack from a large monster.
Fixed an issue where the player would move much more quickly than intended during certain actions.
Fixed an issue where using The Blackest Night behind a Giant Ice Chunk during Jin Dahaad's powerful attack could cause the player to still take damage from the attack.
Fixed an issue where you could take damage from the Palico's Water Gun reaction when carrying a Barrel Bowling Bomb.
Fixed an issue where certain inputs during the Pumpkin Head gesture could prevent you from being able to dash.
Fixed an issue where the Water Gun gesture could not be performed when equipped with Omega's Sword or Omega's Rod.
Fixed an issue that would cause the player to thank Support Hunters at unintended times in response to their support actions.
Fixed an issue that prevented the Fender collaboration gesture from appearing correctly to other players during online play.
Fixed an issue where the player's longsword would not sit correctly in its sheath when performing the pose Battle-Ready Pose (Extra).
Fixed an issue where canceling the Pumpkin Head gesture under certain conditions would temporarily cause the player's hair to disappear.

Great Sword

Raw damage and elemental scaling for Charged Slash, Strong Charged Slash, and True Charged Slash have been increased.
Fixed an issue preventing the player from guarding again for a while depending on whether any directional inputs occurred after a Perfect Guard.

Long Sword

Special Sheathes will now take longer to be automatically deactivated if the player is waiting during a Special Sheathe.
Spirit Release Slash will no longer hit captured monsters.
Fixed an issue preventing the player from unsheathing their weapon for a while if there is no directional input after a Spirit Release Slash.

Sword & Shield

Adjusted the hitbox of Perfect Rush to make it easier for some inputs to land.
Forward Slash raw damage has been increased.
Forward Slash now combos into Lateral Slash more smoothly than before.
Perfect Guard now transitions into a regular Guard slightly more quickly.
Perfect Guard now combos into a Lateral Slash slightly more quickly.
Fixed an issue where the Sidestep Slash behavior during Focus Mode differed depending on the control type settings.
Fixed an issue that prevents you from performing basic actions after drawing your weapon from a stationary position.

Dual Blades

The amount of weapon sharpness consumed while performing Focus Strike: Turning Tide or Turning Tidedrill has been reduced.
Made adjustments to keep Demon Boost Mode active even after sheathing your weapon.
You can now exit Demon Mode mid-movement after performing a Demon Dodge in Demon Boost Mode.
Fixed an issue where the Focus Strike: Turning Tide action was canceled after deflecting off certain monster parts.
Fixed an issue with Type 2 Directional Controls that prevented you from moving in the intended direction after dodging in Demon Mode.

Hammer

During a Follow-up Spinslam, you can now use movement inputs to extend your movement distance during the attack.
Fixed an issue where portions of Focus Blow: Earthquake were dealing fixed raw damage.
Fixed an issue with Type 2 Directional Controls where moving in certain directions after an Overhead Smash would cancel the movement.

Hunting Horn

Performance Beat raw damage has been increased slightly.
Fixed a bug where the performance effects and attack timings were misaligned with player actions during certain performances.

Lance

High Thrust III and Mid-Thrust I, II, and III raw damage has been increased.
Grand Retribution Thrust and Double Counter-thrust raw damage has been increased.
Triple Thrust raw damage and elemental scaling have been increased.
Perfect Guard now chains into other actions more quickly.
The damage reduction rate for large guard reactions during a guard or Perfect Guard has been increased. Note: The Guard Up damage reduction rate will apply for attacks that become blockable due to the skill effect.
Fixed an issue with Type 2 Directional Controls where Leaping Thrust could not be performed in the intended direction from a stationary position.

Gunlance

The Wyrmstake Cannon was adjusted to make it easier to hit monsters.
Wyrmstake Cannon attacks in Focus Mode have been adjusted to make it easier to fire in the direction of the reticle.
The damage reduction rate for large guard reactions during a guard or Perfect Guard has been increased. Note: The Guard Up damage reduction rate will apply for attacks that become blockable due to the skill effect.
Fixed an issue where Wyrmstake Shots would disappear if a Wyrmstake Cannon attack hit another player.

Switch Axe

Sword: Counter Rising Slash can now be chained into a sidestep.
Sword: Counter Rising Slash has increased invulnerability to knockback, and can be quickly chained into an evade.
You can now evade while charging Unbridled Slash and Full Release Slash.
You can now quickly chain into an evade when landing after performing a Zero Sum Discharge Finisher.
Focus Assault: Morph Combination was adjusted to make it easier to hit wounds and weak points.
Focus Assault: Morph Combination raw damage has been increased.
Raw damage has been increased for Sword: Overhead Slash, Sword: Right Rising Slash, Sword: Left Rising Slash, and Sword: Heavenward Flurry.
Unbridled Slash raw damage has been increased.
Element scaling for multi-hit attacks and raw damage has been increased for Element Discharge and Zero Sum Discharge.
Axe: Spiral Burst Slash raw damage has been increased.
Raw damage has been increased for Sword: Downward Fade Slash, Sword: Morph Double Slash, and Axe: Morph Rising Double Slash.
Sword: Morph Slash raw damage has been increased when chaining from an evade in Sword Mode.
Fixed an issue where the values on the status screen for Dragon Phial, Poison Phial, Paralysis Phial, and Exhaust Phial would show a higher number than the maximum possible value. *This does not change the actual functionality, just the numbers that are displayed.

