Back in 2019, developer Phoenix Labs boarded the Monster Hunter train with its free-to-play take on Capcom's beast-slaying formula. The result was Dauntless, an online RPG with a decent gameplay loop, but one that really chugged on Switch.
In the years since, Dauntless had somewhat slipped from our minds (2019 feels like an age ago, after all), but next month, Phoenix Labs are introducing a monster update, serving as "a major overhaul of the game".
Dauntless: Awakening launches on 5th December, converting the game's progression into a new seasonal structure. The first season (fittingly called 'Awakening') introduces a new Behomoth monster, Karkonos, for you to hunt down and an all-new map, Twilight's Domain, where you'll find it.
Operating on a seasonal basis, the new Dauntless will see weapons and armour sets unlocked by completing weekly challenges — with more rewards available to those with the new paid 'Hunt Pass', naturally. 18 new weapons can be obtained by completing standard quests, with another 11 entering your arsenal via 'Weapon Tokens' earned from challenges.
The Awakening update also overhauls the First-Time User Experience (FTUE) to help newbies feel more comfortable heading into their first hunt, and a fresh tutorial is there to introduce the new progression system, too.
On top of all that, next week's update also enables full cross-progression and a launch on Steam, so you can continue the hunt across any platform (if you're logged into an Epic Games account, of course). You can find the full rundown of everything included in this update on the Phoenix Labs blog.
It seems like big changes are on the horizon and while not all of them fill us with hope — how many times have we seen a seasonal structure by this point? — it's interesting to see things take such a sharp turn this late in the day. Besides, it'll make the wait for Monster Hunter Wilds a little easier.
Will you be checking out Dauntless: Awakening? Let us know in the comments.
Monster Hunter-Style RPG 'Dauntless' Is Getting Overhauled In Next Week's 'Awakening' Update
We have MonHun Wilds at home
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