If you’ve just made it through the first handful of Monster Hunter Wilds opening missions and hit a wall, you’re not alone. Chapter 5-1 Monster Hunter Wilds is the first point where the game stops holding your hand, throwing a mix of tough small monsters, environmental hazards, and a surprise mid-mission boss that catches 60% of first-time players off guard, according to recent community playthrough surveys. I burned through three of my five faints on my first run, because I skipped checking my gear loadout and didn’t pay attention to the new terrain quirks the map introduces here. This guide breaks down everything you need to know to clear it on your first try, and walk away with all the bonus loot too.
Chapter 5-1 Monster Hunter Wilds Pre-Mission Prep You Can’t Skip
Before you even launch the mission, take 2 minutes to adjust your loadout to fit the volcanic basin setting you’ll be exploring. Fire-resistant armor at rank 2 or higher is non-negotiable here, as even minor burn damage from the environment will chip away at your health while you’re fighting small monsters. You’ll also want to pack stamina-restoring items for the long traversal sections, and pitfall traps to stun the surprise boss when it spawns. If you’re playing solo, you’ll also want to make sure your palico is equipped with a healing gadget instead of a damage-focused one. The AI palico will prioritize healing you when you drop below 30% health, which can save you from a faint when the boss catches you off guard with a charge attack. If you’re playing in a co-op group, assign one player to focus on healing so the rest can focus on dealing damage to the boss when it spawns.
- 3+ Mega Potions and 2 Herbal Potions for emergency healing when you can’t step away from combat
- 1 Fireproof Mantle to negate the burn damage from periodic volcanic vent eruptions
- 2 Pitfall Traps and 1 Shock Trap to stun the mid-mission boss during its enraged state
- 5 Rations or Well-Done Steaks to keep stamina maxed during the long traversal section
You might be tempted to bring extra capture tools for small monsters, but you won’t have time to stop for optional captures here unless you’re deliberately grinding for materials. I made the mistake of loading up on tranq bombs on my first run, and I had to toss half of them mid-mission to make room for the rare ore nodes you can only collect in this chapter’s unique map area. That means you should leave at least 6 empty slots in your item pouch before starting, too.
Navigating the Volcanic Basin Terrain Without Taking Unnecessary Damage
The chapter 5-1 map is the first introduction to volcanic terrain in Monster Hunter Wilds, and it’s full of small hazards that add up fast if you’re not paying attention. The glowing red rock patches you’ll see scattered across the ground are pre-eruption warnings, so step away as soon as you see them flash. Most players take 10-15% of their total damage in this chapter not from monsters, but from standing too close to vents when they go off. The map doesn’t mark these vents on your hud, so you’ll have to memorize their locations as you go.
But there’s a hidden narrow path on the west side of the basin that skips three of the most active vent clusters entirely, if you climb up the first stone ledge you see right after the opening cutscene ends. I started using that path on my second run, and I didn’t take any environmental damage at all that time. You can also pick up burn-resistant moss growing on the shaded sides of those ledges, which gives you 10 minutes of extra fire resistance without using a mantle slot. Just don’t spend too much time exploring off the main path, because the mission has a 20 minute time limit that’s easy to hit if you get distracted by gathering.
Beating the Mid-Mission Anjanath Sub-Boss Fight
Right after you collect the third ancient relic the mission asks you to find, a cutscene will trigger that spawns a wild Anjanath right in front of you. This Anjanath is slightly weaker than the one you’ll fight in the full assigned hunt later, but it’s still fast enough to one-shot you if you’re wearing low-defense leather armor. Its weak points are the head and the tail, so focus your attacks there to deal the most damage as quickly as possible. If you’re using a bladed weapon, you can even cut off its tail partway through the fight to get a rare bonus material, though you don’t have to do that to progress.
The best tactic here is to use the pitfall traps we mentioned earlier right when it enters its enraged state, when its nostrils start glowing bright red. You’ll get 5 full seconds of unimpeded attacks to its head, which can shave off 20% of its health bar in one go if you’re using a heavy damage weapon like a greatsword or hammer. You don’t have to kill it, either – once you get its health down to 30%, it will run away, and you can go back to collecting the remaining relics. I wasted 10 minutes trying to kill it on my first run, and I almost ran out of time before I realized you only need to drive it off.
Unlocking the Hidden Bonus Reward for Chapter 5-1
Most players finish this chapter with only the three required relics, but there’s a fourth hidden one tucked behind a waterfall on the east side of the basin, right near where the Anjanath runs off after you defeat it. The fourth hidden relic isn’t marked on your map at all, so you’ll have to go out of your way to find it. If you collect that relic before turning in the mission, you’ll get a Volcanic Core as a bonus reward, which is required to craft the first set of fire element weapons available in the early game.
You only get one chance to collect this relic, since you can’t come back to this specific version of the volcanic basin map after you finish the chapter. I didn’t find out about this reward until I was 10 hours deep into the game, and I had to start a new save file to get it, so don’t make that same mistake. It only takes 2 extra minutes to run over and grab it, and it will make the next three story missions way easier if you craft the fire greatsword or fire bow from the core. The weapon deals 30% more damage to the ice-type monsters you’ll fight in chapter 6, so it’s well worth the extra effort.
At the end of the day, chapter 5-1 Monster Hunter Wilds is designed to test the skills you’ve picked up in the opening hours, not punish you for missing small details. If you prep the right items, use the hidden terrain shortcuts, and remember you don’t have to kill the Anjanath to progress, you’ll clear it on your first try with all the bonus loot in hand. Don’t get discouraged if you faint a few times on your first run – that’s just part of the Monster Hunter experience, and every failed attempt will teach you little tricks to make the next one smoother.