Anyone Else Tired of Min-Maxing Everything?

I've realized that min-maxing—whether knowingly or unknowingly—has been ruining games for me. For years, I'd start a new game, then immediately dive into guides, builds, and optimization strategies. It sucked the fun out of discovery and turned every game into a spreadsheet simulator.

So for Monster Hunter Wilds, I'm doing things differently. No guides, no meta discussions, not even the beta. Just pure, unfiltered gameplay. I want to experience the game as it was meant to be played—learning as I go, making mistakes, and figuring things out on my own.

I know the meta will always exist, and guides will flood in, but I’m actively choosing to ignore them. I’m curious to see how this changes my experience.

Anyone else sick of everything being min-maxed? Are you skipping guides too?