I liked Monster Hunter Wilds quite a bit at launch. The big open areas, the great visuals on the newest generation of consoles, and the cast of characters all made for an engaging adventure in the Forbidden Lands. But, like Tom so perfectly captured in his review, I felt let down by the challenge. The engaging loop of fighting tougher monsters to get better gear to fight tougher monsters, and so on, was missing that aspirational push that comes from difficult hunters demanding practice and gearing up, and it left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.
At Tokyo Game Show 2026 I went hands-on with Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance, the upcoming expansion, and holy smokes, what a difference two years makes. I took on a pair of monsters in some absolutely brutal fights, the sort that already have the build-crafting gears in my head turning. With the addition of new monsters, new areas, Master Rank hunts, and a dramatic expansion to the moveset of every weapon, this seems every bit the Monster Hunter World: Iceborne-style expansion I’d been hoping for.
My demo starts with no razzle-dazzle. I’m in the Grand Hub, with two missions to select. I start with the easier of the two, a hulking, winged Alpha Arakata. This fight takes place in the new Eyrie part of The Forbidden Lands, an area with strange flora reminiscent of Coral Highlands from Monster Hunter World. Floating layers of rock and interconnecting root systems forming bridges spiraling upwards add substantial vertically to the zone. As my trusty Seikret guides me to the monster, I take advantage of a series of updrafts to quickly climb to the upper layer, and I flock to Arakata, the noticeably larger and more dangerous looking alpha at the center.
For this hunt I’ve selected the Dual Blades, my personal weapon of choice most of the time. I leap from the back of my mount, and catch the target monster with a slash that sends me spinning along the length of its spine like a beyblade. I get off to a fast start, hacking at it after a nearby paratoad gets struck, and temporarily paralyzes the monster in retaliation. Once it regains control, the Arakata flaps its wings to get briefly aloft, then dives straight toward me like a missile, but I have a new trick up my sleeve...
One of the major new additions coming in Ascendance is Boost Drivers. On your hunts you now have a Boost Gauge that charges over time and while you attack, accumulate up to three charges of Boost. If you have at least one charge, you can activate Boost, which enhances the actions and attacks of your weapons. The effect is different for every weapon, in the case of my Dual Blades it give me new, ultra-rapid attacks, turns every dodge into damage-dealing acrobatics and, to the chagrin of this dive bombing Arakata, gives Dual Blades their first offset, attacks that counter and stagger incoming attacks, fully neutralizing damage and opening up yet more space for dealing damage.
The Alpa Arakata is no pushover, however. This is an all-new monster in the series, which means I’m learning on the fly. On the ground, it’s aggressive about slamming its wings and head, each covered in thick bone, forward towards me. But it’s at its most dangerous when it takes flight. It circles out of range of my short blades, then with little warning launches headfirst towards me at remarkable speed. It can quickly flap its wings to get height then charge ahead at any moment, which means no distance is “safe,” making it hard to predict. When it engages, it starts chaining dives to gather, and finishes by calling its flock, who join it flying in formation for a massive aerial dive-bombing.
It’s a back and forth fight, and eventually the Arakata flees. I chase on my Seikret, and I’m surprised to see that my overgrown bird-like mount has some new tricks too, which help navigate the aerial spaces of the Eyrie. It can now flap its wings, extending the time you spend aloft and gaining additional elevation. Seikret could always glide, but now they can tuck their wings tight, and rapidly accelerate through the air. Using this I keep close to my quarry, and track the Araketa back to its nest. Here I activate my Boost once again, and unleash a massively enhanced version of the Dual Blades signature Demon Flurry combo, landing dozens of hits in a matter of seconds, and ending with a massive pair of vertical slashes. It doesn’t take much more for the monster to fall.
The second, harder hunt on the docket is Teostra. This lion-headed Elder Dragon is a series staple, and has killed countless hunters, myself among them many times over the years. I switch to the Sword and Shield for this hunt, the extra protection will certainly be needed here, and bring along the Bow and Arrow as a secondary option, if fighting close the the fiery-based creature proves too dangerous.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.ign.com/articles/monster-hunter-wilds-ascendance-might-be-the-endgame-ive-been-waiting-for-ign-preview
