Action RPG

Monster Hunter Wilds: Wounds, Focus Mode, and Focus Strike Explained

BBG News

In the thrilling world of Monster Hunter Wilds, I’ve noticed a fresh twist in the monster combat – the Wound system. It’s an organic advancement from the Clutch Claw system we saw in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. These Wounds act as vulnerable spots on monsters, making them more than just targets. But to truly capitalize on these weaknesses, there’s a new tool at our disposal – Focus Mode. It’s like having X-ray vision, helping us zero in and deal maximum damage!

Instead of just attacking an open wound recklessly, Focus Mode enables precise aiming, heavy damage, and stun effects. Here’s a breakdown of how it works.

What Are Wounds in Monster Hunter Wilds

Monster vulnerabilities are strategic points on a creature’s body that emerge after it receives heavy damage from a Hunter’s weapon in specific areas. These vulnerable spots can appear where repeated attacks occur and tend to show up quite often. Continuous assault on these weak spots causes them to either burst or heal, inflicting damage on the monster and disorienting it. When Focus Mode is activated, a Wound will glow red if it has fully developed, making it easier to target.

If left undamaged, Wounds persist for roughly 30-40 seconds before fading away.

Hitting a Wound in a monster increases the damage you deal, either as a bonus or critical hit, which is indicated by distinctive dark orange numbers with corners on each side. Aiming for these wounds maximizes your damage output against monsters, and to accurately target them, utilize the Focus Mode.

Wounds on a monster’s back are sometimes required to perform a mounted finisher attack.

Stages of a Wound

In the healing process of a wound, there are three distinct stages: a deep, wide white lesion, a wound that’s open and surrounded by a halo of white discoloration, and eventually, scarring that turns black. If you attack a monster’s arm, for instance, a white gash will materialize on its tough hide. At this point, when using Focus Mode, the affected area won’t be marked in red because the wound isn’t yet fully developed.

Repeatedly attacking the same area may lead to it becoming red and oozing, at which point a Focus Mode will highlight it for additional damage. Once this injury is dealt with, a black scar tissue will form over the spot, inhibiting any further injuries in that area, except for a few special instances where it cannot be injured again.

How Does Focus Mode Work in Monster Hunter Wilds

In the latest update of Monster Hunter Wilds, there’s a fresh feature called Focus Mode. This mode enhances the precision of player attacks during intense fights. Instead of following the natural swing path of weapons, regular melee strikes in Focus Mode will be directed towards where the camera is pointing. This makes it convenient for Hunters to strike Wounds if they’re visible, thus reducing missed attacks and serving as a sort of auxiliary aim-assist, adjusting the weapon’s course to hit the intended Wound.

In Focus Mode, potential vulnerabilities on a monster’s physique, apart from wounds, are illuminated by a bright, flashing red light when they become visible.

One potential disadvantage of activating Focus Mode is that the player’s field of view narrows, mimicking the intense focus of a Hunter on a single target. This reduced field means that if another monster suddenly approaches to disrupt the battle, it may catch you unawares, particularly when dealing with massive monsters. Such instances are quite frequent in the world of MH Wilds, and excessive use of Focus Mode can lead to disastrous outcomes on occasion.

How to Enter Focus Mode

To enter Focus Mode, press and hold Mouse 4 (PC), L2 (PlayStation), or LT (Xbox).

On PC, you can also toggle Focus Mode ON and OFF by pressing ALT.

You can also use Focus Mode when riding on a Seikret to gather nearby resources.

How to Perform Focus Strike

During the Focus Mode, players have the option to execute a unique action called a Focus Attack. To do this, simply press Shift (PC) or R1 (PlayStation) or RB (Xbox) while you’re aiming at an exposed Wound, indicated by a red glow. When the reticle in Focus Mode becomes vibrant yellow, it signals that a Focus Attack can be initiated by pressing the corresponding key.

When Should You Use Focus Strike

With Focus Attacks, you inflict severe damage and a considerable amount of stun on your target. Once a Focus Attack is executed, the wound heals, the red glow disappears, and you can no longer deal extra damage at that spot. To execute another Focus Attack, you’ll need to open a new wound on the target.

Instead of instantly transforming white gashes into ordinary wounds, Focus Strikes can also immediately convert them into deep, open wounds. A single Focus Strike will only inflict damage to create the wound, but multiple strikes will initiate the wound on the first attack and deal extra damage on subsequent attacks. The wound will automatically heal after the last hit is landed.

As a gamer, I’ve found it strategic not to immediately use Focus Strikes when playing, opting instead for regular attacks that deal bonus damage to Wounds. This is particularly useful in multiplayer scenarios where hastily closing a Wound can mean missing out on substantial additional damage the party could have inflicted.

With a well-aimed Focus Strike, you might find yourself acquiring unique monster components. Unlike regular drops that appear on the ground, these rare components are collected directly by the hunter. However, exceptions apply for monster parts harvested from cutting tails or body sections.

  • If you’re prioritizing damage, the best time to perform Focus Strike is when a Wound is about to close on its own, due to the timer running out.
  • If you’re prioritizing farming, use Focus Strike at every opportunity in order to gather as many monster parts as possible from a single encounter.

Some types of weapons deviate from this rule. For instance, the Long Sword’s damage increases based on the number of Wounds eliminated in a single Focus Strike. In a similar vein, the Dual Blades generally eradicate all Wounds on the target’s body when executing a Focus Strike, which is one of its most potent moves. Moreover, weapons such as the Insect Glaive and Charge Blade also replenish weapon-specific resources to enhance their effectiveness in combat by utilizing Focus Strike efficiently.

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2025-03-01 08:44

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