Monster Hunter Wilds changes up some of the series’ regular mechanics, but perhaps the most important is the introduction of the new Wounds system.
Wounds are specific spots on a monster which have been repeatedly damaged, and whether you are alone or teamed up with other hunters, you’ll be exploiting them in every fight.
To create a wound, target one specific spot on a monster, whether it’s their face, their front right leg, or anywhere else, and attack repeatedly.
After a while, a discolored spot will appear, along with a dark gash in the middle. Toggle Hunter Mode and the wound will glow red, indicating that a Wound has appeared.
Attacking a Wound will deal more damage than attacking elsewhere on a monster, so you’ll want to focus your attacks on a single spot whenever you can. You’ll know you are attacking the right spot when four orange triangles appear around your damage number.
Wounds are also shared in multiplayer. So, if your companion has been hitting the tip of a monster’s tail (or anywhere else), you can toggle Hunter Mode and attack those spots, too.
Breaking Monster Wounds in Monster Hunter Wilds
The Wound system has an endpoint, however, and that is when you break the Wound. While attacking the Wound with Triangle (Y on Xbox), Circle (B on Xbox), or any other attack will deal increased damage, hitting a Wound with R1 (RB on Xbox) will deal substantially more damage, but then break the Wound after the attack, removing the weak point from the monster.
When a Wound is broken, you’ll get a monster part, making the rhythm of creating and breaking Wounds essential for maximizing your rewards. Some classes of weapons get bonuses from breaking them or leaving them active, however.
If you play Insect Glaive (as I do), breaking a Wound will refill your Insect Juice, meaning you’ll want to regularly be breaking Wounds to refresh yourself and keep your most powerful attacks available.
Certain other weapon types will want to keep Wounds around longer, to further capitalize on the increased damage, so make sure to coordinate with teammates to figure out when to break them.
Now that you know how to make and break wounds, you’ll be able to incorporate that into the flow of your combat. Now get out there and hoont, because a hoonter must.