Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak lets you go hunting with your favorite story characters

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak will introduce new Follower quests that let you partner up with your favorite story characters out in the field. 

Follower quests were revealed as part of today's big Sunbreak showcase, and they're among the most exciting features in the expansion coming to PC and Switch on June 30. Followers won't be available for every quest and Follower quests are single-player only, but those are minor restrictions for the ability to hunt with fan-favorites like the village shrine maidens Hinoa and Minoto, not to mention several new characters coming in Sunbreak.

It seems you can also bring an animal buddy – presumably either your Palamute or Palico – into a Follower quest, and Followers look to be similar in strength. They can heal you, place traps, and damage or even mount monsters. Hunting with Followers can also unlock "exclusive rewards" – most likely some unique gear suited for layered armor sets. 

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"You'll gradually unlock more characters to pick from as you advance in the game," game director Yoshitake Suzuki explained during today's stream. "For the characters from [the new base] Elgado, you'll be able to take Fiorayne, Luchika, Jae, Admiral Galleus, and Master Arlow with you." 

Today's reveal also confirmed the return of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate's Seregios, as well as added subspecies for two Rise original monsters: Aurora Somnacanth and Magma Almudron. These three have joined a growing list of new monsters led by the Elder Dragon Malzeno, and we'll also see Master rank versions of old monsters bearing new tricks. 

Fortunately, hunters are getting some new tools to deal with these beasts. Sunbreak is adding Swap Scrolls that let you save and swap between two loadouts of weapon Switch Skills, essentially doubling the number of special moves you can bring into each hunt. There's even a "Swap Evade" that you can use to change skills while evading attacks, which ought to help preserve the flow of combat. Capcom says it'll share more of the new Switch Skills coming in Sunbreak later this month. 

Monster Hunter is often described as a game about turning dinosaurs into swords, but Exoprimal, a bonkers shooter coming from Capcom next year, is about turning dinosaurs into a fine red mist.