How Multiplayer and Friend Invites Work in Monster Hunter Wilds

Almost any game is more fun with friends, and the same is especially true for Monster Hunter Wilds. If you’re looking to learn about how multiplayer works in Monster Hunter Wilds, here’s all you need to know about inviting and playing with friends.

How Multiplayer Works in Monster Hunter Wilds

Monster Hunter Wilds will have a seamless crossplay experience at launch so you can invite your friends across platforms to join up in the same lobby.

Once you launch the game and load your save file, you’ll have the option to create an online lobby, join an existing lobby, or start in online single-player mode. Regardless of the mode you choose, you can invite other players to be friends via the Lobby Member or Hunter ID search options from the Member List in the start menu.

Lobbies

Once you’ve joined a lobby or others have joined yours, you’re free to explore the open world as you wish until the quest is started. Once the quest is initiated all of you will join up and depart. There are two types of lobbies: private and public. Private lobbies can only be joined via ID and password, while recommended lobbies will place you in the closest public lobby that matches your preferences. You can talk to Alma at any time and change your Lobby from the Quest Counter.

Link Parties

Unlike lobbies, Link Parties allow you to join up with a group of dedicated hunters. When you’re part of a Link Party, whenever one of you starts a quest, an invite is automatically sent to everyone else. Link Parties can have up to four players, they have a dedicated chat and remain active even after you finish and return from a quest.

There are also a bunch of communication options including in-game messages, emotes, and stickers that you can use to communicate with your party of hunters. You can also send Environment Links to members of your Link Party which lets them join and explore the same biomes as you.

Squads

Squads let you create large communities of Hunters. Think of them like massive guilds you can join with several other players. You can then create squad lobbies for members to join and chat in. You can search and apply to join squads at the Squad Formation Center at the base camp. Each player can join up to eight squads at a time and squads have a maximum capacity of up to eight players. Whether you want to join highly competitive or casual-friendly squads, the choice is yours.

Squad members also have access to a special squad lobby feature and the lobby’s maximum size increases as your squad size increases. Be careful as your lobby will automatically disband if you add more members than the maximum squad size. Afterward, your maximum squad size will be increased to accommodate the increase in members.

How Story Mode Co-op Works

You can play the story mode in co-op with friends and the story progression will count for both of you if you choose to play it this way. You’ll have your own cutscenes which you can choose to skip or watch and you won’t be thrown into the quest until one of you starts it from the Quest Counter.

SOS Flares explained

SOS Flares allow other hunters to join your quest without being part of your Friend List or Link Party. You can also join other people’s quests by checking their SOS Flares from your options menu and joining in on a quest or for a particular monster you want to hunt. You don’t need to be in a lobby to join an SOS Flare, so you can enjoy multiplayer while keeping your own experience mostly single-player if that’s your preference. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

Even when you’re playing solo or offline, you’re not technically always alone. You can always pop an SOS Flare from your essential wheel and you will be joined in your hunt by NPC hunters who will make the fight easier. It doesn’t reduce the rewards you receive so there’s no reason to avoid using it unless you just prefer the thrill of a solo hunt.

There is no harm in joining any of these multiplayer modes as the rewards you receive will remain the same. If you prefer playing solo, the game runs perfectly fine offline as well.

That’s all you need to know about the multiplayer and how to invite friends in Monster Hunter Wilds. For more guides, also check out where to find the golden fish and how to ride monsters.