If you missed the Monster Hunter Wilds open beta weekend at the end of October, you'll soon have another chance to dabble in Doshaguma-slaying before the game's launch on February 28. In a YouTube video released earlier today, Capcom announced that two additional Monster Hunter Wilds open beta test periods will be available in February.
The second Monster Hunter Wilds beta test will be available to all players from 7 pm PST on Thursday, February 6 to 7 pm PST on Sunday, February 9 and then again from 7 pm PST on Thursday, February 13 to 7 pm PST on Sunday, February 16. As in the first open beta, you'll be able to customize the appearance of your hunter and palico sidekick (both of which can be carried over to the final game), complete a series of introductory hunts, and freely explore the Windward Plains region.
As a new addition for the second beta tests, players will also be able to hunt the Gypceros, a newly-confirmed returning monster that first appeared in the original Monster Hunter. Its rubbery hide gives it a stretchy, whiplike tail, and it can strike the phosphorescent crest on its head against its bony snout to emit a flash that can blind hunters. It's also, generally speaking, a flailing, squawking wretch. Can't wait to be reacquainted. Playing the second beta will also earn you a decorative palico plush ornament in the full game, which you can hang from your weapons and Seikret mount.
Unfortunately, what the second beta won't feature are the performance improvements Capcom's cooked up to address the first beta's optimization issues and origami monsters.
During my hands-on Monster Hunter Wilds preview in November, I played an updated build that performed much better than the first open beta. The devs explained that the beta had been built from an earlier version that lacked those latest optimization improvements, and it sounds like the second beta will be using the same, older build—one that, presumably, would be too time-intensive to retrofit with those performance updates.
"The team is working hard on finishing development on the full game. This includes various adjustments and improvements, but I hope you can understand that this means those improvements won't be ready to make it into the second beta test," series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto said in the announcement video. In the video's description, Capcom clarified that "adjustments including performance, weapon changes, hitstop, quality of life improvements, and more will not be present or reflected in the second Open Beta Test build."
Feels like a risky play to me: Without the latest optimization improvements, I can easily imagine a rough beta performance so soon before the full game's launch doing more damage than good. Evidently, Capcom's trusting that the allure of hitting dinosaurs with big swords will outweigh those potential frustrations.
Monster Hunter Wilds launches on February 28, 2025.
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