Sneaking a peek at Monster Hunter World: Iceborne!

I have a confession to make: I never really understood the appeal of Monster Hunter. Well, at least until last Tuesday. Now I’m pretty much sold on it.

Earlier this week, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne producer Ryozo Tsujimura and executive director Kaname Fujioka were in town to give press and partners a meaningful look at the upcoming expansion. New features, environments, quests and of course, monsters! Iceborne has them all in spades. 

What we know

Iceborne tosses players an environmental curveball, ditching the familiar plains and peaks of Astera for the snow-capped wastes of Hoarfrost Reach. You can catch up on some background info from the announcement post we did in May.

According to Tsujimura-san, the investigation of Hoarfrost Reach will follow the end of the main game, bringing players to a hot spring town called Seliana, pictured below.

This cosy settlement will be the main hub for all quests in the area, and packs similar amenities to its counterparts on Astera. Speaking of which, here are some of the new features we saw during the demo:

• The Smithy and most crucial amenities are now housed adjacent to Your Room.
• Your Room is now much bigger and offers expanded customisation and sharing options.
• More interactions with Palicos.
• A View Mode that gives you better camera control.
• The Seliana Steamworks minigame.

Of those aspects, the two developers dived into more detail for View Mode and the Seliana Steamworks.

What's View Mode all about?

The first feature Tsujimura-san went over was the new View Mode, and doing it in Seliana’s Canteen was a nice touch.

After ordering a large bowl of stew (and watching the adorable Palico animation), he explained that in addition to quests and monsters, a large part of the team’s focus for Iceborne was to improve accessibility, aesthetics and the overall quality of life for players. 

Compared to previous handheld-only games, Monster Hunter World and Iceborne pack a lot more visual detail. Here, Tsujimura-san made sure to highlight the animations for some of the Palicos, who were busy stirring soup, kneading dough or baking pizzas in a Greek-style oven.

To put it simply, View Mode lets players move the camera freely around their environment without moving their character. It's a great way to take in the many sights and sounds Seliana has to offer, and you can even screenshot parts that you find interesting. Say cheese!

And the Seliana Steamworks?

The Steamworks is a large forge-like device which players can use to churn out consumables and other helpful items. Honestly, you can't miss it.

Naturally, the service isn’t free-of-charge. In order to power the huge machine, players will have to acquire fuel items for it either by completing quests or exchanging ores. Plug those in and you’re good to go.

On a side note, the actual process turned out to be a rather interesting minigame. Here, the player has to guess the correct activation sequence for the three steam valves, and doing so increases the gauge by one section. Think of it like a combo meter in a rhythm game — the longer the chain, the better the rewards.

So, if players manage to make the device reach maximum gauge, the minigame ends off with a huge explosion, sending the old bearded Palico and his assistants flying. It's pretty amusing.

Did they show any new monsters?

Now, what would a Monster Hunter expansion be without new monsters? Pointless, that’s what.

There were three monsters shown during the preview, though we've already seen them before. Once again, here are Fulgur Anjanath, Ebony Odogaron and Glavenus.

As it turns out, Tsujimura-san happened to encounter a Glavenus during the demo, promptly going after it on his Tailraider.

Amusingly, he betrayed his skills by explaining a new feature while fighting the dinosaur-like creature. It's another QoL improvement: players can now see their silhouettes when they're under a large monster!

Of course, Iceborne doesn't throw a mere three monsters into the mix. There are lots more on the way, though we'll have to wait till Capcom chooses to reveal them.

Play

It’s been a long hunt but push on — we’re nearing the end.

All that’s left are the various products going on sale. Apart from the Iceborne expansion itself, the developers showed off various pieces of exclusive loot for the first and collector's edition purchases.

About the Master Edition

Simply put, get the Master Edition if you're new. This comes with both the Monster Hunter: World base game and the Iceborne expansion, giving you the complete experience right from the get-go.

If you already own Monster Hunter: World then be sure to buy the non-Master versions.

What you'll get

So you're ready for Hoarfrost Reach? Then here's a complete breakdown of the various editions announced so far, both physical and digital. As usual, there are some limited and first-edition goodies on the table.

Yukumo Armor (Limited Incentive)

Codes for the Yukumo Layered Armor Set will be in "limited" supply. This only changes your character's apperance and does not come with any weapons.

SteelBook Case (Physical First-Edition)

Get your hands on a first-edition copy and you'll find the game packaged in a cool SteelBook case featuring Nergigante and Velkhana on its cover. It comes with two slots so you can keep both the Monster Hunter: World (not included) and Iceborne discs.

PlayStation Themes (PlayStation Store Pre-Order)

Buying Iceborne digitally before release nets you codes for a PS4 Dynamic Theme starring Velkhana, as well as the non-descript Theme: Special Theme.

Digital Deluxe Kit

The Digital Deluxe Kit is for a bunch of in-game goodies comprising:

• Silver Knight Layered Armor Set
• Gestures ×3
• Sticker Set ×2
• Face Paint ×1
• Hairstyle ×1
• Room Decor ×1

Collector's Package

Oh, so you want it all? Then saddle up for loads of loot exclusive to Japan and Asia:

• A Velkhana statue (approx. 200mm tall)
• An artbook of monster designs
• A 10-track soundtrack CD
• A commemorative metal plate

MHW: Iceborne × MEMORIGIN Tourbillon Watch

Here's something new we learned from the event. Each purchase of the Collector’s Edition presents a chance for an exclusive tourbillon watch.

At A Glance

Table updated on 5th August 2019 as we've been informed that the physical versions will not include the Deluxe Kits.

Do note that the physical Iceborne Collector's Edition only comes with a product code, not a disc.

And that pretty much sums it up! Pre-orders for Iceborne are already open, so if you haven’t snagged a copy then now’s as good a time as ever.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne sets sail on Sep 6 for PS4 and Xbox One. The PC version (Steam) arrives later in Jan 2020.

All the best in Hoarfrost Reach, Hunters!

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