Monster Hunter Wilds Is Already Better Than MH World For One Massive Reason

With all the recent material released for Monster Hunter Wilds, it looks as though the game will take the series forward similarly to how MH World did back in 2018 – especially when it comes to the Handler. Just visually, the game is already a massive step-up, but the title also benefits from bigger environments, greater ecological elements, and a myriad of new monsters to hunt. There are some elements that players could take or leave, such as Palicoes and the player character being voice acted, but it is clear that there are going to be a lot of changes.

Having said that, the game will still feel like Monster Hunter, if the released promotional material is properly representative of the full title. The combat offers players new moves with a vast array of weapons, but these weapons are still intentionally clunky and heavy, as they should be for their size. Although there are new faces and new monsters, the Hunter still has their trusty Palico companion, a blacksmith to make new gear, and a Handler to handle their quests. In fact, the Handler is an aspect in which Wilds seems to have already improved over its predecessor.

Alma Shows A Big Improvement From Monster Hunter Wilds

MH World’s Handler Is Infamously Disliked

The Handler from Monster Hunter World is pretty infamous for being disliked by the player base, and this is for good reason. Handlers are supposed to handle a Hunter’s quests and provide some guidance during their exploits regarding these quests to help them succeed. Of course, the Handler can help assign the Hunter quests, but she treats the relationship like a partnership, which isn’t really the case. If anything, the partnership is between the Hunter and their Palico, since these two are out in the field getting thrown about by monsters.

The Handler doesn’t seem to want to be much of a Handler in MH World either, especially in the Iceborne expansion. She often runs off to do some research, despite there being plenty of researchers in both Astera and Seliana, and there are plenty of cinematics in which she runs into a monster, gets attacked, and requires saving by the Hunter. This wouldn’t be a problem if the Handler wasn’t the one getting herself into trouble constantly, which the Hunter has to bail her out of.

In general, it feels like the Handler wants to be a researcher, but is stuck being a Handler and uses the Hunter to do whatever she wants. When she often calls the player partner or ‘Pard’ on top of this, it can be quite annoying, and this is often described as the Handler’s main flaw. It doesn’t help that she does very little mechanically, and although there hasn’t been enough out there to make a proper judgment, it seems as though Alma improves on the Handler based on the latest Beginner’s Guide trailer from Capcom.

Alma Could Be Everything The Handler Should Have Been

Being Put In A Unit Helps Her Case Too

Handlers should offer some form of guidance for the Hunter, and Alma does this in an interesting way, especially for newcomers. She has a quiz that helps players work out what weapon will suit them based on their preferences. For instance, she would likely suggest something like the Longsword or the Dual Blades if the player states that they favor speed over power. This already gives her an additional mechanical purpose over MH World‘s Handler.

It also helps that she is part of a unit, including a Hunter, Palico, Handler, and Smith, which helps define everyone’s roles better. This way, she probably won’t claim to be the Hunter’s partner and discount the Palico’s contributions like MH World‘s Handler tends to. In general, Alma seems to be less high-energy than the Handler from World, which many have found annoying, and she is seen in the tent with the Hunter, making her feel a bit more involved during the Hunts. She is there to offer guidance, and seems to do that well.

It isn’t clear whether Capcom has listened to the criticisms of MH World‘s Handler and has made Alma accordingly, but it is clear that she is an improvement over her predecessor already. Greater mechanical uses and being a part of a unit both help her case, and a lower energy personality seems to make her less annoying compared to her World counterpart. It seems like Alma is just another aspect that Monster Hunter Wilds is getting right, and MH fans should have February 28, 2025, marked on their calendar.

Source: Capcom/YouTube