Since the very start of Monster Hunter on PlayStation 2, the series has seen expansions to its base formula of nearly every mainline entry. Originally, this came in the form of an entirely new game, but these days DLC expansions allow the same exact experience without having to buy a full price title. This was the case with Monster Hunter World: Iceborne and the same can be said of Monster Hunter Rise's upcoming Sunbreak. Like those before it, Sunbreak is bringing tons of delightful things to the table such as fresh new monsters, entirely new locales to explore and tons of new quests and challenges for hunters to conquer and it's looking as though it will be just as delightful as plans are hoping for.

The biggest appeal of expansions to Monster Hunter is the addition of Master Rank- previously known as G Rank. This is, much like High and Low rank before it, an entirely new difficulty for players to overcome which includes tantalizing new versions of monsters that have updated movesets, more health and powerful hits that even in late game will usually knock a player down in just a couple hits without the proper equipment. Hunters are pushed to their limit here, especially with Sunbreak's assortment of entirely new monsters to fight against. While we've only had a small taste of new and returning monsters, they all come with new movesets that players will be thrilled to take on for the first time. This also includes something that was first added in Iceborne: an actual Master Rank number, or MR for short. Prior to Iceborne, hunters simply had their hunter rank, which increased through quest completion up to a point before earning experience to raise it upwards of 999. Since the titles originally had new games as expansions, they tended to reset players hunter rank back to the lowest number quest they had unlocked and rose again from there in G Rank quests so players could from there unlock more quests depending on their ranking. In order to avoid decreasing rank or giving players full access to quests right away, the master rank system was implemented and it links in tandem with the hunter rank as two rankings for hunters that have unlocked it. This means players will start at master rank 1 and increase it from there while also still earning regular hunter rank points, which will be more or less a number relegated to bragging rights and a way to unlock addition titles for guild cards as per usual. Master Rank doesn't just bring new monsters, either, but in fact takes hunters to an entirely new space to select quests and party up.

New areas and hubs are another key staple to expansions that offer a brand new scene for hunters to prepare in. This time around it takes players to the brand new headquarters known as Elgado. For the time being, the hunter has left their home town of Kamura in order to travel overseas in order to take on new monsters threatening both lands with the invasion of Lunagaron into the Shrine Ruins. Elgado welcomes this new helpful hunter with open arms along with many new allies seeking assistance. While right now it's unclear on if this expansion will include new single player exclusive quests, Elgado will be the new home for all the new Master Rank quests that await until the hands of the quest damsel Chichae. Players can meet up and freely swing and climb around the Elgado hub before eating and heading into quests together, or those wanting to take on all the content alone can prep by themselves for a solo experience. There's also the brand new addition of Follower Quests, which allow a solo player to team up with NPC allies and take on quests together. This is a never before seen mechanic for the franchise that will be extremely intriguing as to how it turns out as NPCs actually act as other hunters, making it a fun new way to hunt. These quests will be occasionally asked of by various NPCs looking to hunt certain monsters, and it certainly does wonders in making these allies feel as though they're also participating and the world isn't solely on a single hunter's shoulders all the time. Hopefully these are as fun as they seem but it will definitely be a curious experience with our brand new slew of allies looking for a way to help out in actual hunts.

In the past titles, there haven't generally been massive changes to weapons themselves outside of balancing and reworking stats or elements. Nearly every weapon tree will see new additions thanks to Master Rank monsters, but Sunbreak also brings with it brand new skills that hunters can take into fights as well. This includes new Silkbind attacks, Switch Skills and of course the brand new Switch Skill Swap mechanics that will come into play. Silkbind Attacks and Switch Skills are as familiar hunters know them; new abilities or attack changes that can be made to change up special moves players can pull off. It's the Switch Skill Swap that's most intriguing of all as it allows players to, as the name implies, completely swap from one moveset to another all while in the midst of combat. Swapping skills in the midst of battle also offers a special dodge so players have a chance to avoid getting hit should a monster catch them unaware. The swap feels like it will be a great way to add more variety to movesets, and be a fun way to allow hunters to be more likely to try out skills they've never used before with the easy ability to swap freely between them.

Sunbreak is to be the latest and greatest addition to Monster Hunter Rise that gives players the opportunity to dump 100+ hours into fighting their way to be the best hunter they possibly can. The key focus being on the monsters and new skills for each weapon makes it feel much easier than adding wildly new mechanics like Iceborne's Clutch Claw which changes combat in a number of ways. Those well acquainted with Monster Hunter will know that many things in Rise are lifted from earlier ideas found in Generations which tried tons of new ideas to really mix up the formula, and in a way Rise is truly a spiritual successor to that creativity and Sunbreak is definitely following through on that with new skills and compelling ideas. It will be exciting and an absolute joy to see what else lies in wait for Sunbreak we haven't seen yet from new endemic life to other new monsters waiting for us just around the corner. It won't be very long, either, as the Sunbreak expansion for Monster Hunter Rise is coming at the end of the month on June 30 for Switch and PC.