A Reddit modder discovered that Monster Hunter Wilds’ notorious performance issues stem from aggressive DLC ownership checks running constantly during gameplay. By bypassing this verification routine, Redditor de_Tylmarande nearly doubled framerates on PC, exposing a critical optimization oversight that’s plagued the game since its launch nearly a year ago.
The discovery comes as Capcom prepares to release Patch Ver.1.040.03.01 on January 27, promising to reduce Steam processing load—likely addressing this exact issue after the findings went public.
The Accidental Discovery
De_Tylmarande stumbled upon the problem when logging into a friend’s account and noticing the constant FPS drops suddenly vanished. After switching between accounts with identical hardware and settings, the pattern became clear: the friend owned all Monster Hunter Wilds DLC, while they only had the base game.
Testing revealed dramatic differences. On the account without DLC, framerates plummeted to 20-25 FPS in hub areas. With all DLC purchased, the same locations ran at 80+ FPS—more than triple the performance. The modder replicated these results across multiple PCs, confirming the issue wasn’t hardware-specific.
| Test Scenario | Base Game FPS | All DLC FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Hub Areas | 20-25 FPS | 80+ FPS |
| With Mod Applied | 43 FPS minimum | 49 FPS average |
| Performance Gain | 79% minimum | 63% average |
Why DLC Checks Destroy Performance
The game continuously verifies DLC ownership during gameplay rather than checking once at launch like Monster Hunter World did. This aggressive validation pings the Steam API every frame, creating massive CPU and RAM overhead that tanks performance, especially in NPC-heavy areas like camps and hubs.
The more DLC you don’t own, the worse the performance gets—the system keeps checking for missing content repeatedly. Once all DLC is detected, the checking routine stops entirely, freeing up system resources and letting framerates soar.
Creating a Solution Without Piracy
Rather than spending $500 on DLC to verify the theory, de_Tylmarande created a mod that tricks the game into thinking all DLC is present without actually unlocking any content. This approach bypasses the performance-killing checks while maintaining the integrity of purchased content—no piracy involved.
The modder shared video evidence showing minimum framerates jumping from 24 FPS to 43 FPS and average performance climbing from 30 FPS to 49 FPS with the fix applied. Digital Foundry has reached out to conduct independent verification, lending credibility to the findings.
Capcom’s History With DRM Issues
This isn’t Capcom’s first DRM-related performance disaster. Resident Evil Village suffered similar problems with custom anti-tamper checks running alongside Denuvo, causing severe framerate drops and stuttering. That game checked DRM status excessively—reportedly even when players fired weapons—demonstrating a pattern of poorly implemented security measures.
Official Patch Coming January 27
Capcom announced that Patch Ver.1.040.03.01 will launch January 27, 2026, at 6 PM PST (January 28, 2 AM GMT) specifically addressing Steam processing optimizations. While Capcom hasn’t explicitly confirmed it targets DLC checks, the timing immediately following this discovery suggests correlation.
De_Tylmarande stated they’ve contacted Capcom with their findings and will only release the open-source mod if the official patch fails to resolve the issue. The community hopes Capcom addresses this fundamental flaw that’s hampered the game’s reception throughout 2025.
Monster Hunter Wilds currently holds only 49% positive reviews on Steam, with performance complaints dominating negative feedback. Fixing this issue could dramatically improve the game’s reputation and player satisfaction.
For more updates on PC gaming performance and optimization, visit TechnoSports. Check out Monster Hunter Wilds on the official Capcom website.
