Sharpen your blades and restock your potions, hunters, because there's a new host of creatures out there waiting to be tracked, fought, and harvested for their sweet, sweet parts. Monster Hunter Rise was already a game packed with potentially hundreds of hours of content for those who wanted to really extract the most out of the hunt-craft loop of the game, and yet the new Sunbreak expansion has come along and given us even more.
Unlike a lot of DLC, Sunbreak isn't something you can access separately from the main menu in Monster Hunter Rise. Instead, this new content is all integrated into the main game, which makes it a seamless integration but also leads to some confusion as to how to actually get to the new content. While it isn't as esoteric and hidden as some other DLCs have been (we're looking at you Artorious of the Abyss for Dark Souls), you do need to meet some requirements before you can see all the new content you paid for. Here's exactly what you need to do to access the new Sunbreak content in Monster Hunter Rise.
How to start the Sunbreak DLC
Sunbreak isn't meant to be something new hunters can jump straight into if it's their first time booting up Monster Hunter Rise. Instead, this DLC is meant to slot in essentially near the endgame, at least in terms of the story for the base game. Here's exactly what you need to do to reach the new DLC content.
Step 1: Go through the main story until you complete the seven-star Hub Quest titled Serpent Goddess of Thunder. This quest is basically the final boss of the main game's story and has you track down and fight the Thunder Serpent Narwa.
If you wanted to do this as quickly as possible, note that you only need to do Hub Quests to reach this point, and no Village Quests are required. You can also access some high-level gear that can make those early hunts a breeze.
Step 2: Once you've completed that Hub Quest, locate a new NPC on the bridge near the entrance to Kamura Village.
Step 3: Rondine, the NPC, will give you a request to hunt a Daimyo Hermitaur in the Shrine Ruins.
Step 4: Accept and complete this hunt to meet Fiorayne back in the village. They will ask you to accompany them to Elgado Outpost.
Step 5: After a few tutorial-style tasks to complete, you're free to enjoy the new region and all the deadly monsters within!
