Monster Hunter Wilds director explains balancing plans: 'Some weapons, like the long sword and bow, are too easy to use and overpowered'

Monster Hunter Wilds director confirms weapon balancing adjustments before release, buffing weaker weapons instead of nerfing strong ones. Significant changes are planned for the lance, switch axe, insect glaive, and sword and shield.

With the Monster Hunter Wilds beta driving anticipation for the game through the roof, the game's director has confirmed that the development team are taking a look at weapon balancing to make sure every weapon is as viable as the rest.

During a preview event for the upcoming title, director Yuya Tokuda spoke on the importance of weapon balance, with a few select weapons being particularly powerful in the current build. "Some weapons, like the long sword and bow, are too easy to use and overpowered", he explains. "We will be adjusting the damage range so that they are more balanced compared to the other weapons while making sure they still feel good to use."

Thankfully, this doesn't mean that those powerful weapons will be receiving nerfs, with the Capcom team instead opting to buff other weapons to bring them up to the same level. "Our policy is to increase the strength of weak weapons rather than to decrease the performance of strong weapons."

The prospective changes don't end at balancing, with Tokuda confirming that a few weapons, including the lance, switch axe, insect glaive and sword and shield, will all have "some significant differences in the finished game." This is in addition to changes that have already been made to certain weapons when compared to previous titles, such as the gun lance which has had its explosivity reduced. 

With a few months still to go until the release of Monster Hunter Wilds, these are unlikely to be the only changes to come to the game's balancing before then. That being said, this is equally unlikely to put a dampener on the hype for what is sure to be one of the biggest releases of 2025.

If you're excited for Wilds, check out our hands-on preview for a look at how the game is shaping up.