Monster Hunter Wilds, a standout title from last year, continues to captivate players with its engaging co-op gameplay and thrilling beast-slaying adventures. As the game nears its first anniversary in February, it remains a popular choice among gamers, despite ongoing performance challenges, particularly on the PC platform. Capcom has made significant strides in addressing these issues since launch, yet frame rate drops persist, leaving players puzzled and developers searching for solutions.
Unraveling the Mystery of Performance Issues
In a surprising turn of events, a dedicated player has proposed an intriguing theory regarding the game’s performance hiccups. Reddit user de_Tylmarande recently shared their observations on the Monster Hunter subreddit, suggesting that the performance of Monster Hunter Wilds may be linked to the amount of downloadable content (DLC) owned by players. While Capcom has not officially acknowledged this theory, it has sparked curiosity within the gaming community.
According to de_Tylmarande, they experienced a notable improvement in performance while playing on a friend’s Steam account, which boasts a complete collection of the game’s DLC. The player reported that switching between accounts consistently resulted in stark differences in frame rates, with their friend’s account maintaining a smooth experience while their own account suffered from significant drops. “I relog back into my [friend’s] account – and everything is fine. Nonsense. Shock. I refused to believe what I was seeing,” they remarked.
Initially perplexed by the discrepancy, de_Tylmarande soon realized that their friend’s extensive DLC collection was the key differentiator. The game features a plethora of cosmetic add-ons, including Palico and Character Edit Vouchers, amounting to a staggering 190 individual pieces of DLC when including the soundtrack. While the option to customize appearances is generally seen as a positive aspect, the sheer volume of content may complicate performance.
Building on this hypothesis, de_Tylmarande conducted further tests by creating a small ‘mod’ that allowed the game to bypass the alleged presence checks for DLC. This mod did not unlock any content but instead enabled the game to function as if all DLC were present. Testing this on two different Steam accounts—one with just the base game and another with the mod—yielded compelling results. The account without DLC experienced severe frame rate drops, while the account mimicking full DLC ownership maintained a steady 80+ fps. Similar results were observed on a different PC setup, reinforcing the theory.
In light of these findings, de_Tylmarande has reached out to a contact at Capcom, hoping to shed light on the issue. Additionally, they have garnered interest from the performance experts at Digital Foundry, who are also investigating the matter. The Redditor has expressed a willingness to release their mod as open source if Capcom fails to address the performance concerns, although they emphasize this would be a last resort.
As the gaming community awaits Capcom’s response to these claims, the potential implications for Monster Hunter Wilds are significant. Should this theory hold water, it could bring both relief and frustration to players. Regardless of whether Capcom publicly acknowledges the issue, the upcoming patch notes may reveal adjustments related to DLC items, potentially leading to improved frame rates and a smoother gaming experience.
