The latest information about the newly announced Monster Hunter: World has come in via a variety of sources at E3 2017.

Here are the new details:

Maps and World

Previous Monster Hunters had segmented maps with loading in between each area. Monster Hunter: World has no map loading. While maps are segmented, everything is seamless and transition free. Zones are also gone.There is a great sense of being in a living, breathing world. There is a real-time day-and-night cycle.

Multiplayer

Monster Hunter: World has drop-in multiplayer for the first time in the series. You can form a pre-hunt party beforehand, as you would in previous Monster Hunter titles, or you can shoot up an S.O.S. flare during a quest to call in a friend at any time. Online multiplayer with up to four players is supported, and the server is global, allowing you to play with anyone across the world. There is no offline multiplayer, but you can of course play offline on your own. As for whether there will be some sort of town for multiplayer, that is something Capcom will discuss at a later date. Voice chat and gestures are supported.

Weapons and Equipment

The series’ 14 weapon types are in, including the Charge Blade and Insect Glaive. Tonfas are not in the game.

There are new suit items called “Mantles.” The one showcased in the trailer, for example, lets you enter a sort-of stealth mode. Conversely, there are also Mantles that let you lure monsters towards you.

There is a new item called the “Slinger,” which lets you hook onto certain parts of the environment to move around. You can also pick up rocks from the ground to put in the Slinger and shoot at the enemy or to create a distraction.

More information about the Gear progression systems is coming soon.

Battle

The hunting action that is the core gameplay of the Monster Hunter series is no different in Monster Hunter: World. They are not removing anything, but rather building from the bases established by previous titles. The basic elements of Monster Hunter, such as HP, a stamina gauge, sharpness, and item selection, are all there. You can also use items while walking.

Underwater combat and Prowler Mode are not in the game. When asked about Hunter Arts, Capcom responded, “Brand new title. Brand new gameplay systems in place!”

Monsters

Monsters have a variety of personalities, which you can use against them. Their A.I. has been enhanced to be more intelligent, and monsters have become more “creature-like.” They don’t have health bars, but damage numbers will appear. Their tails can still be cut.

As for small monsters, you can choose to sneak past them to avoid fighting them, or kill them to collect / loot their bodies.

Game and Technology

Monster Hunter: World is not a spin-off. It is a mainline Monster Hunter title developed by the main development team in Japan.

Asked about if there will be a Monster Hunter 5 or new game for Japanese audiences, Capcom said, “This is the next generation of Monster Hunter!”

The game is powered by the MT Framework engine. It is targeting a stable 30 frames per second across all platforms.

Misc.

Felyne Palicoes are in the game.

Fishing, mining, and capturing bugs will return from previous games.

The hunt-carve-forge loop of previous games will return.

As for a Monster Hunter XX Nintendo Switch Ver. localization, Capcom said it is 100-percent focused on Monster Hunter: World for western audiences at the moment, and has nothing to announce regarding the Switch title.

Private Demo at E3 2017

A private demo was shown off at E3 2017. It began with just one hunter, who tracked the new monster using “scout flies.” When the battle got rough, he led the monster to Rathalos Nest, which is very high up in the environment. Rathalos, angry to see the hunter and monster enter his lair, preceded to rampage. The hunter sent an S.O.S. flare out, and three other players joined the battle.

There was a lot of vertical combat, more so than Monster Hunter 4, and every hunter had a grappling hook. One of them ate a herbivore whole. The rapid fire on the Heavy Bowgun is a special ability, and the combat appeared to be traditional Monster Hunter with quality-of-life improvements. Rathalos destroyed a dam, causing an area to flood and sweeping two of the hunters out of the area.