In case you haven't heard, Final Fantasy XIV and Monster Hunter Wilds are teaming up to bring new content for fans of each game to enjoy. The Monster Hunter Wilds side of the collaboration will be available by the end of September as part of Title Update 3. Final Fantasy XIV players will have their turn in early October.
Not The First Team-Up Between Final Fantasy and Monster Hunter
During Final Fantasy XIV's second expansion, Stormblood, Capcom and Square Enix teamed up to bring content from Monster Hunter World into FFXIV, and vice versa. In Monster Hunter World, a grueling battle against one of the Final Fantasy franchise's most notorious bosses, the Behemoth, put players' reflexes to the test. The fight required players to take cover and quickly take down the Behemoth. One false move, and the monster's Meteor spell ensured a quick end to the Hunt.
On the other side, Final Fantasy XIV players were tasked with taking on the King of the Skies, Rathalos, in The Great Hunt trial on Normal and Extreme difficulties. Although Rathalos can still be battled in Final Fantasy XIV to this day, power creep from the current Job level cap of 100 in Dawntrail (up from 70 during Stormblood) has rendered The Great Hunt trial a shadow of its former self. Thankfully, Level Sync, Minimum Item Level, and Silence Echo settings can be activated by players who want a true challenge.
What's Coming to Monster Hunter Wilds?
Pain.
Pure, unadulterated pain awaits Monster Hunter Wilds players, as they will face the robotic Omega Planetes. Based on Final Fantasy XIV's take on a series staple superboss (try saying that three times fast), Omega Planetes is all but guaranteed to have abilities and techniques that will make even the most battle-tested FFXIV raider quake in their boots. In FFXIV, Omega was the focus of Stormblood's eight-player raid series, which saw players face off against a nostalgic rogues gallery of the Final Fantasy franchise's most dastardly foes.
Omega itself was the final boss of the raid series, with multiple iterations that required quick thinking to overcome. Knowing your Starboard from your Larboard (aka Portside) could be the difference between victory and being deep-fried. Also, the storyline with Omega Planetes will see cameos from some FFXIV side characters, so players should keep their eyes open for any references once Title Update 3 goes live at the end of September.
The Hunt Returns To Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy XIV's side of the crossover will see brave Warriors of Light take on Guardian Arkveld, the cover boy of Monster Hunter Wilds. The White Wraith itself will be a boss in The Windward Wilds trial, and will have Normal and Extreme difficulties to pick from. The challenge will be tailored for up to eight players, though most teams will consist of the standard two tanks, two healers, and four DPS. Given that Rathalos was a unique fight that threw the traditional aggro table out the window, it is plausible that Guardian Arkveld will exhibit similar behaviors. Either way, keep your Mega-Potions handy.
What's In It For Me?
The rewards that Monster Hunter Wilds players will get after beating Omega Planetes are currently a mystery, as Capcom hasn't shown that much off yet. But, players will get a Chocobo-themed skin for their Seikret mounts, which is absolutely Kweh-zy to think about. Then again, given that Monster Hunter World saw players don the Dragoon's Drachen Armor from Final Fantasy XIV, a Job-based armor set for Monster Hunter Wilds is not out of the question. Perhaps a Viper or a Pictomancer set is in the cards.
Final Fantasy XIV already teased some of its Monster Hunter Wilds rewards, as players will get a Seikret mount, an adorable Baby Seikret minion, the Hope armor set, and a variety of Guardian Arkveld weapon glamours for each Job. While the Dark Knight getting the Great Sword weapon skin makes sense, the Black Mage's weapon will be based on Monster Hunter's Hammer. Logically.
Thankfully, Final Fantasy XIV and Monster Hunter Wilds players can enjoy all that the anticipated collaboration has to offer at their leisure. Like the previous FFXIV collab with Monster Hunter World, the content will remain permanent fixtures in their respective titles. Happy Hunting!