Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak stream reveals Switch Skill Swap ability, Follower Quests, and more on Malzeno

During today’s Monster Hunter digital event, series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, and director Yoshitake Suzuki provided an in-depth look at Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak.

During the presentation, the duo unveiled three monsters, the Switch Skill Swap ability, Follower Quests, and more information about the flagship Elder Dragon, Malzeno.

The Flying Wyvern Seregios, known as the “thousand-edged dragon,” makes its return in the expansion. Known for its high-flying maneuvers and the super sharp Bladescales coating its body, the monster tends to shed its scales in combat. If you are hit with one of the scales, you run the risk of receiving the “bleed” status.

In addition to returning monsters receiving new abilities and behaviors when appearing in Master Rank quests, two new subspecies for monsters introduced in Monster Hunter Rise will be arriving in the expansion. One of these is the newly unveiled Aurora Somnacanth which releases a “constant chilling mist” that can freeze anything that gets too close. It can even glide across the ice to strike and will exhale a dangerous ice breath.

Then, there’s Magma Almudron who prefers the heat of the Lava Caverns, and augments its attacks with molten stone which can overwhelm you if not careful.

But there’s also the Elder Dragon Malzeno to contend with, as it commands a swarm of parasitic entities that can capture and then absorb the energy of their prey. When engaging directly in combat, the monster attacks with a vampiric move, and should it inflict you with the “bloodblight” status, the two of you begin a duel to determine whose life force will run out first. Should you fail, Malzeno evolves into “an even more terrible form” to wreak havoc on those who survived.

To best these beasts, you will need to find new ways to approach combat, and this is where the Switch Skills ability comes in.

You will be able to use the Switch Skill Swap ability which allows you to Switch Skills to two different loadouts which can be changed on the fly during a hunt. Should you find yourself under attack while performing a Switch Skill Swap, you can perform a Swap Evade in any direction to avoid danger, or reposition for a continued assault. More information on the Switch Skills coming to each of the 14 weapon types will be provided starting May 16 via a set of short videos exploring each weapon.

Sunbreak will also provide you with new ways to bond with the game’s characters through new Follower Quests. These single-player hunts allow you to accept and complete quests with your favorite story characters. Each Follower has its own specialization, and will even assist you by recovering health, placing traps, and even riding monsters.

Members of Elgado Outpost such as Fiorayne, Luchika, Jae, Admiral Galleus, and Master Arlow will be accessible as Followers, in addition to members of Kamura Village such as Hinoa and Minoto. You will unlock Followers as you progress through the story, and you can even earn rewards for completing Follower Quests.

And finally, during the showcase, a cool Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Nintendo Switch Pro Controller was revealed. It features Malzeno, and will arrive alongside the expansion when it releases for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam on June 30. While a price wasn’t announced, it will likely cost the same as previous Pro Controllers, or $69.99.