The latest update for Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak nerfed the attack and health of some Anomaly monsters, and while many players welcome an easier introduction to the expansion's end game grind, others are sad to see the challenge reduced.
Patch 10.0.3 is rolling out now, and aside from a few bug fixes – including a pesky crash tied to bizarre insect glaive interactions with Rakna-Kadaki and its new fiery subspecies – changes to A1 and A2 Anomaly monsters are the focus of the patch.
The health of all Anomaly monsters in these ranks has been reduced, and the damage dealt by "some" unspecified monsters has also been adjusted. The Monster Hunter Twitter account explained this change in more detail:
"The team have adjusted the parameters of monsters encountered in early Anomaly Quests to allow for a smoother experience. They will still provide a formidable and fun challenge, but be a little less daunting as you delve into your first endgame hunts!"
Anomaly, or Afflicted, monsters will feel familiar to Monster Hunter World and Iceborne fans who took on Tempered monsters. They're basically Sunbreak's take on optional, souped-up, mega end game monsters. They hit hard and can take a hit, positioning Anomaly hunts as the pinnacle activity of Rise's new expansion.
As the replies to the tweet above show, not everyone is thrilled to see some Anomaly monsters dumbed down a bit. There was clearly data and/or feedback driving the decision to nerf the early Anomaly monsters, but some players are also disappointed to see the difficulty of Sunbreak's end game rebalanced, especially so soon after launch.
That being said, it's worth pointing out that this patch has only tweaked the lowest-ranking Anomaly monsters. Higher-ranking Afflicted monsters can still throw down with the best of 'em, and they're dramatically harder than A1 and A2 monsters to begin with, so there are still tough-as-nails fights to be had. If you find yourself struggling, here are some Monster Hunter Rise tips to help you master the hunt.
Speaking of bizarre interactions: this Sunbreak long sword trick looks like a lag switch but actually works.
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