Players have been getting their hands on the second open beta test for Monster Hunter Wilds and many are getting a pretty solid idea about what the game is going to be like. From changing weather systems to vast landscapes and monsters with enough detail to make Jurassic Park jealous, it's clear that MH Wilds is a technical marvel. To say that the open beta is making the full release look promising is probably an understatement, but there are a few things that are still a big worry, even if they have been addressed.

Even before the first open beta started, there were some concerns regarding the required specs needed to run the game on PC. High PC requirements have been a common problem, with similar complaints being raised with Black Myth: Wukong and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, for example. MH Wilds' problems were compounded when the first beta came out, since it didn't run particularly well for many, and while the second beta is considerably better, the concerns are still around, especially after the lowered minimum specs.

Capcom Has Lowered Monster Hunter Wilds' Minimum Spec

It May Have Led To The Second Beta's Superior Performance

Before the second open beta test began, Capcom made an effort to listen to the players and tried to lower the minimum system required to run MH Wilds. The biggest change is probably the space required, since it has dropped to 75GB rather than being well over 100GB, at least according to MH Wilds' Steam page. This, paired with further development, has helped the second open beta run far better than the first, and while perfection is probably too much to ask for, it shows some good signs leading up to the launch later in the month.

There will be another open beta for Wilds from February 13–17.

During the first open beta, I was one of the players that made many apologies for how poorly it ran, considering that the full release was months away, and I was still getting to play the demo due to having a newer PC. Still, I acknowledged that the optimization issues were a concern for those who were not sure whether they would need to buy new parts just to run the game. It does feel like the required PC specs for new AAA games are getting out of hand and are unattainable for a lot of people.

While Capcom has done something to address this, its transparency about how many older PCs are going to make up the difference is quite concerning. The minimum system requirements on Steam state that the game will run at 30FPS with 720p as the native resolution at the lowest graphics settings (which does make the game look pretty horrible). The recommended system requirements will give players 60FPS on medium graphics settings; however, frame generation will be needed to make up the difference, which could introduce a whole host of problems.

The Lower Spec Isn't As Good As It Sounds

Running The Game With Minimum System Requirements Might Be A Painful Experience

While the intent behind lowering the system requirements of Monster Hunter Wilds is a good sign, the methods behind it have some drawbacks. Capcom was likely too far in development to make some major changes to lower the system requirements, and while using new technology to enhance the gaming experience is always something to ire, the use of frame generation isn't the greatest. At lower FPS, using frame generation can lead to input lag, and as someone who played Monster Hunter with a controller on its last legs, I know being on a hunt with input lag is horrible.

Frame generation was intended to be used for games that already run well (at around 60FPS) to get even more frames and make the experience smoother. Having fewer frames means that the filled-in frames have more work to do and, while the improved hit boxes do help hunts in this regard (I'm very glad the Arkveld wasn't in MH World with its chains), playing a difficult action game with input lag of any kind is far from ideal. Pair this with the game looking pretty bad at lower graphical settings, and the experience isn't great for older PCs.

Monster Hunter Wilds features a benchmark tool on Steam to test how the game will perform at launch.

Even on beefier PCs, the second open beta for MH Wilds leaves a little to be desired with its performance. Although there is still time to fix this, there were some pop-in issues and frame rate drops during my first few hours with the second open beta. Bear in mind that I am running the game on most of its highest settings with an RTX 4070ti, a 13th gen i7, and 32GB of RAM. These issues were particularly evident when loading the character customization menu, which led to meshes and textures not loading in for a few seconds.

MH Wilds Still Requires A Beefy PC To Run Well

And Capcom Isn't Known For Great PC Ports

While many of the concerns regarding the beta can be brushed aside, due to not being the final product, Capcom's history with Monster Hunter's PC ports doesn't help alleviate the worries. Monster Hunter World's port was notoriously inconsistent on release, despite making players wait longer for it, and Iceborne deleted saves on PC for some time. The fear of having my save deleted by Iceborne was a big reason as to why I was late to that particular party and, while Monster Hunter games are great, they don't always translate well on many PCs.

MH World might be an exception to the rule, considering that the MH Rise port was pretty good, and there haven't been too many complaints regarding the spin-off titles like the two Stories titles. However, MH World is the game that sticks in the mind.

The second Monster Hunter Wilds beta has shown considerable improvement compared to the first and shows a great deal of promise.

It is essentially Monster Hunter 5, with Wilds being MH6, and the two titles are probably the most comparable in the series. Wilds is coming to PC day one, meaning that Capcom might have faith that it can make the PC port work, which is better than making PC players like me wait.

Still, the minimum system requirement might be a sign of false hope if players have to rely heavily on frame generation and are fighting issues with the port. While the game will technically be playable, the experience might be a horrible one, considering that there are issues with the game on high-end PCs. Still, the second Monster Hunter Wilds beta has shown considerable improvement compared to the first and shows a great deal of promise. The hope is the final month before release will help to polish the game in time for the full release.

Source: Steam