Every one of the 14 weapon types is getting new ways to fight. They arrive with Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance, an expansion for Capcom’s hunting action game Monster Hunter Wilds, released in February 2025. A new piece of gear, the Boost Bracer, gives each weapon more moves. The expansion also adds a new quest rank, Master Rank. The hunts take place in a new hunting ground, the Skybound Eyrie, where hunters investigate a disturbance in the ecosystem.

Ascendance requires Monster Hunter Wilds. It is due in 2027, and no release date has been announced yet. It is coming to Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam, with English text and English voice acting.

Three people seen from behind look out at rock spires and ruins floating among the clouds

The monsters waiting in the Skybound Eyrie

The colossal elder dragon Lao-Shan Lung appeared without warning and caused extensive damage. Several years later, Madoi Stronghold has been built to guard against its return. Then the fog that covered the sky clears, and the Skybound Eyrie comes into view, floating above the clouds. It is uncharted open land thick with vegetation and dotted with ancient ruins, home to endemic life never seen before.

One new monster is a bird wyvern that flies in flocks: Araketa. Gundoraja, an elder dragon that commands thunderclouds, is also making its debut. Kushala Daora, an elder dragon from earlier in the series, appears alongside Lao-Shan Lung. Director Takuro Hiraoka has said that elder dragons are deeply tied to this story.

A hunter rides a feathered mount across rocky ground toward floating rock formations

What does the Boost Bracer add?

Spending a boost gauge puts the hunter in a boosted state, enhancing their actions while it lasts. The gauge fills as you hunt: over time, when your attacks land on monsters, and in other ways. You can hold up to three.

With the Long Sword video posted on September 15, the weapon-by-weapon showcase videos now cover every weapon type. You can already see in the videos what is being added to your weapon.

According to Hiraoka, monsters get stronger at Master Rank. With up to three gauges available, deciding when to spend a boost against those tougher monsters looks likely to become a tactical game of its own.

A winged monster stands on reddish grass with its wings spread wide

Khezu interrupts the TOKYO GAME SHOW 2026 stage demo

Ascendance was playable at TOKYO GAME SHOW 2026, with a quest to hunt Araketa. On Capcom’s stage, Hiraoka played it himself. Partway through an Araketa hunt, another monster stuck just its head out of a small hole and interrupted the action. It was Khezu. The broadcast showed it emerge fully in a cave-like space, spit lightning, and stretch its neck to bite. Khezu is new to Monster Hunter Wilds.

A special video that was meant to play only on the big screen at the booth has since been released online. It covers monster ecology, a Felyne dance, and a side-by-side size comparison of several monsters.

Two characters look upward: one with glasses in the foreground, one with a pale braid and a brown jacket

Who is in charge?

Yuya Tokuda directed Monster Hunter Wilds; Hiraoka, who played the game onstage, takes over as director for Ascendance. Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto stays on from the base game.

The last game Hiraoka directed was Exoprimal. Before that, he worked on the Monster Hunter series as a planner, then served as lead game designer on Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate and Monster Hunter World: Iceborne.