The Monster Hunter Rise expansion offered players dozens of hours' worth of content at launch on June 30. Between a new hub area, multiple maps to explore, and plenty of monsters exclusive to the harder Master Rank designation, Sunbreak sets a new endgame standard for solo hunters and friend groups alike. For those who have already beaten the expansion's final challenge at MR 100, even more content is on the way through free Title Updates akin to the ongoing support for Monster Hunter World: Iceborne.
Sunbreak's first Title Update is scheduled for this month, though Capcom has not yet revealed much about its contents. Fans know Lucent Nargacuga is returning from Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate alongside the Forlorn Arena map, and the "A Kingdom's Savior" launch trailer from June 28 also announced Seething Bazelgeuse. Additional Rare and Special species monsters have also been teased, but these should remain a secret following the overzealous marketing campaign for the base expansion. Minor spoilers for Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak ahead.
Capcom Overmarketed Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
When Sunbreak debuted during the September 2021 Nintendo Direct, viewers got their first taste of the new Citadel map and Sunbreak's flagship monster: Malzeno, an Elder Dragon themed after regal vampires that uses mysterious leech-like creatures called Qurio to drain the life of its opposition. Given the $40 expansion was described as "massive," it was safe to assume a number of additional monsters would come alongside Malzeno. However, Capcom did not keep much of its content under wraps.
Between September 2021 and June 2022, a handful of trailers revealed three sets of additions to Sunbreak: brand-new monsters like Malzeno, part of the "Three Lords" terrorizing Elgado Outpost; returning favorites like Shogun Ceanataur, Seregios, and Gore Magala; as well as subspecies including Aurora Somnacanth and Magma Almudron. One notable returning name was Espinas, the first monster exclusive to Capcom's MMO Monster Hunter Frontier that has crossed into the main series.
This slate of monsters was exciting and made for a clear snapshot of what would be coming to Monster Hunter Rise, but as the expansion rolled out it became clear that almost no new additions were absent from pre-release marketing material. The only Sunbreak-original monster who avoided trailers was its true final boss, Gaismagorm; though even this beast was teased via a reference to the "Archdemon of the Abyss" in A Kingdom's Savior. A lot of the series' charm comes from seeing what these monsters do, so simply knowing they exist isn't a huge detriment, but it would have been nice to get a few more surprise reveals.
Sunbreak's Free Title Updates Should Keep Quiet
There are a handful of secrets for players to discover in Sunbreak, such as unlockable armor based on older titles - including the "Hawk" set based on Monster Hunter 4's Caravaneer and the "Commission" set from Monster Hunter World. Yet the expansion's "Afflicted Monster" gimmick is shown off briefly in trailers, and even post-Gaismagorm hunts like Furious Rajang and Scorned Magnamalo were announced ahead of time.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak's Free Title Updates should buck this trend to ensure players don't know what they'll be getting themselves into. The base game has proven the effectiveness of this strategy, as April 2021's Version 2.0 update slipped in Bazelgeuse alongside Monster Hunter 2 Elder Dragons Chameleos, Kushala Daora, and Teostra. The August 2022 Title Update doesn't have a release date as of this writing, so there will likely be one more trailer for it, but this reveal should stick to Lucent Nargacuga and Seething Bazelgeuse rather than trying to build hype with more of its contents.
Once this month's update comes to pass, two more are set for fall and winter 2022, with the current Sunbreak roadmap offering little more than silhouettes for what to expect. Even more updates are promised through 2023, giving Sunbreak as much time to breath as Iceborne before it. Hopefully Capcom adjusts its marketing strategy as it goes, ensuring fans have more reason to dig deep with every update.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is available now on PC and Switch.
