9★ Tempered Monsters (Pain, But Make It Content) 💀
If you’re HR 100+, you now unlock the “I hate myself” tier: 9★ tempered hunts. Tougher stats, meaner moves, and actual reasons to optimize.
The current tempered roster:
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Rey Dau
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Uth Duna
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Nu Udra
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Jin Dahaad
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Gore Magala
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Arkveld
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Mizutsune
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Lagiacrus
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Seregios
These pop up in the field and as 9★ quests. Spawn tweaks apply (some targets favored in certain locales once you cross HR100). Bring carts. Plural.
Talismans, But Not A Trust Fall ✨
The old charm grind was… a choice. Now, high-end quests can drop Glowing Stones. You appraise them → get an Appraised Talisman with randomized skills. It’s still RNG (welcome to hunting) but there’s finally a clear loop: Run 9★ → get stones → roll power. No more praying to a loot spreadsheet.
Pro Move: Save a loadout preset called “Stone Farmer” with max uptime, Partbreaker, and your fastest clear set. Your wrists will thank you.
Weapon Balance: Buffs Over Nerfs (We Love To See It) 🛠️
Capcom touched a lot of kits this round-think Lance, Insect Glaive, Sword & Shield, Charge Blade, and friends-leaning into “make the weak feel strong” instead of gutting mains. Expect smoother combos, nicer motion values, and fewer “Why is my weapon held together with duct tape” moments.
Hammer Truthers: Your spicy stagger follow-up actually landed in 1.020; 1.021 continues the broader tuning. Bowgun users also get love, plus a system-side Recoil Aim Assist toggle if you want a little quality-of-life without fully automating your aim.
PC Performance + QoL: Not Mid Anymore (Mostly) 🧯
1.021 ships additional stability/optimization on top of the earlier shader-compile fix. There’s still headroom to improve, but the game’s less likely to melt your GPU for fun. Assorted UI/UX and inventory niceties landed too (hello, Favorites + faster management).
Fashion hunters: Layered love continues from prior updates; mix your fits and go stun on the tempered wildlife. Rich kid energy, but make it drip.
What To Do Right Now (The Actionable Bit) ✅
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Hit HR100 (or finish the climb). Unlock tempered.
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Craft A 9★ Starter Kit:
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3C Comfort: Maxed Defense, Stun Res, Divine Blessing (your survival tax).
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DPS Core: Pick your weapon’s meta pair (e.g., Crit Eye + Weakness Exploit + Agitator or equivalent).
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Pet Build: Palico crowd control is underrated in tempered-don’t sleep on it.
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Stone Farm Route: Pick two tempered targets you clear fast (Mizutsune/Seregios are popular) → loop for Glowing Stones → appraise → lock good rolls → repeat.
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Rebuild Around Talismans: New charms = new breakpoints. Re-tune decos and slots before you blame the meta.
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Try Off-Meta Weapons: With buffs skewing positive, this is the perfect time to be That Guy™ with Lance or IG and still carry lobbies.
Mini-FAQ (Because We’re All Asking)
Q: Do I need to no-life to see progress? A: No, but 9★ isn’t a tourist attraction. A few smart routes + solid builds will print stones faster than raw hours.
Q: Is endgame “fixed”? A: It’s meaningfully better. There’s finally a loop with teeth and a chase worth chasing. More monsters/variants later would seal it.
Q: Should I come back on PC? A: If performance traumatized you at launch, 1.021 is friendlier. It’s not a miracle patch, but it’s trending the right way.
Verdict 🧪
1.021 isn’t a content dump-it’s a design correction. A real endgame tier, a Talisman loop with purpose, and buffs that encourage variety. If Wilds felt like a “beat the story, uninstall” situation, this patch flips the loop from mid to moody and addictive. Not me actually caring again.
Now if you’ll excuse me, Seregios is about to turn me into shredded parmesan. Send carts.
