Monster Hunter Wilds is already off to a great start with its first title update, revealing plenty of exciting content in its recent live showcase. From highly requested features like the gathering hub and Palico chefs returning alongside new additions like bowling-themed minigames or co-op arena quests, there's plenty of content to add replayability on the way. With the sheer number of features revealed, monsters like Mizutsune were somewhat overshadowed in the showcase itself.

The exciting reveal of Lagiacrus didn't do Mizutsune any favors either, finally letting the glorious leviathan make a much-deserved return in the fifth generation of Monster Hunter. While Mizutsune's gameplay reveal wasn't all too shocking, given it had already been announced several times in previous announcements, Mitzutsune still showcased some significant and interesting differences. Even if you haven't played the previous Monster Hunter Rise​​​​​​, it's still apparent that this version of Mizutsune seems much more ferocious than before, with a few new moves at his disposal.

Mizutsune Will Provide A More Formidable Challenge With Its Soulseer Form

An Exciting Variation Of The Fan-Favourite Monster

While there were no signs leading up to the reveal hinting at the change, the latest showcase for Monster Hunter Wilds revealed that the Mizutsune making his way to the forbidden lands will likely return alongside its Soulseer deviant form. First appearing in Monster Hunter Generations and even the more recent Monster Hunter Stories 2 spinoff, the Soulseer is a drastically more aggressive and somewhat larger version of Mizutsune, with a deadly new move set to match his ferocity.

The Soulseer Mizutsune can be immediately identified by the battle scars running across its face, rendering the creature entirely blind and slower to move or attack at first. After touching one of its bubbles or dealing enough damage, the Soulseer will become enraged and empowered with new moves, allowing him to inflict himself and hunters with a status effect that boosts vulnerability and damage simultaneously, somewhat similar to the Frenzy mechanic of Gore Magala.

There's a good chance that Wilds is incorporating the abilities of the Soulseer deviant into the tempered version of Mizutsune.

In addition to its standard water attacks, one of the more unique features of Soulseer Mizutsune is that it gains access to a wide new array of fire-based moves as seen in the trailer, unleashing explosive bubbles and blasting out blue fire from its body. Given that the trailer clearly showed a normal Mizutsune alongside one using its Soulseer abilities, there's a chance that Wilds is incorporating the abilities of his Soulseer deviant into the tempered version of Mizutsune, fitting perfectly into Wilds' narrative that tempered monsters in Wilds are older veterans with plenty of combat experience.

Monster Hunter Is Filled With Interesting Deviant Monsters

Offering Plenty Of Challenges While Offering More Variety

Soulseer Mizutsune is far from the only variant in the Monster Hunter Franchise, with plenty of unique variations for iconic monsters across the franchise, from Rathalos to Gore Magala and even the Lagiacrus. With the incredibly iconic Lagiacrus finally making its reappearance in Wilds after being cut from Monster Hunter World, a future DLC expansion would be the perfect chance to include one of the monster's deadliest variants. Despite underwater combat failing to return in Wilds, Abyssal or even the Ivory deviant forms of Lagiacrus would offer an incredibly challenging spectacle, giving the beloved monster even more staying power.

Specialized variants of existing monsters are practically a staple of the franchise at this point, with Monster Hunter Wilds even adding an exciting new subcategory to the mix with its Guardian monsters. While guardian monsters are certainly a great fit with the new story direction of Wilds, there are plenty of interesting and challenging deviant monsters that deserve a second chance in Wilds. Although Soulseer Mizutsune is a great option to port over to Wilds, it would also be fantastic to see more iconic monsters get unique guardian forms as well, offering a fresh hunting experience when facing familiar monsters.

Title Update Monsters Have An Even Better Chance To Shine In Monster Hunter Wilds

Letting Iconic Monsters Stand Apart From The Crowd

While Monster Hunter WIlds is filled to the brim with unique monster designs and variations, the franchise still encounters problems with many monsters getting massively overshadowed by a select few of the most powerful ones. Monsters like Rompopolo and Balahara are incredibly creative additions to the franchise, but more popular returning monsters or exotic types like Nu Udra and Xu Wu do a much better job at stealing the show, especially when offering equally powerful gear.

By spreading out iconic monsters like Mizutsune and Lagiacrus in individual title updates, delayed releases offer a much better chance for these monsters to have the greater impact and spotlight that they truly deserve. On top of the sole update focus, title monsters get the chance to become exciting new challenges for hunters, quickly becoming a staple of Wilds' post-game offerings, even if only for a limited time. With plenty of potential for new monster types and countless options for iconic monsters to bring back after Lagiacrus, I'm incredibly excited about the future of Monster Hunter Wilds.