Monster Hunter Wilds is better with friends, and luckily joining your buddies on a hunt is easy to do. The massive new title is the latest in Capcom’s immensely popular Monster Hunter franchise, bringing hunters to a breathtaking new world. Newcomers and existing fans alike can explore many varied locations to discover many creatures big and small, and uncover the overall story.

Thanks to integrated multiplayer, you don’t have to go at it alone. Friends can work together in teams of up to four to take down larger-than-life monsters and creatures and explore different environments. There are a few different ways for players to link up, and multiplayer settings have a few options to unpack. From lobbies to joint expeditions, here’s everything you need to know about multiplayer in Monster Hunter Wilds.

How To Unlock Multiplayer In Monster Hunter Wilds

Complete The First Chapter To Unlock Multiplayer

Multiplayer doesn’t require any special actions to unlock in Monster Hunter Wilds. However, you’ll need to progress through the first main mission of the game, “Desert Trotters,” to gain access to the multiplayer feature. This first chapter sets up the story and setting lets you choose your first weapon, and serves as a general tutorial for the game.

At the end of the chapter, you’ll find yourself at Base Camp for the first time. At this point, players are released from the confines of the tutorial and can walk around speaking to the NPCs around camp. To officially unlock multiplayer, you’ll need to enter your tent for the first time, and then exit it again.

Upon exiting your tent, you’ll receive a popup notification stating that you now have access to “Lobbies and Multiplayer.” In a series of five concise slides, the game will give you an overview of how multiplayer works, and how you can invite friends to join your game. Read on for a more detailed explanation of multiplayer, how to join a friend’s lobby, and Link Parties and Environments.

How To Play Monster Hunter Wilds With Friends (How To Join A Friend’s Lobby)

Find The Perfect Lobby For You Or Join A Friend

Once you have multiplayer mode unlocked, you’ll be able to join multiplayer lobbies and find friends to go on hunts with. These lobbies can contain up to 100 players, though not all will be visible to you. From here, you’ll be able to join quests started by others, chat via text, see player appearances, and more.

When joining a lobby, you have a few options:

Join a recommended lobby, which will load you immediately into a lobby that fits your general stats and requirements.
Search for a lobby by specific criteria or lobby ID.
Create a private lobby that can only be joined by people who know its ID (these lobbies can only have 16 players, not 100).
Create a squad lobby that can only be joined by members of your squad (these lobbies can only have 50 players, not 100).

When looking for a lobby to join, you can filter by several aspects to ensure you find the best lobby for your needs. Within the lobby search, you can filter by play style (exploration versus story progression, eg.), skill level, language, and more.

Monster Hunter Wilds supports crossplay, which means that friends can play together no matter what console they’re using.

It’s also possible to join friends in their game lobby, rather than find someone new to party up with. If a friend has started a private lobby that you want to join, and you are not currently in a Link Party (more on this in a moment), follow these simple steps:

Select Search Lobby from the main menu.
Enter the ID of your friend’s lobby. (Watch out, lobby IDs are case-sensitive!)

If you’re the host of the private lobby, you can get friends to join by giving them the lobby’s ID number. You can find this information in the menu on the right-hand side of the Communications tab, under “Lobby ID.” You can also send requests to anyone with the game on your friend list on the Monster Hunter Wilds platform you’re using, even if you’re not friends with them in-game yet.

If you start a game in Online Single Player mode, you can still get other players to join in by using an SOS Flare to request help while you’re out on a quest.

How Link Parties Work In Monster Hunter Wilds

Link Parties Stay Together After The Quest Is Over

If you’re just looking to find someone to adventure with, then lobbies are the way to go. But if you’re trying to get the whole squad together with some real-world friends, Link Parties might be a better choice.

Link Parties can have up to four Link Members, which can be added at any point as you play. When someone is in your Link Party, they can join your quests even if they’re not in the same lobby as you. Unlike lobby-made groups, Link Parties don’t disband when the quest is over, staying linked between quests and making it possible to continue hunting together.

There are a few other benefits to creating a Link Party:

Link Parties stay linked even after logging off, so players can pick right up from where they left off when they return to the game.
When one Link Member joins a quest, others in the party get pinged about it and have the chance to join them.
Voice chat is available for party members.

Forming a Link Party is easy; simply open the Start Menu, navigate to Communications, then select Link Party. Here, you’ll be presented with the option to invite friends, other players in the lobby, and people you’ve already gone on previous quests with.

How Environment Link Works In Monster Hunter Wilds

Embark On Expeditions Together With Environment Link

In addition to Link Parties, Monster Hunter Wilds also has an Environment Link option for players. While Link Parties can go on quests together, Environment Link allows parties to freely explore different locations without the constraint of being on a specific quest.

Environment Link can be activated by entering the Link Party menu and selecting Invite All to Environment. This will bring all current members of the Link Party into the Environment Link, allowing them to explore together outside of quests.

Environment Link is disabled during certain points in the main story. If you’re unable to open an Environment Link, play through a few more main missions to unlock the option again.

When the leader of a Link Party turns on Environment Link, party members will become visible to each other when out in the field, even when they’re not on a quest together. With the Environment Link, players can go on expeditions together. Environment Link also makes it possible for friends to complete Field Surveys together, which are quests that can be started from out in the field. These multiplayer features make it possible to enjoy Monster Hunter Wilds together on several different levels.