Niantic and Capcom announced that the popular Elder Dragons from the Monster Hunter series are coming to the location-based mobile game Monster Hunter Now for Season 2.
Monster Hunter Now debuted in September 2023 and it has been downloaded 15 million times as of April, giving Niantic its biggest hit since Pokemon Go debuted in 2016. Niantic’s infrastructure for the location-based game has held up well with the new game.
Not all games have done this well, including new titles from Niantic.
“We think that the close collaboration with Capcom has definitely helped to make sure that we distill the essence of Monster Hunter into this game,” said Dan Inamoto, senior director of global marketing at Niantic, in an interview with GamesBeat. “It’s easy enough to play for anybody. But it’s also quite deep, as you get into it. There are skills that you have to master in order to use different weapons and armor.”
Lil Snack & GamesBeat
GamesBeat is excited to partner with Lil Snack to have customized games just for our audience! We know as gamers ourselves, this is an exciting way to engage through play with the GamesBeat content you have already come to love. Start playing games now!
I gave the game a try in a demo at the Summer Game Fest Play Days, where four of us battled the Kushala Daora, the first of the Elder Dragons coming. Since it’s a location-based game, you’ll have to find a node that turns into an Elder Dragon Interception point.
Elder Dragons are monsters that have existed since ancient times and possess traits that transcend human knowledge. They are often compared to natural disasters and feature in legends around the world. You have to be within range of a node or use an extender so that you can get within the radius of the node.
Once you join, others can accompany you on the fight. I joined the battle with a gunlance, a giant cannon that combines the robustness of a lance with some explosive firepower. It can deliver Wyvern’s Fire, a high-power attack, and Burstfire, an attack that unleashes a barrage of damage. The tactic to use in this battle was to keep running. I had to run sideways to get a shot at the dragon, while my comrades distracted it. I could land some heavy shots, but eventually had to move on. You can hold the gunlance down to charge a shot and do a special move. You can swipe down to reload.
The dragon let out a roar and sent tornado out at us. When the dragon caught me, it did considerable damage. You get 75 seconds to do damage, and if you make it past a threshold you get another 75 seconds to bring the dragon down. We brought the dragon down.
These battles operate similar to Hunt-a-thon points. After joining an Elder Dragon Interception, there’s a cooldown period of 180 minutes before players can join another Interception or Hunt-a-thon. An Ultra Hunting Ticket can be used to bypass this waiting time.
For Elder Dragon Interceptions, there are two types of rewards: rewards which are obtained upon successfully slaying the Elder Dragon, and Repel Rewards, which are acquired when the Elder Dragon’s health is reduced by a certain amount. Hunters who slay the Elder Dragon receive both the Repel Rewards and the usual rewards.
In addition to Kushala Daora, Khezu and Basarios are coming to Monster Hunter Now at the start of Season 2. Kushala Daora will only appear through Elder Dragon Interceptions, whereas Khezu and Basarios will appear on the field once players have unlocked the corresponding Season 2 story quests. In addition to these three, Niantic will add more large monsters throughout Season 2.
In the new season, there will be new weapons and armor skills. New monsters and a new weapon type also means that new skills will be available for hunters to add to their arsenal. Players can look forward to Kushala Frostwind, Artillery, Special Insurance, and more.
The new season with more monsters will also feature new hunter medals that players can earn and display on their Guild Card. Niantic is also giving all players an additional 250 slots with a free Item Box Expansion, available as a Supply Item in the shop. Additionally, the overall limit to the number of times the Item Box capacity can be expanded via gems will also be increased.
As the seasons change, so does the rotation of monsters appearing on the field. Note that for the monsters leaving the field with the start of Season 2, players can unlock them once more by completing urgent quests in the Season 2 story quest.
From the start of Season 2 through June 24 at 7:59 a.m. Pacific time, the appearance rate of Khezu in swamp areas and Basarios in desert areas will increase. The density of monsters in the fields will also be increased during this period. Coral Pukei-Pukei, Basarios, Khezu will appear at Hunt-a-thon points. Coral Pukei-Pukei will also appear at Hunt-a-thons after the event.
A new season pass will be available providing all players with rewards via the free plan, including in-game items, cosmetic layered equipment, Zenny and monster parts. An additional rewards track will also be available via a paid premium plan. Note that once Season 2 begins, players will no longer be able to unlock Season 1 rewards, but they will still be able to claim any unclaimed rewards for up to one month.
Monster Hunter Stories is the first RPG in the Monster Hunter series, originally released by Capcom in 2016. A remastered version launches June 14, and to celebrate Monster Hunter Now will feature a special event quest. By completing the Monster Hunter Stories event quests, players can earn limited-edition hunter medals and limited-edition layered outfits.
This is just the beginning of the “Dancing in the Tempest” content, with more exciting updates and features to come starting in July.
Niantic partnering with Xbox to grant Game Pass Ultimate members an exclusive Perk, a Monster Hunter Now Season 2 bundle. The bundle will be the largest collection of free in-game items ever given out.
Inamoto said the game is popular in Asia, including Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. It has also been a big hit in the U.S. The seasons started this year, with the first one getting under way in March.
As a Niantic game, you can play the game while walking outside to different landmarks and make progress in the story as you do so.
“You get a sense of accomplishment as you as you clear the encounters,” Inamoto said. “People who are into RPGs love it, and we have built many elements into the game that hardcore gamers like. We think it’s a good bridge to the Monster Hunter games” on PC and the consoles.
It’s not yet known how often the dragons will show up on the map.
“There’s a lot of stuff happening in the summer,” . “The dragon is going to be pretty tough so we definitely recommend playing with your fellow hunters around you.”
