Monster Hunter Board Game: Buying Guide & Expansions

The Monster Hunter franchise has captivated gamers worldwide with its thrilling gameplay, where players take on colossal beasts to gather resources and craft superior equipment, enabling them to tackle even more formidable creatures. This engaging cycle is beautifully adapted into the tabletop world with Monster Hunter World: The Board Game, which offers a variety of sets and expansions to enhance your gaming experience. Whether you're a seasoned player or new to the series, here’s a comprehensive guide to help you navigate through the offerings and find the perfect fit for your tabletop adventures.

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Monster Hunter World: The Board Game: Ancient Forest

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Monster Hunter World: The Board Game - Wildspire Waste

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Monster Hunter World The Board Game: Hunter's Arsenal Expansion

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Monster Hunter World: The Board Game - Nergigante Expansion

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Monster Hunter World The Board Game: Kushala Daora Expansion

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Monster Hunter World: The Board Game - Teostra Expansion

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Monster Hunter World - Kulu-Ya-Ku

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Monster Hunter World Iceborne: The Board Game

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If you prefer a quick glance at all available items, you can scroll through them here. For those interested in a deeper dive into what each box offers, continue reading for detailed insights.

Core Boxes

Each core box of Monster Hunter World: The Board Game is a complete, standalone experience, featuring four unique hunters and four distinct monsters. These boxes can also be combined, allowing you to mix and match characters and monsters from different sets. While each set contains components specific to its hunters and monsters, there's some overlap, with extra cards for use when combining sets.

Starting with a single core box is recommended. If you find yourself hooked, consider adding smaller expansions or even a second core set for an enhanced experience.

Both core sets are of exceptional quality, featuring the same ruleset, engaging gameplay loop, and stunning production values, including large monster miniatures that emphasize the game's scale. The choice between sets often comes down to aesthetic appeal or nostalgia tied to the video game series.

Monster Hunter World: The Board Game - Ancient Forest

Monster Hunter World: The Board Game: Ancient Forest

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Set in a lush, primeval forest, this box features monsters inspired by dinosaurs and tropical creatures. You'll encounter the lizard-like Great Jagras, the furred and scaled Tobi-Kadachi, the fearsome Anjanath, and the majestic Rathalos. The hunters here wield classic weapons: Great Sword, Sword and Shield, Dual Blades, and Bow.

Monster Hunter World: The Board Game - Wildspire Waste

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This set transports you to a rugged badlands environment, featuring rocky outcrops, deserts, and swamps. The monsters include the armored Barroth, the swamp-fish Jyurados, the bird-like Pukei-Pukei, and the underground behemoth Diablos. The hunters are equipped with unique weapons such as Charge Blade, Switch Axe, Heavy Bowgun, and Insect Glaive.

Retail Expansions

Following the game's Kickstarter success, various expansions were available for pre-order, many of which are still accessible at retail. However, the Nergigante and Teostra expansions are more challenging to find, with Teostra being exclusive to Steamforged Games.

These expansions introduce Elder Dragons, adding new quests and a challenging five-star difficulty level. The miniatures for these dragons are significantly larger than those in the core sets, offering an epic boss battle experience.

While these expansions add exciting new content, they are pricey and often specific to one core box or the other. For instance, the Kushala Daora expansion includes crafting weapons tailored to hunters from specific core sets. Therefore, acquiring a second core set might be a worthwhile investment before diving into these expansions.

Monster Hunter World The Board Game: Hunter's Arsenal Expansion

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This expansion introduces six new hunters, each identified by their unique weapon: Light Bowgun, Long Sword, Gunlance, Hammer, Lance, and Hunting Horn. It's an excellent way to add variety to your gameplay, offering new upgrade paths and characters. However, to fully utilize all six, you'll need both core sets.

Monster Hunter World: The Board Game - Nergigante Expansion

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If you're looking to add a single dragon to your campaign, Nergigante is an excellent choice. It allows you to craft new weapons for all existing characters, including those from the core sets and Hunter's Arsenal. Nergigante's unique feature is its ability to grow spikes where damaged, adding a strategic element to the hunt.

Monster Hunter World The Board Game: Kushala Daora Expansion

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Kushala Daora, a wind dragon, challenges hunters with powerful storms and boasts the largest miniature in the range, with an impressive wingspan. The battle against this behemoth involves navigating through strong winds and tornadoes, making it a formidable foe.

Monster Hunter World: The Board Game - Teostra Expansion

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Teostra, the classic fire dragon, brings intense ranged attacks to the table. Players must endure blasts and fireballs in this thrilling encounter, making it a memorable addition to your collection.

Exclusive Expansion

Originally exclusive to the game's Kickstarter campaign, the Kulu-Ya-Ku expansion can now be obtained through the Iceborne Kickstarter. It's a rare find on the secondary market.

Monster Hunter World - Kulu-Ya-Ku Expansion

Monster Hunter World - Kulu-Ya-Ku

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This expansion introduces the Kulu-Ya-Ku, a creature that can manipulate objects with its claws, adding unpredictability to battles. Resembling an ornithomimosaur, it fits perfectly into the Ancient Forest but is compatible with both core boxes.

Upcoming Content

Monster Hunter World Iceborne: The Board Game

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Following the success of the original game, Steamforged Games launched a Kickstarter for Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. This iteration retains the core mechanics but introduces new elements, making it partially compatible with the original boxes for arena games but not for campaign continuity.

Iceborne features a single core box, Hoarfrost Reach, with four monsters and four hunters. Additional content includes Elder Dragons and a Hunter’s Arsenal expansion. Instead of another core box, there are three monster expansions: Absolute Power, Seething Anger, and Overpowering Hunger, along with other unlocked extras.

Though the campaign has concluded, you can still pre-order items from the Iceborne range via Gamefound, ensuring you don't miss out on this exciting expansion.