Monster Hunter Wilds’ Lagiacrus Fight Should Only Be the Tip of the Iceberg

The Monster Hunter franchise has never been afraid to experiment with monster encounters, and Monster Hunter Wilds is a testament to this. With its varied pool of creatures to hunt, Monster Hunter Wilds gives players a unique experience with every expedition.

The arrival of Title Update 2 added two fan-favorite monsters to the game: Lagiacrus and Seregios. Their inclusion in Monster Hunter Wilds was accidentally revealed early, but this only generated more excitement in the community. Lagiacrus’ debut resulted in one of the series’ most unique mechanics, which is also referenced in its Monster Hunter Wilds, albeit slightly different. Its addition to the latest installment in the franchise has the potential to yield something more in future updates.

Monster Hunter Wilds Adding Layered Weapons in Title Update 2

Monster Hunter Wilds is Adding Layered Weapons

Monster Hunter Wilds director Yuya Tokuda reveals that Layered Weapons will soon be making a return in the franchise’s newest entry.

Lagiacrus’ Underwater Combat Could Open the Door to More Monsters

Lagiacrus Defined Monster Hunter’s Underwater Combat

Lagiacrus’ introduction in Monster Hunter Tri was a spectacle for players, opening up new opportunities for underwater combat. Previously, players were restricted to ground-based combat, but monsters like Lagiacrus granted players the ability to dive into water-based combat and fight creatures in their own domain.

Underwater combat in Monster Hunter Wilds isn’t the same as in past titles. Instead of being able to freely attack monsters underwater with their primary weapon, players are instead restricted to interactions using the Slinger Hook. This keeps the essence of what made water-based combat enjoyable in the third generation of Monster Hunter games while staying within the confines of Monster Hunter Wilds.

As the flagship monster of Monster Hunter Tri and being among the first to utilize underwater combat during a hunt, it makes sense that Lagiacrus would be the first to make use of a similar feature in Monster Hunter Wilds. It is intrinsically linked to the monster’s origins, and its inclusion in Title Update 2 is made all the more impactful by the underwater section. Lagiacrus could be the first stepping stone, though, paving the way for more underwater hunts in future updates.

Other Monsters Could Make Use of This Feature

Since Lagiacrus has proved that underwater combat can still work in some capacity, this could open the floodgates to more aquatic monsters in later updates. If Capcom wants to appeal to players’ nostalgia for past Monster Hunter titles, Gobul could be a worthwhile inclusion. Like Lagiacrus, it first debuted in Monster Hunter Tri, but with the exception of the Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate expansion, it has yet to be included in another game in the series. Monster Hunter Wilds could be the perfect opportunity for Gobul’s comeback.

Despite its changes from past games, adding this form of underwater combat back to the series could benefit monsters that first appeared in Monster Hunter Wilds. During part of the Uth Duna fight, it dives underwater, out of the player’s reach. With Lagiacrus proving the viability of underwater combat in Monster Hunter Wilds, it’s possible that Uth Duna could be reworked to include this during the hunt. The reveal of Title Update 2 confirmed Arch-tempered Uth Duna will be available as a limited-time event from the end of July. While unlikely, it’s possible that this mechanic could be added to the hunt for this variant of the monster.

While the previous Monster Hunter Wilds Title Updates have added creatures from the series’ past to the game, it’s also possible that new monsters could be introduced as well. The base game included very few aquatic monsters, explained by Monster Hunter Wilds’ lack of underwater combat, but now that a form of this has been included thanks to Lagiacrus, there are fewer restrictions on monster designs. If future updates do include brand-new monsters in the game, aquatic capabilities are no longer ruled out.

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Full Underwater Combat Could Still Be Possible

Monster Hunter Wilds‘ iteration of Lagiacrus has shown that underwater combat is still possible in the series, even if it takes a more diminished role when compared to the third generation of Monster Hunter. It has gently reintroduced the mechanic back to the series, testing its viability. If fans respond well to this hunt, it could be the incentive Capcom needs to add fully-formed underwater combat features to the games again, improved for the next generation of Monster Hunter.

Underwater combat, complete with full use of the hunter’s weapons, may not be entirely ruled out for Monster Hunter Wilds. Title Update 2 could be testing the waters for a potential DLC at a later date. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne added new features that were not found in the standard version Monster Hunter World, proving that expansions can go beyond what the base game set out to achieve. If Monster Hunter Wilds were to receive an expansion in time, it could finally bring back underwater combat as it was in Monster Hunter Tri, or possibly better.

Though nothing is holding future Title Updates back from introducing new monsters to the series, an expansion or even a hypothetical Ultimate version of Monster Hunter Wilds could be the best way for these to be included. By focusing on water-based combat and improving upon it, a more diverse array of new biomes and aquatic monsters could be added to Monster Hunter Wilds with an expansion, alongside some fan favorites.

It is generally agreed that Monster Hunter Wilds is the most accessible game in the series, making it easier than ever for newcomers to get started with the franchise. The underwater combat of previous games was a great change of pace, but was sometimes criticized for being cumbersome. Its current inclusion in Monster Hunter Wilds as part of the Lagiacrus fight helps to make these sections of Monster Hunter Wilds more accessible than before, without losing what made the mechanic special to players all those years ago. This makes the case for including more aquatic monsters in the game in future updates, even if the underwater combat remains the same or evolves into something closer to its third-generation counterpart.