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In Capcom's upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds, players won't just be facing off against monsters - but also nature itself. During the Capcom panel here at PAX West 2024, several of the developers behind the game stressed how much weather will play not just a factor in the game, but will change the game every time you play.

"For Wilds, we aimed to create a two-dimensional two-faced aspect, where you can see the dangerous aspects as well as the nature and like the peaceful side," says the game's producer Ryozo Tsujimoto. "One of the important features of the locales is that the weather and conditions change drastically when you’re on the field."

Monster Hunter Wilds community manager Joe Bustos says that the ecological phenomena changes each hunt completely

"Weather conditions will shift between the locales, and every hunt will feel different," says Bustos. "Things will from dangerous and dusty during the fallow period, which is kind of that weather conditions that we have seen with lots of sand, and then the world becomes very chaotic and unpredictable with the region's inclimacy. Once the storm subsides we are in the plenty period where you see nice, bright skies and htings are relatively peaceful in the world of Monster Hunter."

Bustos says weather changes will result in "crazy surprises," and Ryozo explains that there are "certain monsters that appear during certain weather conditions, and certain mechanics that you can play [only] in certain weather conditions.” 

The developer also points out that the apex monster of each local will usually only appear when that area is going through inclement weather. One thing that'll help though, is that we'll be able to use lightning from that weather to help fight these monsters.

Monster Hunter Wilds is anticipated to debut in 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Windows PC.

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