The launch of Monster Hunter Rise's massive expansion, Sunbreak, added a number of monsters and new mechanics to engage with - including the Master Rank quests bracket. However, its content was limited with just one secret boss monster followed by a handful of additions like the subspecies Scorned Magnamalo at MR100. Luckily its first free Title Update on August 10 opened the door to nigh-endless content with Anomaly Investigations that ramp in difficulty, and an accompanying Qurious Crafting system for weapons and armor.
A lot of attention has been paid to Qurious Armor Crafting as players can try their hand at randomizing the skills and defensive stats on any piece of armor. It's a true gamble, with images online showing disparities between supercharged armor and failed attempts that remove any kind of competitive advantage. Qurious Weapon Crafting is more within the player's control, asking for powerful Afflicted materials from Anomaly Investigations to improve specific stats. However, future updates will need to expand what's possible with these alterations to truly stand out.
Qurious Weapon Crafting in a Nutshell
As a brief refresher for those just getting into Sunbreak's content, Qurious Crafting (pronounced like "curious") is a reference to the Qurio: mysterious leech-like creatures originally associated with the Elder Dragon Malzeno. While Malzeno is the flagship monster for Sunbreak and one of the "Three Lords" introduced by this expansion, the Qurio have a lasting impact and represent the mechanics of Sunbreak overall. After defeating Malzeno for the first time, the Qurio find a new master (the endgame boss Giasmagorm) before infecting just about every other monster with Bloodblight.
The so-called Afflicted monsters that have been empowered by Qurio have increased health, requiring players to hit their red weak points for explosive damage. Every Afflicted monster can also infect hunters with Bloodblight, slowly draining their health unless the player deals damage. Four tiers of Anomaly Quests were added in Sunbreak, unlocking Afflicted materials that let the blacksmith craft Rarity 10 weapons.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak's first Title Update added a fifth tier with new Afflicted monsters like Lunagaron, and high-level Anomaly Investigations drop parts like Afflicted Dire Horn or Afflicted Carapace that are used in Qurious Weapon Crafting. Any Rarity 10 weapon can be augmented to boost stats like raw Attack power, Affinity (critical hit chance), Sharpness, or Elemental damage - though not every weapon has the same list. Many also include Rampage Slot upgrades, which allow players to set Decorations featuring Rampage Skills that are no longer available through the same activity featured in base Rise.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak's Title Updates Need More Anomaly Slots
Qurious Weapon Crafting is straightforward compared to its RNG equivalent for armor, and the value is clear. Many weapons offer up to level 2 Attack Boost augmentations, for example, which raises a weapon's raw power by 10. Elemental Boost similarly gives players higher numbers on their particular element damage (or build-up for weapons with status effects), and Sharpness Boost gives them a longer opportunity to break through tough monster hides. However, each weapon only has five Anomaly Slots.
These Anomaly Slots work similar to Buddy Skills in that they limit players on how many boosts can be used at once, which is a good way of encouraging specialization on paper. But in the case of a weapon like Felyne Fatality, the Paralysis-inflicting Switch Axe, unlocking the ability to use level 3 Rampage Decorations require four Anomaly Slots. This would grant access to Switch Axe's unique Phial Switch Boost skill, but no other augmentation in its kit takes less than two Anomaly Slots.
Capcom said every Title Update coming to Sunbreak will increase the power cap on Anomaly Investigations, and as players get stronger they should gain access to more Anomaly Slots as a way of balancing the higher threat levels (though it's likely this would come with higher-tier augmentations to keep players grinding). As of Title Update 1, each augmented weapon starts with three Anomaly Slots that can grow to five total, so the system is in place for further additions. As Monster Hunter Rise ramps up its difficulty, hunters would no doubt appreciate more customization options to keep using their favorite weapons.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is available now on PC and Switch.