As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases and other schemes. Learn more.

Monster Hunter Wilds Arkveld 'speedrun' bests four minutes with surprise exploit

The Monster Hunter Wilds beta lets players go up against Arkveld in a challenging battle, but some are beating it far faster than expected.

Have you fought Chained Arkveld in the Monster Hunter Wilds beta yet? The new trial for Capcom's RPG lets you go toe-to-toe with its fearsome flagship monster, and it's a terrifying first taste. Fast, aggressive, and with long-range attacks using its signature chains, the cover star is a serious threat, especially given that we're going up against it undergeared and with a 20-minute time limit. But some players have encountered a particularly powerful bug that allowed them to bring the beast down in less than four minutes in total.

The second best RPG last night for a few attempts, but despite coming close I couldn't quite bring it down before the time limit ran out.

Of course, there are lots of dedicated veteran speedrunners out there who are already putting their skills to the test. The fastest I've seen so far comes in just under the Monster Hunter Wilds Gunlance. But YouTuber 'Peppo' has that time beat, as seen in the video below – although their method probably wasn't what Capcom had in mind.

YouTube Thumbnail

Jump to the 2:30 mark in the video and you'll see exactly what happens. As Peppo explains it, one of the wounds on Arkveld's right wing wasn't disappearing after it was 'destroyed' by a successful focus attack. The new Monster Hunter Wilds monsters.

To make sure this isn't too overpowered, the wound is supposed to be 'used up' after a focus attack, meaning you can only target each wound one time. Quite why this didn't happen isn't clear, although the fact it only appeared for Peppo's co-op partners suggests that it may be an issue with the way the monster's status was syncing across the network. Whatever the cause, the result is that Peppo's team were able to repeatedly focus strike Arkveld, keeping it near-totally stunlocked and bringing it down just short of four minutes in.

Several commenters note that they've also run into this during the beta – so be sure to keep an eye out while you're playing, because it will certainly give you a big advantage. It's clearly not an intended method, so expect it to be patched out when the full Monster Hunter Wilds release date arrives.

Monster Hunter Wilds beta - A speedrun of Chained Arkveld from YouTuber 'Peppo' coming in at 3:56.09.

If you've not jumped into the new beta, I'd certainly recommend giving it a try. Sadly, it doesn't include the new benchmark tool to test if your machine is ready for launch. Both of the new fights are well worth a look, however. I have a suspicion the version of Arkveld we're fighting might not be its full-power form, but it'll still push you to your limits under the beta's specific conditions.

Can't decide what to use in your next outing? Check out our tier list and thoughts about all the best Monster Hunter Wilds crossplay works if you're eager to team up with friends.

You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or our community Discord to stay in the know.