Niantic has a new feature for Monster Hunter Now. And this should please everyone who doesn’t have players nearby.
What is Monster Hunter Now? This game comes from Niantic, just like Pokémon GO. It follows a similar approach: You are out in the real world with your smartphone looking for monsters.
But you don’t catch them; you fight against them – by using an action-oriented combat system. Then you improve your equipment with the resources you gain to be able to defeat stronger monsters.
Some monsters, however, are too strong to fight alone. You will need help from other players, similar to how it is with Pokémon GO raids.
This is difficult, however, when no other players are nearby. But this is exactly where Monster Hunter has introduced a new option that would probably also appeal to Pokémon GO players: The Dimensional Links.
Fight powerful monsters with random players from all over the world
These are Dimensional Links: In a press conference, Niantic introduced the feature. In the story of Monster Hunter Now, the monsters come into our world through portals. Some of them now seem to be stuck between worlds and are therefore at multiple locations at the same time – they are called “Dimensional Link” monsters, which can now be attacked from all over the world.
These monsters are represented directly on the map as such. When you attack, a preparation screen opens. Players from all over the world who are fighting the same monster or are nearby can join there. If you are close to such a monster, a join button will appear automatically.
This feature, Carl Damerow from Niantic explained to us, is especially for players who don’t live in Downtown Manhattan or Tokyo. Because how else do you play with other players when no one lives nearby?
Are there restrictions? Currently, there are none. It does not cost additional resources to challenge Dimensional Links, and there is no cooldown either. The only limitation is that you have to find these monsters first by going out.
How is this handled in Pokémon GO? Also in Pokémon GO, players occasionally report having too few teammates for the most difficult raids. Especially if you live in rural areas, it is hard to find enough players.
There is a remote raid system, but:
- Remote raids can only be completed with remote raid passes, so you need a resource for that, which can be purchased in the shop for coins.
- And you can only invite friends from a distance, or be invited. There is currently no global matchmaking with unknown trainers, like with the Dimensional Links.
This kind of feature would certainly also be useful for players in Pokémon GO. But nothing has been announced in that direction. Archit Bhargava from Niantic also explained in the press conference: “Different teams are working on Pokémon GO and Monster Hunter Now.” He also stated that learnings are shared between them.
MrBeast in Monster Hunter Now
In addition to the new feature, Niantic also introduced a collaboration with YouTuber MrBeast. They want to bring more players into the game this summer, and the MrBeast collaboration is meant to help with that.
The YouTuber will be represented with:
- A unique quest
- Various cosmetics
- There is an exclusive MrBeast weapon and shield that can be unlocked in the quest. They are said to be quite powerful, especially for new players.
To use the quest, you need to play between July 27 and September 2. So make sure to plan for that if you want to get the new weapons.
Have you ever tried Monster Hunter Now, or is it not for you? Let us know in the comments. And if you are just starting with the game: At the beginning of the game, you can use referral codes to get some bonuses. We will show you everything about that here: Monster Hunter Now: Find and enter referral code.
