Monster Hunter Wilds What We Protect Reference Guide

Quick Answer: Monster Hunter Wilds What We Protect is a High Rank Optional Quest and Side Mission where Alma asks you to hunt a Blangonga in Iceshard Cliffs; it becomes available through NPC side-mission progression and shows up in the Optional Quest tab after acceptance.

What Monster Hunter Wilds What We Protect Is

Monster Hunter Wilds What We Protect is a Side Mission that also functions as a High Rank Optional Quest, and its core objective is simple: Alma asks you to hunt a Blangonga in Iceshard Cliffs. That direct quest identity matters because players sometimes treat it like a generic side activity, but in Wilds it sits in the same practical bucket as other optional hunts that are tied to NPC requests and reward progression rather than the main story path.

The clearest way to read this mission is as a two-part flag. First, it is a Side Mission, meaning it is completely optional and unlocked by talking to NPCs in the Forbidden Lands. Second, it is also a High Rank Optional Quest, which means it appears in the Optional Quest tab once you have accepted it from Alma. The mission does not ask for a delivery item or a small-monster cull; the actual job is a full monster hunt against Blangonga in the Iceshard Cliffs.

That distinction is important for route planning. If you are mapping out what to do after story progression opens up the optional layer, What We Protect belongs in the “hunt now, optimize later” category. It is not a story gate, but it is still a meaningful progression node because side missions in Monster Hunter Wilds are tied to NPC conversations and reward completion. In practice, that makes it closer to a questline step than a throwaway detour.

For a broader look at how side requests work across the game, see the related side missions guide and the companion optional quest reference. Those sibling guides help place What We Protect within the larger Wilds mission structure without confusing it with main story objectives or ambient field tasks.

Definition, Effects, and Requirements

What We Protect has a very specific effect: it creates a quest entry that asks you to defeat a Blangonga in the Iceshard Cliffs, and completing it advances the associated side-mission request and yields a reward. The requirement is not broad exploration or passive progression; you need to accept the mission from Alma before the quest becomes visible in the Optional Quest tab.

Core requirements

• Quest giver: Alma
• Quest type: Side Mission / High Rank Optional Quest
• Objective: Hunt a Blangonga
• Location: Iceshard Cliffs
• Visibility: Appears in the Optional Quest tab after acceptance
• Access condition: Unlocked by talking to the relevant NPCs in the Forbidden Lands

The “what it does” part is easy to miss if you skim quest logs. This is not just a lore note about protecting something abstract; the game turns the phrase into a combat request. That means your actual gameplay loop is the same as other monster hunts: track the target, engage it in the field, and finish the hunt cleanly. The side-mission label mainly changes how you receive and track it, not the moment-to-moment combat rules once you are in the hunt.

What We Protect is also best understood alongside other side missions in Wilds, because the game’s side-request structure is consistent: NPCs mostly ask you for ingredients or for slaying small monsters, then give a reward after you comply. This mission is a slightly more substantial version of that formula because it sends you after a named large monster. If you are comparing it with smaller errands, the difference is the scale of the target and the fact that it occupies a proper Optional Quest slot.

Concrete in-game names to remember

• Alma — the NPC tied to the mission
• Blangonga — the hunt target
• Iceshard Cliffs — the hunt locale
• Optional Quest tab — where the mission is tracked after acceptance
• Forbidden Lands — the region where NPC side missions are unlocked

A common misread is assuming “Side Mission” and “Optional Quest” are separate systems here. In this case, they overlap. One describes how the mission is acquired, while the other describes how it is represented in the quest interface. That overlap is exactly why some players only notice the optional quest after talking to Alma, not before.

For help comparing this with other hunt requests and field objectives, jump to the quest unlocks and structure guide or the high rank optional quests reference.

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How to Unlock, Accept, and Track It

What We Protect is unlocked by talking to the relevant NPCs in the Forbidden Lands, and then accepted from Alma before it appears in the Optional Quest tab. That means the mission is not something you stumble into by wandering the Iceshard Cliffs; you have to actively pick it up through the NPC request flow.

The acceptance flow is straightforward, but it is easy to overlook if you are moving quickly through hub conversations. After Alma offers the request, the game only generates the quest details once you have accepted it. That is the key step many players miss when they look for the mission first and talk later. The quest log does not populate in advance as a preview; it becomes visible after you take it.

