Capcom announced during the recent Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak digital event that the latest expansion title update 4 will launch on February 7. The update will introduce new monsters, anomaly research quests, event quests, and a variety of paid DLC.
Two months ago, Monster Hunter teased that the update is set to bring "Returning Elder Dragon" and a "Powered-up monster", and many users at the time believed the Elder Dragon would be a variant of the ice wyvern Velkhana. The new update trailer confirmed that it is indeed Velkhana that is getting added, along with Risen Crimson Glow Valstrax, a powered-up "Risen" version of the original Crimson Glow Valstrax.
Elder Dragons are special monsters because they are able to overcome the affliction of the Qurio virus and achieve Risen state. It is a berserker/frenzy-like state that turns monsters more violent and powerful, but for Elder Dragons, they can overcome these violent tendencies and gain even greater explosive powers. Anomaly research requests are basically quests that require you to kill these Qurio-afflicted monsters and earn exclusive rewards, not to mention getting the ability to craft unique weapons and armor from their hides.
Chaotic Gore Magala will be included in anomaly research quests very soon. Additionally, the anomaly investigation level cap is set to increase to 220, allowing for even more challenging experiences. To make things even better, the update is introducing weekly quests with unique rewards, as well as a variety of armor sets, cosmetics, and outfits inspired by the hunting guide series illustrations for sale in paid DLC pack 9.
As a celebration for the fourth update release, Capcom will be hosting a campaign to give away a “Velkhana Costume” Palamute Layered Armor Set. All you need to enter the campaign is your Capcom ID, and anyone can create an ID freely through the official website. The “Velkhana Costume”, as the name implies, which allows you to dress up as Velkhana, is aleady availale, and players can continue signing up through Sunday, February 5 at 8:00 PM PST.
The Next update – Free Title Update 5 – will be rolling out next April, and it will also include a returning Elder Dragon in addition to a powered-up monster. The Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak expansion is currently available now for Switch and PC (via Steam), and it is releasing for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One this spring.