Among the most important additions coming to Monster Hunter World with September’s Iceborne expansions? Hot tubs.
While the “Glavenus Trailer,” that Capcom released yesterday included plenty of action with new and returning monsters, the real star of the show was the cozy ski lodge, Seliana, that will be serving as Iceborne’s version of Astera, the village hub area from the main game.
Glowing chandeliers, a gorgeous, oaken spiral staircase and plenty of steaming baths for weary monster hunters make the new safe zone look incredibly inviting. The hot springs are also functional. A very goofy dev diary that Capcom released yesterday found producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, executive director and art director Kaname Fujioko and director Daisuke Ichihara soaking, fully clothed, in a green-screen hot tub (complete with a bathing palico in the water beside them). During this video, the trio revealed that Iceborne’s gathering hub (MHW’s social space) would center around the hot springs. Players can even strip down into bathing suits and splash water at each other, or take a foot bath with their palico.
Additionally, hunters will be able to customize the furniture and wallpaper in their room. Furniture will be available as a reward for completing quests and some items and textures will be exclusive to players who purchase the Deluxe Kit. Players will eventually be able to invite other players to their room, but the devs said this feature won’t be available at launch. A photo mode will be available at launch, but it’s unclear whether this feature is designed to be used outside of Seliana. The stated purpose is to allow players to take group photos, not to snap action shots of the expansion’s bestiary.
The devs promised “greater accessibility” this time around, including the addition of squad cards — which aim to make it easier to group up for hunts — and scalable difficulty that adjusts to the size of your squad. Importantly, the devs said that Iceborne’s release won’t split the player base, as hunters with and without the expansion will be able to team up for low rank and high-rank quests.
Palicos have new gadgets as well, like a decoy your feline friend can deploy to attract monster attention, a “meow-cano” that releases a shower of fireworks and bombs and an improved vigor wasp that has the capability of reviving players during battle if they faint. Iceborne also introduces high-rank versions of existing gadgets.
Which is good because the world and the monsters this time around look extra fierce. There’s even a shot in the trailer where it seems like the player is being attacked by a pack of badger-wolverines.
The big guys are pretty fearsome, too. Iceborne boasts a new variant of Anjanath — the T-Rex from the base game — called Fulgur Anjanath. This reverse Alolan evolution, now boasts a pair of wings, a ring of snow leopard fur around their neck and uses electricity in battle.
There’s also a purple-and-gray ferret dinosaur, Ebony Odogaron, that spits purple electric-looking poison. This beastie dishes out massive AOE attacks and if they successfully connect with the player, the attack can remove the elemental charge from their weapon. The beast the trailer took its name from, Glavenus, is returning from 2015’s Monster Hunter Generations. This one’s got a tail-shaped like a massive sword that they heat up and swing wildly during battle.
Iceborne will be available for purchase individually (though players need to own the base game to play) but will also come bundled with Monster Hunter World for players hoping to jump into the game for the first time. Pre-ordering any variation of Iceborne will net players a special Yukumo Layered Armor set.
The team is promising further updates next month, as Iceborne’s Sept. 6 release date quickly approaches.
