The latest update for Monster Hunter Wilds, Title Update 2, has been unveiled, following a leak from PlayStation. This patch introduces two new monsters, Lagiacrus and Seregios, along with a more challenging Arch-tempered version of Uth Duna. A significant part of this update also includes weapon balance changes aimed at enhancing gameplay dynamics across various weapon types.
Among the notable adjustments, the long sword has received changes that make its combos less repetitious without actually increasing its power. The dual blades have seen improvements in responsiveness and direction changes during Demon Mode, alongside a boost in movement speed, making them more effective for elemental damage, a critical aspect that was previously lacking.
The sword and shield, a top tier weapon, has had its invulnerability window during the Sliding Swipe move reduced, which developers had initially misreported as a buff, while its spam abilities are expected to be harder to execute. Similarly, the hunting horn has been upgraded with new techniques including enhanced soundwaves and several melodic buffs.
Quality-of-life changes for the switch axe, charge blade, and hammer have also been introduced. The hammer particularly stands out with new attack options and increased charge levels, significantly enhancing its gameplay viability. In contrast, the great sword, light and heavy bowguns, bow, insect glaive, and gunlance have not undergone substantial changes, indicating that these weapons were already in a good place.
However, the lance, which has consistently been one of the less popular weapons in the game, has not seen any meaningful improvements in this update, receiving only minor quality-of-life tweaks. This has left many lance users feeling overlooked, especially since the weapon has been struggling in speedrun contexts since the game’s launch. Despite this, Capcom has acknowledged the lance’s underperformance and has plans to address its competitiveness in an upcoming August update.
This update aims to balance weapon strengths and improve gameplay experiences for all players, showcasing Capcom’s commitment to ensuring a vibrant and balanced hunting environment. As the gaming community anticipates these changes, there remains a hopeful outlook toward enhanced gameplay for lance users in future updates.