Unleashing the TITANS: Elder Dragons Soar into "Monster Hunter Now" Season 2

There might be no other mobile game that feels as magical, with as many challenging surprises as ‘Monster Hunter Now’, as Season 2 gets ready to launch with the arrival of the Monster Hunter series’ Elder Dragons, through a partnership announcement between Niantic and Capcom this March. The latest update for 15 million players – who have smashed the game’s download records since its launch in September last year – will presumably redefine the hunting experience for millions.

The Rise of Elder Dragons: A New Challenge Awaits

The Journey So Far

But Monster Hunter Now has not just survived the hangover of its launch buzz, it has grown under the wing of Niantic’s mature back-end infrastructure into the kind of game that Pokémon Go itself never really managed to become: simple and broad enough to entice everyone into giving it a shot, but with the kind of sophistication to keep those players engaged enough to keep coming back. Dan Inamoto at Niantic explains that this is all down to the unique way in which this game was built in collaboration with Capcom.

Engage in Epic Battles

As a hunter, your heart races as you see an Elder Dragon. In my first ‘real’ quest, the intense battle against the Kushaled Daora, the prologue to all main quests, teamwork and strategy were essential. I took on the role of a gunlance user, spamming dodges and evades, shooting my gun and then firing a massive shell that stuck to the monster. Thanks to the unique way in which this game puts real-world movement into the game, this felt as thrilling.

Rewards and Strategy

What makes battle so tantalising isn’t just its cat and mouse nature, but the bounty available to those who successfully hunt the titans. With the addition of Elder Dragon Interceptions, an entire world of rewards was opened up, along with a much-coveted cooldown mechanic. Every successful hunt serves to reward the hunter, with goods that will enhance their adventures.

New Seasons, New Thrills

A Season of Discovery

As Season 2 dawns, another wave of a new horizon rolls in. Hunters need to adapt and master the techniques to best the returning Kushala Daora, along with new Khezu and Basarios. The arrival of new weapons, and even armour skills, along with new monster types means a season with more room for growth and prestige.

Enhancing the Hunter's Arsenal

It’s what makes a hunter. The new skills and tools that Season 2 provides open up all new possibilities for high-level challenges, and encourage the player to switch up tactics and learn from the deep lore and creatures of Monster Hunter.

Rewards, Honors, and Expansion

The Glory of the Hunt

Hunters take to the field, and when they succeed, their efforts are honoured with Hunter Medals added to their Guild Card, for life. Every now and then, new monsters added to the game through game updates mean there are more to hunt and Niantic will also provide more places for hunters to put their loot by upgrading an Item Box to hold 250 slots.

Celebrating Triumphs

It is how our citizens have evolved: these shifting seasons may bring new threats and prey, but they also deliver new opportunities for our victorious Hunters to show they mean business by going for harder prey with more monster densities and hunt-a-thons, leaving our world a green and growing place.

A New Dawn: Season Pass and Beyond

Embracing Change

And while Season 2 adds new difficulties and story missions, it also gives players an additional season pass with which to layer further milestones, goals and rewards onto their journey. The occasional completely new quests and events available (such as a recent crossover with the Monster Hunter Stories game) add further narrative and experiential depth.

A Future Unveiled

Now, as Monster Hunter Now starts a new chapter, a promise of Dancing in the Tempest content lies ahead The prospect of new life, new worlds, and ceaseless excitement in expansion is the road ahead.

About MONSTER

Monster holds a special meaning in this world of wonder. Noble beasts, mighty beasts, beasts who wield the raw energy of the universe through powers, instinct and immense physicality, they mark the apex of a world where hunters embark on quests to track these monsters down and face them in what can be angelic and terrifying, serene and savage battles. As hunters fight monsters, they also fight to uncover the lore about what it means to be a monster. And in that struggle, between hero and menace or daunt and danger, they gain power, they shape stories that extend the legend of hunters and monsters alike. Monster, which has been used in this article as a descriptor for the beasts encountered and fought in ‘Monster Hunter Now’, signifies the skill and spirit of challenge so central to the world of the show. With each ‘move’, each fight and each win comes a unique glory, an adventure, a victory told again and again – and it is not clear at all who becomes the hero. Even the monsters form a part of the lore and legend of hunters, and by extension the hunters are part of the monsters’ lore too.

Monsters are not only the enemies that hunters must fight, but also the foundation of hunters’ experiences, the reason behind every quest, and the inspiration for each legend. As Season 2 begins, Elder Dragons are arriving, a new era of conquest and the stories they will inspire are beginning, and the world of Monster Hunter Now that has been forged is ready for hunters old and new to join in and become part of the hunting tales of hunter and monster, fated to forever keep each other’s keepsake.