Monster Hunter Wilds' gets its first major expansion, Ascendance, at Summer Game Fest
Overview & Key Takeaways
Monster Hunter Wilds' first expansion is Ascendance, and it brings two fan-favorite Elder Dragons back after years of absence
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Capcom announced Monster Hunter Wilds' first major expansion at Summer Game Fest 2026, more than a year after Wilds launched. It's called Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance, and Capcom plans to launch it sometime in 2027. The studio didn't have much to say about it, but had previously teased that it'd be an "Iceborne"-sized expansion.
Ascendance is very Monster Hunter 4 coded. You and the gang fly above the clouds to a network of floating islands that folks were quick to point out looked heavily inspired by Monster Hunter 4's Heaven's Mount region, and at least one of the elder dragons showing up is Kushala Daora, another favorite from Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (though, to be fair, Kushala Daora also appeared in MonHun 2 and Freedom Unite). Another big-name big guy is Lao-Shan Lung, an elder dragon Capcom hasn't brought back to mainline Monster Hunter since Generations Ultimate and, before that Freedom Unite. The trailer also showed what looked like a new function for the bowgun and some slick new moves.
Wilds has had a rough go of it. Following a high-profile launch, where it sold nearly 10 million copies, it faced widespread criticism for how streamlined its hunts were and months of performance troubles on PC.
2027 is looking like another big year for Capcom. Also at Summer Game Fest, the studio revealed Resident Evil Veronica, an ambitious remake of 2000's Code Veronica that's slated for release in 2027 as well.
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