How to access Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak DLC

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, the new DLC for Capcom’s action RPG, went live on June 30th, 2022. As people found out, it has some pretty specific criteria needed to unlock the new content once purchased.

The Sunbreak expansion adds a ton of new stuff to the already impressive Monster Hunter Rise. From new monsters to fight to new moves with each of the weapons, to even an entirely new hub world, there’s a lot to see — with a minor caveat.

I actually ran into this issue myself when I installed the expansion onto my Nintendo Switch. I turned it on and had the same title screen I always had and nothing really new to see in the game beyond some items that came with the deluxe version. But it turns out there was a reason.

The Sunbreak expansion is endgame content in the stricktest sense of the world. You can buy the expansion all you want, but unless you get to the end of the main game, you ain’t seein’ NOTHING.

Specifically, you need to get to a 7★ Urgent Quest entitled “Serpent Goddess of Thunder” in which you have to fight the remarkably bizarre Narwa.

Upon completing the mission you’ll get the slew of cutscenes in which everyone celebrates and the hints that more bad things are on the horizon. What, honestly, is pretty impressive is that anyone knows the difference between bad and good when it seems like all of humanity is sequestered in small colonies to stay safe from giant beasts like it’s Attack on Titan or something.

Once all the scenes are done, you’ll receive a notification that someone on the bridge is looking to talk to you. Find the NPC standing on the far end of the bridge that leads into the city and she’ll start you on your first mission towards the new expansion. First, monsters from her neck of the woods have started to travel so you need to go to a familiar setting to face a new monster and from there you’ll make your way to the new hub world.

But if you were feeling worried that you didn’t get anything new from the expansion before you found out it was endgame, you’re gonna feel REAL different now as about 20 different people are going to want to talk to you about their newest offerings and changes. Enjoy!