Monster Hunter Wilds: Endgame Farming and Crown Hunting Guide

Reaching HR 100 marks the beginning, not the end, of Monster Hunter Wilds' endgame. The post-story loop revolves around Tempered Arkveld farming, the Artian weapon crafting system (a new system for creating and upgrading customizable endgame weapons), Tempered Investigation optimization, and the crown hunting grind for the miniature and giant gold crown achievements. This guide covers every dimension of the endgame.

HR 100+ — The Endgame Landscape

What HR 100 Unlocks

• All Tempered Elder Dragons become available as Investigations and Optional quests.
• Threat Level 3 Tempered Investigations are the primary reward source. These provide Sealed Feystones (best decos), Hero's Streamstones (for armor augmentation), and Warrior's Streamstones (for weapon augmentation).
• Arch-Tempered Event Quests rotate weekly and provide Gamma armor sets.
• HR uncap beyond 100: Your HR continues to increase. There is no further cap. HR 999 is the technical maximum.
• The Guiding Lands analogue: The Forbidden Lands open-zone exploration now features tempered monsters roaming freely. You can chain-hunt tempered monsters without returning to base.

Endgame Goals

1. Optimize builds: Full decoration sets for every weapon you play.
2. Augment all armor: Maximum defense on your core armor pieces.
3. Craft Artian weapons: The ultimate customizable weapon system.
4. Crown hunting: Gold crown miniature and giant sizes for every monster.
5. Achievement completion: 100% the game.

Tempered Arkveld — The Optimal Farm Target

Why Arkveld

Tempered Arkveld in Wyveria is the single most efficient farm target in the game for the following reasons:

• Threat Level 3: Drops Sealed Feystones and Hero's Streamstones.
• Accessible AI: Arkveld's moveset is highly learnable. Its chain attacks have consistent dodge timings, and its tells are clear. After 5–10 hunts, you can read Arkveld perfectly.
• Elemental Weakness: Arkveld is weak to Dragon element. Dragon-element weapons deal bonus damage throughout the fight.
• Predictable Arena: The Wyveria arena is flat, open, and free of environmental hazards (unlike Elder Dragon fights in biomes with lava/ice floors/tornados).
• Consistent Kill Times: Skilled players achieve 6–8 minute kill times. Average players achieve 12–15 minutes. This makes it the fastest rotating Threat 3 farm.
• High Reward Density: Arkveld's carves, capture rewards, and Investigation box rewards collectively provide the best decoration-per-minute ratio.

Optimal Arkveld Build

Recommended Weapon: Dragon-element Bow or Light Bowgun. Ranged weapons exploit Arkveld's weak points (head and chain appendages) without dealing with its close-range chain attacks.

Armor Skills:

• Weakness Exploit 3
• Critical Boost 3
• Dragon Attack 5
• Constitution 5 (Bow) or Spare Shot 3 (LBG)
• Health Boost 3 (insurance against the occasional chain slam)
• Evade Window 3 (to i-frame through chain sweeps)

Arkveld Moveset Breakdown

Attack	Tell	Dodge	Follow-up
Chain Whip (single)	Raises right chain arm, pauses	Dodge perpendicular (left or right)	Often whips twice — expect follow-up
Chain Whip (double)	Raises both chains, spins slightly	Dodge twice perpendicular	Safe to punish after second whip
Chain Grab	Chains extend forward, pause, then lunge	Dodge backward	If grabbed, Seikret rescue immediately
Body Slam	Rears up on hind legs	Dodge backward twice	Long recovery — safe to punish
Elemental Breath (Dragon)	Head lowers, mouth glows purple	Sprint perpendicular	Sweeps across arena — wide dodge angle
Energy Absorb	Chains glow, Arkveld roars	Interrupt with Flash Pod or Dragon Pod	Charges an elemental buff — prevent if possible

Arkveld Farming Loop

1. Search for Tempered Arkveld Investigations at the Quest Board. Target 4–5 box Investigations.
2. Eat for Felyne Weakener (reduces monster HP variance — ensures consistently lower HP rolls).
3. Use Lucky Vouchers on 5-box Investigations to maximize reward slots.
4. Capture, do not kill. Capturing Arkveld yields more Investigation rewards (the primary source of decorations and streamstones).
5. Repeat. The loop is: Quest Board → Eat → Investigation → Capture → Return → Check decos → Repeat.

With optimized farming, you generate 8–12 Sealed Feystones per hour.

The Artian Weapon System

Artian weapons are a new endgame weapon crafting system introduced in Wilds. They are customizable weapons built from Artian Parts — fragments of ancient weapons unearthed in Wyveria.

Unlocking Artian Weapons

Complete the Wyveria storyline (Chapter 3) and reach HR 50. The Smithy gains an "Artian Forge" option. You must also collect your first Artian Fragment, which drops from any Tempered monster in Wyveria.

