Everything in the Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak DLC

In the September 2021 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced another wave of paid downloadable content available for Monster Hunter Rise players. Unlike the previous DLC available after the game's release, this wave of downloadable content is being touted as a "massive expansion" that introduces new monsters and locales.

Everything in the DLC

The Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak expansion offers a new base, alongside new locales, monsters, and gameplay elements. A new type of Hunter rank is also coming in the form of Master Rank, for truly experienced Hunters. Players will need to have completed the 7 ★ Hub Quest, "Serpent Goddess of Thunder", before being able to access the content in Sunbreak. Players will set off from their previous Hub in Kamura Village to an entirely new locale to experience the events there.

This new location is the coastal city of Elgado, where the player will be brought after being rescued by the mysterious royal knight, Dame Fiorayne, from a Lunagaron ambush. Fiorayne bids the player to help her investigate unusual monster attacks and sightings in her own land, as the player saved Kamura from the Rampage.

Elgado features a Smithy, Canteen, Quest Counter, and Merchant — perfect for any aspiring hunter. The town's base of operations is found in the Command Post, where investigations are being conducted to prioritize the elimination of a trio known as The Three Lords: Malzeno, Garangolm, and Lunagaron.

Players will encounter a host of new characters, each with their own part to play in the story. New Wirebug attacks and a new Master Hunter Rank will eventually be available, granting new depth to the gameplay experience. Players can learn new Silkbind attacks and alternate between Switch Skills using the Switch Skill Swap, which allows Hunters to assign Switch Skills to a Red or Blue Swap Scroll.

Follower Quests will also be available, where Hunters can take story characters like Hinoa and Minoto with them on hunts in single-player. Different Followers specialize in specific weapons, allowing players to execute the strategy to pick the best partner with which to slay certain monsters. Both Kamura Village and Elgado characters can join the player on quests and can offer exclusive rewards.

Are there new monsters?

Several new monsters are coming to the Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak DLC expansion.

The Elder Dragon, Malzeno, is the flagship monster of Sunbreak, one of the Three Lords of Elgado. Malzeno is based on vampires from classic literature, and can inflict the new "Bloodblight" status effect on Hunters, sapping their HP over time to heal itself.

Garangolm is a fanged beast who resembles a primate, and won't shy away from using its entire body to attack hunters. With its right arm covered in moss, and its left arm dripping with magma, this monster can use both water- and fire-type elemental attacks to drive hunters into the ground.

Lunagaron is a fanged wyvern, who sports ice attacks that stop hunters in their tracks. When it becomes enraged, it stands on its hind legs so as to keep its huge claws ready and available to slice anything in its path.

A sub-species of the mischievous Bishaten, the Blood Orange Bishaten tends to favor throwing dangerous exploding pine cones at hunters instead of persimmons that can heal them. Hunters will need to be extra careful when dealing with this lightning-fast beast.

Astalos makes a return from previous Monster Hunter games and will be available for the first time in Monster Hunter Rise. Astalos is a flying wyvern that uses electricity to attack its foes, storing surplus electricity in its wings, tail, and horns. You'll have to be aware, as you don't want to get too close to this flying beast.

A new sub-species, Aurora Somnacanth, was announced in the May 2022 Monster Hunter Digital Event. Aurora Somnacanth sports ice blast powers instead of sleep-inducing powder flurries, freezing opponents in their tracks.

Magma Almudron was also announced in the May Digital Event, showing how this sub-species of Almudron can burrow underground to throw its foes off-guard, and use its massive tail to crush enemies with hot magma attacks.

Will there be amiibo support?

Yes! Although there hasn't been any word on whether the original Monster Hunter Rise amiibo will offer any new content, Capcom has announced that Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak amiibo will release alongside the DLC expansion. These amiibo offer exclusive layered armor sets for hunters, Palicoes, and Palamutes alike, as well as allowing the player to participate in the daily in-game lottery to receive some helpful items to make quests more fun.

What about the cool Sunbreak controller?

A new Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak-themed Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is coming and bringing with it a fun Malzeno design with it. As of the time of this writing, the controller was not yet available for preorder, but that could change soon.

Will there be cross-play with PC?

Unfortunately, no. Capcom announced via a tweet on the official Monster Hunter Twitter account that after "looking into it throughout the development process", it seemed that they were "unable to implement it this time". Patches are often released to update existing content, so there's still hope that things can change.

Requirements for accessing Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak DLC

In order to access the new locations, monsters, and elements found in the Sunbreak Expansion, players will need to have met two requirements:

1. Complete the 7 Star Hub Quest "Serpent Goddess of Thunder" in the base Monster Hunter Rise game.
2. You must have 13GB of free space to make room for the DLC. If necessary, you might need to purchase a new microSD card or archive game data.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Roadmap of updates

Capcom has already revealed its roadmap plan for Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak updates. As of right now, all of these updates are free.

Free Updates 2022

• Update 1 - August: Lucen Margacuga makes it's way into the game along with several other monsters. Plus players can explore the Forlorn Arena.
• Update 2 - Fall: Additional rare species and subspecies monsters.
• Update 3 - Winter: Several additional monsters.

Even more updates are planned to release in 2023, so we'll need to check in and see what Capcom has in store.

How much does it cost?

The paid downloadable content will be available on the Nintendo eShop upon its release for $40 USD. Those who pre-order the game unlock Palico Layered Armor and Palamute Layered Armor that makes their companions look like an adorable house cat and a cute Shiba Inu.

Preorders for the Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Collector's Edition will go up soon, according to Capcom. Featuring an exclusive steelbook, enamel pin, sticker back, and Malzeno amiibo, the Collector's Edition includes the Deluxe Edition of Sunbreak, which itself includes exclusive layered armor, sticker sets, and customization options.

Is there a demo?

Yes! Starting June 14, 2022 players can access the Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak DLC demo by downloading it from the eShop.

When does it release?

Capcom confirmed that the Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak expansion is scheduled for a worldwide release on June 30, 2022.

Monster Hunter Rise allows for a wide variety of player experiences. While the DLC isn't required to enjoy the game to the fullest, it's nice to have some extra content to keep you busy. The vast amount of content at hand, alongside the amazing gameplay, definitely makes this one of the best games available on the Nintendo Switch.