The latest title update for Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak has introduced a new arena quest featuring Shagaru Magala, along with a ranking system that has quickly become a hot topic within the community.
While the concept is exciting, it has unfortunately been scarred by widespread cheating and exploitation, raising questions about the integrity of the rankings and the gamers’ trust in such systems in the game.
The Ranking System and Rewards
Capcom introduced a new ranking system for the arena quest, offering unique rewards based on players’ performance:
- The “Mark of Contest” pendant: awarded for simply participating in the quest.
- The “Mark of Bravery” pendant: given to players who achieve an A-rank time.
- A special, exclusive pendant: reserved for players who rank in the top 10,000 globally.
This system was designed to encourage participation and reward skilled players. However, it quickly became apparent that the leaderboards were being dominated by cheaters.
The Cheating Problem
According to a Reddit post by a user, approximately 42% of the top 10,000 rankings are confirmed to be cheated times. Some estimates suggest this number could be as high as 70%. The most blatant cheaters claim to have completed the quest in less than 10 seconds, which is clearly impossible.
The issue extends beyond just the obvious cheaters. There are concerns about more subtle forms of cheating, such as minor damage increases or health modifications, which are much harder to detect but still provide an unfair advantage.
Legitimate Top Times and Strategies
The fastest legitimate clear time mentioned was 1 minute and 50 seconds, achieved by a user. This impressive time was made possible by:
- Using the hunting horn’s self-buffing abilities
- Using items like might seeds for increased damage
- Employing the Rocksteady Mantle for knockback immunity and damage reduction
- Setting up echo bubbles for increased damage output.
- Capitalizing on knockdowns and positioning
The Overall Impact of this Cheating Problem
The incidence of cheating has had several negative effects on the Monster Hunter community:
- Discouragement: Many players feel demotivated, seeing the leaderboards filled with impossible times.
- Suspicion: Legitimate impressive runs are now viewed with skepticism.
- Questioning the point: Players wonder if it’s worth putting in the effort when cheaters dominate the rankings.
Capcom’s Response
Capcom has acknowledged the issue and promised to address it:
- They will remove obviously abnormal times and those found to be cheated.
- Rewards will only be distributed after a tabulation period to confirm final rankings.
- Cheaters may face suspensions.
Community managers have also highlighted that they’re taking fair play seriously and that addressing illegitimate times is an ongoing process.
Suggestions for Improvement
To address the issues with the current system, some suggestions have been made:
- Implement a more robust anti-cheat system.
- Change the reward system to be based on achieving a set (but challenging) time, rather than ranking in the top 10,000.
- Balance the provided loadouts for different weapon types to ensure fairer competition.
Conclusion
While the concept of an in-game ranking system for speedrunning is exciting and has the potential to create unique experiences, the implementation in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak has faced significant challenges.
We hope to see improvements in future iterations, balancing the excitement of competition with the need for fair play and integrity in the rankings.
As the situation continues to evolve, the best choice would be, all the players and developers should must work together to create a system that rewards skill and dedication while effectively fighting with any kind of cheating and exploitation.
