Only a few hours left until the release of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne and our author Larissa is excited about the new features that the expansion brings.
On September 6, it’s finally time, Monster Hunter World is getting its first addon – Iceborne. The release is initially only for PS4 and Xbox One, the PC release will follow later. This expansion brings several new features to the popular fighting game.
We tested the full version before release: I had the pleasure of trying the full version of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. As a fan of the Monster Hunter series, I was particularly taken by Monster Hunter World. However, there were always a few little things in the base game that bothered me.
These 3 big questions I asked myself:
- What new features does Monster Hunter World Iceborne bring us?
- How are these things different from the base game?
- Why are these new features so much fun?
In the end, I came up with the following five new features that make the game perfect for me.
1. Some pointless clicks are spared
You have the settings for the pie menu in the item pouch. In Monster Hunter World Iceborne, you can customize the pie menu in your item box. Here you can save your sets in the item pouch and make the necessary adjustments simultaneously.
The game remembers this with your item set and you have it ready whenever you equip it. If you don’t want to change your pie menu even though you’re selecting a new item set, you can decline that as well.
You can modify your gun at the item box. There is now a new tab at the item box. Here you can conveniently modify your bow gun without having to run to the blacksmith. As a passionate ranged fighter, this was especially pleasing for me. However, I forgive you if you prefer other weapons.
You no longer have to sift through investigations. Iceborne also brings a new feature to the display of investigations. You will now see at a glance what rewards await you at the resource center. You’ll see the monster’s name and next to it how many bronze, silver, or gold rewards there are.
You can also save the deco armor with your armor sets. At “Change Equipment”, you can also save your armor sets in Iceborne as usual. From now on, you can also preserve your outfit. If you do not want to use the saved deco armor during your next armor change, you can decline that, too.
You can now access messages via R3. All of you who were annoyed by the exclamation point during combat can now breathe a sigh of relief. With a quick click on R3, you can now receive the guild cards from others.
2. There are crazy new decorations
In Monster Hunter World, you can upgrade your equipment with decorations. These jewels fit into different slots of your armor depending on their size and grant you additional skills. So they essentially make your equipment stronger.
With Monster Hunter World: Iceborne comes new decorations. From now on, there are level-4 decorations. These fit into level-4 slots, which only exist on master rank armors. The new decorations have two special features. Either such a jewel contains two levels of the respective skill or the decoration gives you two different skills, each at one level. The combinations of the two different skills seem to be random.
In general, the armors at level 9 or 10 no longer have space for decorations. Master rank armors, like high rank armors, are divided into α and β and additionally marked with a “+”. It is common for α to have more skills and β to have more slots for decorations.
Often the β+-armor has only space for one level-4 jewel and no further options for adding decorations. However, this could change with later armors – it was the same in the base game.
Now you also have slots on your mantles and boosters. In Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, you can upgrade your tools through quests. This way, they also get a ” +” and slots for jewels. The skills inserted there only become active when you’re using the mantle or booster.
3. Seliana, the capital, is more practical than before
The gathering place is finally worthwhile. The gathering place in Seliana is extremely cozy. Here you will find not only hot springs but also everything you need between your quests. Even the Argosy and the Botanical Research!
You can change your Palico’s equipment directly in the area. You no longer have to dash into your private room or the tent at the beginning of the quest to change your Palico equipment. This can now be done conveniently at the new headquarters near the chest.
You can personalize your private space in Seliana. Your new private quarters now offer, in addition to the usual pets, further customization options. You can adjust your floors and walls. Also, change the interior and paintings. Your housekeeper will also give you deliveries to unlock even more items.
4. The quests are generally improved
No more long tracking. In Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, it is much easier to collect the tracks for your main quest. You no longer have to wander around for hours if you don’t know the spots for the tracks. This makes the story much more pleasant and less frustrating.
Quickly go from A to B by riding. Iceborne also brings a new means of transportation – riding. You can now summon Shamos or Jagras that will take you to your chosen point automatically and faster than walking. Convenient, right?
You can now see objects on the ground better. When you deal damage to a monster, it drops materials from which you craft your equipment. This material and the gathering spots are now more visible.
5. There are cool changes for battles
More damage from explosions. The damage of explosive coatings or weapons has increased to 300 damage points per hit. So it’s really worth diving into this with Iceborne.
The training area has a new design to choose from. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne offers a second option to use your training area. For this, simply select it with your housekeeper, and you can fight against a dummy of a large monster.
This is especially practical for the new clutch claw. With this tool, you can pull yourself towards your opponent. It requires a little practice but is worth it. With these attacks, you can deal a lot of damage, but you need ammo for the big attacks.
What I didn’t like in the base game
To understand why I find the new features so great, I’ll explain again how it is in the base game.
The menu is more cumbersome. In Monster Hunter World, you have to adjust your pie menu via the options button. If you forget to save your item set with the new pie menu, you lose your settings the next time you switch sets.
Moreover, the saving options for the armor sets are more limited than in Iceborne. For example, deco armors are not considered here. And when ranged fighters want to modify their bow gun, they always have to trot over to the blacksmith.
The investigations are less clearly organized. To find out what bronze, silver, or gold rewards there are, you have to click through each quest individually.
The jewels only go up to level 3 and mantles and boosters have no slots. In the base game, your largest jewel slot is level 3 and only has one skill. Furthermore, you cannot upgrade the mantles and boosters you have collected. The slots for the “+” versions are therefore not available to you.
The Astera headquarters is laid out differently. The gathering place in Monster Hunter World is mainly used for siege missions. Staying there otherwise is rather awkward, as you have to go back to the trade post or your quarters for every small action.
Questing is sometimes inconvenient. When you knock loose material from monsters in Monster Hunter World, you sometimes have to search for a long time. This also applies to the tracks you need to continue your main quest.
Why are these new features so much fun?
In summary:
- They save time.
- The new features offer comfort.
- They look great.
Although they may seem like small things, I am excited about the many new features. I simply feel comfortable in Seliana, the Hoarfrost Reach, and also in the “old” new world, which is, of course, still present in Iceborne.
Everything is finally where you need it. The new menu options save you many clicks and thus time. You no longer have to click from menu to menu or run across the city.
It’s also simply convenient not to have to change the deco armor all the time, having everything in one place, and not spending so much time with loading screens.
And ultimately, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne simply looks great. The new headquarters has charm, the new armors and weapons are brutal. Moreover, the new designs of some menus make everything clear at a glance.
I love the base game, don’t get me wrong. Maybe this is also nitpicking at the highest level. But all the little things that used to annoy me in Monster Hunter World have been smoothed out with Iceborne.
Here are 6 tips for you on how to optimally prepare for the launch:
Are you still considering starting anew with the expansion? Here you will find an assessment of whether starting with Iceborne as a beginner in Monster Hunter World is worth it.
As is usual with MeinMMO, we will closely follow Monster Hunter World: Iceborne for you.
Review of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne in the Test Video
Our colleagues at GameStar have created an extensive test video for Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. Here you can take a closer look at the expansion.
