• Guide

How to unlock High Rank - Monster Hunter Wilds

Tackle tougher monsters, craft stronger gear, and become a better hunter by unlocking High Rank mode in Monster Hunter Wilds.

Sam Chandler

February 28, 2025 12:11 AM

Capcom

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Ask any seasoned Monster Hunter player what they’re gunning for at the start of a new game and they’ll answer “Unlocking High Rank”. Once High Rank is unlocked, the weapon upgrade trees grow, the available armor expands, and dangerous monsters become available for hunting. Monster Hunter Wilds doesn’t make you wait forever to unlock High Rank, so you’re going have it rather soon.

How to unlock High Rank: Quests, Gear, Monsters etc

Monster Hunter Wilds’ High Rank unlocks after completing Chapter 4-1: New Ecosystems. Once this part of the chapter is completed, you will gain access to High Rank (High-rank in-game) content that includes environments, monsters, and equipment.

From this point on, you will be able to engage in High Rank hunts to craft weapons that deal more damage and armor that offers better protection. However, you cannot create quests for some monsters if they are too far above your Hunter Rank – so leveling up your Hunter Rank will be important. The good news is that you are now free to level it up as much as you want, as it will now be untied from campaign progression.

You can tell the difference between Low Rank and High Rank monsters in the quest book based on the color of the star. Low Rank uses blue stars and High Rank uses orange stars. The more stars, the tougher the fight. Similarly, any materials with a plus icon (+) indicates it drops from a High Rank monster.

Just because High Rank is available, doesn’t mean you’re ready for the fights. Be sure to keep hunting Low Rank monsters until you reach the end of a weapon’s upgrade path for those materials and get that armor nice and upgraded using Armor Spheres. While you’re preparing for High Rank hunts, read over our Monster Hunter Wilds content for more help with the game.

Sam Chandler

Head of Guides

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as Head of Guides. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler