If you’ve booted up Monster Hunter Wilds for the first time, you’ve probably stared at the overflowing quest board and wondered where to even start. It’s easy to waste hours on low-reward side missions while missing key quests that unlock better gear, new biomes, or endgame hunts. Having a clear monster hunter wilds mission list to reference takes the guesswork out of progression, so you can spend more time hunting and less time scrolling through quest descriptions. This guide breaks down every mission type, priority quests to tackle first, hidden missable content, and how to use the list to optimize your farm runs.
Breaking Down the Monster Hunter Wilds Mission List by Type
All missions in the game fall into four core categories, each with its own rewards and purpose. You don’t have to complete every single mission to beat the main campaign, but understanding what each type offers helps you pick quests that align with your current goals. Key Story Missions are always marked with a bright red exclamation point on your quest board, so you never miss them if you’re focused on advancing the plot first. Hub missions scale to the number of players in your party, so you don’t have to worry about them being too easy or too hard if you’re playing with friends of different skill levels.
- Story Quests: Advance the main narrative, unlock new regions, core monsters, and high-tier gear crafting recipes
- Optional Side Quests: Non-essential hunts and fetch tasks that reward zenny, rare materials, and permanent QoL upgrades
- Hub Quests: Multiplayer-compatible hunts with higher difficulty and 10% better rare drop rates than solo story quests
- Limited-Time Event Quests: Rotating missions that reward exclusive layered armor, craftable decorations, and crossover collab items
It’s worth noting that optional side quests don’t expire, so you can always come back to them after you’ve beaten the main story if you’d rather focus on progression first. Event quests, on the other hand, only stay available for 1-2 weeks at a time, so you’ll want to knock those out first if they have a reward you want.
Priority Missions to Complete First for Fast Progression
When you’re first starting out, it’s easy to get distracted by every side quest that pops up in your notifications. But focusing on a small set of priority missions first will get you access to endgame content 2-3 times faster than clearing every quest in order. You should always prioritize missions that reward permanent upgrades over one-time zenny payouts, since those upgrades benefit every future hunt you do. For example, the early side quest to deliver 5 sun cacti from the desert biome unlocks an extra 10 slots in your item pouch, which makes every long hunt way less frustrating.
I made the mistake of grinding 10 low-level side quests for extra zenny when I first started, and I ended up missing that pouch upgrade mission for 3 hours. I had to constantly fast travel back to camp to restock on potions, which added so much unnecessary time to every hunt. If you’re playing with friends, make sure all of you have completed the required story missions to unlock the same hub quests, otherwise you won’t be able to join each other’s lobbies for those hunts. Hub quest progression is separate from single-player story progression, so you can grind endgame hub hunts even if you haven’t finished the full single-player campaign if you want.
Hidden Missable Missions You Won’t Find on the Main Quest Board
Not every mission shows up on the main quest board in your home base. A lot of rare, high-reward missions are unlocked by talking to specific NPCs around the different biomes, or by completing certain hidden objectives during regular hunts. For example, if you find a lost researcher in the northern ice biome during a regular Anjanath hunt, talking to them will unlock a special mission to hunt a tempered elder dragon that isn’t available through the regular quest board. That mission rewards a unique decoration that boosts your stamina recovery by 20%, which is one of the best early endgame decorations you can get.
Always take 2 minutes to explore off the main path during hunts to find hidden NPCs and interactable objects that can unlock these missable missions. Another example: If you break every part of 3 different Rathian hunts, you’ll unlock a special capture mission that rewards a rare Rathian plate, which usually has a 3% drop rate from regular hunts. That’s a huge time saver if you’re trying to craft Rathian armor for your early game build. Most hidden missions have no time limit, so you can complete them at your own pace even if you unlock them early in your playthrough. Just make sure to revisit old biomes after you beat the main story, since a lot of endgame hidden missions only unlock once you roll credits.
How to Use the Mission List to Optimize Your Farm Runs
Once you have a full monster hunter wilds mission list to reference, you can plan your farm runs to get the materials you need as efficiently as possible, instead of doing random hunts over and over. First, group missions that take place in the same biome together. For example, if you need materials from both a Barroth and a Jyuratodus, pick the hub quest that has both monsters in the same swamp biome, instead of doing two separate hunts. That cuts your travel time and prep time in half, and you can collect extra crafting materials from the biome while you hunt.
Always check the mission reward list before you start a hunt to make sure the material you’re farming is actually a possible reward for that specific mission. I’ve had friends spend 2 hours grinding a story quest for a rare monster gem, only to find out that gem only drops from the hub version of the same hunt. Another tip: If you’re farming for multiple materials from the same monster, pick the capture mission instead of the slay mission, since capture missions have a 15% higher rare drop rate across the board. You can sort your in-game mission list by biome, difficulty, and reward type to make planning these farm runs even faster. You can also stack missions that require the same meal buff or item loadout, so you don’t have to go back to base to restock between hunts.
At the end of the day, you don’t have to 100% every mission on the monster hunter wilds mission list to have fun with the game, but having a clear breakdown of what’s available helps you avoid missing out on great rewards and content that makes your hunts easier. Whether you’re a new player just learning the ins and outs of the weapon combo system or a veteran hunter grinding for endgame decorations, taking a few minutes to plan your quest line before you start playing will save you hours of frustration later. Don’t forget to check back regularly for updates to event missions, since new limited-time quests with exclusive rewards drop every couple of weeks. If you have a favorite hidden mission that we didn’t mention, drop it in the comments below to help other hunters out.