Unlock and tracking checklist

• Talk to NPCs in the Forbidden Lands
• Accept the request from Alma
• Open the Optional Quest tab
• Verify the target is Blangonga
• Travel to Iceshard Cliffs
• Complete the hunt to finish the side mission

If you are trying to confirm whether you have actually unlocked the mission, the fastest check is the Optional Quest tab. The mission entry should only exist once Alma has handed it over. If it is missing, the usual explanation is simple: you have not yet triggered the NPC conversation chain that awards the side mission, or you have not accepted it after the prompt appeared.

This also explains why route order matters. A lot of Wilds players handle side content while moving between major hunts, but NPC-based missions are not always “live” until the conversation is done. For What We Protect, the system is not hidden in the environment; it is hidden in the dialogue flow. That makes it one of those quests you technically can know about from guides, but still need to trigger in your own save before anything else happens.

Practical tracking tips

• If the mission is missing, revisit Alma first.
• If Alma has no prompt, check whether other Forbidden Lands NPCs have pending requests.
• If the quest is accepted but not obvious, inspect the Optional Quest tab, not the main story list.
• If you are already in Iceshard Cliffs, remember that the quest still needs to be accepted to count as active.

For more on mission pickup flow and NPC request chains, see the linked NPC side mission guide and the Forbidden Lands quest unlock guide.

Best Uses and When to Skip It

What We Protect is best used as a clean High Rank quest clear when you already plan to be in the Iceshard Cliffs, especially if you are chaining optional content and want to keep side-mission rewards moving. Because it is a Blangonga hunt, it naturally fits players who want combat value out of their side quests rather than tiny fetch tasks. If you are hunting for efficient progression, this is the sort of optional mission that justifies itself by being a real monster fight instead of busywork.

Best use cases

• You want to advance an NPC-linked side mission chain.
• You are already building a route through Iceshard Cliffs.
• You prefer monster hunts over ingredient delivery requests.
• You are clearing High Rank optional content for rewards and completion.
• You want a compact quest that still gives meaningful combat practice.

The mission is especially attractive if you are testing weapon consistency in a controlled hunt. Fighting a named large monster in a specific locale is usually better practice than roaming the open field because the quest conditions keep the objective focused. If you are a player who likes to optimize movement, item use, and target uptime, this is a nice, direct mission to slot between larger goals.

When to skip or replace it

• Skip it if you are not ready to spend time on a Blangonga hunt.
• Skip it if you are prioritizing main story progress over side content.
• Replace it with a different optional quest if you need a specific material loop elsewhere.
• Deprioritize it if you are only looking for fast, low-commitment objectives.
• Hold it if you want to batch side missions together in the same region later.

This mission is not inherently mandatory, and that is the point. The side-mission system in Wilds is meant to be flexible, so there is no shame in leaving What We Protect until your route naturally crosses back through the relevant region. If you are doing a material-gathering run, a weapon upgrade chase, or a different questline with better rewards for your current needs, it is fine to put this one on the shelf.

Best-fit comparison

Situation	What We Protect	Better alternative
You want a proper monster fight	Strong fit	Other hunt-based optional quests
You only need quick progression	Mixed value	Shorter side missions or errands
You are already in Iceshard Cliffs	Efficient choice	Any local side mission chain
You want minimal travel overhead	Good if routed well	Quests with closer turn-in flow

For more route planning help, cross-check the optional quest routing guide and the Iceshard Cliffs hunt reference.

Completion Notes, Common Misreads, and Troubleshooting

What We Protect usually fails in player memory, not in execution, because the mission’s two labels make it easy to misread the unlock state. The most common problem is assuming the quest should already be sitting in the menu before talking to Alma. In reality, the game only generates the quest details after acceptance, so a missing entry usually means the conversation step has not happened yet.

Common mistakes

• Looking in the wrong menu: the mission shows in the Optional Quest tab after acceptance, not as a permanent story quest.
• Skipping Alma: if you do not talk to her, the quest does not activate.
• Confusing the target: the objective is Blangonga, not a generic small-monster request.
• Assuming the location is enough: being in Iceshard Cliffs does not unlock the mission by itself.
• Expecting a noncombat side task: this is a hunt, so it plays like a real quest, not a simple delivery objective.

If the quest is not appearing

1. Recheck whether you have spoken to Alma.
2. Verify you accepted the side mission prompt.
3. Look in the Optional Quest tab instead of the main story progression screen.
4. Confirm you are not confusing this with another NPC side mission in the Forbidden Lands.
5. If you are following a guide, make sure it refers to the exact mission name, What We Protect.

If the hunt feels off

The most likely issue is not mission logic but expectation drift. Because side missions in Monster Hunter Wilds often include ingredient requests or small-monster slays, players can mentally file this under “minor quest” and then be surprised when it is actually a large-monster hunt. That surprise disappears once you treat it as a regular Optional Quest with a side-mission wrapper.

