In Monster Hunter Wilds High Rank is a milestone you get to after completing the main bulk of the story. Veterans of the series will gleefully state “now the real game begins”, and that’s because not only does it signify a jump in difficulty, it also opens up more of the game’s mechanics and later-game materials, weapons, and armour.
People familiar with Monster Hunter games in general will therefore wish to know all about High Rank, and how to get to it. Thankfully, it’s fairly straightforward in Monster Hunter Wilds, and here at Loot Level Chill, we’ve got everything you need to know.
So here’s how to unlock Monster Hunter Wilds High Rank.
Monster Hunter Wilds High Rank | How to unlock
As with most Monster Hunter games in the series, the key to unlocking High Rank, is to progress the main story enough. The main story missions are indicated by red icons in your mission logs – the yellow ones are side quests and will not contribute to getting to High Rank.
Your Main missions are all numbered in the order in which you complete them. Some have multiple parts, but the progress as Mission 1-1, Mission 1-2 etc.
In order to unlock High Rank you need to keep progressing the main story until you have fully finished Mission 4-1 dubbed “New Ecosystems”. Once you have done so the game will let you know you have unlocked Monster Hunter Wilds High Rank.
What unlocks at High Rank?
The main draw of unlocking High Rank is that it makes all monsters fought up to this point more difficult to take on. This is turn leads to better rewards in terms of materials and currencies from these monsters due to their increased challenge. So that Chatacabra you fought all the way back at the start of the game, now has a bulkier equivalent with new materials to collect from it. These new materials can now make High Rank weapons and armour which were previous locked out. It’s essentially gives you another go over at the game, but with increased difficulty, and rewards you for doing so.
On top of that, there are also brand new monsters you will only encounter from High Rank onwards in the game, so it’s well worth ploughing on to discover all 29 monsters in the game and experience fighting each of them to their fullest.
Monsters aside, you also unlock the ability to create Layered Armour, which allows you to wear certain armour but have your character appear as though it is wearing another piece you have already unlocked. This means you can keep your highest armour stats without sacrificing your fashion preferences whilst hunting. For more information on Layered Armour, check out our comprehensive guide here.
You’ll also gain the ability to Rest in your tent. This allows you to change the time of day in any locale for a fee. This is particularly useful for hunting certain Endemic Life – we’re looking at you Sandstar.
So there you have it, there’s everything you need to know about Monster Hunter Wilds High Rank.
