In every action game, it can be argued that the foes you face are the real stars of the show. This sentiment rings true throughout the industry, with series like Dark Souls and Metroid taking major pride in the quality of their boss encounters. Now, what if the entire game was larger-than-life boss fights?
Related
New Monster Hunter World Mod Completely Overhauls Co-Op Mechanics
Almost a decade after release, Monster Hunter World Modders have found a way to minimize wasted time between quests.
Monster Hunter has long sat in that position, making every encounter feel like a climactic battle from a lesser game. Thanks to this, the arrivals of new battles are always met with eager anticipation, especially during expansion hype cycles. Ascendance’s sky bound setting has left fans eager and theorizing, giving me the perfect time to run through some of the most anticipated monsters that may return!
10
Legiana
Icy Airborne Assault
The Frigid Wyvern that debuted in Monster Hunter World, Legiana is a great pick for an early expansion fight focused on pushing the player to think vertically. In World, they were fought primarily in the Coral Highlands, an area covered in slopes, cliffs, and interactable insects to quickly gain height, useful for knocking Legiana out of the air.
With Ascendance’s focus on aerial foes and angel islands, Legiana is a perfect pick to get players acquainted with the new way of thinking. It would also provide a beautiful new Ice damage set, a weapon element largely only supplied by Jin Dahaad itself, eager for a few extra pieces of gear to bump up its numbers.
9
Malfestio
Hypnotic Harrier
Malfestio, a massive hypnotic owl from the earlier days of Monster Hunter, is a standout beast who hasn’t returned in decades. Another pick for its constant flight and ability to tutorialize these new sightlines, Malfestio is a phenomenal Sleep ailment monster with a very unique gimmick, reversing the player’s directional controls.
Related
Monster Hunter Wilds: 10 Hardest Monsters In The Game
Can you topple the biggest beasties in the game?
On the high-flying islands of Ascendance’s new locales, this could serve as a fun extra challenge, requiring players to be extremely careful with their movement as they try and chase down the obsessive owl. With a stellar design that has spent far too much time on the back burner, Malfestio would be a phenomenal pick.
8
Fatalis
The King of the Castle
Such a recurring big bad may seem a little low on the list for fans in the know, but this is largely due to Fatalis’s likely appearance in the final updates of World as a whole anyway. This ever-iconic black dragon is seen by many as the greatest test a hunter can face, and as such, would likely steal the spotlight of Ascendance’s new faces.
Despite that hiccup, a list like this would be moot if he wasn’t included. Despite his simple design, harkening back to depictions of dragons like J.R.R. Tolkien’s Smough, Fatalis is a beast unlike any other, punishing, powerful, and genuinely hateful in a way other monsters throughout the series just aren’t.
While I don’t expect to see him during Ascendance’s run, he could very easily show in a later Title Update to rapturous response, as befitting his slot as the truly baleful beast he is.
7
Vaal Hazak
Rise of the Cadaver Man
Now I will fully admit, this one is a personal pick, but with the return of Teostra and Kushala Daora, Ascendance could very easily see the full run of a previous game’s Elder Dragon 3. If Capcom wants to keep up the World love, that third could very easily be the corpse dragon hiding at the bottom of the Rotten Vale, Vaal Hazak.
Related
Zack Cregger’s Resident Evil Will Be Extremely True to Life Thanks to Your Skills (or Lack Thereof)
“This is an opportunity for me to be loyal to the game.”
An absolute masterclass design, Vaal Hazak brings a unique debuff, draining Hunter max HP and forcing players to either play at a much lower breakpoint or take the time to cleanse the debuff. Vaal Hazak would be a perfect fit in the Ruins of Wyveria in Wilds, especially with Ascendance’s focus on the byproducts of the Wyverian’s research into Wyvern Milk.
A monument to all their sins, and a harbinger of doom finally out to claim these artifical beasts, Vaal Hazak would make an amazing thematic third, and Wild’s focus on upgraded old monsters could give it a hell of a facelift.
6
Shagaru Magala
Divinity from Darkness
Gore Magala has served as a major stepping stone into Wild’s endgame since launch, and it’s only natural to expect the next stage in the Frenzy Virus’s evolution sooner rather than later. As fitting with Ascendance’s focus on heavenly imagery, Shagaru Magala occurs when a Gore Magala ascends beyond its pain and darkness, rising like a silver angel of death.
