Monster subspecies have around since the beginning, with the “ultimate” version of Monster Hunter - 2005’s Monster Hunter G on PS2 - introducing Black Diablos, Pink Rathian, and Azure Rathalos among others; the latter serving as its flagship monster. Titles like Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate continued that trend with subspecies like Ash Kecha Wacha and Tigerstripe Zamtrios, then Monster Hunter World’s DLC expansion Iceborne carried the torch with subspecies like Fulgur Anjanath and Nightshade Paolumu. Iceborne introducing subspecies for most of World’s new monsters set a precedent for Rise’s Sunbreak expansion, and Magma Almudron is one of the more interesting early examples.
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Almudron in Monster Hunter Rise
Every new addition to Monster Hunter Rise was based on Japanese folklore; likewise, the Three Lords headlining Sunbreak are based on western stories and mythos. For example, the Bird Wyvern Aknosom is based on a yokai named kasa-obake, and Sunbreak’s flagship Elder Dragon Malzeno is based on vampires. Almudron is a Leviathan-class Large Monster that appears later into Rise’s base game, taking the overall appearance of a catfish dragon that slithers through swampy muck. It’s based on the dorotabo, believed to be the spirits of rice farmers that haunt their abandoned fields.
Almudron not only coats itself in mud for extra defense while burrowing through the ground, it can also create mud walls around the arena for hunters to navigate using their Wirebugs. It leaves patches of golden mud that damage hunters on contact; a substance said to be secreted from its tail. One of the most dangerous attacks that Almudron can attempt is gathering a boulder of mud in its tail that can be slammed like a hammer, but with enough damage it will break and potentially stagger the monster. The catfish-like Leviathan is weakest to Fire-based elemental attacks, but this will certainly not be the case for its subspecies.
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How Magma Almudron Changes the Game
Not a lot has been revealed about Magma Almudron’s inner-workings, but what is known offers a decent idea for what to expect. It primarily lingers in the Lava Caverns map and is able to manipulate rocks, according to the official Sunbreak website. As regular Almudron secrets liquid that lets it move through the mud, Magma Almudron similarly burrows through the earth and can manipulate volcanic forces to inflict Fire damage. Astute fans have pointed out this design is similar to older monsters known for swimming through magma or lava, such as Lavasioth and Agnaktor.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak director Yoshitake Suzuki said Magma Almudron takes on a “heated state” when digging through the ground during this month’s Digital Event, in which fans can see the subspecies use similar tail-swiping attacks as regular Almudron. However, this variant leaves pools of magma behind, and if players take enough Fire damage they may be inflicted with the Fireblight status that causes damage over time.
No weapon details or weaknesses have been specified for Magma Almudron as of this writing, though looking back at creatures like Lavasioth and Agnaktor suggests this subspecies will similarly be weak to Water. Almudron was a divisive addition to Monster Hunter Rise for its tendency to literally slow hunts by bogging down the battlefield in mud, and while this same concern likely won’t apply to Magma Almudron, it remains to be seen how many new attack patterns will be introduced through Sunbreak’s Master Rank quests. Luckily fans only have to wait another month or so to try the Rise expansion for themselves.
Monster Hunter Rise is available now for PC and Switch. Its Sunbreak expansion launches on June 30, 2022.
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