The goal of Monster Hunter Wilds is, as expected, to hunt monsters using a host of powerful weapons. For the first dozen or so hours of the game, you will be killing all your targets with Power Clashes, Offset Attacks, mounting them, and any other tips and tricks you’ve picked up along the way. However, you will eventually reach a point where you need to take a monster down without killing it. Like everything else in Monster Hunter Wilds, the game just sort of expects you to either already know how to do this or be able to figure out its mysterious systems on your own. This is a complex mechanic so we will break down all the steps to capture a monster in Monster Hunter Wilds.
How to capture monsters
Starting in mission 4-1, capturing monsters will start to become a requirement for progressing through the story. The tutorial itself gives you a basic idea of what to do, but it is far from sufficient for new hunters.
To capture a monster, you will need two things: a trap and tranq bombs. Both of these can be crafted, but the game will provide you with some at this stage to start.
The next step is to fight a monster like normal until it is close to death. This is tough to tell just by looking at it, but you will know the time is right when the monster’s icon on your minimap turns into a skull. Once you see this, lay down your trap and lure the monster into it. Once it triggers the trap, hit it with your tranquilizers until it is incapacitated before it breaks free. If you manage to put it to sleep in time, it will automatically be captured.
Capturing a monster still rewards you with its parts as if you killed and carved it so don’t worry about getting a lesser reward for being humane.