Monster Hunter Riseplayers got access to the second Free Title Update for its “massive” Sunbreak expansion this week. The level cap for Anomaly Investigations has been raised to 120, and users can officially create layered weapons to transmog whatever look they want. However, the biggest draw of everyMonster Hunterupdate is the titular monsters to hunt, withFree Title Update 2 introducing Flaming Espinas and Violet Mizutsunealongside a new “Risen” form for the Elder Dragon Chameleos. Based on the pattern established by Sunbreak so far, it seems likely Glavenus will appear somewhere in the expansion’s roadmap.
An abundance ofFire element monsters are appearing inMonster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, perhaps in contrast toMonster Hunter World: Icebornefocusing on the Ice element. Sunbreak was never coded to be Fire-themed beyond “Sun” appearing in its name, and the Three Lords (plus Sunbreak’s final boss Gaismagorm) all feature different elements. Yet multiple new variants ofRise’s monsters and post-launch additions such as Gold and Silver Rath point to Fire being a focal point that Glavenus would fit well.
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Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak’s Flagship Monsters and Fated Four Representation
EachMonster Huntergame has a “flagship monster” on its box art, designed to be the center of the overarching narrative not unlike Legendary Pokemon. ForbaseMonster Hunter Risethis flagship was Magnamalo, a creature of malice that was believed to be responsible for the Rampages afflicting Kamura Village every 50 years. Sunbreak introduced its own flagship monster, the Elder Dragon Malzeno, who similarly appeared to be creating madness in other creatures through the bloodblight spread by its leech-like followers, the Qurio.
However, Sunbreak also stands out for bringing together numerous older flagship monsters. It reintroducesGore Magala and its matured form Shagaru Magala fromMonster Hunter 4, as well as Seregios fromMonster Hunter 4 Ultimate. Post-launch content forMonster Hunter Risealready included a variant of Valstrax from the cover ofGenerations Ultimate, thoughGenerations' base release on 3DS features Glavenus.
Another reason Glavenus seems like a shoo-in for Sunbreak is because of its parallels with Malzeno. Sunbreak’s flagship Elder Dragon is considered the head of the aforementionedThree Lords, reigning over fellow newcomers Lunagaron and Garangolm. Glavenus being a flagship similarly makes it the most recognizable member ofGenerations' “Fated Four,” a group introduced to represent the four hub areas in a game that was ostensibly a 10th anniversary celebration for the series. Sunbreak introduces Astalos and a variant of Mizutsune, whose main form appears inRise, so two of the four are already assembled.
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Glavenus Could be More Than Just Another Fire Monster for Sunbreak
Porting Glavenus toMonster Hunter Risewould appear to be an easy affair from the outside looking in. Not only has the monster appeared on Switch viaMonster Hunter Generations Ultimate, it was already included in an expansion as part ofMonster Hunter World: Iceborne. The introduction of Seething Bazelgeuse, the Metal Raths, Flaming Espinas, and Violet Mizutsune shows a clear preference for Fire element monsters that Capcom may continue, with one more obvious choice being a Risen Teostra to follow Risen Chameleos.
That said, many fans are likely annoyed at the thought of an expansion full of almost exclusively Fire monsters when there arefive major elements inMonster Hunterto utilize. Thus, each Title Update focusing on variant monsters is a good sign for Glavenus, especially with the current roadmap suggesting Title Update 3 in November will focus on variants and “powered-up monsters” too.
Iceborne introduced Acidic Glavenus, whose attacks focused on lowering defense rather than spreading fireblight. Considering Monster Hunter Rise added a newCrimson Glow Valstrax subspeciesrather than the original Elder Dragon, it’s easy to imagine Capcom going straight to Acidic Glavenus for more diversity. There could also be an entirely new take on this monster akin to Violet Mizutsune. Either way, it would be great to see the remaining Fated Four join Sunbreak sooner rather than later.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreakis available now on PC and Switch.