Artian Fragments and Parts

Fragment Type	Source	Use
Artian Fragment	Tempered monsters (Wyveria), Mining Nodes (rare)	Base material — 10 fragments = 1 Artian Part
Artian Shard	Tempered Arkveld, Tempered Elder Dragons	Higher-tier base material — 3 shards = 1 high-quality part
Artian Crystal	Arch-Tempered monsters, rare Investigation reward	Premium material — guarantees high attribute rolls

Artian Weapon Crafting

1. Collect Artian Fragments/Shards/Crystals.
2. At the Artian Forge in the Smithy, combine parts to create an Artian Weapon of your chosen type (Great Sword, Bow, etc.).
3. Each Artian Weapon has three attribute slots: Raw Attack, Affinity, Element/Status, and Sharpness.
4. The combination of parts determines the attribute spread. More Shards = higher base values. Crystals guarantee max-roll attributes.

Artian Weapon Enhancement

Artian Weapons can be enhanced up to 5 times at the Artian Forge:

• Level 1–2: Requires Artian Fragments. Small stat increases.
• Level 3: Requires Artian Shards. Moderate increases. Unlocks a decoration slot (level 1).
• Level 4: Requires Artian Shards + Artian Crystal. Large increases. Upgrades decoration slot (level 2).
• Level 5: Requires Artian Crystals. Maximum stat potential. Second decoration slot (level 3).

Each enhancement level also adds a random bonus attribute (affinity +5%, element +30, raw +3, etc.). The bonus is randomized and cannot be rerolled — you must craft multiple copies of a weapon to chase the ideal bonus rolls.

Optimal Artian Weapon Planning

For raw-focused weapons (Great Sword, Hammer, Long Sword):

• Target attributes: Raw Attack > Sharpness > Affinity. Element is irrelevant.
• Ideal weapon: High raw, purple sharpness (with Handicraft if needed), 0%+ affinity (to reach 100% with skills).

For elemental weapons (Bow, Dual Blades, LBG):

• Target attributes: Element > Affinity > Sharpness > Raw.
• Craft one Artian weapon for each element. Match the element to the attribute slot.

Artian vs. Monster Weapons

Artian weapons are not strictly better than the best monster weapons. They are sidegrades with greater customization potential. A perfectly rolled Artian weapon slightly outperforms the best monster weapon, but the difference is small (~3–5%). The real value of Artian weapons is:

• Filling gaps where certain weapon types lack good monster options (e.g., a specific element/weapon combination).
• Customizing sharpness and affinity to fit your exact build without needing Handicraft or Critical Eye over-investment.
• Endgame min-maxing for speedrunners chasing record times.

For most players, monster weapons are perfectly sufficient for all content. Artian weapons are a luxury grind.

Tempered Investigation Optimization

Threat Level 3 Priority List

Not all Threat Level 3 Investigations are equal. Prioritize:

1. Tempered Arkveld: Fastest kill times, most learnable. S-Tier farm.
2. Tempered Nergigante (if available): Aggressive but predictable. Fast kills with Thunder weapons.
3. Tempered Velkhana: Large head hitzone, predictable ice patterns. Easy 10-minute kills with Fire weapons.
4. Tempered Teostra: Fire aura is annoying but the head weak point is huge. Water weapons.
5. Tempered Kushala Daora: Wind aura deflects ranged attacks. Poison weapons or Wind Pressure Negated mandatory. Slowest consistent kill.
6. Tempered Shagaru Magala: The hardest Threat 3 fight. Frenzy zone makes mistakes lethal. Only farm if the reward boxes (4–5 purple) are exceptionally good.

Investigation Box Value

Purple Boxes	Expected Decos (Rarity 7–8)	Expected Streamstones	Farm Priority
2 boxes	Low (0–1 rare)	1 Warrior's	Trash — delete
3 boxes	Low–moderate (0–2 rare)	1 Warrior's, 1 Hero's	Acceptable for quick runs
4 boxes	Moderate (1–3 rare)	1 Warrior's, 2 Hero's	Good — farm these
5 boxes	High (2–4 rare)	2 Warrior's, 2 Hero's	Priority target

Investigation Management

• Max 50 Investigations in your log. Regularly delete 2-box and undesirable 3-box Investigations.
• Save 5-box Investigations for Lucky Voucher use. Pop a voucher before posting for doubled rewards.
• Share 5-box Investigations with friends in multiplayer. One person's Investigation benefits the entire party — rotate who posts to maximize total hunts.
• Save Investigations: Never delete a 5-box Tempered Arkveld or Nergigante Investigation. These are worth their weight in gold.

Crown Hunting — Gold Crowns (Miniature and Giant)

Crown hunting is the achievement grind for gold miniature crowns (smallest possible monster size) and gold giant crowns (largest possible monster size). The achievement requires gold crowns for almost every monster in the game.

How Monster Sizes Work

Each monster spawn has a randomized size within a species-specific range. Sizes are categorized:

• No Crown: Normal size range (~75% of spawns).
• Silver Crown (Small/Large): Moderately small/large. Does not count toward achievements.
• Gold Crown (Miniature): Smallest possible size tier (~2% of spawns).
• Gold Crown (Giant): Largest possible size tier (~2% of spawns).

