Install Ver.1.042.00.00, claim the six free Championship cosmetic DLC items, then run the two new Global Exhibition arena quests from Ricardo’s Challenge Quests menu. The update also makes 26 more Event Quests permanent and offline, adds the Prologue Demo with save transfer, cuts the base-game price, and introduces the Gold Edition bundle.
Nobody had this one on the calendar. Capcom dropped Ver.1.042.00.00 on August 4, 2026 as a free title update for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, and it does far more than tidy up bugs. Between free cosmetics, two fresh arena hunts, permanent quests, a new demo, and a cheaper way to buy the whole game, this is the biggest reason to reopen Wilds since the last major patch.
The Ver.1.042 update at a glance
| Change | What it adds |
|---|---|
| Free Championship cosmetics | Six items, including the Happy-Go-Congakart pendant, four Rolling Poogie pendants, and the Azure Fantasy Wudwud Palico armor |
| Global Exhibition challenge quests | Two new arena hunts, Dreams May Soar and Unchained Arkveld |
| Permanent Event Quests | 26 more quests become offline and permanent, taking the pool to 68 |
| Prologue Demo save transfer | A new free demo whose progress carries into the full game |
| Base game price cut | A permanent reduction on the standard edition |
| Gold Edition | A bundle packing 172 cosmetic DLC items |
| Technical fixes | New functions, optimizations, and bug fixes; roughly a 3.5 GB download |
Claim all six free cosmetic items from your platform store first — the Happy-Go-Congakart pendant, four Rolling Poogie pendants, and the Azure Fantasy Wudwud Palico armor cost nothing and are tied to the Championship celebration, so there is no reason to wait.
Reaching the Global Exhibition challenge quests
The two new hunts arrived alongside the Monster Hunter Wilds Championship Global Exhibition, an in-person event bringing together players from Japan, the US, Europe, and Taiwan in September to crown a single champion. These are the Championship hunts, and you access them through the arena rather than the standard quest board.
Head to the Arena Quest Counter
Find Ricardo, who handles arena quests instead of standard field hunts.
Open the Challenge Quests menu
Select Challenge Quests to bring up the new Global Exhibition hunts.
Pick a hunt and load the preset gear
Choose Dreams May Soar or Unchained Arkveld — both are arena quests with fixed preset loadouts.
“World Championship Hunts” refers to these high-difficulty Global Exhibition challenge quests in Ricardo’s Challenge Quests list.
Inside the two new arena hunts
| Quest | Monsters |
|---|---|
| Dreams May Soar | Azure, Lagiacrus, Nu Udra |
| Unchained Arkveld | Arch-tempered Arkveld |
Both hunts are arena quests, so you do not bring your own build. You pick from preset equipment loadouts and play around the kit you are given. Dreams May Soar is the qualifier-style run: a back-to-back gauntlet against Azure, Lagiacrus, and Nu Udra in a single quest. The presets lean into aggressive kits, with hammer and light bowgun on the opener and a great sword option built around Latent Power and Heavy Bowgun Conversion, so there is real theorycraft here rather than a token loadout.
Unchained Arkveld is the finale hunt the top teams take on, and it puts you against an Arch-tempered Arkveld in the arena. It requires Hunter Rank 100 or higher, so it is firmly endgame territory. The preset options include a sword-and-shield set with full Convert Element, a heavy bowgun, a Gore Magala bow, dual blades, and a switch axe and insect glaive pairing, giving most weapon players something to sink into.
The naming has a clean callback, too: the original Wilds beta let players fight a Chained Arkveld, and Unchained Arkveld brings that arc full circle. This is the big endgame event hunt to clear before the upcoming Ascendance expansion.
Why 26 Event Quests went permanent
Ver.1.042 finishes a job Capcom had mostly done already. With the patch installed, 26 more Event Quests become playable offline and permanent, which pushes the total pool of always-available quests to 68 — effectively all of them. Fan favorites that used to appear on rotation, like the Rompopolo quest, now stay in the list whenever you want to run them.
A few holdouts remain. A small number of quests, mainly the rotating ingredient-gathering content, still cycle rather than staying put. Everything else is now yours to run on your own schedule, which is exactly the kind of quality-of-life move that suits this quieter stretch before the next expansion.
Playing the Prologue Demo and moving your save
Alongside the update, Capcom launched a free Monster Hunter Wilds Prologue Demo on August 5 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It lets you play the opening of the game with the same content as the full version, and — this is the part that matters — your progress carries over if you decide to buy in.
Download the Prologue Demo
Grab it free on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, or PC.
Play through the opening
It runs the same starting content as the full release.
Update the full game to Ver.1.042.00.00
Save transfer needs the latest version installed.
Transfer your save data
Use the in-game save-transfer option to import your demo progress into the full version.
Use same-platform-family transfer only: demo to full game on the same ecosystem. Cross-platform-family save transfer, such as PS5 to PC, is not part of this demo handoff.
Gold Edition, bundles, and the price cut
| Option | Best for |
|---|---|
| Prologue Demo | New players who want to try the opening for free |
| Base game (reduced price) | Newcomers ready to buy in at the lower cost |
| Gold Edition | Collectors who want all 172 cosmetics in one bundle |
| Existing-owner DLC packs | Current players filling cosmetic gaps without rebuying the game |
The way you buy Wilds changed as much as the game itself. There is now a permanent price reduction on the base game, and a new Monster Hunter Wilds Gold Edition that bundles 172 cosmetic DLC items into a single purchase instead of the long list of separate add-ons. It steps in for the older piecemeal offerings, and Capcom also added more consumer-friendly packs aimed at people who already own the game and just want the extras rather than a fresh copy.
Prices vary by storefront and region, so check your platform for the current figures. The through-line is simple: a recent, high-content game getting cheaper and easier to buy into is a genuinely healthy move ahead of Ascendance.
Who should jump back in now
If you already own the game, log in and claim the free cosmetics, then clear the two new challenge quests. Newcomers should start with the Prologue Demo, which costs nothing and rolls straight into a purchase if it clicks. Collectors should compare the Gold Edition with the standalone packs, and endgame hunters should head straight for Unchained Arkveld once they hit Hunter Rank 100.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is World Championship Hunts an official in-game mode name?
No. World Championship Hunts is not a separate in-game mode or quest type. The phrase refers to the high-difficulty hunts tied to the Championship Global Exhibition; in the game, they are challenge quests at Ricardo’s Arena Quest Counter.
Can Prologue Demo progress transfer across different platform families?
No. Move your save within the same ecosystem: demo to full game on the same platform family. PS5 to PC is outside this demo save-transfer flow.
Do you need to be online to play the newly permanent Event Quests after updating?
No. Once you install Ver.1.042, the 26 newly permanent Event Quests are playable offline with no server connection required. That is the whole point of the change: server outages and quest rotations will not lock you out of content you want to run.
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