Ask HN: Would an AI chatbot that searches guides/wikis in-game be useful?

I totally get that need! Especially with games like Monster Hunter that have so many tiny details—when you’re fighting a boss, either you tab out to check the wiki and ruin the flow, or you skip through a YouTube video for ages just to find gear recommendations. It’s such a waste of time, honestly. Let’s start with those two features you mentioned—AI answering guide questions + a pinned wiki at the top of the screen. If those two could work together? Total must-have. When I was playing World and fighting Nergigante, I asked ChatGPT for a Great Sword build. It recommended this Beta set, saying it had high defense and good affinity. So I made it, but when I got to the boss fight? I had no Earplugs. Got stunned by its roars nonstop and couldn’t even combo. Later I checked the wiki and realized—new players fighting Nergigante actually need the Alpha set for Earplugs + Health Boost 3. The AI didn’t even consider I was a new player just moving up to High Rank; it just pushed the “theoretically best” set. But imagine if the AI gave a simplified tip first—like “New players, prioritize Earplugs + Health Boost. If you’re short on materials, make XX piece first”—and at the same time, pin the wiki’s “Nergigante Exclusive Builds” page at the top, with its weak spots and dodge timings highlighted in red. Way faster than skipping through a YouTube video where the YouTuber rambles for five minutes with an intro. AI + wiki cuts right to the point—it’d be awesome. Now for the trust thing: For me, it’s always “AI for the basics, wiki for the specifics.” The good thing about AI is it can break down complicated stuff simply. Like, if you ask “How do I do a Charge Blade SAED?”, it can sum it up in one line: “Build phials → activate Red Shield → Charge Slash into SAED.” No need to dig through a bunch of jargon on the wiki. But when it comes to specific stats—like a piece of gear’s skill numbers or where to get materials—I always check the wiki. AI mixes up versions all the time, y’know? After Rise: Sunbreak updated, some old gear got nerfed, but the AI still talked about it like it was the old version. The wiki updates right away, though. As for videos? They’re only useful for gameplay—like “How to dodge Zinogre’s pounce”—watching a YouTuber show it is clearer than text. But for gear recs? Videos aren’t as accurate as the wiki, and way slower than AI. And that AI buddy cheering/chatting? The key is “don’t interrupt.” When you beat an Elder Dragon for the first time, if the AI pops up with “That SAED was chef’s kiss! Finally took it down!”, that’d be cool—feels like having a buddy playing with you. But if it cheers randomly when you kill a small Velociprey, or keeps popping up asking “Wanna talk about the story?”, that’d be annoying enough to make you turn it off. It’d be perfect if you could manually adjust the “interaction level”—mute it during boss fights so it only shows guides, drop a quick encouragement after key moments, and only chat when you ask it actively. That way, it doesn’t feel forced. One thing I’ve wondered too: What if the AI could tailor recommendations to my game progress? Like, if I just unlocked MR1, don’t recommend endgame builds for MR50. If I just learned how to do SAED on Charge Blade, don’t start rambling about “how to combo SAED with Guard Point” (that’s next-level stuff!). Right now, AI always goes “too big too soon.” But if it could link up with my game data—like reading my save file, seeing I’m short on materials, and recommending “transition gear you can make with what you have”—plus the pinned wiki? That tool would definitely blow up. At the end of the day, players don’t need the “perfect answer”—we need answers that work right now.