Monster Hunter Wilds is a runaway success by any metric, shattering previous Capcom records for concurrent players on Steam and bringing loads of new hunters into the fold. Unfortunately, a few players have encountered a bug that halts their forward progress in the main story, and Capcum is rushing to issue a fix.
To simplify the bug, it makes a necessary NPC play hooky. Rather than appearing where they are supposed to, the NPC just…doesn’t show up, and without them, you can’t progress any further. However, if you’ve progressed to Chapter 5-3 already, you’re in the clear and have nothing to worry about.
Hunters, we are currently investigating the following issue.
・There may be cases where an NPC does not appear, disabling story progression in Main Mission: Chapter 5-2 A World Turned Upside Down
We are currently working on these issues and will provide further updates when we…
— Monster Hunter Status (@MHStatusUpdates) March 2, 2025
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Capcom hasn’t said specifically what causes the bug to occur, but many fans relate it to a patch issued late Saturday night. The patch was one of several hotfixes that have been launched since the release of the game to address a number of small glitches, but now some fans suggest the latest hotfix could have broken the game in some way.
Capcom says it will update players when a solution has been discovered. In the meantime, players continue to call for fixes to the poor optimization that plagues PC and Steam players.
Optimization problems aside, Monster Hunter Wilds is easily one of the biggest entries in the franchise. It builds on the shoulders of Monster Hunter World, utilizing the game’s strengths while improving on its weaknesses.
Monster-hunting veterans will feel right at home in the new game, but if you’re just starting your journey, it helps to learn about the various weapons and which combat style might work for you. Wilds doesn’t exactly hold your hand once you get started, so the learning curve can be a bit steep. Thankfully, we’ve already put together a guide on the tips and tricks for the perfect hunt. Give it a read before embarking into the wilderness on your own for the first time.