This massive beast served as one of the best armor sets in Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak, empowering the already great Gore Magala set with higher highs and more comfortable break points. With Shagaru on the field, Wilds could even introduce mid-fight mechanics where a Gore that’s left to its own devices for too long can ascend, bringing all new pain.
Wilds’ focus on the ecology and nature of its fantastical monsters is one of its greatest strengths, and fully realizing such a mystical evolution would be a series high point.
5
Lunagaron
Werewolf Wilddog
While not fully fitting in the newest area introduced in Ascendance, Lunagaron would be a phenomenal fight added to the Iceshard Cliffs, an aggressive predator fresh amidst the current lineup. First appearing in Sunbreak, Lunagaron is a houndlike monster that fights like a werewolf when enraged, creating swords of ice and pouncing around the arena.
An incredibly unique foe with stellar equipment, Lunagaron is a fan favorite from Sunbreak that would slot perfectly into Wild’s faster pace, allowing the wolf to fight like a duelist, clashing with the Hunter in explosive fashion. This is one time when I fully agree with the community’s adoration, and would love to see Lunagaron return in Ascendance.
4
Bazelgeuse
Beware the Bomber
Bazelgeuse, the Bombing Wyvern, fits into a niche sorely lacking from Wilds, the Ambush Monster. While Wilds’ focus on simulating the whole of an ecosystem allows different monsters to naturally interrupt battles as they progress, the exclusion of monsters that thrive on these ambushes is sorely felt.
In World, Bazelgeuse filled this role, jumping into ongoing battles by releasing explosive scales from above, bombing monsters and Hunters alike with no abandon. A great source of Blast gear and a super fun fight, Bazelgeuse introduces a sense of dread whenever you’re fighting in areas it’s known to prowl, encouraging Hunters to play fast and hard before the Bomber takes notice.
3
Velkhana
A Crown for an Ice Queen
Iceborne’s flagship foe, Velkhana, is a fantastic example of beauty in brutality, both in its battle and especially in its gear. This elegant ice manipulator is a major force in Iceborne’s plot, requiring multiple battles just to chase it off before credits roll. As another powerful foe more than willing to use its wings, Velkhana would be a fantastic addition to Wilds, tearing through those not prepared for the cold.
Related
Monster Hunter Wilds: 10 Best Ways To Prepare For Every Hunt
The best hunters always have a plan.
I can’t overstate how solid and aesthetically pleasing its gear is either, with each weapon looking like some kind of ice sculpture that could shatter with a bad hit. Meanwhile, the armor makes both male and female Hunters look like saintly statues, while granting immunity to the cold and severe Ice defense.
A beautiful foe with amazing gear, Velkhana feels like an easy slot in for when the Iceshard Cliffs really needs a heavy hitter.
2
Nergigante
Who’s Ready for a Royal Rumble?!
The undisputed king of the Elder Dragon royal rumble, Nergigante was World’s base game flagship monster, eternally on the hunt for bigger and badder Elder Dragons to crush. With the rapid rise in the number of Elders entering Wilds, it only makes sense that their apex predator would make the trip over.
A truly unique monster thanks to its smaller stature and sheer aggression, Nergigante is a fan favorite thanks to its charming role as the Elder Dragon’s regulator, as well as the rivalry that blossomed between the Hunter and the beast itself. Probably the closest any of the games have come to giving us a real rival, Nergigante is the easy win if Capcom wants fans to love Ascendance.
1
Valstrax
Warning: Target Rich Environment
Easily the best monster that comes to mind for an expansion like Ascendance is Valstrax, the Crimon Star itself. Valstrax is the other Ambush Monster, falling alongside Bazelgeuse, but Valstrax comes with mountains of extra flair. The first warning you get that a Valstrax is approaching is a crimson glow high in the sky, before what sounds like an air raid siren starts sounding.
Moments later, Valstrax touches down like a nuke, using its biological engines to spew burning fuel and create blades of energy. When Monster Hunter fans think of the sky, Valstrax is the first monster that comes to mind, making it the absolute perfect pick for Ascendance’s airborne aspirations.
Next
Monster Hunter Wilds Review
Monster Hunter Wilds is an evolution for the series and the best Monster Hunter game to date.
Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance
Released
2027
Multiplayer
Online Co-Op