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The Iceborne expansion for Monster Hunter World was released today for those playing the game on the PC. It arrives a few months after it was released previously for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Now, PC owners can head to the frozen location known as Hoarfrost Reach.
Capcom says that this is the largest region in the game thus far. It serves as the home to the Elder Dragon Velkhana, and adds in tons of new story, new missions, monsters, and gear. Let's be real here, if you have followed any of our previous preview coverage of this expansion, you probably already know what to expect. And golly, there is a lot of fresh content here (kept fresh thanks to the cold... get it?).
If you still want a quick rundown of the new content and features bundled with Iceborne, you can always just skip to the bottom for the copy and pasted press release blurb. Those on the PC do get some nice bonuses compared to their console buddies. These bonus include an HD texture pack, customizable graphical settings, DirectX 12 support, optimizations for FidelityFX CAS and upscaling. The PC release also includes a revamp to the default mouse and keyboard controls.
Those that own Monster Hunter on the PC will also find two free item packs waiting for them. These packs include free consumable items. One pack is available to everyone that owns Monster Hunter on PC. To claim it, just log in to the game. The second free pack is given to those that own Iceborne and is acquired in the same way. These packs will be around between now and February 5, so be sure to log in before then to pick them up.
Featuring a new storyline, Iceborne hunters can explore an icy new locale called Hoarfrost Reach, which progressively expands to become the largest region in the game thus far and is home to the mysterious new Elder Dragon Velkhana. Players face off against a multitude of challenging new monsters and fierce subspecies variations, while utilizing exciting new gameplay mechanics that offer increased depth to the combat system.
The expansion amps up every aspect of Monster Hunter: World including a higher difficulty rank, called Master Rank. Hunters must have completed the main story in Monster Hunter: World through Hunter Rank 16 in order to access Master Rank and the new Iceborne content. To help hunters along their journey, new gameplay features have been added, including the new Clutch Claw mechanic and updates to all 14 weapon types. Other new “series first†gameplay features include a two-player balanced difficulty scale, the ability to ride small monsters to traverse maps and a Hunter Helper player incentive to encourage more experienced Master Rank hunters to help Low and High Rank players progress through the World game. Also, for hunters who have yet to complete the story from Monster Hunter: World, free Defender Weapons and a Guardian Armor set help them progress through the main story in order to get to Iceborne.
The expansion amps up every aspect of Monster Hunter: World including a higher difficulty rank, called Master Rank. Hunters must have completed the main story in Monster Hunter: World through Hunter Rank 16 in order to access Master Rank and the new Iceborne content. To help hunters along their journey, new gameplay features have been added, including the new Clutch Claw mechanic and updates to all 14 weapon types. Other new “series first†gameplay features include a two-player balanced difficulty scale, the ability to ride small monsters to traverse maps and a Hunter Helper player incentive to encourage more experienced Master Rank hunters to help Low and High Rank players progress through the World game. Also, for hunters who have yet to complete the story from Monster Hunter: World, free Defender Weapons and a Guardian Armor set help them progress through the main story in order to get to Iceborne.
