Monster Hunter World fans are rather excited today as a new roster addition has been confirmed for the upcoming expansion. The latest beast to join the stable is none other than the thunderpuppy, Zinogre.
The creature was first introduced in Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, since then, he has been the bane of many hunters in various games, mostly due to his unique mechanics and powerful attacks. And with Monster Hunter World putting such a huge focus on fluid animations and believable physiology, a lot of new hunters are about to run into a new brick wall in Iceborne.
See the Thunderpupper in action in said trailer down below.
Zinogre is of course only the latest addition to the expanding roster, bringing tons of Thunder-based attacks where previously the most threatening monster in this class being the ever-maligned Kirin. Players can expect to deal with some form of Zinorgre’s infamous charge mechanics in battle, as well as some of his fast physical rushes. And with Zinogre being one of a handful of new Master Rank monsters, we can expect plenty more hardship where that came from.
We know that the expansion will introduce new subspecies based on Tobi-Kadachi, Pukei-Pukei and Paolumu. But that’s just the start, as Astera will also be stalked by new and returning quarry like Beotodus and Banbaro, rehashes of existing creature types that offer new mechanics. There’s even smaller lifeforms like Popo, Stonebill, and Rime Beetles, each serving their own unique roles within this new ecosystem.
Master Rank is of course the next major challenge for hunters, as it transcends even Arch-Tempered monsters in terms of difficulty. So even the best of A-list hunters in the base game will find themselves struggling keep up with the increased difficulty, new mechanics and tougher beasties. Of course Capcom is giving us a bunch of new tools to help us cope.
Gamers are getting access to a trove of new weapons, as well as the extremely useful Clutch Claw. That latter tool will be extremely important as the Clutch Claw is now a required part of unlocking the full potential of weak spots and skills like Weakness Exploit, as Capcom revealed in the massive Iceborne patch notes. Players will also need to make use of various items like the Hot Drink to make it out of the Hoarfrost Reach alive.
Iceborne will land on PS4 and Xbox One on September 6th, with the Steam release on PC coming in January of next year.
