Monster Hunter: World’s March update offers a salve from player griefing

Monster Hunter: World will receive a new monster and buffs for its 14 weapon classes on March 22, but a small line in the game’s patch notes will hopefully solve a problem unique to this entry in the franchise: griefing.

World is the first Monster Hunter game to have such broad success — more than 5 million copies were sold in its launch week back in January. With success comes more players, and with more players comes some bad behavior. The most common issue? Players can trip and interrupt other players with their own attacks or bombs; something that seems trivial can be downright infuriating if, during the brief 60-second window players are given to carve a monster when the quest is completed, you’re completely hamstrung by other players’ attacks.

Missing out on the chance for three or more monster parts because other hunters continue to interrupt that long carving animation has been a subject of many a Reddit thread, including a three-week old thread titled “My first MH game. Has griefing always been this common?” We see this exact scenario play out, supported by 883 comments relaying similar stories or offering advice. (A common tip from the game’s subreddit suggests putting your PS4 or Xbox One into rest mode just as the griefing starts, then pulling it out quickly, leaving you on a solo hunt instead of with the party.)

In response, Capcom added this change in its patch notes, released on the Capcom blog this morning.

Attacks from allies no longer interrupt you during the carving animation. Additionally, players are now immune to all hit reactions, including bombs, during carving animations after quest completion.

There’s a lot more to say for the rest of the update, too. Deviljho, a longtime monster in the series, headlines the affair. Capcom debuted Deviljho in action on its Twitch channel, and the clip of his battle with Bazelgeuse is spectacular.

Deviljho’s return means players may harvest the beast’s parts to construct two new armor sets: Vangis α and Vangis β. Deviljho also provides parts to craft all 14 existing weapon types, including updated designs for Sword and Shield, Hunting Horn, Bow, Insect Glaive and Charge Blade.

Capcom

Further, every player will get a free, one-use voucher to edit an existing hunter’s gender, physical appearance and cosmetic appearance. The voucher is obtained through the PlayStation Store and the Xbox Games Store. Players will not be able to edit their Hunter’s name, their Palico’s name, or their Palico’s appearance. And if, after using the token, players want to edit their hunter again, Capcom says that purchasable vouchers will arrive at a later date.

Additionally, the “Spring Blossom Fest” begins Thursday, April 5 at 8 p.m. ET and runs to Wednesday, April 18 at 8 p.m. ET. This event redecorates the Celestial Pursuit hub area and clothes Guild staff in new spring-themed uniforms. Other daily activities are promised.

Capcom

During the Festival, players will get two special quests, one granting tickets to craft Mega Man gear for the player’s Palico (available April 13 to April 27) and the other unlocks materials to craft the Wyvern Ignition Great Sword, which came out of a community weapon design contest.