Monster Hunter Wilds, which has faced criticism for optimization and frame rate issues since its launch last February, has received another patch. Early user feedback suggests that a significant number of these issues have been resolved.

Capcom rolled out update 1.040.03.01 on the 28th at 11:00 AM. This update focuses entirely on improving optimization and addressing several bugs. The game runs stably with Nvidia GeForce graphics drivers version 586.57 or higher, or Radeon versions 25.9.1 or 25.9.2, while some issues have been reported with Radeon version 25.10.2 or higher.

First, a review process was conducted to reduce CPU and GPU processing loads. By reducing pre-processing outside of shader compilation and adjusting texture streaming, the developers improved visuals and lowered VRAM usage. A patch was also added to reduce the capacity and load of the high-resolution texture pack.

A 'CPU Settings' tab has been added to the options. New items have been added to the graphics settings, and the volumetric fog setting has been subdivided from two levels to five. The existing 'High' has been changed to 'Ultra', 'Low' to 'High', and new 'Medium', 'Low', and 'Lowest' tiers have been introduced. Graphics preset settings will be automatically updated upon the first launch after the patch.

Additionally, a bug reported by the community earlier this month, where processing load increased in base camps and gathering hubs depending on DLC ownership, has been fixed. Furthermore, Variable Rate Shading (VRS) is now disabled when upscaling is in use, and warning dialog errors occurring with specific Radeon driver versions have been resolved.

User reactions to the optimization patch are mixed. Many players are finally experiencing improved frame rates, particularly in gathering hubs and base camps. However, many high-end PC users have pointed out that objects and backgrounds in the high-resolution texture pack appear lower in quality or muddied compared to before. There is also dissatisfaction regarding forced restrictions, such as the inability to set graphics options above 'Medium' if using a graphics card with 8GB of VRAM or less.