Wild Hearts guide: Master the hunt with our combat, Karakuri, and beginner tips
Wild Hearts is an incredible new Monster Hunter-like IP from Koei Tecmo, and boy is it complicated.
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Wild Hearts is a shiny new action game from Koei Tecmo and EA. It sits within the monster hunting subgenre, popularized by the aptly named Monster Hunter from Capcom. There have been many games over the years that have attempted to adapt Monster Hunter’s formula with mixed success. However, this new effort from Koei Tecmo is quite easily among the best Monster Hunter alternatives on the market right now and could grow to become a potent franchise in its own right.
Much like Monster Hunter itself,Wild Heartsis no slouch in the difficulty or complexity departments. These games revolve around the challenge they offer through their epic battles with giant monsters, and the tools they give to help fight them. To that end, we’ve prepared this Wild Hearts beginner’s guide to help you figure out your way through the colorful world of Azuma.
Wild Hearts is definitely shaping up to be one of 2023’sbest Xbox gamesso far, and thanks toXbox Game PassUltimate, you can grab a free trial for 10 hours.
Wild Hearts: Hunting Basics and Fundamentals
Wild Hearts' opens to a tutorial mission where it gives you an overview of the bare basics of hunting creatures in its sizeable world. Like similar games, Wild Hearts most definitely does not hold your hand or overly tutor the player, moreover being eager to drop you in at the deep end and have you figure things out for yourself. That being said, there are some tutorial tooltips you should definitelynot skip,as well as cutscenes and conversations that offer hints and information on how to proceed.
If I could offer one fundamental piece of advice for Monster Hunter veterans curious about Wild Hearts, it would be:do not try to play it like Monster Hunter. Shed your biases and go in with an open mind. Wild Hearts has a variety of very unique mechanics and systems that make it quite divergent from Monster Hunter, while being superficially similar.
Here’s an overview of how Wild Hearts works, with more detail in subsequent sections.
Wild Hearts: Combat Tips
Combat in Wild Hearts is similar at a surface level to games like Monster Hunter or Elden Ring, but diverges in some important ways. You can get through the game without utilizing some of the game’s nuances, but you’ll have a tougher time doing so, and it’ll be less fun to boot.
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Here are some general tips for those looking to get into Wild Hearts, whether you’re a hunter vet or not.
I’m honestly just scratching the surface with these tips. Wild Hearts is deceptively deep, with weapon attacks interacting with Karakuri and different character conditions. Experimentation is key, ultimately, while learning your way through each weapon type and monster battle.
Wild Hearts: Karakuri Tips
Karakuri refers to the game’s building mechanics, which forms a significant part of the plot and combat system. Karakuri come in all shapes and sizes. Some are passive and can be placed permanently in the environment, giving you fast travel points in the form of tents, or crafting tools with the Forge. Generally, you won’t be using these types of structures in battle, though.
There are more “active” types of Karakuri that can be set up and deployed anywhere on the map, limited by the Dragon Pools you unlock on each map. Dragon Pools a symbolized by a fire icon on the map screen, and can be upgraded using materials found in the field. The higher they’re upgraded, the more permanent Karakuri objects you can spawn on your map, including facilities for tracking monsters, preparing food, and beyond.
What we’re more concerned with here is the Karakuri that can be used in combat. Here are some tips on getting to grips with this cool mechanic.
Wild Hearts: Final Quick Tips
Wild Hearts is an exciting new franchise with heaps of potential. New monsters, new locations, and new weapons would potentially be easy to add in subsequent DLC, and some of the games issues are also hopefully easy fixes. Closing out, here are some general tips I wish I’d known before I started my time with the game.
Wild Hearts
Embark on an adventure in the realm of Azuma and defend mankind from the fierce and monstrous Kemono. Face these formidable creatures solo or with your friends in three-player online co-op, with dozens and maybe hundreds of hours of monster huntin' action.
Buy at:Xbox
Jez Corden is the Executive Editor at Windows Central, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking exclusive news and analysis as relates to the Microsoft ecosystem while being powered by tea. Follow onTwitter (X)andThreads, and listen to hisXB2 Podcast, all about, you guessed it, Xbox!
