Capcom took the stage at the 2026's Summer Game Fest to show off the reveal trailer for Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance, a large-scale DLC expansion to the latest entry in the Monster Hunter series, Monster Hunter Wilds.
Unlike the base game, which took place on land, the Ascendance DLC will take players on an epic journey through the heavens as we explore floating islands filled with ancient ruins and ravenous monsters to hunt.
Among the new monsters we'll be hunting are an original Flying Wyvern-type creature that resembles a flying fish that divebombs players, the iconic Elder Dragon Kushala Daora who assails players with never-ending tornadoes, and Lao-Shan Lung, a colossal Elder Dragon that hasn't been seen since 2017's Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate.
However, Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance will be giving players new tricks to combat these creatures, as the Slinger gadget players used for firing Slinger ammo in the base game can now be used to supercharge weapons and activate new techniques that will rip enemies to pieces.
Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance is set to launch sometime during 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.
Windows Central's take
Now, Monster Hunter Wilds and I had a rocky relationship, despite me being a hardcore Monster Hunter fanboy who's been in love with the series since Monster Hunter World.
At launch, it gravely disappointed me for its lackluster difficulty throughout the main campaign, subpar performance, and lack of substantial endgame content. Thankfully, post-game updates managed to fix most of these issues, while providing some satisfyingly challenging monsters to hunt like Omega and Gogmazios.
After looking at this trailer, my excitement for Monster Hunter has been lit up again because this expansion looks amazing. The new floating islands locale is easily the best-looking area in the game, the new original Flying Wyvern looks cool, and the new supermoves look fun to use.
Also, it's wild to see Lao Shan Lung again after so many years. This thing that debuted in the original Monster Hunter from 2004 paved the way for multiplayer-scale raid monsters in the series like Kulva Taroth, Jhen Mohran, and Zorah Magdaros, to name a few, and I'm kind of excited to fight it again without being held back by old-school controls this time.
Best of all, we'll doubtless be getting Master Rank quests, which in the past have often been the most challenging in a Monster Hunter game, meaning the story campaign might actually provide some difficulty this time and not be afraid of putting the player in danger.
I can't wait to see what else Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance has in store when it launches sometime in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.
🗨️ Over to you
What do you think of Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance? Does it make you want to revisit Monster Hunter Wilds or play it for the first time if you've been holding off on playing until the DLC expansion arrives?
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