So, you’ve decided to pick up Monster Hunter Rise now that the Sunbreak expansion is available. If you’re a newcomer, be forewarned that progression can get a little confusing at first, especially due to two different systems that determine how difficult your runs would be. Here’s our Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak guide to help you with Village Quests, Hub Quests, Master Rank, and more.
Note: We’ll have a Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak guides and features hub soon, so stay tuned.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak – Village Quests, Hub Quests, Master Rank Quests, and progression
When you first start the main campaign, you’ll be greeted by twins Hinoa and Minoto. Hinoa is the Quest Maiden found in the central area of Kamura Village. Minoto, meanwhile, is the Hub Maiden found in the, uh, indoor hub area. This is when you’ll notice two different progression mechanics:
- Village Quests – The Village Quests in Monster Hunter Rise refer to single-player-only runs. The enemies here are suited for soloing and are relatively easier. In essence, this is a way to advance a bit and farm materials while avoiding hassles.
- Hub Quests – As for the Hub Quests in Monster Hunter Rise, these are tailored for multiplayer (you can look for people who need aid or request help from others). These activities are meant for groups, though you’re free to tackle them on your own. However, be reminded that monsters here tend to be tougher than the Village Quest variants that you encounter.
Note: Several functions in Kamura are locked behind Hub Rank progression. These include higher-level gear pieces, new skills, and the means to begin the expansion’s arc. As such, you’ll want to focus more on Hub Quests to ensure that you’re truly advancing further.
Additionally, there are other types of quests that you’ll discover in Monster Hunter Rise:
- Sidequests – These are found in the panel when you talk to Hinoa or Minoto. They’re mostly tallies, such as killing a number of small monsters, defeating a larger monster, breaking off parts, gathering materials, and so on.
- NPC quests – As you advance, NPCs in Kamura Village will ask for your help, too. They might want you to look for specific items or mine certain ores.
- Arena – These take place in Kamura’s pit where you’re up against various creatures.
- Switch Skill Quests – These are handed to you by Master Utsushi after meeting certain requirements. Completion nets you additional Switch Skills for your weapons.
- Urgent Mission – Completing the required number of Village Quests or Hub Quests leads to an urgent task. This usually allows you to rank up.
- Rampage – The Rampage activity has an urgency to it, as it coincides with the campaign’s narrative arc. Here, you’ll defend Kamura Village from wave after wave of beasts.
- Licenses – If you’ve been doing more Village Quests than Hub Quests, then you’ll probably have a higher rank for that. The game will then provide license tests for you. These are akin to regular hunts, though you’ll probably need to battle several large beasts in one run. If you’re successful, your Hub Rank increases as well. This will only let you reach up to Hub Rank 4, though, so you definitely need to handle more tasks from Minoto down the line.
Later, once you’ve reached Elgado Outpost in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, you’re given additional objectives:
- Master Rank – This is your primary means of progression in the expansion. The targets here tend to be just as tough as the main campaign’s final boss. It’s also akin to Hub Quests/ Hub Rank in that it’s tailored for co-op multiplayer experience.
- Follower Quests and Support Surveys – After finishing some introductory missions in the expansion, this mechanic will be unlocked. It allows you to choose NPC companions to tag along, whereupon they’ll act somewhat like a regular player (i.e., using items, tanking hits, unleashing Silkbind skills, and even riding wyverns on their own). This, however, is solely for single-player runs. It’s a way to help you when farming a particular foe for materials, but the Master Rank quests are still what you need to focus on.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is available via Steam.
