Monster Hunter Now players warn Niantic to avoid Pokemon Go mistakes

The Monster Hunter Now community is fearful that Niantic is making similar Pokemon Go mistakes, with many believing the game is going downhill. 

Monster Hunter Now has proven incredibly popular amongst both veteran and fledgling Hunters alike. While the community is currently preparing for the March update, many players have called out the recent Hunt-a-thon changes that have adjusted the timings of the game’s arena-style mechanic. 

While the limited-time nature of Hunt-a-thons has proven controversial since their introduction, the recent changes have players worried. This comes off the back of last year’s weapon nerfs and node changes, which has led the community to believe Niantic is making similar mistakes seen in Pokemon Go. 

Monster Hunter Now players want Niantic to learn from PoGo

“Niantic/Capcom please don’t go the route of Pokemon Go. I played PoGo from launch to about 2022, where the numerous changes Niantic made just ruined my gameplay flow. I realized I no longer had fun with the game and stopped playing completely,” wrote one player. 

“Then Monster Hunter Now came out! Amazing, I played the living hell out of World so I was pumped for a mobile version with the Niantic infrastructure. The gameplay is awesome and a super way to spend a walk around town doing something fun. I even had three stops near my home, which I could reach by walking around my apartment.”

However, like many players, the commenter highlighted how the removal of material nodes and recent Hunt-a-thon changes have impacted their initial enjoyment. As of February 24, Hunt-a-thons now begin every hour around the 15-minute mark only. This has drastically reduced the amount of Hunt-a-thons that players can engage in, particularly those who don’t pay for Hunt-a-thon tickets. 

This makes it even more difficult to hunt limited monsters like Zinogre, an area that has frustrated many Hunters. “I also struggle with the fact that there is no support for us solo players,” commented one player. 

“Been stuck on rank 5 weapons for ages, can’t do anything over rank 6 monsters. HATs are a waste of time over rank 6. I want to love this game, but I feel like I am only getting punished.”

There has been speculation that Niantic has changed the HAT’s time to make way for a new feature, with Elder Dragon raids being among the most eagerly awaited additions. However, the community believes the Hunt-a-thons shouldn’t have been changed until new content is added. 

“Even if they’re planning to reserve the slot for Elder Dragon raids, why remove the HATs now without replacing them with anything? It’s a really weird/stupid decision IMO,” said one Hunter. 

Either way, the Monster Hunter Now March update aims to bring players back with a wave of anniversary quests, new monsters, and equipment. Whether that will be enough to quell the community’s fears remains to be seen.