With the success of Monster Hunter Wilds, many new fans have joined in to see what all the hype is about, and a lot of them have questions about the series. But there is one such question in particular, that may be of great interest to those looking forward to the future. What is Master Rank in Monster Hunter?
Well today we will be taking a look at the history of Master Rank, and what it means for Monster Hunter Wilds. It should be made clear, however, that Master Rank is not in the base game of Monster Hunter Wilds, but instead is something being saved for the future.
Related: You Made It To Monster Hunter Wilds Endgame, What Now?
What Is Master Rank?
Master Rank, previously known as G Rank, is an extended set of quests in Monster Hunter titles, that offers new challenges, new armor, new weapons, new locations, and new other content in general. Every single monster in the game has a Master Rank version of itself, and these Master Rank versions drop new materials to craft Master Rank armor. This armor typically looks different from the High Rank and Low Rank versions, and offers greater stats, more decoration slots, and extra skills and abilities. This allows players to customize their characters even further, and allows them to obtain a lot more passive skills than what was available in High Rank.
New weapons can be crafted by using High Rank obtained weapons as a base, meaning it is still well worth getting as many High Rank weapons as possible, but new weapon trees also become unlocked thanks to the introduction of new monsters.
As for the new monsters themselves, typically Master Rank will introduce a much larger number of them compared to the base game. For example, Monster Hunter World contained 37 Large Monsters, but the introduction of Master Rank in Iceborne bumped that number up to 71. Monster Hunter 4 contained 52 monsters, with Master Rank (G Rank) bringing the total up to 75, and Generations contained 73, with Generation Ultimate bumping that number up to 93.
So in short, Master Rank historically adds a lot, and this increased count is used in multiple ways as well.
Not only does Master Rank contain standard hunts, but the difficulty is increased further by containing hunts with unique conditions and monster combos, and sometimes completely new gameplay modes as well. Either way, Master Rank more than doubles the base game content, and adds more on top of it.
And of course, all the monsters are in fact stronger, and faster.
Master Rank in Monster Hunter World:
Monster Hunter World featured a unique Master Rank compared to previous entries in the series.
Monster Hunter World Iceborne was a full expansion to the original World, and not only introduced Master Rank, but contained an entire campaign that served as a direct sequel to the original story. Instead of simply throwing players into the heart of Master Rank, it slowly built up the challenge as they progressed through the new story, and took its time to introduce new gameplay mechanics. It truly made it feel like starting a brand new game, while also continuing where the previous one left off; complete with all the gear and items obtained along the way.
Once the new main story was completed, the "End Game" of Master Rank opened up, and the structure became similar to past games. Players completed quests to rank up, and the higher their rank, the more quests became available to them. The game also continued to receive free updates which added new monsters and challenge quests for players to take on over the years.
This was the first time a Monster Hunter game had done an expansion like this, with the structure of previous games being just a bit different.
The Days of G Rank:
Before Monster Hunter World, story was never a huge focus. Games kept things simple, with the main character being a hunter tasked with protecting a town and taking down large monsters. While the games had "main threats" and key plot points, it never evolved into full blown cutscenes with major story progression. Monster Hunter 4's story focused on the Gore Magala for example, but it wasn't much more than an excuse to take it down. Characters met along the way do appear in Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Wilds, but ultimately they were just a part of the setting in the regions Monster Hunter 4 took place in.
Once players completed the main story of Monster Hunter 4, and assuming they were playing 4 Ultimate, the G Rank areas became unlocked, and a little bit more background information became available. Sure, there was "reasons" provided for each hunt, but G Rank was ultimately jumping into the Gathering Hub and taking down each new challenge as players increased their hunting rank and completed "Key Quests."
This is how G Rank functioned in every previous game. It doubled the game's existing content, added new content of its own, and provided players with many new challenges. It is thanks to this G Rank content that games like Monster Hunter Freedom Unite had so many players for so long (it took well over 500 hours to complete every quest), and is considered to be "the real game" by most who experience it. Of course Monster Hunter games do not launch with G Rank/Master Rank, so fans have to wait to jump into the core experience.
Until then, High Rank serves as an end game, and allows players to prepare for the future.
Should I Wait Until Master Rank Is Out?
NO! Even though Master Rank is the largest part of any Monster Hunter game, you shouldn't wait until it is released!
Each Monster Hunter game, especially Wilds, is packed full of content even without Master Rank, and you would be missing out on a great game if you decided to wait it out. Master Rank isn't something you can just jump into, and can take dozens of hours to even reach the start of; dozens of hours you could be completing right now as the game is out.
That being said... Master Rank does give you something to look forward to, and that is good news for those who simply love Monster Hunter.
All of your hard work right now will help you later on, and the inclusion of Master Rank provides a good reason to return when it does release. Of course there have been games that didn't receive a Master Rank/G Rank update, but the last time this happened was the Japanese Exclusive Monster Hunter Portable 3rd; which is still a beast of a game on its own.
When Will Monster Hunter Wilds Get Master Rank?
At this time we do not know, but recent history gives us a rough idea.
Monster Hunter World released in 2018, with Iceborne being just a year later in 2019. Monster Hunter Rise launched in 2021, and Sunbreak came out the following year in 2022 as well. Monster Hunter Wilds is currently planned to receive a handful of major updates over this next year, so it is always possible we will be seeing Master Rank in 2026; however, that is not confirmed at this time.
We will update this article as information becomes available.
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