A Japanese Monster Hunter Wilds player has already hit Hunter Rank 999, just about one week after launch, causing quite the surprise and debate within the community. The player reportedly reached the max rank in roughly 163 hours of gameplay, which is an incredibly short time considering the game launched about a week ago.
Unbelievable Speed and Strategy
This feat is eight times faster than even the most dedicated grinders, who are still far below that rank after 100+ hours. How is it possible? Theories include:
- The player might have left the game running while AFK or had multiple people sharing the account.
- They could be exploiting high-XP quests, like spamming dual monster hunts (e.g., Tempered Blagonga, Odogaron/Xu Wu, or Ajarakan/Gravios) with 1-2 minute clear times.
- Joining hunts just before monsters die or rotating investigations with a group could maximize XP gains.
But the numbers just do not quite add up. With over 1,000 kills on specific monsters and no size crowns, some players suspect optional quest farming or even cheats like damage mods. Even with nonstop 3-minute kills, the math still seems off, and many think a coordinated 4-player strategy, rather than a solo effort, is the only way this could be legit.
Community Reactions and Doubts
Opinions are obviously split on this topic. Some are impressed by the dedication, while others call it pointless or “sad,” arguing it kills the fun and burns through content too quickly. Things just don’t add up, especially the fact this player hunted thousands of monsters without a single crown, which has a lot of hunters suspecting cheats might be involved.
However, some in the community speculate a 4-player group could achieve this through extreme optimization, like using Heavy Bowguns to speedrun optional missions (e.g., Tempered Ajarakan + Gravios) in under 2 minutes, as suggested in a YouTube video shared by players within the Reddit thread (see below). But this is just a theory, not confirmed by the Japanese player, and many still doubt it fully explains the ~163-hour playtime to HR999, especially with lingering questions about solo grinding, AFK time, or potential cheats.
If you are interested, you can check out the community discussions on Reddit below, where you will find more details and can see how players are reacting!
While it may be very impressive, many hunters rightfully argue that this kind of extreme grinding detracts from the enjoyment and fun Monster Hunter Wilds typically offers.
What do you think? Is it dedication, clever team tactics, or simply cheating? Let us know on X/Twitter!