In Monster Hunter Wilds, you don’t just have to slay beasts, capturing them alive works great. It also helps you complete your hunts quickly or salvage a mission if you have fainted too many times. Although the game introduces capturing relatively late in the campaign, many additional sophisticated strategies beyond the basic tutorial exist to make this happen much more often.
Capture Fundamentals: The Three Essential Requirements
Before we get into anything advanced, let’s revisit what’s necessary to capture any monster successfully.
1. The monster must be weakened until a skull icon appears on your mini-map.
2. The creature needs to be immobilized in a crafted trap (Pitfall or Shock).
3. You must apply two Tranq effects to the monster.
If you sometimes forget to look above the monster’s skull for the icon, listen out for your Palico or fellow hunters saying that the monster looks weak. This is an indication that it is ready to be captured.
Strategy One: Traditional Trap-Then-Tranq Approach
The standard way taught in-game is to set a trap, fetch the weakened monster into it, then quickly apply Tranq Bombs. This technique works but is limited; monsters learn the traps after a few tries, while Support Hunters or Palicos will deploy traps, making the monster capture harder than expected.
You can limit your traps during the hunt to increase the chances of success. Or, alter your Support Hunter’s settings. Tell your teammates your plan to capture the base when playing online.
Strategy Two: Tranq First, Then Trap for Guaranteed Success
A more reliable method reverses that order. First, weaken the monster, then place two Tranq Bombs, and finally lure it into your trap. Once the tranquilized monster steps inside the trap, the capture activates immediately, finishing the hunt.
By not having to toggle to your inventory while a monster is captive and escaping, it relieves stress. Simply don’t tranquilize just as the beast is about to migrate, you’d either have to keep it in place with a lure pod or wait until it relocates.
Advanced Options: Precision Tranquilizing Tools
Standard Tranq Bombs have a serious drawback – you can’t aim them and they just drop at your feet. It’s harder to catch monsters that are fast and fly.
Fortunately, alternative options exist.
- Tranq Blades are just like throwing knives, except they can only be thrown at monsters.
- Tranq Ammo is a type of ammo for your Bowgun, which puts foes to sleep from a distance.
Just like regular bombs, both options require two hits but have accurate targeting. Tranq Ammo doesn’t take up space in your inventory, which makes it a great option for Bowgun users.
Monster captures instead of kills will make things easier. Moreover, it will add complexity to the game and different rewards as well.
Mastering these different ways to catch will make you a better hunter when you’re out in the woods.