An early showcase forMonster Hunter Rise’s upcoming “massive expansion” Sunbreak confirmed the first of multiple subspecies coming to the game: Blood Orange Bishaten - a new take on the acrobatic Fanged Beast (inspired by tengu) with an orange pelt that throws exploding pinecones. This was just the first of many retread monsters appearing in Sunbreak, as Capcom’s May 2022Monster HunterDigital Event confirmedAurora Somnacanth and Magma Almudron, alongside the returning Seregios.
Monster subspecies have around since the beginning, with the “ultimate” version ofMonster Hunter- 2005’sMonster Hunter Gon PS2 - introducing Black Diablos, Pink Rathian, and Azure Rathalos among others; the latter serving as its flagship monster. Titles likeMonster Hunter 4 Ultimatecontinued that trend with subspecies like Ash Kecha Wacha and Tigerstripe Zamtrios, thenMonster Hunter World’s DLC expansion Iceborne carried the torchwith subspecies like Fulgur Anjanath and Nightshade Paolumu. Iceborne introducing subspecies for most ofWorld’s new monsters set a precedent forRise’s Sunbreak expansion, and Magma Almudron is one of the more interesting early examples.
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Almudron in Monster Hunter Rise
Every new addition toMonster Hunter Risewas based on Japanese folklore; likewise, theThree Lords headlining Sunbreakare based on western stories and mythos. For example, the Bird Wyvern Aknosom is based on a yokai named kasa-obake, and Sunbreak’s flagship Elder Dragon Malzeno is based on vampires. Almudron is a Leviathan-class Large Monster that appears later intoRise’s base game, taking the overall appearance of a catfish dragon that slithers through swampy muck. It’s based on the dorotabo, believed to be the spirits of rice farmers that haunt their abandoned fields.
Almudron not only coats itself in mud for extra defense while burrowing through the ground, it can also create mud walls around the arena forhunters to navigate using their Wirebugs. It leaves patches of golden mud that damage hunters on contact; a substance said to be secreted from its tail. One of the most dangerous attacks that Almudron can attempt is gathering a boulder of mud in its tail that can be slammed like a hammer, but with enough damage it will break and potentially stagger the monster. The catfish-like Leviathan is weakest to Fire-based elemental attacks, but this will certainly not be the case for its subspecies.
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How Magma Almudron Changes the Game
Not a lot has been revealed about Magma Almudron’s inner-workings, but what is known offers a decent idea for what to expect. It primarily lingers in the Lava Caverns map and is able to manipulate rocks, according to the official Sunbreak website. As regularAlmudronsecrets liquid that lets it move through the mud, Magma Almudron similarly burrows through the earth and can manipulate volcanic forces to inflict Fire damage. Astute fans have pointed out this design is similar to older monsters known for swimming through magma or lava, such as Lavasioth and Agnaktor.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreakdirector Yoshitake Suzuki said Magma Almudron takes on a “heated state” when digging through the ground during this month’s Digital Event, in which fans can see the subspecies use similar tail-swiping attacks as regular Almudron. However, this variant leaves pools of magma behind, and if players take enough Fire damage they may be inflicted with the Fireblight status that causes damage over time.
No weapon details or weaknesses have been specified for Magma Almudron as of this writing, though looking back at creatures like Lavasioth and Agnaktor suggests this subspecies will similarly be weak to Water. Almudron was a divisive addition toMonster Hunter Risefor its tendency to literally slow hunts by bogging down the battlefield in mud, and while this same concern likely won’t apply to Magma Almudron, it remains to be seen how many new attack patterns will be introduced throughSunbreak’s Master Rank quests. Luckily fans only have to wait another month or so to try theRiseexpansion for themselves.
Monster Hunter Riseis available now for PC and Switch. Its Sunbreak expansion launches on July 16, 2025.
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