The MHW “USJ: Ballet of Frost” event quest is aptly named. It pits players, yet again, against a Frostfang Barioth. Though this one is easier than the Tempered variant that introduced the monster. The downside is that you won’t get Frostfang Tickets to make Frostfang gear. The upside? You can get the new Azure Age armor and related layered set!
The quest is actually a pleasant surprise for one not-so-pleasant reason. In this context, USJ refers to Universal Studios Japan. The theme park regularly holds Monster Hunter events where players can get exclusive gear by attending. That gear then (normally) drops much later for the majority of players. The COVID-19 pandemic naturally interrupted that pandemic. Since it’s unsafe to attend pretty much any large gathering, Capcom and USJ are giving out the Azure Age set, weapons, and layered armor for free, to players all over the world.
USJ: Ballet of Frost runs from Oct. 1, 2020 until Nov. 5, 2020. After which it will likely rotate into the usual event schedule. Expect to see it crop up in seasonal festivals, like the Fun Fright Fest this October. It’s also a nice, easy mission compared to the rest of Title Update 5. Fatalis was added to Monster Hunter World at the same time. If you’re not ready for that, you can farm some gems to get the Azure Age items in the meantime!
You only need to be Master Rank 18 to participate in this event quest. The same goes for its sister assignment, “USJ: Shine On Forever,” if you’re looking for the Azure Starlord layered armor.
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#Iceborne Event Quests “USJ: Shine On Forever” and “USJ: Ballet of Frost” are now live! ?
Bring down some frosty foes to craft the Master Rank USJ Azure equipment series. ❄️ pic.twitter.com/Tvkg6P3yBP
— Monster Hunter (@monsterhunter) October 1, 2020
In MHW, USJ: Ballet of Frost takes place in the Hoarfrost Reach. I did mention it was aptly named… Your objective is to beat a Frostfang Barioth. That means either slaying or capturing it; either method works.
That’s pretty much all there is to it! The Frostfang Barioth isn’t special or unique compared to any other version of the fight you may have seen before. It likes to tackle at close-range and swing its tail around. But breaking its face and front claws will slow it down considerably. An Iceproof Mantle and/or Nullberries won’t go amiss here, however, since Frostfang Barioth uses far more Ice attacks than its average variants.
One of those attacks includes the ankle-high frost waves Velkhana can also create. Standing in these will slow down your hunter and render them unable to do much more than stumble. The Iceproof Mantle won’t protect you, either, so it’s important to walk away from — or out of — the rime as quickly as possible.
Once you beat the event quest, you will receive one Large Azure Era Gem (more if you’re lucky). This is the special mission-only crafting material used in Azure Age equipment. You need five in total to finish the armor set (one for reach piece of gear). The Azure Age layered armor requires another three. And you’ll need even more to build and upgrade the two weapons: a Bow and a Long Sword.
The Bow can be crafted using only Master Rank materials. The Long Sword, on the other hand, is an upgraded version of a High Rank weapon. You’ll need to play “USJ: Blazing Azure Stars!” to build the earlier versions of the weapon. Then you can use your Large Azure Era Gem stockpile to upgrade it to its new and improved form.
Happy hunting!
