Monster Hunter: World – Iceborne isn’t just a mouthful to say. It’s looking to be one of the biggest expansions to any game this year! And that’s saying something. With an entirely new zone, new moves for all of the game’s weapons, the ever-impressive Clutch Claw and, of course, new monsters, there’s plenty to do and explore. But series veterans and fans who started with Monster Hunter: World will likely agree. It’s really all about the new monsters in Iceborne themselves. They’re easily the most exciting (and deadly) additions to this massive expansion so far. So why don’t we take a look at these tremendous terrors in our list of every new monster in Monster Hunter: World – Iceborne?
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Returning & New Monsters – Monster Hunter: World – Iceborne
These creatures are, without a doubt, the most exciting beasts in the bunch. Capcom only publicly announced a few of them before the release of Iceborne. And there are plenty of creatures which would be spoilers to talk about directly. That’s why we’ve moved any creatures we consider to be spoilers for Monster Hunter: World below in their own section!
That’s not even mentioning the gaggle of free updates that Monster Hunter: World deployed over its initial lifespan. So far we’ve received Deviljho, Lunastra, the Behemoth of Final Fantasy fame, Kulve Taroth, and even the magical Leshen from The Witcher 3. That’s quite the series of additions, and all for free! Who knows what baddies Iceborne will introduce after it hits store shelves? Better question: Will they throw infuriating new mechanics, like Ecliptic Meteor, at unsuspecting newbies? Only time will tell! Until then, let’s take a look at the new monsters in Iceborne that have been announced.
Banbaro: This ram-like beastie cuts a profile quite similar to the Barroth from Monster Hunter: World. But it has way more tricks up its, uh… horns? What I’m saying is that it can pick up stuff between its antlers and roll it after you. That means increased damage and a wider area you need to dodge through. Be careful!
Barioth: Don’t let its similar name fool you. This next creature isn’t anything like Barroth at all. It’s more like a sabretooth tiger that slips and slides around icy areas at incredible speeds. It’s been known to whip layers with its club-like tail and inflict a couple different status ailments. Those include Iceblight, which increases the amount of stamina you expend on certain actions. Barioth is also known to cause “Snowman.” This does exactly what it sounds like; it turns you into a snowman. Monster Hunter: World hasn’t previously included this cartoonish status ailment, so we’ll have to see if Barioth reintroduces it in Iceborne.
Beotodus: This new monster isn’t all that fancy. Remember Jyurtodus from the Monster Hunter: World base game? This one is a lot like that. It just swims under snow instead of mud, and deals ice damage instead of water damage. And like other subsurface creatures, you can force it to get on your level by whipping it with Sonic Bombs. Just be careful! These items are known to enrage unruly monsters.
Brachydios: Ugh. This guy… Brachydios is a known nuisance from past Monster Hunter games. The Brute Wyvern can produce glowing green slime that gets all over everything — including hunters themselves. After a short delay, these puddles and pools explode like landmines. Anyone that ever fought Teostra in Monster Hunter: World (or several other games in the series) should be somewhat familiar with a similar tactic. Although it might be tough to avoid the secondary blasts this time, since Brachydios is known to leap about and explode on contact with the ground.
Glavenus: Glavenus gets props for being one of the purely coolest monsters in the Monster Hunter franchise. It’s also a fairly recent addition to the menagerie, having first appeared in Monster Hunter Generations as one of the deadly “Fated Four.” Basically, though, it’s a T-Rex with a metal tail. It swipes the tail across the ground, super-heating the appendage the longer it fights — lighting things on fire in the process. It can also bite its own tail for an instant charge-up. Although, in past games, players were able to wail on it but good during this animation.
Namielle: This is a combination water- and thunder-based Elder Dragon, new to the series with Iceborne. It summons puddles of water that it can then electrify with its eel-ish body. Getting caught in too much water at one time will also slow you down or wash you away.
Nargacuga: Long known (and often referred to) as a fan-favorite monster, Nargacuga has earned its reputation. The black, bat-like creature is fast and fierce. Its eyes glow red when it becomes enraged, for extra chill factor, and it has a big spikey tail. That’s about the long and short of it… You’ll know why it’s so feared once you actually battle it, though. Nargacuga is incredibly quick and tough to predict. That makes it a “tricky” monster like few others in World.
Rajang: This is the first free DLC monster currently announced for Monster Hunter: World – Iceborne. It’s a thunderous ape that charges itself up with electricity and fires lightning from its mouth. Rajang is not to be confused with Congalala: the giant ape that throws its own poop at you. Despite this strange distinction, Rajang is immune to Dung Pods in previous Monster Hunter games, so be prepared to deal with it interrupting your battles.
Tigrex: Speaking of fast, we’ve finally come to the Tigrex. If it moves like a raptor, roars like a raptor, and stalks like a raptor, odds are that it’s a huge pain in the ass. The Tigrex is another fairly no-frills monster, but it makes up for it with its high speed and massive leaps. Seriously, this thing will hit you in the Rotten Vale all the way from the Elder’s Recess. In Monster Hunter: World, Tigrex can throw ice chunks to deal Iceblight and Waterblight. Yikes.
Velkhana: We know precious little about this icy beast. But it appears to be the “mascot monster” for Iceborne — just like Nergigante was for World itself. That doesn’t necessarily mean it will be the final boss by any stretch. Remember that Xeno’Jiva was the true final monster of the base campaign (discounting Arch-Tempered rehashes). But Velkhana will likely play a major role in the story. It will also deal ice damage, based on its official description, and is classified as an Elder Dragon. That means you won’t be able to use traps on it!
