Capturing monsters will make most of your hunts significantly faster in Monster Hunter Wilds. Moreover, the mechanic will let you get your hands on additional monster parts which makes it significantly easier to farm them for specific armor sets and weapons.
So if you are looking to make the most of the capturing mechanic in the RPG, then the guide below will help you out.
How to capture monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds
To be able to successfully capture monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds, you will need to follow the steps given below:
Step 1: Identify when the monster is weak enough to capture
You will be able to weaken monsters by constantly attacking them. As their health gets lower you will see them starting to limp while they frequently change locales. once their health is low enough to be captured, you will finally see them making their way to resting grounds to sleep.
This is when the monster will look to recover its health and strength. You will also notice the heartbeat of the monster on the bottom left side of the screen. Once it starts going flat you will know that the monster you are hunting is already struggling and is close to being capturable.
However, the best way to know if a monster is ready for capture is to look for the skull icon on the mini-map. When the monster is about to go to its resting place you will see a skull appear on top of the monster’s icon. So when the monster is “Skulling” you will know for certain that they can now be captured.
Step 2: Lay down the trap
Once the monster is skulling and has gone back to its resting grounds, you will need to use either a Shock Trap or a Pitfall Trap to capture it. When you plant the trap below a monster, it will be caught inside it for a few seconds.
Do keep in mind that the more traps you use during a hunt the lesser will the trap effect be. So if you are constantly using a Pitfall Trap, the monster will barely be rooted for a second or two after you have already used the trap on it multiple times.
Note: Only Pitfall Traps and Shock Traps can capture monsters. Environmental traps like vines will only root the monster in place even if it is skulling.
Step 3: Use Tranquilizers
Once you have caught the skulling monster in a trap, the next step will be to use a tranquilizer. There are three tranquilizers that you will have access to in Monster Hunter Wilds:
- Tranq Bombs
- Tranq Blades
- Tranq Ammo
Tranq Bombs are something that you use in close proximity to the monster as you drop it near your feet. Tranq Blades and Tranq Ammo, on the other hand, can be used from a distance. The former is used with the help of the Slinger tool while the latter is used by the two Bowguns.
So once the monster is in your trap you will need to use at least two tranq items to complete the capture.
Things to keep in mind when capturing monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds
Here are two things that you will need to keep in mind when looking to capture monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds:
1) Some traps won’t work on certain monsters
Certain monsters are immune to specific traps. Rey Dau for example is a lightning-based monster and because of this very feature, it is not affected by a Shock Trap. Only Pitfall Traps work on it so that’s the only item you will need to capture this monster.
2) Not all monsters can be captured
Not all monsters can be captured in Monster Hunter Wilds. The new franchise entry will be keeping in line with previous titles when it comes to taking on certain hunts. Elder Dragons are immune to both Shock Traps and Pitfall Traps which is why you will not be able to capture them in any way.
The only way to complete an Elder Dragon hunt is to straight up slay them.
3) You can use a Tranquilizer before laying a trap to capture monsters
While a straightforward method of capturing a monster is to lay down the trap and then use your Tranq Bombs, you can do the reverse as well. You can hit it with two tranqs and then lay the trap to instantly capture it.
This is a bit harder to pull off if the monster is not CC-ed. If they are constantly moving and going for attacks, you will get hit when stuck in a tranq “bomb-throwing” or “trap-setting” animation.
However, if a monster is skulling and has gone to sleep in its resting area, you can always go up to it, drop two Tranq Bombs, and then set up the trap to instantly capture it. This method is especially useful when you have already used the trap in question multiple times during the hunt.
As the monster will barely stay locked for more than a second, the chances of it escaping the trap before your second tranq bomb drops are much higher. So if you find it skulling and sleeping, drop the tranqs first and then the trap.
Should you kill or capture monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds?
Killing or capturing monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds will primarily depend on what you want out of the hunt. So here are a few things to consider when booting up a quest:
1) Capturing monsters gives more and rarer quest rewards
Compared to just straight-up slaying a monster, capturing one will net you more quest rewards after a hunt. The chances of getting a rarer part will also be higher so if you are looking for a part that has a very low drop rate then capturing monsters will be your best choice.
2) Some monster parts can only be obtained through carving
After you slay a monster you will be able to carve it. Some monster parts are exclusive to carves, and you will not be able to get them through a capture. So if that’s the part you need for your armor set, you will need to slay the monster.
3) Certain quests will have a “Slay only” or “Capture only” clause
While most quests will not have a completion condition, there might be some (optional quests, NPC quests, Event quests, etc) that will ask you to either Slay or Capture. So make sure you are aware of these conditions when booting up a hunt.
4) Capturing a monster will significantly lessen hunt time
As you are capturing a monster and not straight up killing it, your hunting time will be considerably shorter. Once the monster starts skulling you will still have a fair amount of its HP to get through in order to complete the quest.
Not to mention how aggressive and volatile the monster’s moves become once they are close to death. There is always a risk of carting when the monster goes into that enraged state, and this can extend your hunt time significantly.
When capturing, you have the option to end a hunt as soon as it starts to skull. As you end a quest much more quickly, you should be looking to capture the monster if you are looking to breeze through certain content.
