‘Monster Hunter Now’ season 4 introduces Tigrex and Switch Axe

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One of the best parts about “Monster Hunter Now” is that Niantic continues to improve the game massively, and Season 4 is no exception. Titled Roars from the Winterwind, the latest chapter in the geolocation-based mobile game introduces the tundra habitat, four new monsters and a fan-favorite weapon, beginning at 4 p.m. Dec. 11.

The introduction of the frigid environment coincides with winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and Niantic is bringing Tigrex, Lagombi and Volvidon and Somnacanth to Season 4. Tigrex, the featured monster, will be one of the rarer creatures, appearing in Hunt-a-thons and rarely on the field. Although it’s a wyvern, it’s more land-based creature with quick moves and a powerful roar that will send hunters reeling backward.

Lagombi looks a giant rabbit and will likely be more common while Volvidon, an armadillo-like creature, boasts an attack with a new status effect. It spews out a noxious gas and imparts nearby hunters with a “stench” that prevents the special gauge from charging and stops special skills from being used. Lastly, Somnacanth has an enormous frill and puts players to sleep.

With any new monster, players will have an opportunity to grab new armor and the gear pieces have new skills attached to them.

•Tigrex gear has Critical Ferocity, which has a slight cut to affinity but offers a big boost to affinity damage.

•Lagombi equipment has Shared Shield, a group-focused skill that boosts allies’ defense when battling monsters with others.

•Volvidon items have a skill called Morph Boost that offers a slight increase in damage after players change the form of their weapon. It’s a perk specifically designed for the Charge Blade and Switch Axe. (More on that weapon later.)

•Somnacanth armor and weapons have Evading Reload. As the name implies, it gives players a chance to reload phials and ammo of ranged weapons by successfully dodging enemy attacks.

As I mentioned before, the Switch Axe is finally coming to “Monster Hunter Now.” The weapon starts in the long-reaching axe mode first and players build up their phials, and when it fills up, players can transform it into a fast-attacking sword mode where they can deal more damage through elemental attacks or raw damage. Personally, it’s my favorite weapon, and I can’t wait to see how it translates to the mobile game. The weapon can be unlocked by completing the pre-season story Chapter 2, according to Niantic.

PALICO CUSTOMIZATION

Niantic is making Palico fans happy with the introduction of the customizable Felynes. It’s just as robust as the hunter creation. Players can change the fur color, markings and facial features such as the eyes and ears. They can even give their partner a name. When players finish designing their furry friend, they can snap a photo of it via augmented reality.

The custom Palico is different from the one seen in the “Monster Hunter Now” narrative.

The rest of the upgrades focus on improving the quality of life. Niantic is introducing Friend Cheering, which sounds like the “Monster Hunter Now” version of friend gifting in “Pokemon Go.” When players receive a cheer from friends, they earn a temporary health boost that maxes out at 10 health.

The developers are also increasing the number of loadouts to 20. Better yet, players can customize the driftsmelting skills for each loadout. The developers are also adding a copy button so that players can more easily experiment and fine tune other setups.

Lastly, as with other seasons, players will get a free Item Box Expansion of 250 slots. Roars from the Winterwind also has its own Season Pass, which has new winter-centric layered items. Players should also hunt the following monsters now because they will temporarily disappear from the field: Radobaan, Zinogre, Tzitzi-Ya-Ku, Odogaron, Basarios, Khezu, Mizutsune, Magnamalo, Rajang, Pink Rathian, Black Diablos, Azure Rathalos, Coral Pukei-Pukei and Nightshade Paolumu.