Charge Blade

Hit stops that occur during multi-hit attacks in Power Axe Mode have been reduced. Note: "Hit stops" are visual effects where your movement temporarily freezes or slows down when an attack connects with a monster.
During Axe: Morph Slash, the window for utilizing guard points or executing a Perfect Guard has been extended, and the actions will now trigger sooner.
Savage Axe Slash raw damage has been increased.
Axe: Element Discharge and other attacks now chain into moves like Axe: Morph Slash more quickly.
The first hit of Axe: Element Discharge II now chains into Axe: Morph Slash.
Focus Slash: Double Rend can now chain into Axe: Morph Slash.
Focus Slash: Double Rend can now chain into other actions more quickly.
Fixed an issue where Axe: Element Discharge II couldn't chain into Axe: Amped Element Discharge when certain inputs were used.
Fixed an issue when initiating a guard where there was a delay before turning in the intended direction.
Fixed an issue where the button guide display differed from the actual inputs during certain Sword: Morph Slash combos.

Insect Glaive

You can now chain into a Descending Slash using short button inputs. The Charge Level will increase depending on the preceding attacks. Note: With the right timing, you can use △+○ (PS5) / Y+B (Xbox) / Default Left + Right Click (PC) to chain into a Descending Slash.
Sidestep Slash and Sidestep Slash Combo raw damage has been increased, and attack speed after harvesting all three extracts has been raised.
The player will no longer be knocked back after initiating a Rising Spiral Slash.
Jumping Slash/Strong Jumping Slash can now chain into a Descending Slash/Strong Descending Slash.
Fixed an issue where certain charged attacks would not chain into a Descending Slash during Focus Mode, even after releasing the charge.
Fixed an issue where the Kinsect behaved abnormally while performing a Focus Strike: Leaping Thrust on certain monsters, such as Nu Udra.
Fixed an issue where the Kinsect stopped moving after encountering ledges in certain terrain.

Light Bowgun

Focus Blast: Eagle Strike Rapid Fire Gauge recovery amount has been greatly increased.
Chaser Shot responsiveness has been improved, and it is now easier to chain into evades or other shots after firing.
Rapid Chaser Shot responsiveness has been improved, and it is now easier to chain into evades or other shots after firing.
Burst Step now chains more easily into Rapid Chaser Shot.
Adhesive Ammo explosions now restore the Rapid Fire Gauge.
Wyvernblast raw damage has been increased, and the cooldown time has been greatly reduced.
It is now easier to chain into basic actions after setting up a Wyvernblast.
Normal Ammo raw damage has been increased.
Normal Ammo Chaser Shot raw damage has been increased.
Normal Ammo Rapid Chaser Shot firing rate has been increased.
The raw damage of the final shot of Normal Ammo Rapid Chaser Shot has been increased.
The number of shots from Pierce Ammo Rapid Chaser Shot has been increased.
Spread Ammo Rapid Chaser Shot firing rate has been increased.
The raw damage and elemental values of elemental ammo Rapid Chaser Shot (excluding Dragon Ammo) has been increased.
Elemental ammo Rapid Chaser Shot (excluding Dragon Ammo) firing rate has been increased.
Dragon Ammo Rapid Chaser Shot firing rate has been increased.
Dragon Ammo has shorter time between hits and is more likely to hit monsters.
Dragon Ammo max effective range has been increased.
Rapid Chaser Shot firing rate has been increased when using Poison Ammo, Paralysis Ammo, and Sleep Ammo.
Reduced the amount of Rapid Fire Gauge consumed by ammo that can be used for rapid fire.
Fixed an issue where moving diagonally while aiming could cause you to move much slower than intended.

Heavy Bowgun

Wyverncounter Ignition now restores Ignition Gauge upon a successful offset.
The player is no longer knocked back when firing Wyverncounter Ignition.
The responsiveness of Wyverncounter Ignition between loading and firing the attack has been improved.
Wyverncounter Ignition now chains more easily into other actions after firing.
You can now chain into guarding or sidestepping when readying Wyvernblast Ignition or Focus Blast: Wyvern Howl. The evade performed when readying or after firing these moves has also been changed to a sidestep.
Reduced the amount of Ignition Gauge that Wyvernblast Ignition consumes.
Wyvernblast Ignition raw damage and Fire damage has been increased.
Wyvernblast Ignition now chains more quickly into guards, evades, and other actions after firing.
Wyvernpiercer Ignition raw damage and max number of hits has been increased.
Wyvernheart Ignition raw damage has been increased.
Focus Bl