Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak shows off Switch Skill Swap in new digital showcase

Companions are joining the hunt too

Capcom hosted a new digital showcase for Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak today. It spotlighted some of the more granular gameplay features coming to the “massive expansion” for Monster Hunter Rise, but it’s some pretty cool stuff, including the Switch Skill Swap.

First up, the monsters. Three monsters for Sunbreak were shown off, starting with Monster Hunter 4U flagship baddy Seregios. It’s got those bladescales and bleed that can really help. Two other creatures get new variants: the ice-breathing Aurora Somnacanth and fiery Magma Almudron.

Other foes from Monster Hunter Rise will get master rank versions in Sunbreak too. These will add new moves, like a somersault for Aknosom, or extend combos to provide a bit more challenge than before. And of course, there’s the new big bad Malzeno, a vampiric elder dragon who looks to be absolutely fearsome.

Switching up my skills for you

A big portion of today’s update showed off the Switch Skill Swap. In Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, hunters will be able to set and swap sets of Switch Skills in the heat of battle. This could open up some interesting new combo potential for the various weapon classes, or allow some on-the-fly adjustments if certain skills just aren’t cutting it. The new Swap Evade also lets players dodge attacks while changing up their sets.

We’ll know more as Capcom reveals more about the new Switch Skills coming to each weapon. Introduction videos will start rolling out for all 14 weapon types on May 16.

Story characters also get involved in the hunt this time around, too. Follower Quests in Sunbreak will let you undertake hunts with special story characters in single-player-only experiences. Each follower has their own weapon specialization. Of course, they can still engage in all the normal hunter activities, including riding monsters. It feels a bit like the Trust system in Final Fantasy XIV, which seems like a good positive, especially for single-player folks.

There’s still more to come on Sunbreak, as Capcom says it will have more new info to share in June. Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is set to launch for Nintendo Switch and PC on June 30, 2022.