Capcom Details Refine Update For Monster Hunter Wilds Alongside Ascendance
Capcom is shipping the convenience changes to the full player base rather than gating them behind the paid expansion, which makes the free update the part of the announcement that reaches everyone still playing the base game.
Key Facts
- Capcom announced on September 16 that Monster Hunter Wilds will receive a free Refine Update alongside the Ascendance expansion, and the update applies to players who do not purchase Ascendance.
- The Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance expansion is scheduled for release in 2027 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Nintendo Switch 2.
- Paid Grooming Tickets are abolished in the update, making character re-editing free and unlimited.
- The Nintendo Switch 2 version of Monster Hunter Wilds releases on December 4, 2026, at 4,990 yen, sold at an early purchase price of 3,742 yen until January 7, 2027.
- Ascendance adds Master Rank, a sky setting, the Boost Bracer, and the Elder Dragons Kushala Daora, Teostra, Lao-Shan Lung, and Gundoraja.
Reporting from 4 sources: Anime News Network, Automaton, Game Spark, Inside.
Capcom announced on September 16 that Monster Hunter Wilds will receive a free Refine Update alongside the 2027 release of the Ascendance expansion, and that the changes apply to players who do not buy the expansion. The update adds faster weapon swapping, letting hunters switch between two weapon types without mounting the Seikret, and equipment changes at item boxes outside tents. A new Hunter My Set feature registers item sets, equipment sets, and equipment appearance sets so they can be recalled together. Paid Grooming Tickets are abolished, making character re-editing free and unlimited. Monster hitzones become visible as numbers in the monster encyclopedia, and HUD options let players move the clock, restyle health and stamina gauges, and change the item box's display method. Capcom said more refinements are planned. Ascendance adds Master Rank, a sky setting, Boost Drivers, and the Elder Dragons Kushala Daora, Teostra, Lao-Shan Lung, and Gundoraja.
The free Refine Update is the Ver.2 update for the base game, and Capcom tied it to the Ascendance launch window rather than a standalone date. The update also adds and adjusts weapon actions beyond the Boost actions, a detail that applies to hunters who never buy the expansion.
The Switch 2 version arrives December 4. It supports local play between systems, and Ascendance will come to Switch 2 with all released title updates. Crossplay for that version was confirmed during the CAPCOM Spotlight stream.
- Boost Bracer: activates a Boost State where action performance is enhanced for a set time and new derivations open up.
- Boost Activation Action: a powerful attack that triggers Boost State.
- Gundoraja: a new Elder Dragon that manipulates thunderclouds.
- Equipment changes at item boxes outside tents, a feature Automaton notes players had requested.
The base game launched on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam in February 2025, sold over 8 million copies in three days (Capcom's fastest to that mark), and reached 10 million by March 2025.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 4 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Anime News Network News Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance Game Expansion's Trailer Reveals Teostra, Previews Boost Drivers
- Automaton 『モンスターハンターワイルズ』大型DLCにあわせ「無料アプデ」で便利機能どっさり実装へ。テント外アイテムBOXで装備変更、アイテム・装備一括マイセットなど快適化
- Game Spark 『モンスターハンターワイルズ』スイッチ2版のグラフィック設定を確認―「品質優先／フレームレート優先」の切り替えと「30fps固定」の項目が
- Inside 『モンスターハンターワイルズ』スイッチ2版のグラフィック設定を確認―「品質優先／フレームレート優先」の切り替えと「30fps固定」の項目が