Although players only got a small taste of what is to come, the Monster Hunter Wilds beta seems like everything that hopeful fans want from an MH title in the current console generation. It is the best looking title in the series and has added many new features that feel like they will end up being great by the time of the full release. Weapon switching, a vast, open-world environment to explore, a likable cast of NPCs, and extreme weather conditions that change the hunting environment are all new to Wilds.

Another new feature shown in the MH Wilds beta was the herd feature, where hunts involve taking down an alpha monster that is surrounded by its lesser variants. These hunts encourage Hunters to separate the alpha monster from the rest of the herd with Dung Pods, although the brave or stubborn few can decide just to take on the entire herd. Even after separation, the herd will try to group back up during a hunt, and although the feature adds a sense of realism to the game, it could be a problem if recent leaks are to be believed.

Monster Hunter Wilds Leak Could Spell A Return For Iconic Monsters

The Monster Roster Could Be The Biggest Ever

A recent leak posted by TheNadei on Reddit shows datamined codes and what monsters these codes correlate to. While the beta showed off new monsters exclusively, with the Rey Dau being the biggest fight in the test environment, these codes confirm what many fans of the Monster Hunter series already know. There will be a whole host of returning monsters from prior games to fill out the MH Wilds roster alongside the game's originals.

Including Iceborne, there were 94 total monsters in MH World, but the full monster roster of Wilds has yet to be confirmed.

Although the leak doesn't have information about every single piece of code and what monster the code correlates to, some iconic monsters are set to make an expected, yet nonetheless, grand return. To no-one's surprise, both the Rathian and Rathalos will make a return in Wilds, with the latter being the mascot for the series. Other monsters like the Yian Kut-Ku and Gravios will appear too, according to the leak, with these monsters being a pair that featured in the very first Monster Hunter back on the PS2.

Plenty of monsters are reappearing from all over the series, no matter where they debuted, and most tend to stay reasonably faithful to their first appearances, but MW Wilds will be making some changes thanks to the new alpha and herd system. According to the leak, there will be an Alpha Rathalos, with the potential of an Alpha Fulgur Anjanath and an Alpha Ebony Odogaron. These will likely be bigger, more dangerous variants of the monsters at the head of herds, but having too many alpha variants could be an issue going forward.

An Alpha Rathalos Could Be More Trouble Than It's Worth

A Flying Herd Might Be A Step Too Far

Fighting a group of Rathalos could be more annoying than difficult if there is going to be an alpha variant, given that all the monsters in the herd can fly, breathe fire, and poison their foes with their claws. The other monsters that have alpha variants thus far are all incapable of flight, and it feels as though they are better choices to fight as a group, mechanically speaking. The Alpha Ebony Odogaron seems like it makes the most sense, given that this monster has a lot of dog-like tendencies and is one of the smaller monsters in the roster.

It should be noted that the herd system hasn't been tested by players that much in the MH Wilds beta, given that the Alpha Doshaguma and its lesser variants aren't all that dangerous, especially compared to the likes of the Rey Dau. Still, it seems like a big jump to fight a herd of Rathalos, since the Rathalos was seen as the top of the food chain in Monster Hunter World's Ancient Forest, making it comparable to the Rey Dau, at least theoretically. With everything that the Rathalos can do, facing a herd might just not be worth the effort.

One of the big new features of MH Wilds is crossplay between console and PC players.

The Alpha Rathalos and its fire-breathing friends could be placed later on in the game after the initial Rathalos fight so that players will be ready for said fight, but this brings its own problems. Unless there is a specific armor set for the Alpha Rathalos, it might not be worth facing the herd unless it's a story mission. Since the herd and alpha system is so new, it could also bring some balancing issues, since it doesn't feel like the Alpha Doshaguma and its crew gives players a good indication as to what to expect in the final release.

The Rathalos Is An Icon Of The Series For A Reason

Its Difficulty Isn't Anything To Sniff At

The Rathalos is perhaps the most iconic monster in the series and is usually one of the tougher Wyverns. In MH World it was on par with the Diablos, and often considered a mate (or at least male counter-part) to the Rathian. It is also a monster with a silver variant that is considerably more difficult, although that doesn't mean the normal variant is the easiest to face. Yes, it is often far from the toughest monsters that the Monster Hunter games will throw at its players, but it isn't like fighting the Doshaguma, for instance.

Fighting this many tough flying monsters with a Rathalos' kit would be extremely difficult at worst and quite annoying at best. Fighting a Rathian and Rathalos together is disorientating enough, and even though Dung Pods should be the go-to option, herds tend to clump back together during a hunt if the beta is to be believed, and being swarmed by giant, fire-breathing lizards, especially in the Scarlet Forest environment, could be anger inducing. It also goes against what Monster Hunter has done with the Rathalos in the past.

Rather than an Alpha Rathalos and a herd of its smaller, weaker variants, it feels like Monster Hunter Wilds should do the natural thing of having a Rathalos and Rathian be a power couple. Just because there is a herd system, it doesn't mean that Monster Hunter's icon should be a part of that, especially since the Ebony Odogaron and Fulgar Anjanath feel like they could work well in a herd. Still, the full game isn't out yet and there might be more systems in place to make herds work for the Alpha Rathalos to keep the fight fun.

Source: TheNadei/Reddit