The Forbidden Lands are massive. If you’ve been keeping up with the trailers, you already know Capcom isn’t just making bigger maps—they are fundamentally changing how the environment works. Gone are the days of static loading screens or zones that feel like empty arenas. In Monster Hunter Wilds, the world feels alive, mostly because it’s trying to kill you before you even see a monster.
Honestly, the sheer scale of Monster Hunter Wilds all locales revealed so far is a bit intimidating. We aren’t just looking at "the desert level" or "the forest level" anymore. We’re looking at ecosystems that shift based on weather cycles. It’s chaotic. One minute you’re harvesting herbs in a sun-drenched plain, and the next, a lightning storm is turning the ground into a deathtrap.
The Windward Plains: More Than Just Sand
This was our first real look at the game. At first glance, it looks like your standard Monster Hunter desert. You’ve got dunes, rocky outcroppings, and wide-open spaces. But the Windward Plains is the poster child for the game’s "dynamic" systems.
The weather here isn't just a visual filter. It’s a mechanic. You have three distinct phases: the Fallow, the Inclemency, and the Plenty. During the Fallow, it’s a harsh, dusty wasteland. Resources are scarce. The monsters are aggressive. Then you hit the Inclemency—the Sandtide. This is where things get wild. Massive dust storms roll in, visibility drops to near zero, and lightning strikes the ground constantly. If you aren't careful, the environment will do more damage to you than a Rey Dau ever could.
Once the storm breaks, you get the Plenty. Everything turns green. Flowers bloom, small animals come out to play, and the music even shifts to something more hopeful. It’s a total 180. You’ll find different materials here depending on which phase the map is in, which means you can’t just mindlessly grind. You have to check the forecast.
The verticality is also worth mentioning. You’ve got subterranean caves where the Balahara—those terrifying sand-swimming leviatans—lurk. They create pitfalls that suck you into the lower levels. It’s not just about walking across a flat map; it’s about navigating a 3D space that’s constantly shifting under your feet.
Scarlet Forest: The Beauty of the Blood-Red River
If the Windward Plains is about the harshness of the sun and sand, the Scarlet Forest is about the suffocating density of the jungle. It’s gorgeous. It’s also creepy. The standout feature here is the water—specifically, the red-tinted rivers that give the locale its name.
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When you first enter, it feels claustrophobic. The trees are massive, and the canopy is thick. This is where the Seikret, your new mount, really proves its worth. Navigating through dense brush and over tangled roots on foot would be a nightmare, but the Seikret’s agility makes it feel fluid.
The Changing Tides of the Forest
Like the Plains, the Scarlet Forest has an Inclemency period called the "Downpour." It’s a torrential rainstorm that floods parts of the map. Areas that were accessible during the Fallow might become submerged, or new paths might open up as debris is washed away.
- The Fallow: The forest is thick, damp, and full of shadows.
- The Inclemency (Downpour): Lightning flashes through the rain, and the water levels rise, changing the terrain.
- The Plenty: The rain stops, the sun breaks through, and the forest teems with vibrant life and rare insects.
The apex predator here is the Lala Barina. It’s an arachnid-type monster that fits perfectly in this environment. It uses its silk to create massive, rose-shaped webs that are both beautiful and deadly. Fighting a giant spider in a flooded, blood-red forest at midnight? Yeah, it’s as intense as it sounds.
Oil Basin: A Gritty, Industrial Nightmare
We recently got a glimpse of the Oil Basin, and man, it’s a vibe shift. If the first two locales feel natural, this one feels industrial and volatile. It’s a place where oil bubbles up from the ground and pools into massive black lakes.
The heat here is intense. You’ve got the Firesprings, an area where the oil is constantly ignited, creating pillars of flame. It’s a high-stakes environment where one wrong move—or a fire-based attack from a monster—can set the entire floor on fire. It’s basically "the floor is lava" but with flammable sludge.
