Capcom races to fix a game-breaking bug in Monster Hunter Wilds

By Patrick Hearn Published March 2, 2025

A haunter and palico in Monster Hunter Wilds. — Capcom

Monster Hunter Wilds is a runaway success by any metric, shattering previous Capcom records for concurrent players on Steam and bringing loads of new hunters into the fold. Unfortunately, a few players have encountered a bug that halts their forward progress in the main story, and Capcum is rushing to issue a fix.

To simplify the bug, it makes a necessary NPC play hooky. Rather than appearing where they are supposed to, the NPC just…doesn’t show up, and without them, you can’t progress any further. However, if you’ve progressed to Chapter 5-3 already, you’re in the clear and have nothing to worry about.

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Hunters, we are currently investigating the following issue.

・There may be cases where an NPC does not appear, disabling story progression in Main Mission: Chapter 5-2 A World Turned Upside Down

We are currently working on these issues and will provide further updates when we…

— Monster Hunter Status (@MHStatusUpdates) March 2, 2025

Capcom hasn’t said specifically what causes the bug to occur, but many fans relate it to a patch issued late Saturday night. The patch was one of several hotfixes that have been launched since the release of the game to address a number of small glitches, but now some fans suggest the latest hotfix could have broken the game in some way.

Capcom says it will update players when a solution has been discovered. In the meantime, players continue to call for fixes to the poor optimization that plagues PC and Steam players.

Optimization problems aside, Monster Hunter Wilds is easily one of the biggest entries in the franchise. It builds on the shoulders of Monster Hunter World, utilizing the game’s strengths while improving on its weaknesses.

Monster-hunting veterans will feel right at home in the new game, but if you’re just starting your journey, it helps to learn about the various weapons and which combat style might work for you. Wilds doesn’t exactly hold your hand once you get started, so the learning curve can be a bit steep. Thankfully, we’ve already put together a guide on the tips and tricks for the perfect hunt. Give it a read before embarking into the wilderness on your own for the first time.

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All Dareel and Samin Research Report quests in Monster Hunter Wilds

Monster Hunter Wilds companions gathered together.

Sometimes, you get to take a break from taking down huge monsters and go hunting for the little creatures. Both the Dareel and Samin Research Report side quests in Monster Hunter Wilds have you track down and capture Endemic Life, but unless you've already spotted one before, finding their whereabouts can be tricky.

As you play the main story and unlock new areas, you'll also find more of these capture quests, of which there are six total. To ensure that you don't get lost trying to spot these little creatures and that you're hunting in the right areas, here's how to complete all of the Dareel and Samin Research Report side quests in Monster Hunter Wilds.
How to complete Dareel and Samin Research Report quests
Dareel's Research Report: Capture a Tracktail Lizard

Gaming

The best Monster Hunter Wilds mods

A hunter dodges a monster in Monster Hunter Wilds.

Monster Hunter Wildsis is packed with more content than any previous game at launch. There are more weapons, armors to upgrade, and, of course, monsters to hunt. It will take a new player more than a few hours to learn all the tips and tricks, but experienced hunters can rush through the campaign and into the High Ranks fairly quickly. Either way, eventually, there will be some rough edges or aspects of the game that feel like they could be improved. Or, it might just be time for some fun additions. Modders provide nearly endless amounts of options to polish, add, and enhance the core experience. With such a popular title, there are hundreds of mods to look through. These are the best Monster Hunter Wilds mods you should try.
Shop Tweaks

Odds are most players never visit the item shop in Monster Hunter Wilds. For those who have, they know how woefully barebones the selection is. Shop Tweaks is a simple mod that gives you three options to add a much wider stock to purchase, including everything, consumables, or materials. The only things not included are tools, specific gatherables that reward you with points, and gems. This doesn't make all these items free, so you will still need cash on hand, but it will make preparing for a hunt much easier.
MHWilds Overlay

Gaming

The best meals to eat in Monster Hunter Wilds

A hunter eating fish in Monster Hunter Wilds

Most of the tips and tricks you will see for Monster Hunter Wilds will focus on things like your weapons, upgrading your armor, or playing with friends. Those are all important, but a filling meal before a hunt shouldn't be ignored. This isn't an excuse to see some delicious looking food getting made in shocking detail, but it gives your hunter some excellent buffs depending on the meal. The game will recommend a few basic meals, but you can get far more out of this system if you put your chef's hat on yourself and start mixing and matching ingredients. If you need some inspiration on what meals to cook, here are a few of the best.
Best meals in Monster Hunter Wilds

Meals can be made either in your tent at the base camp or using the portable BBQ grill you get early on while out in the wild. Each meal has three parts: a ration, additional ingredients, and a finishing touch. That last part is optional but gives you extra buffs so it shouldn't be left out if you have the option.
Best attack meal
If you want to give your attack the biggest buff, here's a recipe that increases your attack stat +2, health +50, and stamina +150:

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