How to head toward the forest in Monster Hunter Wilds

In Monster Hunter Wilds, at the start of Chapter 1-3 To the Forest, your first objective is to “Head toward the forest.” But the game provides no guide or marker, and the forest is not on the map. So, how are you supposed to know where the forest is?

While you can use your Seikret’s auto-navigation to reach most objectives in Monster Hunter Wilds, the “Head toward the forest” objective offers no such assistance. Fortunately, this guide will help you to locate the forest and head all the way to it.

How to head to the forest in Monster Hunter Wilds

To head toward the forest in Monster Hunter Wilds, you need to use the Riverside Trail. Open your map and look for a short path leading northeast (the red compass point indicates north) out of the Windward Plains. Hover over the marker at the end of this path, and the following pop-up appears:

To the Riverside Trail
A path that runs alongside a river.
Allows passage to adjacent regions.

Set a waypoint on or near the Riverside Trail marker and head toward it. When you reach the edge of the Windward Plains map, the “Head toward the forest” objective completes, a short cutscene plays, and the quest changes from To the Forest to Forest Findings. The “Head toward the forest” objective actually then reappears, but this time, you get a guideline, and your Seikret will auto-navigate to the forest.

Monster Hunter Wilds forest location

The forest (or Scarlet Forest, to give it its full name) is a region in Monster Hunter Wilds located northeast of the Windward Plains at the far end of the Riverside Trail. It’s a densely forested region with its own Base Camp, where you’ll first meet the eccentric biologist, Erik. You’ll also meet a Lynian tribe called the Wudwuds, set up Pop-up Camps for the first time, and hunt various monsters in the Scarlet Forest.

Most of the main story missions will take place in the Scarlet Forest for the next several Chapters until you reach the Oilwell Basin upon completing the Toward Fervent Fields quest at the end of Chapter 2-1. The Scarlet Forest has two levels: the forest floor, which is flooded in many areas, and the upper canopy level, which can be deftly traversed by your Seikret and is mostly safe from monsters.

For a complete view of everything to be found in the Scarlet Forest, check out our interactive map.