Is Monster Hunter Now Pay to Win?

Is Monster Hunter Now Pay to Win?

Time Stamp: September 25, 2023 6:25 AM

Pay to win is always a concern for mobile games — especially considering they’re free to play. Games often utilize gachapon mechanics, which essentially require players to save currency to roll for the greatest units in the game. And with the release of a free to play Monster Hunter mobile game, this then begs the question, ‘Is Monster Hunter Now pay to win?’

Yes, but not really?

Well… It kind of is, but not really. It truly is a case of “get good,” a sentiment which has rung true throughout all of Monster Hunter series. And in the case of Monster Hunter Now, players have the option to essentially pay for health. In essence, health is the pay to win mechanic. But how does this work?

Players are given a set amount of potions per day, which can be used to regenerate health. Since this amount is capped daily, players looking to push through and beat all the monsters in their path may run into some trouble, especially if they find themselves getting hit.

[Related: Is Monster Hunter Now worth playing?]

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If the player falls below 30% health, they have to wait for their health to regenerate before engaging in battle with a big monster. And it takes around 30 minutes to fully regenerate health in Monster Hunter Now. This is easily the biggest, and easiest argument for Monster Hunter Now being pay to win.

[Related: Monster Hunter Now Elemental Weakness explained]

Get Good Mechanic

There’s a very simple workaround to not need to ever pay: don’t get hit. By not getting hit, players won’t need to buy potions. This requires getting good, a gameplay mechanic all Monster Hunter veterans should be intimately familiar with.

It really is as simple as that.

The game definitely gets very grindy to progress. This grind is facilitated by buying health potions, but that’s assuming you’re getting hit. With a brain dead weapon like Sword and Shield, and a very generous dodge roll mechanic for perfect evades, hits are easily avoidable with good skill.

No Gachapon for Equipment

One of the best, redeeming factors for a free to play player for Monster Hunter Now is that there are no gachapon mechanics to roll for SR or UR equipment in this game. It truly sticks with the Monster Hunter game formula: Kill monsters, make equipment.

There are some slightly pay to win mechanics built in through a bonus carve being transformed into a real life currency mechanic. In essence, players can use microtransactions to double the drops from a certain monster. Players can also purchase zenny with microtransactions in Monster Hunter Now.

But honestly, the allure to do so is very slim. Players should be able to grind for all the gear that they need, granted they’re encountering monsters and getting ‘gud.

The paintball mechanic can also be argued for Monster Hunter Now pay to win. And… Players wouldn’t be wrong for arguing that.

In conclusion

Pay to Win for Mobile games is truly a spectrum — not a definite yes or not question and answer. And within this spectrum, Monster Hunter Now is very lightly pay to win. When compared to other games, such as Genshin Impact, Monster Hunter Now is very free to play friendly.

This rings especially true because Monster Hunter Now isn’t PvP, but rather emphasizes cooperative play. Therefore, the advantages a player gets from paying in game don’t directly compete with other players.

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