Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 3 is another win for the fashion-conscious

I'm already eagerly anticipating Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 3, which is set to introduce one of the most unique fights the action RPG series has seen in its 20-year history. I certainly didn't expect Omega to be the Final Fantasy crossover of choice, but the potential for interesting dynamics it creates is massive. Yet I might actually be even more excited about a change to cosmetic loadouts, which is set to blow the dust off my layered sets and ensure I fall into the vice grip of lethargy no longer.

In its latest 'Guild Report,' Capcom details some new additions coming with Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 3 in late September. TU2 brought some big improvements to one of 2025's best RPGs, including layered weapons, and that trend is set to continue. One small but significant change coming for the next overhaul is a 'link equipment appearance' option in the loadout menu. This new setting will let you tie your layered armor sets to your gear loadouts, meaning you'll be able to save specific appearances for each one that will be automatically applied when you equip them.

It might seem small, but I can't wait. I've found myself using the same layered armor set for dozens of hours, because it's just slightly too disruptive to fiddle with the menus in the middle of a hunt chain. The introduction of layered weapons has only exacerbated the problem, so having a simple solution (one that worked well in Monster Hunter World) is a huge relief.

That's not all that's coming, however. Among the other highlights, mantles will now reset their cooldown when you start a quest, meaning no more awkward moments where you have to start a fresh fight without your optimal loadout. Monsters will no longer actively seek out your pop-up camps to destroy them; those in high-traffic areas will still be subject to regular threats, but they might survive a little while longer before trouble arises.

New quests are being introduced with monster packs as your target, affecting the three main 'herd' monsters in Wilds: Doshaguma, Hirabami, and Yian Kut-Ku. Additionally, the recently returned Lagiacrus can appear in the Wounded Hollow arena. That's a particularly interesting one - Capcom says "its behavior has been tuned around the unique characteristics of the location," suggesting it'll act as a way to battle it without needing to deal with the underwater sequence that typically punctuates the latter part of fighting one.

The announcement of the FF14 crossover event, which arrives with Title Update 3, was enough to get me to boot up for some warm-up hunts. After months of focusing on the continued performance problems suffered by many PC players, it was almost a surprise to remember that the core game, when it works, is just as good as I remember from when I wrote my Monster Hunter Wilds review.

That's of little consolation to players who are still unable to play without serious frame drops or other performance woes, however, and will inevitably put a bit of a dampener on the release of Omega Planetes in TU3. Game director Yuya Tokuda has said that the first round of load reduction for CPUs is currently scheduled to arrive in Title Update 4, and will be followed by "a second stage of further mitigation measures" in the future.

While we wait for the late-September launch of Title Update 3, you can try another of the best games like Monster Hunter. If you'd rather not wait for Capcom's performance patches, we've got a comprehensive guide to the best gaming CPU in 2025.

Are you still playing Wilds, or has another game filled that gap for you? Let us know in the PCGamesN community Discord server, where you can share your loadouts with fellow readers.