Through perseverance and a lot of wishful thinking, I’m attending my dream grad school while writing about the games that have molded me into the person I am today. I’m choosing to say goodbye to Monster Hunter: World because it feels like the right time. Of course, there are times when I feel low, unsure of myself and my place in the world, but I’ve learned how to bounce back – and my experiences in the New World played a part in that. And my elder dragon nemesis, Kirin, will forever wander the reefs of the Coral Highlands, waiting for me to notch an arrow and strike, but things are different. Yes, the online servers will still be around. As I get reacquainted with Monster Hunter: World’s UI and attempt to fight monsters from older updates, I can’t help but feel as if a bittersweet farewell is in order. Monster Hunter Rise is just around the corner and enticing as ever. Monster Hunter: World will endure, but Version 15.10 is a sad reminder that this is the end of post-launch content. It was nice to know that large-scale events were frequent, and a dedicated fanbase still existed. ![]() Traveling to the gathering hub and watching dozens of hunters – amateurs and veterans alike – set out on quests together brought a smile to my face. Nevertheless, I dove into the expansion to see its new locales and get trampled by its dangerous monsters. Even when I no longer needed Monster Hunter: World to feel courageous or important, I carried its emotional impact with me to job fairs and interviews.īy the time Iceborne launched during the final quarter of 2019, my monster-hunting tenure as Spider Face, the battle-hardened marksman, had already come to an end. Mastering the bow class, handily navigating every labyrinthine environment, and meticulously preparing for monster encounters paralleled my mission to overcome depression and become productive. Somewhere between the handler’s constant ruminations, the Bazelgeuse’s disorienting airstrikes, and each mission’s victory fanfare, I found small reasons to be happy again. More importantly, I was freely talking and goofing off with friends. I also exhausted Monster Hunter: World’s end-game content by grinding each tempered elder dragon for better bows and gear. One year (and 600 in-game hours) later, I was a high-level hunter showing newcomers the ropes. ![]() For just a few seconds, the win screen in a video game meant everything to me. Whenever I let that final arrow fly and watched each beast – likely mid-jump – fall back to the earth in slow motion, I felt so accomplished. I was too busy drawing Tempered Kushala Daora’s attention so that my squad could heal and place bombs or traps. Luckily, amid the various biomes of the New World, the fears and self-doubts that echoed in my mind were nonexistent. Despite being an archer, I loved positioning Spider Face at the frontline so we could lead the charge and deal devastating damage up close. You equip items with skills that complement your specific playstyle, craft throwables and consumables from collected ingredients, and then, like any savvy hunter, grab a meal at the canteen for status buffs and game-changing perks. There’s nothing quite like preparing for a momentous battle in Monster Hunter: World. During the waking hours of each day, these dark thoughts tormented me, and so sleep became a lifeline. Eventually, I decided that job-searching wasn’t worth the trouble because I wasn’t good enough. Of course, that never happened because I was too defeated to apply anywhere. I was sure that, one day, I’d wake up to a miraculous email or phone call from some prominent game studio or publishing house, exhale, and feel like I had value again. I was just going through a temporary phase. Still, I had convinced myself that everything was fine. Family members suggested therapy and offered emotional support. Most days, I couldn’t find the energy to get out of bed, eat, or talk to anyone. Post-grad depression and a long stretch of unemployment ripped my self-confidence and optimism to shreds. You see, Monster Hunter: World was the game I desperately needed back in 2018. If I wasn’t compiling the best bow builds or crafting legendary armor sets, I was likely meditating beneath the hanging crystals of the Elder’s Recess or sprinting through flower meadows in the Wildspire Waste. ![]() Soon, my avatar “Spider Face ” was born, and together we spent hundreds of hours conducting field research expeditions and, ultimately, vanquishing the game’s mighty fauna. Even so, I spent half of Monster Hunter: World’s launch day tinkering with its character creator. I wasn’t particularly impressed by his explanations of the series’ age-old gameplay loop. He’d been playing Capcom’s famed action/RPG franchise for as long as I could remember. Monster Hunter: World was an unexpected gift from my best friend.
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