While many Monster Hunter fans were no doubt looking forward to today's Monster Hunter digital event because of the information being revealed about Monster Hunter Rise's new title update, the event started with Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin information. As is par for the course with news involving Monster Hunter, new monsters were shown off, but new story details also were revealed.
The monsters newly confirmed to be making an appearance in Monster Hunter Stories 2 are Gammoth, Tobi-Kadachi, Bazelgeuse, Plesioth, Duramboros, and Glavenus. Of these monsters, only one of them was in the previous game and that was Glavenus.
That being said, Glavenus was only available through playing multiplayer in the original Monster Hunter Stories and thus could be difficult to obtain. Hopefully this time around it will be easier to find. While it's unclear if Gammoth is only able to be fought within the game or is also an obtainable monster, if the latter is the case, that means only Astalos is now missing.
So far three of the four flagship monsters of Monster Hunter Generations have been confirmed to be coming to Monster Hunter Stories 2. Mizutsune was previously confirmed, and this new trailer confirmed Gammoth and Glavenus. Astalos is an thunder flying wyvern based on a dragonfly with a unique bright green aesthetic. While it's impossible at this point to know if he will be coming to Stories 2, the appearance of all his compatriots is a good sign.
Like Gammoth, Plesioth was shown off in the trailer, but was not shown being ridden by the player. Therefore, it is also possible that Plesioth is only huntable and not ridable. The appearance of Plesioth at all though is a bit strange as the monster is notoriously hated by fans due to its notorious hip check move. Duramboros was shown being fought in the commentary that followed the trailer, but also was not shown being ridden.
Tobi-Kadachi should be familiar to those playing through Monster Hunter Rise as that is its most recent appearance. It's a fanged wyvern that uses thunder element attacks and was originally introduced into the series with Monster Hunter World. Bazelgeuse likewise was introduced in World and served as an invading monster. That is to say, it would often interrupt hunts against other monsters by flying in and dropping explosive scales onto the field.
As for story details of Monster Hunter Stories 2, the trailer continued to center on the mysterious dark-winged Rathalos that the main character finds. It also showcases hunters and riders working together, though the implication is that it may be for the worse. Also confirmed in the trailer is the return of two characters from the previous game: Lilia and Reverto.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is set to launch for PC and Switch on July 9.
