Is Monster Hunter Outlanders a gacha game, and is it pay to win? This guide shows where the gacha and the paid items are, what real money can and can't buy, and how far you can get as a free-to-play (F2P) player. This information reflects the game shortly after launch.
Is It a Gacha Game? The Short Answer
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is it free to play? | Yes. It's free to download and play, with in-app purchases (microtransactions). |
| Is it a gacha game? | Yes. You get adventurers, the characters you hunt with, from the gacha (called recruitment). SSR Buddies can also drop from some banners. |
| Are weapons and armor in the gacha? | No. You craft and upgrade them with monster materials, as in the main series. |
| Is it pay to win? | Not in the usual sense. There's no direct PvP, and paying mainly gets you adventurers and upgrades faster. |
| Can you play everything for free? | The developers say players who don't spend can experience all of the game's content. |
What the Gacha Gives You (and What It Doesn't)
The gacha in Monster Hunter Outlanders is called recruitment. You spend contracts (Standard Contract or Featured Contract) to recruit adventurers. Each adventurer has a set weapon type and skills of their own, so a new adventurer means a new way to play. Right now, shortly after launch, there are four kinds of banners.
| Banner | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Beginner banner | Up to 50 pulls, with an SSR adventurer guaranteed within them. Uses Standard Contract. |
| Featured banner | Features a limited SSR adventurer. Uses Featured Contract. |
| Standard banner | Always available. SSR adventurers and SSR Buddies can drop. Uses Standard Contract. |
| Rotating banner | Features an SSR adventurer for a limited time. SSR Buddies can also drop. Uses Standard Contract. |
None of the current banners is just for Buddies. SSR Buddies drop from the standard and rotating banners, and you can also get them without paying, as shown below.
Weapons and Armor Aren't in the Gacha
You craft weapons and armor from monster materials and upgrade them, as in the main series. The Fated Adventurer, the character you create, is free and can freely switch weapon type, element, and Ultimate type. The developers have called the Fated Adventurer the core of the free-to-play experience.
Pity guarantees an SSR within 90 pulls on the featured, standard, and rotating banners. Rates, pity, and how the 50/50 works are covered in the guide below.
Gacha Rates & Pity / Current Banners
Rutacoin vs Crimson Crest Coin
Two currencies matter for spending: Rutacoin, which you earn by playing, and Crimson Crest Coin, the paid currency.
| Currency | How you get it | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
 Rutacoin | Area tasks while exploring, daily tasks, the Monster Challenge, events, and mail. Some paid items also include it. | Contracts (150 each), Energy refills, appearance tickets, and more |
 Crimson Crest Coin | Mainly top-ups with real money | Packs, Wish, and layered armor in the shop |
Some items, such as the monthly pass, the paid battle pass, and season packs, are bought directly with real money rather than coins.
Because Rutacoin buys contracts, free players can keep pulling with the Rutacoin they earn. Rutacoin also refills Energy, so decide what to save it for.
Free Pulls & Contracts / Energy (Stamina)
What You Can Buy With Real Money
Here's what the shop sells and what each purchase actually changes.
| Purchase | What you get | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly pass | Crimson Crest Coin and Standard Contract when you buy it, then Rutacoin every day for 30 days if you log in. First purchase: one of three SSR adventurers, all of whom also drop from the standard banner. | More pulls |
| Rumbling Pot of Harvests (paid battle pass) | Upgrade materials, Zenny, Rutacoin, and contracts. In the first season, it also gives a second Kojiro (SSR Buddy), on top of the one from the free track of the Rumbling Furnace. | Faster upgrades |
| Packs | Expedition, starter, limited-time, weekly, monthly, and season packs. Mostly contracts and upgrade materials. A few can also be bought with Rutacoin. | More pulls, faster upgrades |
| Top-ups | Crimson Crest Coin. The first purchase of each amount gives double coins. | Coins for packs and cosmetics |
| Wish | Box-style draws whose main prizes are layered armor, plus icons, frames, and Featured Contract. | Mostly looks |
| Layered armor | Outfits sold in the shop | Looks only |
If you want to spend a little, the monthly pass is the best value. The guide below ranks every purchase.
Best Purchases / Wish Banner / Layered Armor
Is It Pay to Win?
Before launch, the developers answered this in interviews. They said:
- The game is PvE-focused with no direct PvP, so paying players never directly overpower or disrupt other players.
- Players who don't spend can experience all of the game's core content.
- No character is locked behind a paywall. Paying only speeds up how fast you recruit them.
- Cosmetics give no stat bonuses.
What Paying Actually Changes
Paying gets you more pulls and more upgrade materials. You'll have more SSR adventurers sooner, including limited ones, and raise them faster, which makes tough hunts easier. Combat is still hands-on with no auto battle, so your own skill matters too. Some modes, such as event rankings, reward a stronger team, but there's no mode where you fight other players directly.
How Far Can You Go Without Paying?
A lot of strong rewards are free. These are the main things you can get without paying:
| Reward | How to get it |
|---|---|
| An SSR adventurer | Beginner banner: guaranteed within 50 pulls, using Standard Contract from rewards |
| Luka (SSR adventurer) | Clear the quests in the permanent event Surging Lightning |
| Pyro (SSR adventurer) | Exchange coins from the permanent event Adventurer's Chronicles |
| An SSR adventurer or Buddy of your choice | Standard banner: pick one after 300 pulls in total (once) |
| Kojiro (SSR Buddy) | Free track of the Rumbling Furnace: reach level 60 (first season) |
| An SSR Buddy of your choice | Trade 120 Rumbling Gear from the free track of the Rumbling Furnace. You can get one every two seasons. |
| Contracts | Weekly quests, Adventurer Rank rewards, the monster field guide, events, and Rutacoin exchanges |
Where Free Players Feel It
Without paying, you get fewer pulls, so you'll have to choose which limited adventurers to go for, and upgrading takes longer. Save contracts for the adventurers you really want, build up the Fated Adventurer, and use SR adventurers to fill gaps in your team. The F2P guide covers what to upgrade first.