By the time a hunter reached the Forbidden Lands and cleared the first half of Monster Hunter Wilds, the road ahead looked deceptively quiet. The story had delivered its biggest blow, yet the true preparation was only starting. Those who paused to check the settlements noticed new request markers appearing across the map — each one a side mission that could make the rest of the hunt far more comfortable.

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There are 35 side quests in total. Most of them hand out materials and zenny, but a smaller group holds something far more valuable: permanent mechanical upgrades. A hunter who ignored these early would still reach High Rank, but they would do so without the quality-of-life tools that make long sessions feel smooth.

The Layer Beneath the Story

Side missions in Monster Hunter Wilds rarely change the main narrative, but they shape how the hunter experiences everything else. The rewards range from common ore and herbs to entirely new systems. The most important rewards fall into two categories.

  • 🐱 Palico skills — new combat and support abilities for the hunter's cat companion

  • 📦 Material Retrieval NPCs — passive gatherers who collect Honey, Mandragoras, and other resources over time

A hunter named Mira learned the difference after spending several hunts manually gathering Mandragoras for crafting. Once she unlocked the right NPCs, her pouch filled itself while she chased monsters through the desert. The change felt like switching from a gathering hammer to a full support team.

Prioritize These Unlocks First

Not all side quests deserve equal attention. The recommended path is clear: do the quests that unlock Palico skills and Material Retrieval NPCs before anything else.

The Palico skills are especially valuable. They improve how the companion behaves in hunts, which means faster traps, smarter heals, and more reliable support when a monster turns aggressive. Material Retrieval matters just as much for crafting. Suddenly, ingredients that used to require long detours appear in the hunter's storage with little effort.

Priority Unlock Type Why It Matters
1 Palico skills Stronger support during hunts and better survival
2 Material Retrieval NPCs Passive farming for Honey, Mandragoras, and more
3 Resource and zenny rewards Funds for gear and consumables
4 Optional quest repeats Reliable monster farming when the map is empty

When the Full Roster Appears

Most important side quests only become available after the first half of the campaign. Once a hunter defeats Zoh Shia, new request markers pop up across every region and settlement. That moment marks the real start of High Rank preparation.

To unlock the remaining side quests, the hunter must clear Chapter 4. Doing so opens the way back to Wyveria in High Rank and reveals the final slice of the side mission board. Players who rushed straight into endgame gear often missed these later quests simply because they never returned to old NPCs.

Side Quests Turn into Optional Quests

After completing a side mission for the first time, many of them transform into Optional Quests. The original turn-in rewards disappear, but the monster hunts remain available. This is a quiet advantage for hunters who need to farm Tempered monsters when none are showing up on the map.

For example, a hunter could finish a request from Plumpeach and then return to that same fight as an optional quest whenever materials ran low. The loop kept the grind steady even on days when the open world felt empty.

Inventory Tip: Some Quests Finish Immediately

A few side missions are little more than delivery requests. Plumpeach's Make Fluffy Dealings quest works this way. If the hunter already carries the requested items, the quest completes the moment it starts.

This is why collecting everything in the wilds matters. Herbs, ores, monster parts, and odd trinkets might seem useless at first, but a stocked inventory can finish multiple side missions in seconds. That lesson turned many casual scavengers into prepared veterans.

Final Thoughts

By 2026, Monster Hunter Wilds players still recognize side missions as one of the smartest early investments in the game. The story may end, but the real rhythm of the Forbidden Lands only begins when the hunter stops to help its people. Those who prioritized Palico skills and Material Retrieval quickly found that every later hunt became easier, faster, and far less tedious.