Monster Hunter Now, the smartphone location-based game, is set to receive a Sword & Shield balance adjustment in Season 11. The changes go beyond attack power: new actions are being added, and existing actions will link into combos more smoothly.

Director Chihiro Kanno revealed the adjustment in an interview published September 14, 2026, marking three years since the game’s worldwide simultaneous launch. Three staff members from Scopely Explore, which develops and operates the game, took part in the interview. The official website describes Monster Hunter Now as an official production from Niantic and Capcom.

Discussing how the series could expand going forward, Kanno said that wherever there’s a Low Rank in Monster Hunter, there’s also a High Rank. Kanno said he sees finishing one stage as meaning exactly that, but did not confirm whether High Rank itself will be implemented.

To mark the anniversary, concept art for the navigator Qualily and for the Driftsmelting Tank, a new facility set up at hunting bases, was also released for the first time. The Driftsmelting Tank is modeled on a smoker and is said to channel power from another dimension into armor. Qualily is a former hunter who now works for the Guild; early in development, she was considered for a role closer to that of a receptionist. After feedback from Capcom, her backstory changed to that of someone who came to this world and took on a role only she can fill.

Players walk across a real-world map to find monsters, then close in and hunt them with weapons. The producer says she still remembers how thrilling it was to watch the number of nearby hunters listed under Hunt with nearby hunters grow as she got closer to a location. Hunters craft weapons and armor from materials gathered on hunts, and can also change how they fight by switching between Styles, distinct approaches to combat. The lead planner says that changing styles has produced skill combinations players might not otherwise think to try.

Monster Hunter Now Carnival 2026 Osaka, an event marking the anniversary, will be held over two days, November 14 and 15, 2026, in Osaka’s Midosuji and Namba areas. Planned activities at the venue include giveaways of grade 10 weapons.