Capcom announced today that there is a brand new beta for the Monster Hunter: World Iceborne expansion that will launch this Friday exclusively for PlayStation 4 players. The beta will start on August 30, 2019 from 12:01 a.m. PT through September 1, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. PT. After that, Xbox One players will get a turn from September 2, 2019 at 12:01 a.m. PT through September 4, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Players will be able to preload the beta on August 28, 2019 until the time their beta starts for their respective platform.
The Iceborne beta will include four unique quests for players. The last beta included the quests for hunting the Great Jagras (beginner quest), Banbaro (intermediate quest), and Tigrex (expert quest). This beta will include the legendary Elder Dragon Velkhana for the first time.
If you were wondering if Velkhana is where the name “Iceborne” is derived from, you were correct. Velkhana not only lives in the ice, but she also has icy breath. Don’t think ice can burn? She will prove you wrong.
Like the previous beta, hunters can play with all 14 available weapon types in any of the quests as well as the training area. These new weapons include the new Iceborne-exclusive features and the new Slinger tool options, including the Clutch Claw grapple.
This beta, however, has more that makes it special than just Velkhana. Now when beta hunters complete the quests, they can earn up to four special commendation packs for the Iceborne expansion when it releases. These packs will contain consumables that are sure to come in handy once the expansion officially goes live.
Please note that the Monster Hunter: World base game is not required to participate in the Iceborne beta. However, the base game is required to purchase and play the expansion upon release. To access Iceborne after release, players must have completed the main story through Hunter Rank 16. For those who haven’t completed that much of the game, purchasing the expansion will still give you Slinger and weapon updates right away.
Monster Hunter: World Iceborne expansion will release on September 6, 2019 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. PC players will have to wait until January 2020.