If you, like many other players, decided to dive into Monster Hunter Wilds over its beta period, you might have been left feeling a little underwhelmed by certain weapons, and now, thanks to the power of math, it's been proven that there's a reason why.
Over on Twitter, user Axelayer has explained that, no, "it's not just you" who thought that "the combat in the MHWilds beta felt 'off,'" and when you compare footage side by side from previous games like Monster Hunter: World, you can see why that's the case. Namely, it looks like it's partially down to the reduction (and sometimes outright removal) of hitstop – that short pause that happens after a big attack connects with an opponent, which helps emphasize the power or heaviness of a hit. It seems that Capcom has "reduced hitstop on most (if not all) weapon types in Wilds, leading to some weapons feeling worse than they did in prior games," Axelayer points out.
And you don't just have to take their word for it, because they've compiled the evidence into a handy video. Take the Switch Axe, for example. Its Overhead Chop attack had noticeable hitstop in Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, lasting around a fourth of a second, and this was about the same in Monster Hunter Rise. It felt a bit shorter in World, at around a fifth of a second, but that's still way more than in Wilds, where there's precisely no hitstop at all.
- Monster Hunter Wilds director thinks the weapon balance is much closer this time: "They're all hopefully nearly as viable as each other," but he's "confident, not cocky"
- As a stalwart member of the Dual Blades community, Monster Hunter Wilds has done us dirty by not importing Rise's beloved Wirebugs
If you felt like the combat in the MHWilds beta felt "off," it's not just you! As this short comparison video shows, Capcom seems to have reduced hitstop on most (if not all) weapon types in Wilds, leading to some weapons 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 worse than they did in prior games. pic.twitter.com/PRIbkdEFTPNovember 3, 2024
As Axelayer explains, hitstop plays a major role in adding that extra feeling of 'oomph' to a strike. Seeing a significant pause after a satisfying swing of a sword really hammers home that the foe on the receiving end just took a huge blow, and seeing that happen in the middle of combat can make you feel like your attacks are more effective. Without that, things can feel a bit lackluster. "Without hitstop, many weapons feel more limp and less impactful than in prior entries because the animations don't emphasize their impact nearly as strongly," Axelayer adds.
Not everyone thinks that these changes are bad, it should be pointed out – one player comments that "it's a good change overall, especially since the flow of combat is better now." Regardless, it's worth keeping in mind that this is all from Wilds' beta, so things could change between now and the full release – Capcom already promises that the whole thing is "in a more improved state" compared to what we've experienced so far.
