On November 2 and November 3,Monster Hunter Nowplayers can jump into its first-ever worldwide event. Capcom and Niantic have worked tirelessly onMonster Hunter Nowsince its launch in September 2023, and after a year of major improvements and additions to the AR game, the companies have decided to host the Monster Hunter Now Carnival. This event will see players hunting Gold Rathian, Silver Rathalos, and Nergigantes, completing special quests, and unlocking special weapons and armor.
November 2 and November 3 may be its global launch date, but Monster Hunter Now Carnival first took place on October 12 and October 13 in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo. As many fans know, Shibuya has always been special toMonster Hunter Now, even appearing in its key art, making it the perfect location to host the first debut of this event. Game Rant recently traveled to Shibuya to check it out, and our trip proved that Monster Hunter Now Carnival is Niantic and Capcom firing on all cylinders.
The Monster Hunter Now Carnival Experience
WhileMonster Hunter Nowhas been out for a year, some fans of the franchise orNianticmay not have hopped into it yet. This Carnival is the perfect time to do so. Anyone concerned about playing the Carnival as a newcomer should be aware that the barrier to entry for the event is incredibly low. The only real requirement is that players need to be HR11 or higher, which is effectively the leveling system in the game, and that only requires an hour or two to achieve—depending on someone’s playing location. Meanwhile, veterans may be glad to know that there are plenty of challenges for those who are at HR100 or higher.
Otherwise, it’s recommended that players have their weapons and armor upgraded as much as possible and have plenty of space in their inventory. It wouldn’t hurt to have stockpiled some healing items and the like as well because players are going to be doing a lot of hunting. Once the Carnival kicked off, we moved to equip the event-specific armor and weaponry, which players can improve throughout with special tickets. We also began focusing on Gold Rathians and Silver Rathalos, though throughout the event we shifted more toward SilverRathalos. Its armor not only looked cooler to us, but it generally seemed better statistically. They were everywhere, and with plenty of players around, hunting them came with ease. In our hometown, we’d sometimes see a handful of players on at once. When we started the event at 9 am local time, there were 400 hundred active players to join hunts with. The highest number we saw throughout the day cracked 1600.
During the Carnival, there were two special quests: Expedition and Slaying. The Expedition specialquest inMonster Hunter Nowrequired us to collect about 11 “Mystery Monster Traces” at event spots (aka Mining Outcrops, Bonepiles, and Vegetations), which was simple enough. It was following this quest that saw us trek all over Shibuya, though whether the traces on the screen, just knowing where the next spot was, or simple curiosity led us from alleyway to alleyway, into the main street, or to Starbucks is anyone’s guess. It was an experience inherent to only AR games, and it was done so well that, for a while, we genuinely thought the game was guiding us.
We needed to finish the Expedition quest tohunt Nergigantelater, giving us about three hours to explore and find those Traces. Meanwhile, we were also progressing the Slaying quest which is exactly what it sounds like. It tasked us with slaying general large monsters, specific event monsters, and more to help keep us engaged throughout the event. Once Nergigante began spawning inMonster Hunter Now’s Elder Dragon Interceptions, the feeling of “it’s game time” was palpable through the air as hundreds of people began to facethe Elder Dragon. Nergigante operates a lot like other Elder Dragons, and as fans know, that means it’s not easy. Even a low-strength Nergigante takes a lot to beat, and the stronger ones feel borderline impossible. It can easily eat up 5+ healing items, and even then victory is not guaranteed.
Later on, we asked Capcom producer Genki Sunano how designing Nergigante differed fromKushala Daora and Teostra, and he explained that Nergigante isn’t bigger than them but it pairs well with other aggressive monsters added recently—and, in our experience, that absolutely tracks. For those looking for a challenge, an 8-star Nergigante is as tough as you’d hope. Once time was up and the event came to an end, it was more than a little sad, but we had plenty of new memories and gear to make walking miles throughout Shibuya, sweating over our battles, and looking for every hunt andElder Dragon Interceptionworthwhile.
How the Shibuya Event Differed From the Upcoming Global Carnival
It’s worth noting, of course, that the Shibuya-specific event and the Global Carnival have some differences. We obviously weren’t in our hometown, and the event text specifically referenced Shibuya. It even suggested we take a break at Meiji Park at one point, so it’s likely the worldwide event will have this text generalized. Furthermore, Shibuya was all-in on supporting the Carnival. We visited Shibuya Parco (which hosts theCapcom Store, as well as a Nintendo Store and Pokemon Center) the day before, and those locations were obviously busy. That was nothing compared to the day of the event, where the halls were incredibly crowded and it seemed everyone was playing.
Across the entire ward, there were base camps filled with signage and massiveMonster Hunterweaponslike the hammer, a massive Zinogre display, an exhibit for Rathalos' footprint, a Rathian display, and massive photo areas. It was an incredible event and the support from the local community took it even further. It was unlike anything we’ve ever experienced playing at home, but even without these fine touches to the location, the in-game event was plenty to chew on. Players who do so in their local community are going to be in for a treat, and with a hunting party, they’ll have easily slain scores, if not hundreds, of Rathalos and Rathians. And a handful of Nergigantes on top of that.
If the Carnival were a monster from the franchise, it would be 8 Stars in terms of quality. Everything was top-notch, and even with the expected changes when Niantic andCapcomtake it worldwide, fans can expect tons of fun with a hunting party, tons of great in-game content, and a trend-setting event design for future Monster Hunter Now Carnivals (or the like). For those interested in the upcoming global event, please keep all the below in mind:
The most important thing to remember is, when Monster Hunter Now Carnival goes live worldwide, is to have fun hunting, enjoy the time with your friends, and take in the community that surrounds you.
Monster Hunter Now Carnival: GlobalTakes place on November 2 and November 3. Game Rant was provided with travel and lodging for the purposes of this article.
WHERE TO PLAY
The thrill of the hunt is calling. Begin your hunting adventure now! Hunt monsters in the real world: Embark on a global quest to track down and hunt some of the most formidable monsters from the Monster Hunter universe as they appear in our world. Forge powerful weapons and team up with fellow hunters to track down larger-than-life monsters and take them head-on. Authentic hunting action carefully adapted to mobile: Discover a variety of monsters depending on the habitat around you – Forest, Desert or Swamp – and engage in thrilling hunts solo, or band together with fellow hunters to take on these large monsters. The simplified tap-based controls and high-fidelity graphics enable you to engage in enjoyable hunting action wherever you go. See monsters around you with the AR Camera: Experience what it’s like to have these iconic monsters appear in the real world with exclusive AR Camera features. Master the hunt in 75 seconds: Can you complete the hunt within 75 seconds? Master the weapons, craft armor sets and hone your skills – exploit weaknesses and utilize every element at your disposal to take on the hunt. Mark monsters even with your phone in the pocket: With Adventure Sync, you can use a Paintball to track monsters while you explore your town and bring the hunt to your doorstep afterwards. As you explore, your Palico can mark passing monsters with Palico Paintballs, even while you aren’t actively playing, allowing you to return to them later, ensuring that the action never stops.
