Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
An expansion adding arctic hunts, new monsters, and Master Rank.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is an expansion for the 2018 action role-playing game Monster Hunter: World, created and published by Capcom. It launched on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in September 2019, with a Windows version following in January 2020. The expansion adds new monsters, refined gameplay, and a story set in Hoarfrost Reach, a frozen region. It sold over 8.5 million copies at launch and was praised by critics and players alike.
Players continue as a Hunter, capturing or killing large beasts either alone or with others. Hoarfrost Reach is one of the largest maps the developers have made, and as the story progresses, more of its areas become accessible. Because of the cold, Hunters must drink hot beverages or visit hot springs to keep their stamina from draining, and snow slows movement. The hub area, Seliana, offers weapon smiths and chefs. A new fast travel system, Raider Rides, lets players tame small creatures to ride to marked locations or track monsters while still gathering resources.
New combat tools include the Clutch Claw, which lets Hunters grapple onto monsters, and the Flinch Shot to stun them. The Slinger can now be used with weapons drawn. Every weapon type gets expanded upgrade paths and new moves. Armor and weapons gain additional upgrade levels, and layered armor allows players to change their appearance without altering equipment skills. A new rank, Master Rank, introduces tougher enemies and better rewards, including new armor sets.
The story begins when a mysterious song triggers a mass migration of Legiana across the sea. The Research Commission follows them to a polar subcontinent, setting up a base in Hoarfrost Reach and Seliana. The Hunter and Handler find evidence of unusual seismic activity linked to the migration. Meanwhile, the Tracker searches for her missing mentor, discovering wreckage and a clue about a monster called the "Old Everwyrm," which seems connected to the song and earthquakes.
Back in Astera, an ice Elder Dragon named Velkhana appears, freezing environments across the New World. The Commission decides to fight back. The Hunter drives Velkhana back to Hoarfrost Reach, then again when it threatens Seliana, eventually killing it. After Velkhana’s defeat, the song returns, causing more quakes.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
- Developer
- Capcom
- Director
- Daisuke Ichihara
- Producer
- Ryozo Tsujimoto
- Artist
- Kaname Fujioka
- Composer
- Akihiko Narita / Akiyuki Morimoto / Zhenlan Kang
- Series
- Monster Hunter
- Engine
- MT Framework
- Platforms
- PlayStation 4 · Xbox One · Windows
- Released
- PlayStation 4, Xbox One · September 6, 2019 · Windows · January 9, 2020
- Genre
- Action role-playing
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The expansion's story begins when a mysterious song spurs a mass flock of Legiana to migrate beyond the sea. The Research Commission tracks them to a polar subcontinent, establishing a base called Seliana in the Hoarfrost Reach. As the Hunter and Handler explore, they discover evidence of unusual seismic activity linked to the song. The Tracker investigates her missing mentor, finding wreckage and a clue to a monster called the Old Everwyrm. An ice Elder Dragon, Velkhana, begins freezing environments across the New World, forcing the Hunter to drive it back to Hoarfrost Reach and ultimately slay it. After Velkhana's defeat, the song triggers more seismic activity, leading the Commission to the Old Everwyrm, Shara Ishvalda. A Nergigante intervenes and kills Shara Ishvalda, leading the Admiral to deduce the species' role in culling threats to the ecosystem. The Hunter tracks the Nergigante to the Guiding Lands, an amalgam of habitats, where they encounter Safi'Jiiva, the adult form of Xeno'Jiiva, and slay it. Later, the Elder Dragon Alatreon appears, and after the Hunter defeats it, a second wounded Alatreon is revealed to be fleeing Fatalis, a legendary black dragon that destroyed the kingdom of Schrade. The Hunter and the Excitable A-Lister confront Fatalis in Schrade; the A-Lister is injured, and the Hunter slays Fatalis alone, after which the Commission celebrates.
Reader's Guide
Iceborne is the only major expansion planned for Monster Hunter: World, completing the game's story. It adds a third overall rank for hunters, called Master Rank (equivalent to G rank from past games, renamed due to Western unfamiliarity). Master Rank hunts are more difficult than High Rank but offer better rewards. The expansion introduces a new tundra-like area requiring players to manage cold weather and snow, with new tools and equipment to support them. New combat options include the Clutch Claw, which allows players to grapple onto monsters, and the Flinch Shot to stun creatures. The Slinger can be used with primary weapons drawn. All weapon archetypes gained expanded upgrade paths and additional combat moves. Existing armor and weapon gear gained additional upgrade levels, and layered armors were introduced to customize appearance without changing skills. The expansion includes features to help players who have not finished the base game's core content, such as making new weapon moves and the Clutch Claw available across both the base game and expansion, and providing an advanced armor set. Some gameplay changes, such as dynamic scaling of multiplayer hunt difficulty, were part of free updates for the base game. Limited-time beta access to Iceborne content (not requiring the base game) was made available to PlayStation 4 owners in June 2019.
Did You Know?
- Iceborne sold more than 8.5 million copies upon release.
- The expansion introduces a new fast travel system called Raider Rides, allowing players to tame and ride smaller creatures.
- The new hunter rank is called Master Rank, equivalent to G rank from previous Monster Hunter games.
- The expansion's story concludes with the Hunter slaying the legendary black dragon Fatalis in the ruined kingdom of Schrade.
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