Monster Hunter Now’s New Season Is Doing What Pokemon Go Won’t

Monster Hunter Now’s progress over the past 9 months has been spectacular. What may have been a low-effort Pokemon Go clone has grown right into a unbelievable location-based cellular sport in its personal proper, and one thing worthy of the Monster Hunter title. With the brand new Elder Dragon Interceptions added on this week’s Season 2 launch, Monster Hunter Now could be even outdoing Pokemon Go in a couple of essential methods.

In case you’ve performed Monster Hunter Now, that shouldn’t be shocking. Because the starting, it’s had options that instantly responded to widespread criticisms of Pokemon Go. I’m a giant fan of Now’s map, which reveals you biomes, assets, and monsters inside a big radius round you. As an alternative of aimlessly wandering my neighborhood like I do once I play Go, Now lets me plan my route based mostly on the improve supplies I would like to gather. It additionally has a much more partaking fight expertise, which is to be anticipated from a Monster Hunter sport.

Final 12 months, Pokemon Go launched Routes, a brand new mechanic that rewards gamers for exploring particular routes whereas enjoying. This has helped give some course to my play time, however not as a lot as Monster Hunter’s detailed map.

The brand new season introducees Elder Dragon Interceptions, which unsurprisingly, perform equally to raids in Pokemon Go. The primary Elder Dragon, Kushala Daora, will seem at gathering nodes all over the world, giving gamers a high-difficulty encounter and an opportunity to earn crafting supplies for high-tier weapons and armor.

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Just like the Hunt-a-thon factors launched final season, Elder Dragon Interceptions have a matchmaking possibility. In case you queue right into a Kushala Daora hunt and there aren’t every other gamers within the space that will help you, the sport will mechanically pair you with different individuals all over the world who’re concurrently queuing to struggle Kushala of their native space. This fashion you gained’t find yourself in a state of affairs the place you’ve made the effort and time to go discover an Elder Dragon Interception, however you may’t take part as a result of there’s nobody there that will help you.

This sort of matchmaking helps even the enjoying discipline for rural and suburban gamers who typically battle to search out different individuals to play with, and it’s one thing that Pokemon Go raids have desperately wanted for years. Whereas Niantic makes an attempt to devalue Distant Raid Passes and disincentive individuals from utilizing them, the Monster Hunter Now workforce has successfully solved the issue by including a matchmaking system for group content material.

There are different refined variations between Pokemon Go raids and Elder Dragon Interceptions. Fairly than use some form of go to entry the Interceptions, you’re as a substitute placed on a 180 minute cooldown earlier than you may hunt an Elder Dragon once more. Naturally, you should buy Extremely Searching Tickets to bypass the cooldown.

A Niantic rep I spoke with says Extremely Searching Tickets usually are not at the moment earnable in sport, however that it’s one thing the studio will discover sooner or later.

You additionally don’t should defeat the Elder Dragon to earn rewards. The monster’s well being bar has two segments, and when you’re in a position to injury it midway you’ll earn extra time on the clock to attempt to end it off. In case you can’t kill it, the monster might be repelled and also you’ll nonetheless earn partial rewards. This fashion, you may nonetheless farm Elder Dragons even when you aren’t but sturdy sufficient to defeat them.

Niantic can also be including a brand new Good friend Quest system that permits individuals to workforce up and full targets collectively over the course of every week. Due to participant suggestions, you’ll additionally be capable of ship pal requests on the finish of a multiplayer hunt to anybody you performed with. These options are all designed to reinforce the social capabilities of Monster Hunter now and make it simpler for individuals to play collectively.

It’s unusual to see Monster Hunter Now fixing issues that Pokemon Go gamers have been complaining about for years in only a matter of months. I’m glad that comparable video games from the identical studio will be so totally different, however at this level, I’m seeking to Monster Hunter Now because the studio’s flagship sport. It’s progressive in ways in which Pokemon Go gained’t, or can’t be, and I’m excited to see the way it continues to develop from right here.