The Monster Hunter franchise has captivated gamers worldwide with its engaging gameplay loop of battling colossal monsters, collecting loot, and upgrading gear to tackle even more formidable foes. This thrilling cycle is perfectly adapted into the tabletop realm with Monster Hunter World: The Board Game, which mirrors the video game's essence while offering a variety of expansions and core sets. Here's a comprehensive guide to help you navigate this exciting board game adaptation.
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Monster Hunter World: The Board Game - Ancient Forest
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Monster Hunter World: The Board Game - Wildspire Waste
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Monster Hunter World The Board Game: Hunter's Arsenal Expansion
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Monster Hunter World: The Board Game - Nergigante Expansion
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Monster Hunter World The Board Game: Kushala Daora Expansion
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Monster Hunter World: The Board Game - Teostra Expansion
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Monster Hunter World - Kulu-Ya-Ku
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Monster Hunter World Iceborne: The Board Game
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For a quick overview, you can scroll through all the items listed here. If you're interested in the details of each box and what they offer, continue reading.
Core Boxes
Each core box of Monster Hunter World: The Board Game is a standalone experience, complete with four hunters and four monsters. These sets can be combined, allowing you to mix and match hunters and monsters across different boxes. While most components are unique to each set, there are some shared elements, including extra cards for combining sets.
Starting with a single core box is recommended. If you find yourself hooked, consider adding smaller expansions or even a second core set to deepen your gameplay experience. Both core sets boast the same high-quality components, rules, and engaging gameplay loop, featuring impressively large monster miniatures that enhance the scale and excitement of the game. The choice between sets often comes down to aesthetic preference or nostalgia for specific elements from the video game.
Monster Hunter World: The Board Game - Ancient Forest
Set in a lush, primeval forest, this box features monsters inspired by dinosaurs and tropical creatures, including the Great Jagras, Tobi-Kadachi, Anjanath, and Rathalos. Hunters equipped with Great Sword, Sword and Shield, Dual Blades, and Bow set out to conquer these beasts.
Monster Hunter World: The Board Game - Wildspire Waste
This set transports players to a rugged badlands environment, complete with rocky outcrops, desert, and swamp. The monsters here include the armored Barroth, swamp-fish Jyuratodus, bird-like Pukei-Pukei, and the underground behemoth Diablos. Hunters wield unique weapons like the Charge Blade, Switch Axe, Heavy Bowgun, and Insect Glaive.
Retail Expansions
The game's Kickstarter success led to several expansions, many of which are still available at retail. However, the Nergigante and Teostra expansions are harder to find, with Teostra being exclusive to Steamforged Games.
Nergigante, Kushala Daora, and Teostra are Elder Dragons, introducing a new level of challenge with additional quest content and a higher difficulty level. These expansions also feature larger miniatures, adding an epic boss fight to your campaign.
While these expansions enhance the game, they are costly and some features are specific to one core box or the other. For example, Kushala Daora includes crafting weapons tailored to hunters from both core sets. Therefore, acquiring a second core set might be a wise move before diving into these expansions.
Monster Hunter World The Board Game: Hunter's Arsenal Expansion
This expansion introduces six new hunters, each named after their weapon: Light Bowgun, Long Sword, Gunlance, Hammer, Lance, and Hunting Horn. It's an excellent way to add variety to your games, offering new upgrade paths and play styles. However, to fully utilize all six hunters, you'll need both core sets.
Monster Hunter World: The Board Game - Nergigante Expansion
If you're looking to add a single dragon to your campaign, Nergigante is a great choice. It allows crafting additional weapons for all available characters and features a unique, spiny design that grows spikes where damaged.
Monster Hunter World The Board Game: Kushala Daora Expansion
Kushala Daora, the wind dragon, challenges hunters with powerful storms and a massive miniature with a foot-wide wingspan. Fighting this behemoth involves navigating through strong winds and tornado blasts.
Monster Hunter World: The Board Game - Teostra Expansion
Teostra, the classic fire dragon, unleashes ranged attacks with blasts and fireballs, making it a formidable foe in its fiery lair.
Exclusive Expansion
Originally exclusive to the game's Kickstarter campaign, the Kulu-Ya-Ku expansion is now available through a more recent campaign for the Iceborne boxes.
Monster Hunter World - Kulu-Ya-Ku Expansion
This expansion introduces a unique creature that can use tools, such as throwing rocks at hunters. Its unpredictable nature adds a new layer of strategy to the game, and it fits well in the Ancient Forest setting but can be used with either core box.
Upcoming Content
Monster Hunter World Iceborne: The Board Game
Following the success of the original game, Steamforged Games launched a Kickstarter for Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. This new iteration retains the core mechanics but introduces new concepts, making it partially compatible with the original boxes. The Iceborne core box, Hoarfrost Reach, includes four monsters and four hunters, with additional Elder Dragons and a Hunter's Arsenal expansion. Instead of another core box, there are three monster expansions: Absolute Power, Seething Anger, and Overpowering Hunger, along with other campaign-unlocked extras. Although the campaign has ended, you can still order items from the range via Gamefound.
