Small Hunter Gains?

[Lauro]

Hello all currently the game is designed to kill "BIG" monsters but is there a point to killing "small" animals like lizards in the desert etc ? or are those just for armor for "collection" cosmetics ?

[Nihrahk]

Some armors require parts from small monsters, as well as that of the big ones. At least in previous titles. I'm not sure how it works in Wilds since we weren't able to forge or upgrade armor and weapons in the beta.

[ᔑᓭ∴ᔑリ⊣]

theyre for materials same as everything else, ores, bones, etc

normally some small monsters have their own dedicated equipment, but a lot of other equipment will require parts from small monsters. as an example, you might get a specific type of claw or scale from a small monster that you dont get from large monsters, but making the large monster equipment might require a couple of said claws or scales.
similarly, the items the small monsters drop may be dropped by large monsters too, but the small monsters mean theres an easier and more efficient way to get those items

IIRC most of the lower tier equipment takes materials from gathering spots and small monsters, so you can still progress in terms of your equipment without actually needing to kill any large monsters for a while. it depends on how wilds will do its progression, but we do know at least that bone armour is returning from past games which did require the materials of small monsters to craft, not just gatherable items. theres no reason why it wouldnt be the same for this game, and in fact i do at least remember carving specific materials from the bugs during the beta which wouldnt exist for no reason

the game is all about fighting big monsters but it would be a boring boss rush if there was nothing else to do except that

if you mean endemic life, birds, fish, tiny lizards etc. these arent small monsters, they dont give materials, but you can catch them with a capture net for completionist rewards. in World, there were also some event quests for capturing them that gave cosmetic armour, and capturing them also gave research points (a form of currency) which was generally what was used for farming and such. it's not the only way to get these points but thats all you got for capturing them. (there's nothing at all for actually killing them with your weapons) you could also release them inside your house as purely visual pets but we don't know if thats a returning feature or not yet

[PainusUranus]

In World, I would farm bugs/minerals for gear that had unique buffs (For a nice gathering outfit for example).

Minerals helped my noob ass in new areas a lot as an incremental armor step up to fight a big monster. You could do the same with the lesser jagras/shamos/etc as well though.