Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is said to be a "massive" expansion in Capcom's marketing, and trailers released leading up to its June 30 launch certainly corroborate that. There will be a number of mechanical updates, including a new Switch Skill Swap feature that lets players bring more abilities to each hunt. Two maps are also confirmed to be coming in Sunbreak: the brand-new Citadel and revamped Jungle from Monster Hunter 2. Then there are a host of new monsters, some of which will be returning favorites while others add entirely unique fights.
As with Monster Hunter World's massive expansion Iceborne, and the "Ultimate" editions of prior Monster Hunter games, subspecies for monsters introduced in Rise will make up a decent chunk of the additions to Sunbreak. Fans already knew about Blood Orange Bishaten, Aurora Somnacanth, and Magma Almudron, but the Capcom Showcase hosted on June 13 also introduced Pyre Rakna-Kadaki. While this Temnoceran subspecies did not receive as much of a focus as the returning flagship monster Gore Magala, it promises to be a deadlier hunt than its basic counterpart.
Rakna-Kadaki in Monster Hunter Rise
The spider-like Temnoceran classification is relatively new to Monster Hunter, having just been introduced in the fourth-generation titles through Monster Hunter 4's Nerscylla (and 4 Ultimate's Shrouded Nerscylla subspecies). Rakna-Kadaki is only the second Large Monster species to be considered a Temnoceran - not even the Monster Hunter Frontier series has introduced one, though that branch will soon begin to cross over with mainline titles through Sunbreak's introduction of Espinas. While Nescylla focused on inflicting ailments like poison with its huge, retractable mandibles, Rakna-Kadaki instead attacks with fire.
All the new monsters introduced in Rise were based on Japanese folklore, much like Sunbreak's Three Lords are designed after western stories. Rakna-Kadaki generally pulls from two different yokai: Jorogumo, a spider that can transform into a beautiful, shrouded woman to lure in prey; and Tsuchigumo, giant spiders with demonic faces. The Monster Hunter species fits these influences with the title "Wandering Widow," draped in thick webbing as it typically moves about the Lava Caverns map, carrying a number of its offspring - Rachnoids - on its back.
Throwing out Rachnoids to attack any surrounding hunter is just one of the tricks that Rakna-Kadaki can pull off. It can also shoot string and fire from its mouth, immobilizing and burning hunters, respectively; and it can crane its extendable neck around like real-world pelican spiders to act as a sweeping flamethrower. The Temnoceran is also able to create a burst of flames around its body, as well as weave a huge egg sack that can be brought down like a hammer. Generally its weak points are the webbing shrouded over its legs, as breaking these causes the monster to fall over.
Pyre Rakna-Kadaki Ups the Ante
Rakna-Kadaki's new "Pyre" subspecies is only briefly seen in Sunbreak's Capcom Showcase trailer, highlighted alongside the veteran Daimyo Hermitaur. Its key characteristic will be Blastblight, focusing more on explosions than pure fire attacks. The trailer showcases Pyre Rakna-Kadaki shooting webs that ignite like bomb fuses, and the base form's Rachnoids have been replaced by Pyrantulas.
According to Capcom's official Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak website, the explosive material that fills this subspecies also creates darker, explosion-resistant webbing for its shroud. Furthermore, Pyre Rakna-Kadaki has an "advanced chain of command" with its Pyrantulas, able to direct them with a sound-producing organ to connect its explosive webbing across larger areas. The spider-like monster is also able to ignite explosive material by striking its forelimbs "like flints."
Fans will have to wait until Sunbreak launches at the end of this month to find out more about what Pyre Rakna-Kadaki and other subspecies are capable of. Considering the basic Rakna-Kadaki is a powerful late-game challenge in Rise, it stands to reason this explosive variant will be even tougher. However, if that isn't enough to sate hunters, they can also anticipate Free Title Updates with new monsters and maps down the line.
Monster Hunter Rise is available now for PC and Switch. Its Sunbreak expansion launches on June 30, 2022.