Fast Travel in Wild Hearts is similar on the surface to Fast Travel in Monster Hunter but sits atop a deep and complex system of craftable structures.
Fast travel is a key feature in any game with large, expansive maps, and Wild Hearts is no exception. On the surface the mechanic is similar to that of the Monster Hunter franchise’s, where players have to find and unlock campsites around the map that they can then fast travel to and between during hunts. But where Monster Hunter leaves it as little more than that, Wild Hearts goes much deeper in developing the mechanic.
Hunter’s Tents -the campsites for Wild Hearts– are a type of Dragon Karakuri, ancient technology that was first show in the Wild Hearts gameplay preview. Players will discover ‘Dragon Pits,’ wells of energy that contain different amount of earth, fire, water, wind, and wood energy, scattered throughout the game’s different regions. Each Dragon Karakuri uses some fo the Dragon Pit’s energy, and they all have different uses and functions that help players prepare for their hunts. Hunter’s Tents let the player travel between a region’s Dragon Pits, but they use up energy that could be put to other Dragon Karakuri.
How To Travel Fast in Wild Hearts
As mentioned above, each Dragon Pit has different amounts of five energies. These Pits and their energies are vital for hunting Kemono, and many Karakuri built-in Wild Hearts act as weapons for those hunts. Hunter’s Tents cost 50 Earth Energy to be built, and that’s a substantial investment. 9 of the starting region’s 13 Dragon Pits don’t even have that much Earth Energy. Later on in the game, rare crystal materials can be obtained to expand a Dragon Pit’s energies, such as Giant Spring Dust Crystals and Large Mist Crystals, but until then players will have to be strategic.
There are several Dragon Karakuri that help the player travel around the map, and they are almost essential to have.
Wild Hearts does not have an equivalent to riding Monster Hunter Rise’s Palamutes, and YouTuber RageGamingVideos has an excellent showcase on the use of the travel-base Karakuri.
The Flying Vine, built for 15 Wood Energy, lets the player set up a zip-line leading away from the Dragon Pit. This can let players skip cliff faces and massively simplifies traveling from one zone to another.
Then there’s the Dragon Roller, a 40 Fire Energy Dargon Karakuri that lets players ride around the map inside a giant hamster wheel, going from place to place. Strategically used with the Hunter’s Tent, these two Dragon Karakuri can let players quickly zoom around the many different regions inside Wild Hearts no matter the platform.
Source: YouTube/RageGamingVideos