Monster Hunter Wilds’ May update gets crazy with Street Fighter’s Akuma, harder Tempered monsters, balance changes, and more

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In an update scheduled for release on May 28, 2025, Yuya Tokuda, the director of Monster Hunter Wilds, has shared a letter detailing all the fresh content that will be incorporated into the game as part of its upcoming update.

As an analyst, I’m excited to share that the upcoming May update offers a wealth of fresh experiences for gamers. This includes a thrilling collaboration quest with Street Fighter 6, the challenge of defeating newly tempered monsters, and weapon balance tweaks, among other exciting additions.

Here are the main features of the Monster Hunter Wilds’ May Update, according to the official website.

Monster Hunter Wilds May Update – Street Fighter 6 Collab

One key feature (definitely the main attraction) of this update is a partnership with Street Fighter 6, which is the newest installment in Capcom’s renowned fighting game franchise.

In this team-up, participants will venture into numerous fresh adventures, encountering Akuma – one of the most lethal combatants in the entire Street Fighter multiverse. Once these missions are accomplished, players will gain access to a unique armor set and cosmetic layered armor that metamorphoses them into Akuma himself.

Instead of the Akuma armor set found in Monster Hunter Rise, the one in Monster Hunter Wilds allows you to obtain unique items. These items endow you with the power to execute moves and combos reminiscent of Akuma, straight from the upcoming Street Fighter 6!

Combining both your standard and layered armor sets will amplify these attacks to such an extent that they can inflict substantial harm on the most formidable creatures the game has to offer.

Monster Hunter Wilds May Update – More Tempered Monsters

In an announcement made by Capcom in March, they mentioned that the May update for Monster Hunter Worlds would introduce a number of challenging 8-star tempered monsters for players to hunt once they have reached Hunter Rank 41.

The latest additions to the roster of Tempered Monsters are Gore Magala, Rey Dau, Uth Duna, Nu Udra, and Jin Dahaad. These enhanced creatures will boast higher health, improved resistance to wounding mechanisms, and amplified stats for multiplayer balance adjustments.

By using more common and easy-to-understand language, the revised text aims to make it more accessible to a wider audience while still conveying the intended meaning accurately.

Furthermore, the frequency of appearing for harder-level quests featuring numerous monsters and stronger Tempered Monsters will now scale up according to your Hunter Rank.

Monster Hunter Wilds May Update – Weapon Balance changes

Following this, the May Update will bring numerous adjustments to weapon balancing and game mechanics, along with several bug corrections.

As a devoted fan, I must share some exciting updates about Monster Hunter World: Iceborne! Although it’s hard to cover every tweak (you can find all details on the official website), I can tell you that the Hammer, Hunting Horn, Gunlance, Light Bowgun, and Heavy Bowgun have undergone significant enhancements.

In simple terms, the previously mentioned weapons were significantly enhanced to deal more damage and underwent adjustments, making it simpler to execute unique moves for each weapon category.

Monster Hunter Wilds May Update – Miscellaneous

To wrap up, Capcom has outlined some quality-life enhancements and minor additional features coming to Monster Hunter Rise with its May Update. Here are the details, as provided on the official Monster Hunter Rise website:

1. A new event quest called “The Rite of Challenge” will be introduced, allowing players to face off against powerful monsters in a special arena.
2. The ability for players to set their own quest conditions, such as the monster they want to hunt or the area they wish to explore, has been added to Gathering Hub quests.
3. The maximum number of active Palicoes that can be summoned during quests has been increased from 2 to 3.
4. A new “Auto-Stance Change” function has been implemented, allowing players to automatically switch between stances based on the monster’s movements and behaviors.
5. Players will now have the option to use a “Quick Sheath” function by tapping the sheathe button twice quickly.
6. The number of items that can be stored in the Item Box has been increased, providing more storage space for players.
7. A new “Monster Dens” feature allows players to create their own dens and share them with other players, allowing them to interact with monsters within the den.
8. Various bug fixes and improvements have been made to ensure a smoother gameplay experience.

  • Hunters will be able to rest in the Grand Hub and Suja, Peaks of Accord. Resting restores all destroyed Pop-up Camps.
  • A confirmation window will no longer appear after obtaining an item when your item pouch is full. The obtained item will automatically be sent to your item box.
  • The visibility of the remaining time of meal effects is improved. The countdown will display 10 minutes before expiration.
  • Notifications have also been adjusted in Ver. 1.011. Notification frequency in locales has been lowered, and only high-priority targets will be displayed in the Environment Overview.
  • Improvements to Camera behavior during hunts, and joining multiplayer quests for private lobbies and squad lobbies.
  • Being able to view the individual endemic life you have captured.
  • Optimizations to VRAM usage and fixes to crashes due to insufficient VRAM. (Steam only).
  • The rewards for 8★ investigations and field surveys have been increased.
  • Guild Point rewards for fishing have been rebalanced.
  • Certain whoppers and rare fish have had their rewards increased, while others have had their rewards decreased.

More changes will be coming in Title Update 2, but will they be enough to make Monster Hunter challenging again?

The upcoming changes to Monster Hunter Wilds seem quite exciting, particularly for those who appreciate both Monster Hunter and Street Fighter.

In Monster Hunter, crossovers with Street Fighter began in Monster Hunter 4, but this latest one might just be the wildest yet. Unlike previous collaborations, this armor set doesn’t just complement your weapon type, it actually provides an entirely new move-set on its own. I can’t wait to see how it unfolds and whether it will impact the abilities of future collaboration gear as well.

Instead, let me express my enthusiasm for the latest group of 8-star tempered monsters in Monster Hunter World, a game that, despite its overall success, has been criticized by dedicated players like myself for lacking sufficient challenge in terms of difficulty.

One significant challenge I faced was that most of the monsters (with the exception of 8★ Tempered Arkveld) seemed underpowered in combat, as they had relatively low health and were often rendered incapable of retaliating due to being repeatedly stunned by the game’s Wound and Focus Strike mechanics. This left them unable to defend themselves for a considerable portion of each fight.

In the First Title Update, I was thrilled when Arch-Tempered Rey Dau and High Rank Zoh Shia made their appearance, as they were the initial adversaries in the entire game that genuinely tested my abilities to the limit.

In my observation, they were incredibly robust, striking blows with the force of vehicles, and they seemed adept at avoiding enemy attacks on their vulnerable spots. It was one of those rare instances where I had to exert myself fully and employ all the combat strategies at my disposal to secure a win. It was invigorating, like a much-needed gust of fresh air.

It’s great to notice that the latest batch of 8★ Tempered Monsters, introduced in the May update, are being made resilient. This move seems to be a positive step towards making the endgame content more enticing for players.

As a researcher, I strongly advocate for a comprehensive approach in adjusting the balance across all creatures in Monster Hunter Wilds, encompassing both Low Rank and High Rank monsters, rather than limiting these tweaks solely to the Tempered ones.

By making the Low Rank Story campaign more demanding, players won’t find it a walkthrough for advanced content but rather a challenging journey throughout the game. They will need to master combat mechanics and make the most of armor sets, and the reward will be the fulfillment that comes from triumphing over odds reminiscent of older games.

As a dedicated researcher of the Monster Hunter Worlds universe, I eagerly anticipate Capcom’s plans for future balance adjustments. Fervently hoping that these changes will lead to a more challenging experience from start to finish, I patiently await updates to bring my aspirations to life.

While waiting for the release of the May Update on May 28, 2025, for Monster Hunter Wilds on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC through Steam, we’ll be learning from Akuma about defeating monsters with nothing but our bare fists as a fun activity.

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2025-05-27 19:40