How to capture monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds
How to use traps and tranq bombs to capture monsters.
How to catch monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds seems rather different from past Monster Hunter games, since you don't learn about it until later, though you can start capturing whenever you want.
The feature appears locked until after you complete Monster Hunter Wilds' campaign, but Capcom played a bit of a trick. The capturing tutorial only plays once you begin Chapter Four, but you can catch monsters as soon as you have the right materials, if you know what you're doing.
This Monster Hunter Wilds guide explains how to catch large and small monsters and how to use your capture net to snag endemic life as well.
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How to catch large monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds
Catching large monsters is a process with a few steps. You need a trap of some kind - a shock trap or a pitfall trap - and a few Tranq Bombs. The vine trap in Windswept Plains also works, though it relies on you and the monster being in the right place at the right time. If you're hunting with your Palico, there's a small chance the furry fighter will lay a shock trap of their own. However, it's a random occurrence and might not happen when you need it to. Your best bet is to just carry some traps into a hunt and use them yourself.
You can lay a trap at any point during a hunt, but you can only capture a trapped monster once its health is almost depleted. Monster Hunter Wilds gives you a few clues when that happens. Your Palico, if present, comments on the monster getting weaker, and you can see the monster itself going through it. They drag themselves instead of walking or running, they don't attack you, and you can see them breathing heavily. A skull also pops up next to the monster's minimap icon. This usually happens after the monster is visibly exhausted, so if you don't see that skull, don't start deploying your traps.
When that happens, stop attacking the monster so you don't slay it by accident. Set your trap near the monster so they walk into or fly over it. Occasionally this will be enough to capture it, though you might need to use one or more Tranq Bombs to sedate and catch it. If you're having trouble getting the monster to walk into the trap, attack them once or use your sling to get their attention. If they completely ignore the trap, you can pick it up and deploy it elsewhere.
Capturing a monster ends the hunt, and you get monster parts the same as if you slayed the beast and carved it afterward. Some quests require you to capture monsters instead of slaying them, but, outside of that, there's no material loss or gain regardless of which methods you choose.
How to craft traps in Monster Hunter Wilds
Crafting a pitfall trap in Monster Hunter Wilds requires:
- 1 Trap Tool
- 1 Net
You make nets with ivy and spider webs, the latter of which are abundant near Lala Barina's habitat in Scarlet Forest and Nerscylla's domain in the Iceshard Cliffs.
A shock trap in Monster Hunter Wilds uses:
- 1 Trap Tool
- 1 Thunderbug Capacitor
Thunderbug Capacitors come from the Thunderbug nodes you can find scattered throughout the Windswept Plains. You can purchase trap tools - only two at a time, though - from the supplier at your base camp.
How to craft Tranq Bombs in Monster Hunter Wilds
Tranq bombs in Monster Hunter Wilds require:
- 1 Sleep Herb
- 1 Parashroom
Sleep Herbs are fairly rare, but every region has at least one node. Check your map for the light blue herb symbol, and track it to have your Seikret take you there immediately. For Parashrooms, look for the yellow mushroom icon on your map. They often grow near Paratoads.
How to capture small monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds
You capture small monsters in the same way as large ones - weakening them and laying a trap - though there are a few additional considerations to bear in mind. Small monsters are weaker than their giant counterparts, and Monster Hunter Wilds gives you no indicators when they become exhausted. It's easy to accidentally down a small monster with few hits from a powerful weapon, so if you're setting out to capture the little guys, bring a weak, low-rank weapon.
Start off by landing just one hit before laying your trap as well, and then let loose with Tranq Bombs. The Tranq Bombs should do the trick, but if not, hit the monster one more time after they're free from the trap and try again.
How to capture endemic life in Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds teaches you how to capture endemic life early, once you reach the rainforest in Chapter Two. Swap to the capture net on your item radial, and equip it to your Hook Slinger.
When you see endemic life that you want - swarms of bugs, clouds of butterflies, and the like - aim as if you were going to fire a pellet, let the net fly. You'll walk away with several specimens of that kind of endemic life, and you're free to just repeat the process until they're all safely tucked away in your improbably large inventory satchel.
Good luck capturing your quarry!