From deserts, bustling forests, and blazing volcanos to even tundra, a variety of environments appear throughout the Monster Hunter series, each with its unique ecosystem created by a diverse cast of monsters. The experience of adventuring through an unknown world, walking across its lands as you hunt, is one of the great joys when playing Monster Hunter Wilds. This holds for Monster Hunter Wilds, the newest game in the franchise.
After the Windward Plains and Scarlet Forest, hunters will take their next step into the harsh lands of the Oilwell Basin, a place covered in flames and oilsilt. Once there, they’ll find their path blocked by dripping, viscous oil and all-blazing magma. While it may seem to be a sterile, lifeless place, one can see the sluggish movements of small creatures wriggling around in the mire. And here and there in the Oilwell Basin sits what looks like the remains of some ancient civilization.
A Hunt Unlike Any Other in Monster Hunter Wilds
Kane adjusted his grip on his longsword, wiping beads of sweat from his brow. Even from afar, he could feel the heat radiating off the landscape. Flames danced in the distance, turning pools of oil into seething infernos. The ruins of an ancient civilization loomed like silent sentinels, their weathered structures hinting at a past long forgotten.
Beside him, his hunting party readied their weapons. Ayla, a veteran bowgunner, loaded explosive rounds, while Rykka, a hammer-wielding powerhouse, cracked his knuckles. Their Palicos chittered nervously, ears twitching at the distant rumble beneath the ground.
Then, the Oilwell Basin trembled
The Black Flame Awakens
The earth split as a massive form surged from beneath the oilsilt. Nu Udra rose, its octopus-like body writhing, tentacles glistening with the black oil it secreted. Flames licked its slick skin, igniting into a swirling inferno as the beast stretched upwards, its demonic horns casting an eerie silhouette against the burning sky.
A low, guttural sound echoed from within its core. It wasn’t just a roar—it was a warning.
Then, it struck.
A tentacle lashed out with terrifying speed, narrowly missing Kane as he rolled to safety. Ayla fired a volley of explosive rounds, hitting Nu Udra square in the side. But the monster barely flinched. Instead, it twisted its flexible body, wrapping a tentacle around an ancient, rusted pipe and launching itself through the air.
The hunters scattered as Nu Udra came crashing down, the impact sending waves of fire and oil flying. It was unlike any monster they had ever faced—constantly shifting, never staying still, attacking from every angle.
A Desperate Strategy
“Go for the tentacles!” Kane shouted. “Sever them before it overwhelms us!”
Rykka wasted no time. He swung his hammer with bone-crushing force, striking one of the writhing appendages. The blow landed, and with a sickening snap, the tentacle was severed. It thrashed violently on the ground before blackening and rotting within seconds.
“Don’t let them decay!” Ayla called, carving a piece before it was too late.
But Nu Udra was far from done. It coiled its remaining limbs around a ruined pillar, using it as leverage to twist its entire body in a devastating spin attack. The hunters barely had time to react before a wall of flames and molten rock surged toward them.
Kane raised his sword, channeling all his energy into a final strike. He leaped, dodging the fire, and slammed his blade into Nu Udra’s core. The monster shrieked, its flames flickering wildly as it writhed in pain. The attack had left a gaping wound, exposing the pulsing, oil-soaked flesh beneath.
This was their chance.
The Final Blow in Monster Hunter Wilds
With renewed determination, the hunters unleashed everything they had. Rykka’s hammer crashed down like a meteor, Ayla’s shots exploded against the beast’s exposed core, and Kane drove his blade deeper.
Nu Udra let out a final, ear-splitting cry. Its flames sputtered, its tentacles convulsed, and at last, the mighty beast collapsed, its body sinking into the smoldering oilsilt.
The hunters stood in silence, catching their breath. They had done it. They had slain the Black Flame.
But as Kane gazed at the ancient ruins around them, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the Oilwell Basin had more secrets yet to be uncovered.
And in Monster Hunter Wilds, the hunt never truly ends.