Monster Hunter: World's PC release finally put the beloved action-RPG series in the hands of modders. With so many interconnected systems, Monster Hunter games are fertile ground for mods, from custom quests to quality of life tune-ups. So it's no surprise World's scene is already rich with helpful, handy and just plain cool mods.
Some Monster Hunter: World mods improve the game's performance and look, while others add features you didn't know you needed until now. Capcom's stance on modding World is still disappointingly vague, but it hasn't done anything to halt the use of any mods for the PC version of MHW. So, mod wisely and at your own risk.
SmartHunter - Overlay
This wonderfully detailed mod adds widgets to your screen that you can resize and drag-and-drop to your liking, offering all kinds of details to aid you on the hunt. The most basic info here is how much HP a monster has and how much damage each person in your hunting party has done. But it goes a step further in showing you cooldowns for your buffs and mantles, and breaking down how much damage has been done to the monster's head, wings, tail, etc.
Best of all, it'll show you how much damage you need to accrue for status effects like mount, paralysis, stun, and so on. It's a lot of information you wouldn't normally get, so if it's too much screen clutter or you feel like you're cheating, you can configure the mod to only show certain features. Be a smart hunter and don't leave home without it.
ALL Items in Shop
Okay, this one is basically cheating, but you know what: It'll make your Monster Hunter life better. Most of Monster Hunter is about that loop of killing monsters, getting parts to make better gear, using that better gear to fight more monsters, and so on forever. But some of the items you need to craft armor or augment it with the proper abilities for a high-level hunt have super low drop rates, and that's when things get frustrating. I'll fight the same monsters many times, but sometimes bad luck means that's still not enough.
This mod adds almost (but not every, despite the name) crafting material and decoration to the in-game shop, where you can buy what you need as long as you have the money. Getting that money's still going to require a lot of hunting time, so use this mod as a last recourse when the RNG just won't swing your way.
Clear Hunter Color and Texture Improvements
I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought Monster Hunter: World, while beautiful, looked a bit washed out. Creision's Clear Hunter ReShade mod injects some much-needed color into the new world, giving you redder Rathaloses, greener Rathians, and bluer Tzitzi-Ya-Kus. It also sharpens textures across the board, especially on armor.
Blur-Be-Gone
While you're sprucing things up, I'd also recommend Dirty Dan's Blur Be Gone mod, which, as you may have guessed, disables World's motion blur as well as the vignetting effect caused by its heavy-handed depth of field. This mod can only be used in conjunction with Kaldaien's Special K pack, but you should be using that anyway, so that's no problem.
Armor Transmog
Monster Hunter: Generations Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch added the ability to transmog your armor's appearance just like you might in World of Warcraft or Diablo 3. But for reasons I cannot fathom, World doesn't have this feature. So, once again, thank god for modders. You can change the appearance of individual armor pieces or save custom loadouts. Finally, you can get the armor skills you want without looking like you got dressed in the dark.
Item Light Pillars
You just killed your seventh Deviljho of the day, and you're still chasing that gem. The post-hunt screen informs you that there's a rare, shiny drop somewhere nearby. It could be the gem you crave. All you have to do is pick it up. There's just one problem: you can't find the damn thing.
This scenario is every hunter's nightmare. Luckily, 2hh8899 created a mod which attaches a clearly visible pillar of light to shiny drops. The funny thing is that all the mod actually does is take the light effect seen on fishing spots and staple it to shiny drops. Nevertheless, it's a godsend.
No Scout Flies
To be honest, I don't hate the scout flies in Monster Hunter: World, but I do hate the neck-snapping camera changes that come with them. No matter what you're doing, whenever these buggers lock onto something, your camera abruptly flies in that direction.
MHVuze's mod disables your scout flies' sound and particle effects, as well as that stupid camera. You'll still be able to track monsters, you just won't have to listen to that incessant buzzing, struggle to see through neon-lit clouds every time you go to gather something, or pop your neck after every hunt.
DualShock 4 Controller Prompts
The PlayStation 4's DualShock 4 controller may not be the best gamepad for PC gaming, but it's still a little disappointing when games only support Xbox button prompts by default. Thankfully, MHVuze also smoothed over this minor annoyance: their mod for DualShock 4 button prompts works exactly as advertised and will save DualShock 4 users a lot of headache.
Thomas the Elder Dragon
Monster Hunter's big bad Elder Dragon Nergigante is pretty scary, but he ain't got shit on Thomas. Replace him with the horrifying dead-eyed tank engine to know true fear.
Meowscular Handler Face
I don't know what possessed UberGrainy to create a mod that swaps the face of your quest-giving partner with the furry visage of Astora's feline chef, but I'm not complaining because this is one of the funniest mods I've ever seen.