A practical way to think about it: if you can handle a normal monster hunt efficiently, you can handle What We Protect efficiently. The side-mission part mainly affects how you unlock it and why it exists in the first place. The combat layer is still a Blangonga hunt in a standard quest structure.

For adjacent troubleshooting and mission visibility help, check the quest acceptance guide and the NPC request tracker.

Best Builds, Loadout Logic, and What to Bring

What We Protect does not demand a unique bespoke build, but it does reward bringing a normal hunt-ready loadout that can handle a Blangonga cleanly in a High Rank context. Since the target is a named monster and the quest is a full hunt, your best setup is usually the one that maximizes your consistency, not the one that only looks good on paper.

Because the available facts for this mission do not specify special resistances, exact rewards, or unique gimmicks, the safest approach is to treat it like a standard monster encounter and pick your weapon and items around uptime, comfort, and survivability. In other words, choose the setup that helps you keep pressure on the target while staying mobile enough for a cold-region hunt.

Loadout priorities

• Sustain: bring enough healing to avoid losing tempo during long exchanges.
• Mobility: use a setup that lets you reposition quickly in combat.
• Consistency: prefer a weapon you already know well over a flashy unfamiliar choice.
• Utility: carry your usual hunt staples for tracking, recovery, and safety.
• Adaptability: be ready to adjust if the quest pace is slower than expected.

Good use patterns by playstyle

Playstyle	Why it fits What We Protect	When it shines
Aggressive melee	Fast damage on a single target	When you know Blangonga’s openings
Safe ranged pressure	Lower risk and stable uptime	If you prefer controlled hunts
Guard-focused builds	Reliable defense against extended pressure	When you want a steady clear
Utility-heavy support	Flexible team value in co-op	If you are helping another hunter

The most important thing is avoiding over-specialization. Since this is a quest tied to a side mission and not a bespoke gimmick encounter, niche setup changes usually matter less than player comfort. If your usual main weapon is already reliable in High Rank, it is probably the best choice here. This is especially true when you are balancing multiple optional quests and do not want to rebuild every time you pick up a new NPC request.

Bring these habits, not just items

• Enter with a full healing plan.
• Keep your preferred weapon sharp and practiced.
• Treat the fight like a normal hunt, not a rushed side errand.
• Use the terrain and spacing of Iceshard Cliffs to reduce wasted movement.
• Finish cleanly so the side mission advances without repeat attempts.

For broader build comparisons, open the linked weapon matchup guide and the High Rank hunt prep reference.

Related Systems and Sibling Guides

What We Protect sits at the intersection of side missions, optional quests, and NPC-driven progression, so the most useful adjacent guides are the ones that explain those neighboring systems rather than generic beginner content. If you are reading this because you saw the mission name and want to know whether it matters, the answer is yes: it matters as a structured optional hunt, but it only makes sense when seen alongside the rest of Wilds’ request loop.

Closest related guides

• Side missions guide — explains how NPC requests work across the Forbidden Lands
• Optional quest reference — helps you read the quest tab and quest types correctly
• High Rank quest guide — useful if you are comparing progression value
• Iceshard Cliffs monster hunts — good for region-specific routing
• NPC request tracker — helpful if you are managing multiple active side missions

These sibling guides are the most natural next steps because they answer the follow-up questions players actually have after seeing What We Protect: where it fits, why it exists, and whether they should do it now or later. That is more useful than sending you to a generic “how to play Monster Hunter Wilds” article, since the issue here is not basic mechanics. It is quest classification, unlock flow, and whether a particular optional hunt is worth a slot in your current route.

How this quest fits the wider loop

What We Protect is a good example of how Monster Hunter Wilds mixes story-adjacent progression with optional content. It is not a core campaign gate, but it also is not disposable. It uses the side-mission structure to point you toward a specific monster, specific NPC, and specific region, then pays off the request through the quest interface. That means it lives in the same ecosystem as other NPC-led goals, and learning one helps you read the others faster.

If you are building a personal checklist for Wilds, this is the kind of mission that should sit between “complete when convenient” and “do immediately if already in the area.” That middle ground is exactly where most of the game’s better optional content lands.

Sources

• https://monsterhunterwilds.wiki.fextralife.com/What+We+Protect+(Side+Mission)
• https://game8.co/games/Monster-Hunter-Wilds/archives/504132
• https://monsterhunterwiki.org/wiki/What_We_Protect_(MHWilds_Quest)

See also

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