The Measurement Method

Before engaging a monster, you can estimate its crown potential:

1. Approach the monster without being detected (Ghillie Mantle or stealth). Position yourself next to the monster for size reference.
2. Compare the monster's leg/body height to your hunter. A gold crown miniature is noticeably shorter than your hunter's head. A gold crown giant towers over your hunter.
3. Use the capture net or slinger aim reticle as a reference point. For bipedal monsters, compare the monster's knee height to a fixed point on your hunter model.
4. If the size looks promising, engage. If not, return from quest (without abandoning — different from abandoning, you keep Investigations) and reload for a new size roll.

Monster Size Comparison Chart

Monster	Miniature Crown (cm)	Giant Crown (cm)	Measurement Tell
Chatacabra	<480	>650	Mini: Knees at hunter's waist. Giant: Hunter reaches mid-thigh
Doshaguma	<520	>720	Mini: Back at hunter's head height. Giant: Hunter at shoulder height
Balahara (length)	<1200	>1650	Mini: Coiled size barely larger than hunter. Giant: Massive
Arkveld	<720	>950	Mini: Chains barely reach ground. Giant: Chains drag behind

Community measurement guides with screenshots are available for every monster. For serious crown hunting, consult these resources.

Crown Farming Strategies

Method 1: Investigation Cycling (Best for most monsters)

1. Collect Investigations for your target monster (the more the better).
2. Travel to the Investigation. Check size via measurement method.
3. If not crown-sized, Return from Quest (do not Abandon). The Investigation is consumed. If you have more Investigations, repeat.
4. If crown-sized, kill or capture. Gold crowns appear at the end screen.

Method 2: Optional Quest Reset (For quest-locked monsters)

Some monsters are more common in Optional Quests. For these:

1. Post the Optional Quest.
2. Check size. If not crown-sized, Abandon Quest (return to base, quest remains available).
3. Repost the same Optional Quest. The size rerolls each time.
4. Repeat until crown appears.

Method 3: Event Quests (Guaranteed or increased odds)

Some Event Quests guarantee specific crowns or have increased crown odds (e.g., "A Giant's Might" might guarantee a giant crown for a specific monster). Check the weekly Event Quest schedule. Capcom has historically added crown-boosted event quests in title updates.

Method 4: Multi-Monster Investigations (Efficiency)

Investigations with 3+ monsters have a higher chance of each monster being crown-sized (the game compensates for multi-target quests with increased size variance). Farm 3–5 monster Investigations for efficient multi-crown hunting.

Multiplayer Crown Sharing

Crowns are shared in multiplayer. If Player A posts an Investigation with a gold crown monster, all four players receive the crown upon quest completion. The community organizes crown-sharing sessions (via Discord, Reddit) where players with confirmed crown Investigations host for others. This is the most efficient method for completing your crown collection.

Streamstone Augmentation

Armor Augmentation

At the Smithy, you can augment armor pieces using Streamstones:

• Defense Augment (Warrior's Streamstone × 1): +5 defense per augment. Maximum 7 augments per piece. A fully augmented armor set gains +35 defense per piece × 5 pieces = +175 total defense.
• Augment Limit Removal (Hero's Streamstone × 1): Raises the augment cap to 11 per piece for that specific armor piece.

Augmenting all armor to maximum defense is a significant survivability increase for Arch-Tempered content.

Weapon Augmentation

• Attack Augment (Warrior's Streamstone × 2): +5 raw attack.
• Affinity Augment (Warrior's Streamstone × 2): +10% affinity.
• Defense Augment (Warrior's Streamstone × 1): +10 defense.
• Health Regen Augment (Hero's Streamstone × 1): Heal on hit (lifesteal). The single most impactful augment. Every hit restores a small amount of HP — functionally gives you passive healing throughout the hunt. Priority augment for every weapon.

Weapons can have up to 3 augment slots. The optimal setup for most weapons is Health Regen + Attack + Attack or Health Regen + Affinity + Attack depending on your affinity needs.

Endgame Progression Roadmap

HR Range	Primary Goal	Secondary Goal
50–70	Unlock all augments, farm Tempered Arkveld for decos	Start Artian weapon crafting
70–90	Max augment core armor, farm AT event quests for Gamma sets	Collect Artian Crystals
90–100	Complete HR 99 quest, uncap HR	Crown hunting begins
100–150	Optimize builds with rare decos (Attack Jewel+, decos)	Crown hunt easy monsters
150–200	Craft perfect Artian weapons for main weapon types	Crown hunt remaining monsters
200+	Achievement cleanup, speedrun optimization	Help others with crown sharing

The endgame of Monster Hunter Wilds is deep, rewarding, and genuinely endless for dedicated hunters. Whether you chase the perfect Artian weapon, the elusive Attack Jewel+ 4, or the satisfaction of a complete gold crown collection, there is always another goal on the horizon. Good luck, and happy hunting.