Every piece of equipment you use in Monster Hunter Wilds is vital for the next hunt. That doesn’t just include your armor and mantles, but your choice in Talismans too. These function exactly like Charms from prior titles, with all of their names and descriptions even referring to them with that term. What’s more tricky than their naming scheme is understanding how to acquire more of them.
Many Talismans are available to unlock and be upgraded to new levels. The biggest obstacles for this are the same ones you’ve been fighting against since you started playing Wilds: a lack of information and a cumbersome UI experience. That’s why we’re going to explain what you need to do to start your charm collection.
How to Upgrade Talismans
Forging new Talismans is simple enough. All you need to do is visit the Smithy and select the Forge/Upgrade Talismans option to see what can be crafted. Keep an eye out for any that have a red chest symbol, since you will only see their first tier on the Forge List. Unlike weapons with their upgrade tree or armor that can be strengthened all in one menu, upgrading is handled separately.
While you’re on the Forge List, press R1/RB to switch over to the upgrade list to see which Talismans can be powered up. From here, you can select the ones you have the required materials for to upgrade them to their next tier. Each enhancement will raise their equipment skill level by one. A Blessing Charm I will grant a level 1 Divine Blessing skill, while a Blessing Charm II will grant the level 2 skill.
Upgrading a Talisman will typically replace the option with the following tier when there is one. For example, upgrading to Blessing Charm II should take it off the Upgrade List and replace it with Blessing Charm III. I say “should” because sometimes there can be a hurdle to displaying new talismans. Don’t worry, we’re going to cover that too!
How to Unlock More Talismans
Unlocking these charms is similar to how it works for armor in that you need to discover the required materials first. Monster Hunter Wilds has plenty of big and small creatures for you to get parts from. The big ones can require repeated hunts to finally get a specific part, while some of the smaller life forms may require you to explore every nook and cranny of a map. If you want additional Talismans to forge or upgrade, you’ll need to hunt more monsters and capture Endemic Life as well.
It’s also worth mentioning that the required materials will vary across upgrade levels. Some of them will need a mix of monster parts each time, and a few even require Hunter Symbols. Just like with any other equipment, I recommend using the Wishlist mechanic to help you farm all the materials you need.
That leads to another issue you might come across. If you can’t switch over to the Talismans Upgrade List tab or if it’s greyed out, that just means you don’t have anything to currently upgrade. It could be that you’ve reached the maximum level for everything or that you haven’t found all the materials to unlock an enhanced version’s recipe. The menu will be available again as soon as you have something to upgrade.
On a related note, it’s a good practice to fight any new monsters or stronger variants that are added in updates. Both Mizutsune and Arch-Tempered Rey Dau provide materials needed for higher-level charms. Remember that you’ll need to hunt these and gather the right materials before the upgrades are made available to forge. Considering that Arch-Tempered Rey Dau is only available with limited-time events, you may need to prioritize farming particular hunts when you have the chance.
Monster Hunter Wilds is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PCs.