The settlement here is Azuz, a village of smiths built into the rocky cliffs. It’s rugged and metallic, reflecting the harsh reality of living in a basin full of combustible fuel. You can tell Capcom wanted a locale that felt "heavy." The monsters here, like the Rompopolo, use the oil to their advantage, spraying it to slow you down or causing explosions.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the Map Design
A lot of veterans are worried that the focus on "open-world" elements means the maps will be empty. That’s a fair concern. We’ve seen other games fall into the trap of "big for the sake of big." But Monster Hunter Wilds seems to be taking the "Living World" approach from Monster Hunter: World and cranking it up to eleven.
The locales aren't just backgrounds. They are active participants in the hunt. You can use the environment to trap monsters, like dropping heavy rocks or leading them into quicksand. The dens are more intricate now, too. Monsters don't just "reset" to a specific spot; they interact with the ecosystem. You’ll see them hunting each other, fighting over territory, or seeking shelter from the storms.
The seamless transition is the real kicker. You can go from the village to the hunt without a single loading screen. This makes the Monster Hunter Wilds all locales feel like a connected landmass rather than a series of disconnected arenas. It changes the pacing of the game entirely. You’re always "out there."
The Ecosystem is the True Boss
In previous games, the "weather" was mostly cosmetic. Maybe you’d get some rain that looked nice. In Wilds, the weather is a threat.
Take the Rey Dau in the Windward Plains. It’s a Flying Wyvern that literally feeds on the lightning from the Sandtide. It has these railgun-like horns that charge up during the storm. If you try to fight it during the Inclemency, you’re playing on its home turf while dodging literal bolts from the blue. It’s a level of environmental integration we haven't seen in the series before.
Then there’s the food chain. We’ve seen packs of Doshaguma—massive, shaggy fanged beasts—patrolling the plains. They don't just stand around. They move as a unit. If you aggro one, you might end up with five of them on your tail. This encourages you to use the locale’s verticality or hidden crevices to lose them.
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Actionable Tips for Navigating the Forbidden Lands
Preparation has always been key in Monster Hunter, but in Wilds, it’s more about environmental awareness than just packing the right potions.
- Watch the Sky: Seriously. Keep an eye on the weather icons on your HUD. If an Inclemency is coming and you’re low on supplies, get to a camp fast.
- Master the Seikret: The mount isn't just for travel. It has an auto-drive feature that lets you sharpen your weapon, heal, or even swap gear while moving. This is vital when you’re navigating the long stretches between biomes.
- Lurk and Observe: Before jumping into a fight, see what’s around. Can you lead that Doshaguma into a Balahara pit? Can you use a lightning rod to strike a monster? The environment often provides more "damage per second" than your weapon if you’re smart about it.
- Pop-up Camps are Lifesavers: You can set up temporary camps in specific spots. These are destructible, so don't put them right in a monster’s path, but having a nearby fast-travel point in a map this big is essential.
Exploring the Unknown
We still haven't seen everything. There are rumors of a snowy biome (a series staple) and perhaps something more volcanic or even high-altitude. Capcom is keeping some cards close to their chest.
The biggest takeaway from looking at Monster Hunter Wilds all locales is that the game wants you to feel small. It wants you to feel like a visitor in a world that doesn't care if you survive. The transition between the Fallow and the Plenty creates a rhythm that keeps the gameplay from feeling stagnant. You aren't just hunting a monster; you're surviving a world.
If you’re planning on jumping in on day one, start thinking about your playstyle. Are you going to be the type to wait out the storms in a cave, or the type to charge into the Sandtide for a chance at rare, lightning-charged materials? The choice is yours, but the Forbidden Lands won't make it easy.
To stay ahead, make sure you're familiarizing yourself with the Seikret's controls and the new "Focus Mode" mechanics, as these will be your primary tools for handling the chaos of these new environments. The hunt is changing, and the maps are leading the charge.