Monster Hunter Rise has dozens of weapons that players can use to hunt massive creatures. Each weapon has numerous upgrade options that require a plethora of different resources that can found throughout the game's vast world. Players who want to make weapons from the Ice Tree upgrade path will need to get their hands on Icium.
Icium is quite a rare resource in Monster Hunter Rise and is only available in a single area, Frost Islands. This is the second area that players will get access to after completing enough Village Quests to get access to 2 Star-level quests. As the snowy biome, it makes sense that this is the only place that Icium is available.
Finding Icium is quite easy. Players can hold the minus button to bring up the map, then hit the X button to populate a list of all points of interest in the area. Hit the R button to navigate to the Materials 2 tab, then scroll down to the white Mining Outcrops symbol. This will show the location of all white Mining Outcrops on the map. It is also possible to get Icium from the blue Mining Outcrops, but this is a very rare occurrence.
The white Mining Outcrops tend to be in hard-to-reach places, so players will need to take advantage of their Wirebug to climb some cliffs and rocky outcrops to get to them. There is no special mechanic to mining them, however. Players can interact with them, and they will get three resources, with a very high chance of getting Icium.
Once they have enough Icium, players can return to the village and visit the blacksmith to make their new Ice Tree weapon. They can then change weapons at the item box to try it out on their next hunt. It is important to keep in mind the different weapons in Monster Hunter Rise have their own combos, moves, and special mechanics, so it might take some time to get to grips with any new weapon.
Weapons also have different damage profiles and can be more or less effective against different types of monsters. Having access to many different weapons can be a great way for players to make their journey in Monster Hunter Rise easier. Quickly dispatching monsters means raising their Monster Hunter Rank quicker, giving them access to tougher and tougher quests.
To keep a steady stock of Icium, players should learn the locations of all the white Mining Outcrops shown on the map above, then grab as many as they can every time they visit the Frost Islands area. This way, they will never have to specifically farm the item when they need it to upgrade their weapons.
Monster Hunter Rise is now available for the Nintendo Switch, and a PC port is expected in early 2022.