Monster Hunter Wilds’ first Free Title Update has a release date

The first Free Title Update for Monster Hunter Wilds now has a release date.

The free update will be available on April 3 (PDT) and April 4 (BST), and will add a new monster and new hunts as well as a new Grand Hub area.

The update will add Mizutsune, a “fan-favourite” monster. This Leviathan was first introduced in 3DS game Monster Hunter Generations and returned in Monster Hunter Rise.

“Think you’ve hunted them all? This slippery beast is sure to burst your bubble,” Capcom‘s description reads. “Gear up with new equipment to take on this elegant predator.”

Players have to reach Hunter Rank 21 to unlock Mizutsune. When they do, an Extra Mission will become available after the player talks to Kanya in the Scarlet Forest.

The update will also add an event quest, coming “at a later date”, in which players with a Hunter Rank of 50 or more can take on an “arch-tempered Rey Dau”, unlocking the player new equipment if they can defeat it.

Zoh Shia will also be available in repeatable hunts for players with a Hunter Rank of 50 or more. “To get Zoh Shia to appear, you’ll need to complete a specific new mission that unlocks at HR 50,” Capcom says. “Once you’ve completed it, Zoh Shia will have a low chance of appearing in the Ruins of Wyveria during the Wyvern’s Wakening environment state (check the Environment Overview), and can be made into a quest.”

Hunters with a rank of 16 or more will also be able to access the Grand Hub, a “new location for hunters to gather and socialise”. Players will be able to access it by talking to Tetsuzan in the upper area of Suja in the Peaks of Accord.

“The Squad Information Counter will relocate from the Windward Plains to the Grand Hub once travel to the area has been unlocked, allowing you to conveniently manage your squads,” Capcom says.

The publisher also said the second Free Title Update will be coming in the Summer, teasing the return of “a long-awaited monster”, which appears to be Lagiacrus.

Capcom announced earlier this month that Monster Hunter Wilds is the publisher’s fastest-selling game ever, selling 8 million units in just its first three days.