With the impending release of the massive Iceborne expansion for Monster Hunter World, Capcom has been working overtime to give us new videos that showcase some of the coolest new moves that we’ll get to play around with for different weapons.
The first three videos for these new and improved combat moves have finally dropped, and now we can check out the action. Take a look at the three videos below which showcase the Clutch Claw, the Long Sword, and the Great Sword.
First off, we have the Clutch Claw, which adds an incredible amount of utility to the Hunter’s arsenal. The Clutch Claw, in essence, is like a grappling hook that lets you grapple onto monsters, allowing you to mount them for a time while you do damage. It’s certainly a welcome addition, seeing how as of now, you can only mount monsters with jumping attacks. The Clutch Claw is looking to change that by giving you verticality in your attacks, which you can then mix and match into powerful combos. The Clutch Claw also allows you to guide the monster momentarily, possibly leading them into traps you have prepared.
This utility feels like it should’ve been introduced right at the beginning of Monster Hunter World itself, but better late than never.
Next up, we have brand-new moves for the Long Sword. The weapon has been updated for use with the Clutch Claw, which should allow you to pull off some very ninja-like moves by grappling onto monsters. There’re also some new sleek animations as well, due to the fact that slingers can now be used with your weapon drawn; the footage shows the Hunter shooting his sling before going into a quick slash, stunning the monster.
The best new addition, though, comes in the form of an all-new move called the Iai Slash. It basically enters you into a counter stance that allows you to perform a brutal counter-slash once triggered. It looks amazing, and the fact that you can chain it into a Spirit Helm Breaker, one of the most powerful moves for the Long Sword, is just the cherry on top.
The last video is dedicated to the Great Sword, one of the most damaging weapons in the game. During the official reveal for Iceborne, the developers noted that the Great Sword’s conjunction with the improved slinger makes it so that the slinger hits with more force compared to other weapons. You can see it in action when the Banbaro charged the Hunter, only for the Hunter to react at the last second with a very powerful slinger shot that stopped the monster in its tracks, while also destroying the tree he carried on his horns.
In terms of an improved move set, there’s not much to see. The video did show off the Clutch Claw in tandem with the Great Sword, resulting in a very heavy attack that made me go, “that’s gotta hurt.” Aside from that, the developers have stated that they have improved the true charged slash, which we see in action after the Hunter stuns the Banbaro.
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne releases on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 6, 2019. The PC version on Steam will launch sometime during Winter of this year.
