The most recent title update showcase for Monster Hunter Wilds finally offered a sneak peek at all the content coming in the next few months, with more than a few fan-favorite returns. While there are plenty of new monsters and activities to enjoy alongside fellow hunters, the extensive trailer also showcases many cosmetic items. Although not all the items shown will be bundled in the first Cosmetic DLC pack, the number of high-quality offerings included was a welcome surprise.

Cosmetics have always had a strange place in the Monster Hunter franchise, with its concept of character edit vouchers and the sheer number of microtransactions still controversial in the community. Until the most recent showcase, most cosmetics in previous entries like Monster Hunter World felt like neat additions for those who wanted extra customization options rather than a necessity. With Wilds expanding the quality and variety of cosmetic options more than ever before, I finally feel convinced to spend the extra money to decorate my hunter and their companions.

Monster Hunter Wilds Cosmetics Are The Best They've Ever Been

Offering A Surprising Amount Of Entirely Unique Cosmetics

With a hulking price tag of $50 for a few bundles of cosmetic items, it's only fair that Monster Hunter Wilds' Cosmetic DLC Pack offers plenty of variety to make it a worthy investment. Thankfully, the first update doesn't seem to disappoint, adding many emotes, Seikret armor, camp decorations, pendants, layered armor, music options, and more. Even if I don't feel ready to jump to Monster Hunter Wilds Cosmetic the moment its first pack releases, each of the bundled items will also be available for purchase individually.

Monster Hunter Wilds' Cosmetic DLC Pack offers plenty of variety to make it a worthy investment.

Given that the initial ments for Wilds Cosmetic were incredibly vague on the actual content coming in the future with the subsequent cosmetic DLC packs, I simply couldn't justify paying for the higher edition despite my ion for the series. While stickers and emotes are great for more social hunters, aside from a unique hairstyle or two, the Deluxe and versions of the game didn't have nearly enough content to make me willing to buy into Wilds' cosmetic model.

While not all the additions will appeal to every kind of hunter, after seeing the number of creative additions coming in the first DLC pack alone, my view on the state of Wilds cosmetics has completely changed, even if my wallet isn't happy about it. With MH Wilds becoming more geared towards fashion hunting and the lack of additional end-game challenges, it feels great to see the cosmetic options able to match the same quality of the base game for a change.

Future DLC Will Have A High Bar To Follow

A New Challenge For Making Future DLC Worth The Asking Price

Compared to most layered armor sets that feel somewhat bland next to Monster Hunter's incredibly creative designs, the stylish nature of the existing Guild Knight Set and customizations is a great sign of what's to come in the future. The level and variety of the first cosmetic DLC pack and individual items being released does offer a unique problem, however, as Wilds might have a hard time keeping up the same level of quality as time progresses.

Future events will also see the addition of several free cosmetics, including classic gestures returning from the franchise to celebrate the first title update.

Another issue that Wilds may face is a bloated storefront that can make looking for cosmetics more of a chore than anything, while hiding its best additions, which could be fixed by including an easily accessible in-game shop. While I'm sad to see some of the best cosmetics locked behind additional paywalls, there's more than enough armor variation in the game. On top of its current offerings, a steady flow of creative layered armor like the adorable Amstrigian headgear in the event quest noted by MHKogath on X certainly helps to make up for it.

Although microtransactions and cosmetic options are prone to frequent backlash, I'm still happy to see Wilds actively create worthwhile DLC offerings, rather than filling up the store page with more confusing junk like World's in-game monster figures. Thankfully, when the official store fails to deliver, the PC community is filled with talented creators bringing over some of the best mods for Monster Hunter Wilds from previous games into Monster Hunter Wilds, introducing plenty of exciting new cosmetics to try out for free.

Wilds Is Already Planning Its First Collaboration Event

Plenty Of Worthwhile Content In The Months Ahead

While mods could replicate many of the typical model swap cosmetics that Monster Hunter World and Rise had, the unique designs of Wilds' pop-up camps and crossover events might be hard to match up against. While no information has been revealed yet on which of Capcom's franchises it will include, Wilds has already confirmed that its first collaboration event will arrive at the end of May.

The Monster Hunter franchise is no stranger to collaborative events either, with its crossover roots going back to the very first entry in 2004. While the series had plenty of collaborations over the years, World saw a massive expansion of the concept, introducing new questlines and challenging monsters that shook up the standard gameplay loop.

From Monster Hunter's history of unique collaborations combined with Capcom finally bringing Lagiacrus back into the modern generation of the franchise, I'm incredibly excited to see what Monster Hunter Wilds has in store for the future.

Sources: Steam, MHKogath/X