Hoping to capitalize on the momentum that “Monster Hunter Now” has built up over the past few months, Niantic is launching a new feature and a promotion that is aimed at bringing more players into the company’s second-biggest game after “Pokemon Go.”
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“Monster Hunter Now” has improved steadily since its launch in the fall of last year, and Niantic’s Japan team has added more features and wrinkles in the design and gameplay to make it feel closer to the main series games.
The latest improvement is a concept called Dimensional Links. These are special creatures that are designated with a green marker on the map. The developers said these creatures have become entangled in the Dimensional Rifts, which are the reason these beasts ended up in our world and explains the backstory of “Monster Hunter Now.”. These Dimensional Link monsters are special because they exist in several areas of the world at once and that lets players from far away hunt together.
For veterans of the mobile game, think of it as a single-hunt Hunt-a-thon. Players click on the creature and they’re thrown into a lobby where they can team up with other strangers to defeat Rathalos, Diablos or whatever entangled baddie. It works much like a Hunt-a-Thon with group rewards of extra materials doled out.
The developers that it’s a way for rural players who may not have many points of interest or allies in their community to interact with the wider world. Because Dimensional Link monsters spawn randomly, players can just walk to them and join a group hunt.
Defeating these new monsters don’t drop special items. It also doesn’t come with a cooldown or any other limiting element. It’s a way to allow relative newcomers to jump in and perhaps grab high-level materials, so that they can build better gear.
Dimensional Links begins later this afternoon.
Players from far away can hunt together if they battle a special creature type in “Monster Hunter Now.” (Niantic)
The big promotion that’s launching this weekend is a free “Monster Hunter Now” collaboration with MrBeast. It runs from 9 a.m. PDT July 27 to 8:59 a.m. PDT Sept. 2. The event features a special questline that unlocks a special non-elemental sword and shield. Niantic said it’s one of the more powerful weapons of its type.
It’s forged and upgraded using the MrBeast Briefcase up to grade 6. If players want to upgrade beyond that, they’ll need regular materials. It sounds comparable to the Lunar New Year weapons that arrived earlier this year. The MrBeast Sword & Shield has a skill called MrBeast Challenge! and the effect, according to Niantic, is a “something amazing will happen when a certain action is taken.” It sounds “Resident Evil” cryptic.
Along with the weapon, players will receive MrBeast Layered equipment, face paint, a Guild Card Background and rare monster materials such as a Wyvern Gem Shard and a Zinogre plate.
To access the free custom narrative, players must finish the prologue, which is the first questline newcomers have.