Monster Hunter Wildsoffers an excellent amount of monster variety compared to past entries, with even more exciting monsters confirmed to be on the way. Even thoughWildsoffered a lower number of monsters at launch compared to bothMonster Hunter RiseandWorld, the amount of variety and creativity of its monsters helpsWildsstand apart from its predecessors. With the next title update monster having already been teased, it’s the perfect chance for Capcom to follow up its release with yet another teaser of a similarly iconic flagship.
Capcom has been trying toreintroduce the fan-favorite Lagiacrusback to theMonster Hunterfranchise for years, withWildsbeing the perfect stage to showcase the Leviathan’s true power. While there’s been plenty of anticipation over whether Lagiacrus would show up again,the ambitious designs of Xu Wu and Nu Udra showed that the technology was finally possible in the fifth generation. Given the new variety thatWilds' monster types offer, the absence of powerful Elder Dragons is felt even more strongly, with one flagship that’s just waiting to get ported over to the newfound forbidden lands.
Nergigante Would Be A Perfect Fit For Monster Hunter Wilds
Bringing Back The Fifth Generation’s Most Iconic Flagship
Nergigante is by far one of the most iconic flagships in theMonster Hunterfranchise, benefitting greatly from the smashing success ofMonster Hunter World. Much like how Lagiacrus first introduced many Western players to the franchise in the first place withMonster Hunter 3,World’s Nergigante was a fantastic way to introduce just how aggressive and deadly the series' monsters could get. Despite being one of the newest flagship monsters to grace the series, Nergigante was even rated the 2ndmost popular monsteraccording to the official 20th-anniversary poll atMonsterHunter.com.
Nergigante’s regenerative abilities could easily play off ofWilds' wound mechanics.
Even with the Elder Dragon’s history aside,Nergigante offers an incredibly unique fight that would provide some significant post-game challenges toMonster Hunter Wildspost-game. Covered by spikes from head to tail, Nergigante will grow deadlier scales during a fight that hunters need to destroy to prevent additional damage, being able to launch hardened spikes at enemies or even dive-bombing them from the air for a quick kill.Similar to Zoh Shia, Nergigante’s regenerative abilities could easily play off ofWilds' wound mechanics, requiring hunters to act fast if they want to take advantage of the limited opportunity.
Monsters Like Nergigante Are Incredibly Adaptable To New Environments
Nergigante Has A Better Chance To Return Than You Might Think
Despite Nergigante’s massive popularity in the community, there was one major aspect of its ecology that caused concern about whether it could even exist inMonster Hunter Wilds' new environments.Nergigante’s entire purpose within the ecological world ofMonster Hunteris to keep Elder Dragons in check, feeding off their power to gain even more energy and ferocity in combat. DespiteMonster Hunter Wilds' complete lack of Elder Dragons outside of Gore Magala’s newly defined Demi-Elder status, the Ruins of Wyveria offer more than enough to attractMonster HunterWorld’s extinction dragon, as it doesn’t feed solely off other Elders.
There’s One Massive Monster That Would Fit Perfectly Into Monster Hunter Wilds’ New Biome
The Monster Hunter franchise is filled with excellent Monsters to bring back, but one fan favorite has a promising future with this new biome.
Even without Elder Dragons,the massive quantities of Wylk seen spread throughout each ofMonster Hunter Wilds' are the perfect bait to attract monsters like Nergigante, while allowing for empowered versions of existing monsters to make their way over toWilds. It’s easy to picture Nergigante going wild hunting down guardian monsters to absorb their abundance of dragon energy or even targeting each region’s apex monsters as an invader. Despite not having explicit Elder Dragons making upMonster Hunter Wilds' post-game content, the forbidden lands still have plenty of their own formidable monsters to face in their absence
Monster Hunter Wilds' Apex Monsters Take Over The Role Of Elder Dragons
Giving New Monsters The Perfect Time To Shine
Without Elder Dragons making up the bulk ofMonster Hunter Wilds' late-game grind, apex monsters are a unique way to fill the niche they left behind. While apex monsters might not have the same immense power over their environments as Elder Dragons, each one is distinctly themed by their locale, offering a unique hunting experience that rivals the spectacle you would expect from an Elder Dragon. Thanks to the changes inWilds,even regularmonsters like Mizutsuneare comparable in difficulty to Elder Dragons, being given new forms and moves to match their empowered status.
Offering a unique hunting experience that rivals the spectacle you would expect from an Elder Dragon.
Given how predominantly Elder Dragons were featured in games likeMonster Hunter World, it makes sense that Capcom would want to tone down their appearances in later entries. Rather than filling the roster with Elder Dragons that quickly become easy fodder for experienced players,Elder Dragons are finally able to achieve the fearful status they were meant to have when reserved for late-game content. Even if these monsters will all be turned into a shiny new pair of pants at some point, the decision was a nice change of pace that allowed fornewer monsters to shinein the meantime.
It’s Only A Matter Of Time For Elder Dragons To Return
Gearing Up For Monster Hunter’s Deadliest End Game Content
Rather than being a question of whether Elder Dragons will make their way intoMonster Hunter Wilds, the real question is when it will happen. Even with the lessened focus on Elder Dragons in recent entries,the monster class is still a staple of the franchise, being a perfect way to showcase your hunting abilities at the end of your journey.Facing off against monsters that are capable of taking down entire civilizations wouldn’t feel nearly as satisfying if you could do it right from the start.
The monster class is still a staple of the franchise.
AlthoughMonster Hunter Wildssomewhat breaks this rule by letting you tackle the artificial dragon Zoh Shia before even reaching high rank, the guardian monster still isn’t technically classified as an Elder Dragon itself, but rather an Elder-Dragon-like construct. Much like Xenojiva being a prototype form of Safijiva added as a part ofMonster Hunter World’s title updates,the Zoh Shia you face in-game could very well be a weaker version of the monster capable of decimating the ancient civilization inhabiting Wyveria.
I’m Positive Monster Hunter Wilds Would Be Better With My Favorite Monster, & It’s Not An Elder Dragon
Monster Hunter Wilds needs more updates, and a returning creature from Rise could improve its content and address complaints about its difficulty.
On top of regular Nergigante,if Capcom decided to hold out and introduce the legendary Elder Dragon as a part ofWilds' DLC expansion, they could opt for the even deadlier Ruiner Nergiante deviant. Sporting metallic black spikes rather than Nergiante’s white ones, the Ruiner deviant is much more deadly during a hunt, with its more powerful spikes to inflict bleeding as well. Even if Elder Dragons like Nergigante don’t make their way toMonster Hunter Wildsfor some time,Capcom still has plenty of options for monster choices to ramp up thedifficulty compared to previous entries.
