Monster Hunter Now kicks off its fifth season with a boost to the Sword and Shield weapon

With the release of Monster Hunter Wilds whipping everyone into a frenzy, Capcom would have been foolish not to capitalise on the hype with Monster Hunter Now. And fools they ain't, as Season 5: The Blossoming Blade has kicked off, with some new beasties for us to chase down.

Glavenus, the bladed-tailed wyvern, and Arzuros, the bear-sized wolverine, have made the journey onto mobile devices, but luckily we have some new skills to help take them down. Shared Sword increases attack power during a group hunt, and Raw Power also grants a boost to attack power at the cost of weapon affinity.

Sword and Shields are also getting a bit of a rework to make it easier to target breakable parts. The Perfect Rush Combo will be turned into more of an active minigame, with precise taps during the attack enhancing its performance. Finally, the Guard Skill will noticeably increase damage reduction at higher levels.

As always with new seasons, we wave goodbye to a litany of huntable beasts. This time, however, we can bring them back through monster unlock quests. Why can’t they just leave them available? Who knows. To get this unlock you will need to complete the pre-season story first.

We have also heard about two features that are coming soon. The first is the Event Exchange Hub, dropping on March 17th. During specific events, you will be able to collect exchangeable materials and trade them for items, materials, and perks. So an event shop basically, which is always nice. 

Have you ever beaten a monster and thought “That was fun, I wish I could deck them again”? Well, soon you can! After successfully slaying a monster, you will be able to spend gems to locate and battle them again. This can be used on those in Hunt-a-thons, Elder Dragon Interceptions, or marked monsters.

Monster Hunter Now is available from the App Store and Google Play.