Less than a year ago, Niantic launched Monster Hunter Now, a mobile AR game focused on full-size monsters as opposed to pocket monsters. Within a week, the game was downloaded more than 5 million times, and since then it has continued to climb, with current counts eclipsing 15 million downloads.
With the game's first anniversary approaching, Season 2 begins with a massive new update: Raids are coming, and they're bringing dragons with them. We met with Niantic at Summer Game Fest and had a chance to sit down with the new raid system, and hunters will have their hands full when they take on these challenges.
Raids will appear at certain areas on the map, called Elder Dragon Interception points. As with other Niantic games like Pokemon Go, these raids will be timed, and after the timer expires, the raid will disappear. Players can join up in groups of four in order to take on an Elder Dragon, and they'll be given ample time to prepare before jumping into the fight.
Elder Dragons, simply put, are as tough as hell. Even with four players at mid- to late-game levels and equipment settings, the Kushala Daora we fought was knocking us around. Its health bar is massive and split into two sections, which does speak to one interesting perk: We don't have to kill the dragon to earn rewards. If we make it to the halfway point, we'll earn "Repel Rewards" that at least act as a sort of consolation prize should we be bested by the end. What's more, if the group hits that checkpoint, another 75 seconds will be added to the fight timer to help get your team over the finish line.
Luckily, in our demo battle, we were successful in taking down the Kushala Daora, and the rewards we received were nothing to scoff at. There were a ton of materials and other items being bestowed upon us after our victory, and we can only imagine the type of buffs those materials will provide once we can work with them properly.
Also coming with the start of Season 2 is a new partnership with Xbox, which will see Monster Hunter Now be featured as part of the Game Pass Ultimate Perks program. No official release date or details have been confirmed, but Niantic is calling the drop "our biggest bundle of free in-game items we’ve ever given out."
The upcoming season will also add a few requested in-game mechanics, including a Hunter's Guide – which Niantic calls "an expanded, detailed overview of gameplay mechanics, monsters and more" – as well as the ability to send friend requests to players who you've joined in a multiplayer hunt. Finally, a new Friend Quests system will allow players to team with friends to complete specific team-based quests, with the chance to earn major rewards.
Monster Hunter Now's second season is now available on iOS and Android devices.
