Capcom dropped a new trailer for Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance during today's State of Play, and it's the most story-heavy look at the expansion yet. The big hook: Ascendance doesn't pick up right where the base game left off. There's a genuine time-skip, and the world has changed because of it.
The inciting event is the sudden arrival of Lao-Shan Lung, the colossal Elder Dragon series veterans will recognize immediately. Its appearance in the Forbidden Lands is catastrophic enough that the Expedition Team can't stop it outright. Instead, they spend the intervening years building Madoi Stronghold, a fortified base designed to hold the line when Lao-Shan Lung inevitably comes back. That setup alone is a bigger narrative swing than anything in the base game's opening hours.
The Lao-Shan Lung hunt itself looks like a callback to how the fight worked in classic Monster Hunter titles. Players defend the Stronghold using cannons and heavy weapons while also engaging the Elder Dragon directly. It's a siege-style encounter, which is a format the series hasn't leaned into for a while.
A sky locale and a roster of new threats
While the Expedition Team fortifies their position, something else happens: the mist over Wyveria's skies clears. What's revealed is the Skybound Eyrie, a new locale floating above the clouds, filled with ancient ruins, undiscovered endemic life, and the kind of open sky that immediately makes you wonder what's nesting up there.
The answer, at least partly, is Gundoraja. This newly revealed Elder Dragon is the headline monster of the trailer, and it's a striking design. Serpentine body, no visible wings, full command over storm clouds. It's described as having emerged from the darkest weather systems above the Skybound Eyrie, which fits the locale's atmospheric theme. Eastern-style dragon designs have always gone down well in the Monster Hunter community, and Gundoraja looks like it'll continue that tradition.
The other new monster confirmed is Araketa, a Bird Wyvern that hunts in packs across the Skybound Eyrie. Pack leaders coordinate movement through distinctive calls, and the whole unit uses powerful air currents for high-speed flight. Pack-based monsters always create interesting hunt dynamics, so Araketa should be a different kind of challenge from the solo apex threats.
There's also a third, still-unnamed creature glimpsed in the trailer. It's small, roughly Jagras-sized, and emerged from the corpse of a Guardian Doshaguma while expelling a mysterious substance. It can also distend the front half of its body to reveal an oversized jaw. That's a lot of unsettling detail for something Capcom isn't ready to name yet.
What the Boost Bracer actually does
On the gameplay side, the trailer gave a closer look at the Boost Bracer, a new piece of equipment that works through the Hunter's Slinger. Here's the key: it's not a passive buff. You build energy through aggressive combat, then activate Boost to temporarily unlock new attacks, combos, and mobility options specific to each of the 14 weapon types.
The Boost Driverability creates openings in a monster's guard, then the active Boost window lets you capitalize with enhanced combat options. Capcom has confirmed that weapon-specific Boost actions for all 14 types will be revealed ahead of launch, so the trailer only shows a fraction of what's coming.
What most players will want to know is how this interacts with existing endgame builds. The Boost Bracer slots into the Slinger system rather than replacing armor skills, which suggests it won't invalidate current setups. That said, Master Rank content is coming with Ascendance, so the full picture of how it fits into progression won't be clear until more details drop. If you want to get ahead on the current endgame before Ascendance arrives, the Monster Hunter Wilds Update 4 complete guide covers Gogmazios fights, Artian Weapon upgrades, and armor transcendence in full.
Entry requirements and what's confirmed for 2027
Ascendance requires the base game and a Hunter Rank of at least 40, plus completion of the quest "Awaking From a Dream" to access Master Rank content at launch. Players who haven't started yet can download the free Monster Hunter Wilds Prologue Demo, which lets you create your Hunter and Palico, try all 14 weapon types, and carry save data into the full game.
Capcom hasn't locked down a specific release date beyond 2027 for Ascendance on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. More monster reveals and weapon-specific Boost Action breakdowns are coming before launch, so there's still a lot to unpack. For everything else on the base game in the meantime, the Monster Hunter Wilds guides collection has you covered.