Yian Garuga: Something of a land-based Rathian. The Yian Garuga can poison players and breathe fire. It’s also famously aggressive — acting in an “enraged” manner right out of the gate. That is to say, it roars frequently and won’t stop approaching the player. In previous Monster Hunter games, Yian Garuga is also immune to traps while fully enraged. It’s related to the weaker Yian Kut-Ku, so don’t be surprised if that creature appears in Iceborne as well.
Zinogre: This creature is also known as the “Thunder Wolf Wyvern.” It has the unique ability to charge itself up — increasing the damage of its attacks — by summoning nearby Thunderbugs. Although you can slap that boost right out of its prickly hide by dealing enough damage. At that point, it will begin to charge up again, continuing this cycle throughout the fight.
New Subspecies – Monster Hunter: World – Iceborne
Monster subspecies are an old feature from previous Monster Hunter games. Basically, they’re a way to give low-level creatures another shot in the spotlight. Remember how you fought Pukei-Pukei exactly as many times as you needed to get through the story? Then you never bothered with it again? Well, the Coral Pukei-Pukei is about to make that monster relevant again! Except this time it will have a slightly new look and some completely different abilities. Let’s take a look at those for all the new monster subspecies in Iceborne below!
Acidic Glavenus: This version of the classic Glavenus works a lot like its counterpart. The major difference is that it deals the Defense Down debuff rarely seen in Monster Hunter: World. Meanwhile, biting its tail will turn off the debuff for a short time. The downside is that the tail itself deals more damage as a result!
Coral Pukei-Pukei: Surprising nobody, this monster is now native to the Coral Highlands. It also trades in the traditional Pukei-Pukei poison for water-based attacks. Its new moves give it much greater range the Waterblight debuff. You need to watch out whenever it starts using its tail as a long-range pressure hose!
Ebony Odogaron: This subspecies of Odogaron now deals Dragon damage and Dragonblight — in addition to the classic bleeding attacks Odogaron always had. It can also whip itself into a frenzy when it feeds on smaller creatures. You’re going to have to kit yourself very differently to take on this bad dog… lizard… thing.
Fulgur Anjanath: Remember Kirin? Of course you do! Now what if Kirin was a giant dinosaur? Well, that’s basically Fulgur Anjanath. This subspecies builds up electricity as it fights until its white fur begins to stand on end with the static. At that point, its attacks deal Thunder damage and shoot electricity throughout the ground. That’s… fun? It’s also somewhat similar to the classic beast, Zinogre, from previous games.
Nightshade Paolumu: Speaking of subspecies that feel heavily inspired by past monsters: Here we have Nightshade Paolumu. It trades in the classic white fur for black, and gains the ability to summon clouds of sleep dust. It can then use wind powers to shift those clouds around the arena. That means, even if you dodge the first time, you might get knocked out! If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s quite like the owlish Malfestios in older Monster Hunter games.
Shrieking Legiana: This subspecies is basically just a souped up version of the original. Its attacks deal more damage and apply Iceblight over a wider area. That fits a pattern many might notice within Iceborne. Capcom seems to be putting a much bigger emphasis on underused status effects. Ice was already very underrepresented in Monster Hunter: World, but… That seems to be reversed this time around.
Viper Tobi-Kadachi: This variant of Tobi-Kadachi isn’t all that dissimilar from its past counterpart. It just trades in that past Thunder damage for poison instead (hence the Viper part of its name). More interesting than the monster itself is another one of its status ailments: Deadly Poison. This is a debuff new to Monster Hunter: World. And it reportedly works by tearing away huge chunks of your hit points at once, rather than lowering them slowly over time, like regular poison.
Spoiler Monsters for Monster Hunter: World – Iceborne
These are the creatures that appear throughout the game, past a certain point that we deem spoiler territory. Before reading any further, make sure you’re okay with knowing what you’re about to face! Got that? Good! Now let’s continue.
Blackveil Vaal Hazak: This Elder Dragon subspecies eschews the usual Vaal Hazak garb (dead animal skin) for some grungy fungus that grows out of its eyes and tail. This allows it to generate effluvia in new ways and from new directions, while also making it immune to Flash Pods. That is until you break the mold off its face. Besides that, Blackveil Vaal Hazak can also be found in zones besides the Rotten Vale. You first meet this creature in the Ancient Forest partway through Iceborne.
Ruiner Nergigante: The existence of a Ruiner Nergigante in Monster Hunter: World – Iceborne originally came from a leaked trophy list for the game. For the most part, it’s pretty similar to the Nergigante you know and love (or love to hate). But it comes with some unique tricks. Its ranged spikes deal bleed damage, for instance, and its spikes work differently. Some of them are much hard to destroy, but will never grow back!
Seething Bazelgeuse: This is a souped up version of everyone’s least favorite B-52 bomber in Monster Hunter: World. Seething Bazelgeuse isn’t all that different from its normal variant. The subspecies imply summons bigger, more powerful bombs that look like enormous flowers. It also has a move where it spreads this death blossom in a massive radius before dive bombing directly downward. Anything caught near it will explode… and probably die.
Shara Ishvalda: Otherwise known as the Old Everwyrm, this is the “final boss” of Iceborne‘s initial campaign. Although things are never really that simple in Monster Hunter… Regardless, this is a large monster that sort of mixes Xeno’Jiva with Kulve Taroth. It has multiple forms, like Kulve Taroth, that require you to “release” it by breaking off rock armor. This activates the second form of the Old Everwyrm: a huge, hideous beast with great big “hands” instead of wings. The fingers of these appendages fire pressurized air at specific points. Shara Ishvalda can also create tornadoes, turn the ground into quicksand, and generate explosions out of the ground (not unlike Xeno’Jiva).
