Health Gauge - How to Display and Increase Health

Guide for the Health Gauge in Monster Hunter Wilds (MH Wilds). Guide on how to read the HP gauge, maximize, display, and increase the limit.

How to Display Health Gauge

Hold L1

Monster Hunter Wilds' health gauge can be displayed by holding down L1. In addition to the health gauge, you can also check the stamina gauge, remaining time to increase the health limit, and icons for enhanced status. Note that it will always be displayed even if you do not press L1 if you are interacting with a monster.

Change Settings to Always Display

You can change the health gauge display from 'Game Settings'. If you want to be able to always see it without pressing L1, set it to 'Fixed' to fully display at all times.

How to Increase Health Gauge Limit

Eat Cooked Meals and Local Cuisines

Eating Cooked Meals or Local Cuisine increases your maximum Health for 30 to 50 minutes. This boost significantly affects the difficulty, so always eat a meal before heading out on a quest.

Adding Ingredients Extends Duration

The effect time of the BBQ Grill is 30 minutes if only Rations are used, but it can be extended to 50 minutes by adding Additional Ingredients. You can add any ingredients you want, so add as many Additional Ingredients as possible when cooking. If you just want to extend the effect time, you don't need to add Finishing Touches.

Time Pauses at Base Camp or in Tent

The health limit increase effect time is not consumed while in Base Camp or Tent. The count starts when you enter the area where monsters appear.

Raise Max Limit with Items

Item	Time and Effect
Well-done Steak	[30 Minutes] - Health and Stamina limit increases to maximum - Recover a little Health and Stamina
Max Potion	[15 Minutes] - Health limit increases and instantly recovers to maximum
Ancient Potion	[15 Minutes] - Health and Stamina limit increases to maximum and instantly recovers to maximum

In addition to cooking, you can also increase your health limit with certain items. However, in both cases, the effect time is shorter than cooking, so basically we recommend raising the health limit with cooking. In particular, Max Potion and Ancient Potion are useful as Recover Items, so refrain from using them just to increase your health limit.

Health Gauge Details

Green Gauge Decreases When Attacked

When you are attacked by a monster, the green part of your Health gauge decreases, and the decreased amount is displayed in black and red. The red gauge automatically recovers little by little over time, but the black gauge does not automatically recover. If your health is decreasing, use recovery items frequently.

Enhancement & Status Icons

When you strengthen your Status with Items, Meals, etc., or get inflicted by status ailments, an icon will be displayed above your Health Gauge. When the effect time is less than 20 seconds left, the icon will start counting down, and when it reaches 0, the icon will disappear.

Evade or Guard When Red Wave Appears

When a monster attacks and the attack is likely to knock out the Hunter, a large red wave appears on the health gauge. The wave only shows for a brief moment before the attack, so if you see it, quickly 'Evade' or 'Guard' to survive.

Specific Skills and Effects

If you equip armor skills like Heroics or meal skills like 'Guts' that activate based on remaining health, a reference vertical line will be added to the health gauge. Heroics shows a white line, and Guts shows a yellow line, so keep this in mind.

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