Along with a wide selection of added features and content, Monster Hunter Wilds' Title Update 1 has quickly squashed any lingering difficulty concerns. While many players may have blitzed through HR and farmed Arkveld to no end, a new challenge has arisen, and it's sure to steal a cart or three for any potential adversaries. While new monsters have been slated for update 1.010 for quite some time, it was difficult to gauge the difficulty level Wilds would be shooting for. It seems, however, that Capcom took the prevalent difficulty criticism quite seriously, as the new fights are nothing to scoff at.

In particular, the return of the final boss, Zoh Shia, has been wreaking havoc on unprepared hunters with its full-screen attacks, unique mechanics, and an overall dramatic overhaul to the LR version. Until now, players were only allowed to hunt Zoh Shia once in Wilds, which might be making these new challenges seem even more intimidating. Not only is it clear that HR Zoh Shia is a different monster altogether, but the updated hunt also sheds light on what players can expect in updates to come. The foundation for Wilds has been set — and there's no gain without a little pain.

Zoh Shia Is Back, & The Final Boss Is Not Playing Around

Even Better Than I Imagined

Frankly, I didn't know what to expect from Zoh Shia's return. As the most exciting feature in Wilds' Title Update 1, the new Zoh Shia encounter promised an exciting hunt, but the changes have blown my expectations away. HR Zoh Shia may as well be a new monster; beyond tweaking numbers, Zoh Shia's move-set has been tuned to ten. ittedly, the changes were so dramatic that I had to watch footage of the original hunt to track all the differences, and in doing so, I can safely say that the training wheels have been removed altogether.

Beyond difficulty, HR Zoh Shia is a spectacle to behold. For instance, its jet-black mode now also brings an all-new, full-stage transformation, wreathing the arena in flames as hunters are forced to scramble to the edges of the zone. It feels like a hunt that belongs as the capstone of base Wilds, both in scale and difficulty, which makes it all the more impressive that Zoh Shia is among the first set of new hunts. When I think back to World's title updates, I struggle to a monster as imposing as Zoh Shia.

Compare World's and Wilds' first Title Updates more specifically, and the difference becomes clear. World's Title Update 1 introduced the Deviljho, which, while an undisputed fan-favorite with its massive bladed tail, was (equally undisputedly) nowhere near as challenging or spectacle-leaning as Zoh Shia. While it's perhaps unfair to compare Wilds' final boss to Deviljho, Xeno'jiiva, the final boss of World, was much more of a lumbering, stifled fight.

The overhauling of hunts doesn't stop at Zoh Shia, with Wilds' Mizutsune being nearly a new monster in its own right.

While Xeno'jiiva had spectacle, Zoh Shia is a monster I genuinely look forward to hunting. After felling the beast, catching its elusive quest to re-hunt the boss in Wilds is truly a treat, as Zoh Shia strikes a careful balance of dramatics and engaging gameplay. Traditionally, Monster Hunter tends to lean far too much in one direction, leading to fights like World's notorious Zorah Magdaros. As such, I'm confident in saying that Zoh Shia is Capcom's best final boss design yet, as it fluidly transitions between a nitty-gritty hunt and a jaw-dropping spectacle.

Wilds' Difficulty Just Got A Major Spike

The Series Cycle Continues

Suffice it to say, Wilds' pervasive difficulty concerns have been stifled. While difficulty complaints are a tried and true Monster Hunter cycle, it seemed that, pre-launch, Wilds had a particularly notable case of push-over monsters. The cycle ended early in Wilds' case, with Zoh Shia tuning up the difficulty in spectacular fashion. Even with all the new tools at the player's disposal — wounds, perfect guarding, and off-set attacks — Zoh Shia is certainly not a slouch.

Wounds feel more difficult to generate, particularly if the weaker, jet-black extremities aren't targeted properly. Attacks, such as its area of effect fire breath, also feel particularly punishing to guard due to extended animations. I've been comboed by Zoh Shia more times than I'd like to it, leading to carts faster than I can blink. While I'll confess that I haven't done my armor sphere due diligence, even with maxed-out defenses, Zoh Shia still hits like, well, a monster.

For those at the cutting edge, too, there's no denying that Zoh Shia has brought a sharp spike in difficulty, especially when compared to the absolute choke-hold that weaker monsters can be thrown into via a mix of wounds, status effects, part-breaking, and general staggering. I'm equally confident that this is just the beginning of Wilds' difficulty, a preamble to stronger, faster, and more dangerous foes.

More Difficult Hunts Are On The Way

Arch-Tempered Rey Dau & Lagiacrus Will Add Even More Punch

Soon, Arch-tempered Rey Dau will be making its way to Wilds as an event quest. I'm excited to see what Capcom has in store for hunters with the latest incarnation of Arch-tempered foes, and Rey Dau, one of four zone apexes, is a perfect place to begin that experiment. With the inevitable expansion likely already in view at Capcom, I'm even more excited to see the Master Rank variants of these fresh monsters, especially once the inevitable barrage of suffixes begins getting attached to them.

Before then, Title Update 2 is already confirmed to bring an . Based upon Wilds' lack of underwater combat (a wise decision), Lagiacrus will already need a pretty extensive overhaul, and looking at the ones already completed, I have no doubt that it will be an absolute treat as it sends my hunter back to camp.

In a strange twist of fate, Wilds' has gone from a concerningly low level of difficulty to setting a new bar for end-game hunts. Despite the lack of elder dragons in Wilds, the difficulty has been rising steadily, with a flurry of challenge and arena quests also coming soon to further pad end-game activities. Master Rank, too, looms, ever-present, at the back of my mind. Whatever form the true end-goal of Monster Hunter Wilds comes in, Capcom's development has shown, quite handily, that more carting can be counted on.