Monster Hunter Rise players got access to the second Free Title Update for its "massive" Sunbreak expansion this week. The level cap for Anomaly Investigations has been raised to 120, and users can officially create layered weapons to transmog whatever look they want. However, the biggest draw of every Monster Hunter update is the titular monsters to hunt, with Free Title Update 2 introducing Flaming Espinas and Violet Mizutsune alongside a new "Risen" form for the Elder Dragon Chameleos. Based on the pattern established by Sunbreak so far, it seems likely Glavenus will appear somewhere in the expansion's roadmap.
An abundance of Fire element monsters are appearing in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, perhaps in contrast to Monster Hunter World: Iceborne focusing on the Ice element. Sunbreak was never coded to be Fire-themed beyond "Sun" appearing in its name, and the Three Lords (plus Sunbreak's final boss Gaismagorm) all feature different elements. Yet multiple new variants of Rise's monsters and post-launch additions such as Gold and Silver Rath point to Fire being a focal point that Glavenus would fit well.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak's Flagship Monsters and Fated Four Representation
Each Monster Hunter game has a "flagship monster" on its box art, designed to be the center of the overarching narrative not unlike Legendary Pokemon. For base Monster Hunter Rise this flagship was Magnamalo, a creature of malice that was believed to be responsible for the Rampages afflicting Kamura Village every 50 years. Sunbreak introduced its own flagship monster, the Elder Dragon Malzeno, who similarly appeared to be creating madness in other creatures through the bloodblight spread by its leech-like followers, the Qurio.
However, Sunbreak also stands out for bringing together numerous older flagship monsters. It reintroduces Gore Magala and its matured form Shagaru Magala from Monster Hunter 4, as well as Seregios from Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. Post-launch content for Monster Hunter Rise already included a variant of Valstrax from the cover of Generations Ultimate, though Generations' base release on 3DS features Glavenus.
Another reason Glavenus seems like a shoo-in for Sunbreak is because of its parallels with Malzeno. Sunbreak's flagship Elder Dragon is considered the head of the aforementioned Three Lords, reigning over fellow newcomers Lunagaron and Garangolm. Glavenus being a flagship similarly makes it the most recognizable member of Generations' "Fated Four," a group introduced to represent the four hub areas in a game that was ostensibly a 10th anniversary celebration for the series. Sunbreak introduces Astalos and a variant of Mizutsune, whose main form appears in Rise, so two of the four are already assembled.
Glavenus Could be More Than Just Another Fire Monster for Sunbreak
Porting Glavenus to Monster Hunter Rise would appear to be an easy affair from the outside looking in. Not only has the monster appeared on Switch via Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, it was already included in an expansion as part of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. The introduction of Seething Bazelgeuse, the Metal Raths, Flaming Espinas, and Violet Mizutsune shows a clear preference for Fire element monsters that Capcom may continue, with one more obvious choice being a Risen Teostra to follow Risen Chameleos.
That said, many fans are likely annoyed at the thought of an expansion full of almost exclusively Fire monsters when there are five major elements in Monster Hunter to utilize. Thus, each Title Update focusing on variant monsters is a good sign for Glavenus, especially with the current roadmap suggesting Title Update 3 in November will focus on variants and "powered-up monsters" too.
Iceborne introduced Acidic Glavenus, whose attacks focused on lowering defense rather than spreading fireblight. Considering Monster Hunter Rise added a new Crimson Glow Valstrax subspecies rather than the original Elder Dragon, it's easy to imagine Capcom going straight to Acidic Glavenus for more diversity. There could also be an entirely new take on this monster akin to Violet Mizutsune. Either way, it would be great to see the remaining Fated Four join Sunbreak sooner rather than later.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is available now on PC and Switch.