Everything I saw filled me with wonder. By Casey DeFreitas I never had to be sold on Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. I’m a constant Monster Hunter player and have been nothing short of ecstatic to tackle any and all new content that’s been introduced via frequent updates throughout the last year. With that in mind, there wasn’t one singular thing I especially wanted from the new massive expansion coming to Monster Hunter World this year – besides more monsters to hunt and make armor out of, of course – so color me surprised when I found myself getting overly excited about something I’d never have expected. Your mantles can now be upgraded with decoration slots. Granted, the decorations on mantles are only active when the mantles are equipped, but still – decoration slots! Keep in mind, “best” is being used, obviously, very subjectively here, but I literally shouted with glee when I saw that. It was the first thing I shared with my Monster Hunter squad after my hands-on demo and interview and they, to my surprise, shared in my excited rambling. How could I choose extra decoration slots over any of the new, flashy moves for every single weapon, the clutch claw, or slinger upgrade? “ I got a bit over-zealous and jumped in when I first played. Well, I primarily use Sword and Shield, so I could already use slinger ammo while my weapon is out. Though I love Monster Hunter and have put more than 300 hours into World, I admittedly haven’t mastered every weapon yet, so the new moves are somewhat wasted on me.
That said, the new Sword and Shield attack, the Leaping Slash combo, is stylish, powerful, and easy enough to pull off that I performed it accidentally before I had even read the tutorial on how to do it. I got a bit over-zealous and jumped in when I first played. Kaname Fujioka, executive director of Monster Hunter World, said the Long Sword probably benefits most from the weapon upgrades, simply because it’s easy to understand but very cool looking. It’s akin to something you’d see in a Samurai movie, Fujioka said. But, he clarified all weapons gained something that would emphasize their uniqueness. “There are sort of less obvious but equally good improvements to things like the Great Sword, which, it may not look flashier, but if you’re a Great Sword user, you’ll definitely feel that it’s been upgraded a lot,” Fujioka explained. The Clutch Claw, a new, permanent grappling-hook-type attachment for all weapons, is incredibly cool. I got a chance to use it on Banbaro and Tigrex, and being able to grab onto Tigrex from afar for a ride as it ran away felt so satisfying. Having only fought two monsters so far, I didn’t quite get a good grasp on the Clutch Claw, but I can already see how useful and integral to combat it will be moving forward. I am glad the slinger is getting a bit more attention as well, and especially glad no
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