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Monster Hunter: World’s Iceborne Expansion Set for September

by Alex Fuller · May 10, 2019

During the latest PlayStation State of Play presentation and in a subsequent Spring Update broadcast, Capcom announced that its large-scale Iceborne expansion for action RPG Monster Hunter: World will be released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 6, 2019. A PC release for the expansion will follow sometime in the winter.

Iceborne features a new story that picks up after the events of the main game. The story takes hunters to the newly-discovered, snow-covered Hoarfrost Reach, which is larger than any of the regions in the main game. Iceborne also introduces the new higher-difficulty Master Rank quests, which effectively take the place of G-rank quests in previous titles. New foes that can be found in Iceborne include the wyvern Banbaro, the burrowing Beotodus, returning monster Nargacuga, and new flagship elder dragon Velkhana. Players will need to have completed the story through Hunter Rank 16 to access the Iceborne story and quests.

The expansion will add some new gameplay elements and strategies. The Slinger tool can now be used while hunters’ main weapons are drawn, regardless of the weapon type. The Slinger also gains the Clutch Claw and Flinch Shot abilities, which can be used to grapple onto monsters and stun monsters respectively. The fourteen weapon types in the game will also get new combos and other additions.

There are multiple purchasing options for Iceborne. Those who already own Monster Hunter: World will be able to purchase the expansion digitally for $39.99/€39.99, while a bundle containing the expansion and Deluxe Kit DLC of cosmetic items will be available for $49.99/€49.99. For those who do not own the base game, the Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition that includes the base game and the Iceborne expansion will be available physically and digitally for $59.99/€59.99. Finally, those in North America will be able to purchase the physical Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition Deluxe that also includes the Deluxe Kit DLC and SteelBook packaging for $79.99. A special Yukumo Series layered armor set will be included with all pre-orders.

In other news, Capcom revealed that a free trial version of Monster Hunter: World is currently available on PlayStation 4 until May 20, 2019. Progress made in the trial version can be carried over to the full game. The base game will also be receiving its final new content update on May 11, 2019. The update will add in the Arch-Tempered form of flagship monster Nergigante for a limited time. Those who defeat Arch-Tempered Nergigante will be able to attain the Nergigante γ armour.