Does Monster Hunter World End? No – It‘s Only the Start of the Journey
While Monster Hunter: World‘s main story concludes after the final boss, the game opens up into a massive endgame with years of post-launch support. Defeating Xeno‘jiiva completes the critical path after 40-50 hours, but unlocks greater challenges. For devoted hunters with 500+ hours invested, the adventure never truly ends.
Critical Path Duration: 40-50 Hours
The main story arc of Monster Hunter: World, including key hunts and cinematic cutscenes, takes most players between 40-50 hours. Speedrunners have finished it in under 4 hours, but that requires skipping all optional content.
For a comprehensive playthrough, the story lasts about two days of active hunting. That MAIN quest list covers:
- Low/High Rank Hunts
- Establishing Astera Settlement
- Confronting Flagship Monsters
- Zorah Magdaros Battles
- Discovering Elder Crossing
- Investigating ?????? Tracking Xeno‘jiiva
Defeating the mysterious Xeno‘jiiva in the "Land of Convergence" quest finishes this critical path, unlocking the endgame.
Endgame Unlocks After the "Final Boss"
While Xeno‘jiiva seems to be the climax, the real challenges and depth start AFTER the credits roll. I‘ve sunk 300 hours into Monster Hunter World endgame alone.
The endgame revolves around:
- Augmenting Weapons & Gear
- Tempered Monster Investigations
- Improving Hunter Rank
- Event Quests
- Gear Optimization
There are exponentially more quests, monsters, gear combinations, and goals to pursue after the story finishes.
By the Numbers: More to Do at Endgame
Here‘s a quick comparison of content before and after the credits:
| Stage | Key Quests | Large Monsters | Gear Sets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Story | ~50 | 31 | 14 |
| Endgame | 100+ | +35 | +24 |
Finishing the story is satisfying, but over 85% of monsters, gear, and meaningful progression systems open up AFTERWARD.
Years of Post-Launch Updates
Monster Hunter: World continued receiving massive free title updates for over 2 years after launch, keeping the endgame feeling fresh with new content every few months.
Major updates included:
- New Monsters: Deviljho, Lunastra, Behemoth etc.
- Seasonal Festivals & Events
- Gear/Cosmetics
- Quality of Life Changes
- Tougher Variants & Investigations
Capcom‘s live service support eclipsed that of most "ongoing games", with 14 title updates total.
Iceborne Expansion Doubles Down on Content
As if 100s hours of base game endgame wasn‘t enough…the Iceborne expansion essentially doubles the scope.
- Brand new story taking 30+ hours
- 30+ new monsters
- New locale: Hoarfrost Reach
- Clutch Claw mechanics
- Master Rank gear sets
- Guiding Lands endgame zone
- Additional title updates
Combining Monster Hunter: World and Iceborne provides 500+ hours of content before maxing out your hunter.
What‘s Next? Future of Monster Hunter
While live service updates have ceased on MHW/Iceborne, Capcom continues evolving the franchise. Monster Hunter Rise adapted classic gameplay for Nintendo Switch, and was ported to PC/Xbox/PlayStation in 2023.
With each release selling 5-10+ million copies, Monster Hunter remains extremely popular worldwide. Fans can expect regular sequels and installments on various gaming platforms.
So for those wondering – no, Monster Hunter: World does NOT truly end. The journey gets bigger after the credits with expansive endgame systems and continuous series updates!
