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Despite being one of the fastest-selling games in history, Monster Hunter Wilds has also been one of the most controversial games Capcom has ever made, with its review score still struggling to recover so long after release. While most of these problems stem from its poor performance, it also lacked many quality-of-life features or staples that the franchise has been known for.
Thankfully, after its latest fourth Title Update, Monster Hunter Wilds is in the best spot we've seen since launch, which is partially thanks to the grand return of one of the features that has confused fans for the past 10 months. While Monster Hunter Wilds has already managed to become one of 2025's best RPGs, its latest update is an even greater sign of what's to come in the new year for fans of the series.
Monster Hunter Wilds Finally Added Its First Elder Dragon
Even though it's been a long wait for Monster Hunter Wilds to get its very first legendary monster to face off against, Gogmazios has been an absolute terror to the Forbidden Lands and its inhabitants, finally living up to the title of a true Elder Dragon.
Being described as monsters that defy typical classifications and exist outside the standard ecosystem, Elder Dragons are meant to be terrifying forces of nature that wield immense power throughout their long lifespans. Having much more intelligence than standard monsters and even being immune to traps, Elder Dragons are intended to be a walking disaster that molds the environment and weather to their needs, which understandably causes a crisis everywhere they go.
Even though Monster Hunter Wilds had more than a few pseudo Elder Dragons like Gore Magalla and the final Zoh Shia to put your skills to the test, the absence that once felt like a major problem for Wilds finally feels like it was worth the wait after seeing how Capcom has implemented the monster type so far.
Gogmazios can only be fought after reaching HR100+ and having defeated the Zoh Shia hunt unlocked at HR 41.
With the fight requiring a whole team of 8 hunters to beat through 3 distinct phases, taking advantage of elemental weaknesses, and multiple terrifyingly brutal phases that encourage quick decision-making and teamwork, a full Gogmazios hunt offers an incredibly tense and fresh experience from start to finish, with some gorgeously explosive visuals to match it.
Gogmazios Has Always Been A Perfect Fit For Wilds
While there are plenty of classic monsters that Capcom could bring back to flesh out its offerings in future content updates, Gogmazios was one monster I've always thought was a perfect fit for Wilds, even if solely for the inclusion of the gunpowder-filled Oilwell Basin being a prime hunting ground for a hungry behemoth like Gogmazios.
Aside from making plenty of sense from an ecological standpoint of why monsters like Gogmazios would be lurking around the Oilwell Basin in the first place, the fight itself is something that had immense potential in the original Monster Hunter 4, but was held back by the technical limitations at the time.
Even though the Gogmazio hunt still suffers from having a few repetitive gimmicks or a slightly less expansive moveset during each of it's 3 phases on their own, the sheer spectacle of the revamped fight is a drastic improvement that takes full advantage of everything Monster Hunter Wilds has to offer, especially on the reduced faint limit of its optional quest variant.
Despite some citicism, Gogmazios in Monster Hunter Wilds is an excellent example of how to properly treat an Elder Dragon with all the love and challenge they deserve. Being one of the hardest monsters in the game, Gogmazios is also a great follow-up to the higher level of difficulty offered by the Savage Omega Planetes and revamped Arch Tempered monster fights that have been slowly added with each major update.
Monster Hunter Wilds' Is Finally Giving Elder Dragons The Respect They Deserve
Easily one of the most common complaints from long-time fans about Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Rise was how underwhelming many of its Elder Dragons tended to be. Although Rise helped by pulling back on the number of Elder Dragons from World, the few we did get weren't nearly as impressive as Gogmazios in Wilds.
Even with fights like Nergigante and Behemoth being standout offerings for their unique designs and incredible difficulty, the sheer number of them being fought in a row and the lack of spectacle around monsters like Kushala Daora, Teostra, and Kirin, or Chameleos after their first encounter, made them hard to differentiate from the other monsters in each game.
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Although Gogmazios was always going to be a unique encounter, given that its original appearance in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate was a similar raid-type hunt that required the use of mounted cannons and even its own Dragonator to take it down, the increase in control and flashy finishers make Monster Hunter Wilds' first Elder Dragon come to life in a way that it's recent predecessors struggle to compete with.
This isn't the first time Wilds has brought back a fan-favorite monster with the flair it deserves, either, as the return of the long-awaited Lagiacrus finally reintroduced the swimming mechanic that had been lost for over 16 years after the release of Monster Hunter 3.
Lagiacrus was originally supposed to be released in Monster Hunter World, but had to be removed due to the technical limitations that Wilds was finally able to overcome years later.
With how much love Capcom has been putting into returning monsters so far, it seems safe to say there is plenty to look forward to for the release of future Elder Dragons and Monster Hunter Wilds' inevitable master rank DLC expansion.
10/10 8/10 Monster Hunter Wilds 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed Action Adventure Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 89/100 Critics Rec: 95% Released February 28, 2025 ESRB T For Teen // Violence, Blood, Crude Humor Developer(s) Capcom Publisher(s) Capcom Engine RE Engine 10 Images Close
Genre(s) Action, Adventure Powered by Expand Collapse