Copyright takedowns are targeting what appears to be a leaked version of Marvel's first Avengers: Doomsday trailer, which is now being snapped out of existence across social media.
Uploads of the video file began yesterday, and were initially easy to find across social media. But today, copyright notices have replaced numerous instances of the file on X and reddit, and the original video is nowhere to be seen YouTube.
Warning! Potential spoiler for the Avengers: Doomsday trailers follows:
As for the video itself, it features a blurry first glimpse at a returning character not seen since the last Avengers movie: Steve Rogers, the original Captain America, played once again by Chris Evans.
The trailer begins with a figure on a motorbike pulling up to a familiar-looking 1950s house, which Marvel fans may recognize from Avengers: Endgame's closing scene. Inside the house, the figure is revealed to be Steve Rogers, as he folds away his Captain America uniform and picks up a young baby. On-screen text then reads: "Steve Rogers will return in Avengers: Doomsday."
When asked about not being part of Doomsday filming, Evans previously offered the following answer which did not specifically deny he was part of the movie: "Yeah, I talk to [the cast] all the time," Evans told ScreenRant in June this year. "It's where Pedro [Pascal] is right now. I mean, it's sad to be away. It's sad to not be back with the band, but I'm sure they're doing something incredible, and I'm sure it's going to be that much harder when it comes out and you feel like you weren't invited to the party."
Narratively, Rogers' return would make sense. The character was last seen living happily in the 1950s with Peggy Carter, having presumably completed his final mission of returning the Infinity Stones to their original places in the timeline. Unpicking this happy ending might prove controversial, but story-wise there's certainly room for Rogers to be involved in years of further adventures before he hands over his shield as an old man — something Endgame also showed.
Rogers' mission of returning the Infinity Stones may also explain why he's in Doomsday, the finale of Marvel's Multiverse Saga which has seen numerous heroes repeatedly meddle with parallel universes despite dire warnings of the consequences (looking at you, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Wanda, Captain Marvel, Loki...). It's easy to see how Cap's antics could rope him into fixing a larger multiversal problem he unwittingly contributed to.
Doomsday could also be used to explain how Rogers managed to get back to the main MCU reality in order to hand his shield over (according to MCU time-travel rules, he should technically be in a new branch of reality instead). It's a minor plot point in the grand scheme of things, but one that Avengers director Joe Russo hinted back in 2021 that he and his brother Anthony had considered as a clear idea for more story featuring Steve Rogers.
"One thing that's clear that Anthony and I have discussed, I don't know that we've discussed this publicly at all, Cap would have had to have travelled back to the main timeline," Joe Russo said. "That's something that, yes, he would have been in a branch reality, but he would have to travel back to the main timeline to give that shield to Sam Wilson."
Of course, there are also far more straightforward reasons for Steve Rogers' return. The character was one of the original Avengers and played a key part in the $2.7 billion-grossing Avengers: Endgame. Having the original Captain America back will undoubtedly be a huge audience draw, especially for those who have lost interest in Marvel over the past few years amid a string of underwhelming entries in its Multiverse Saga (and some highlights, looking at you Thunderbolts*).
Having Evans back alongside his former co-stars Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Hemsworth (Thor) would undoubtedly help cement Doomsday as an Avengers-level movie event (while also simultaneously highlighting Disney's failure to replace its previous leads with similarly beloved stars in the years since).
Disney is expected to officially release the first Avengers: Doomsday trailer this week, attached to its latest blockbuster Avatar: Fire and Ash. A recent report suggested that four separate trailers would launch over four weeks, in a move designed to encourage repeat viewings of Avatar and keep audiences entertained with a series of big reveals. Confirmation of Steve Rogers' return would certainly be a strong start.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
Havok has released a free Unreal Engine 5.6 tech demo on Steam called Havok Balloons. Anyone can download it. PC players can try it out and see how developers can use Havok’s destruction system in their games. As Havok said, this demo showcases the power of Havok Physics running in the Unreal Engine 5. To … Continue reading Unreal Engine 5.6 Havok Balloons Tech Demo Released→
Harebrained, the team behind BATTLETECH and the Shadowrun Trilogy, has announced its new game, GRAFT. GRAFT will be a story-driven survival horror RPG, and below you can find its debut gameplay trailer. GRAFT will mix scary survival gameplay with a dark story. Players will explore a dying world filled with strange characters and terrifying monsters. … Continue reading GRAFT is a new story-driven survival horror RPG from Harebrained→
The Resident Evil Requiem from The Game Awards finally confirmed that Leon S. Kennedy will return as the game’s second playable protagonist. Although he has aged a bit since we last saw him, Japanese fans have been taking to social media to praise Leon’s suave, older look.
Slated for a multiplatform release on February 27, 2026, Resident Evil Requiem is the ninth mainline title in Capcom’s survival horror series. It will introduce new main character Grace Ashcroft, an FBI analyst who is investigating a series of mysterious deaths that seem to be linked to Victor Gideon, a former Umbrella Corp. researcher. While it seems that Grace’s parts of the game will play more like typical survival horror, the new trailer, below, gave fans a peek at Leon’s more action-orientated zombie-battling gameplay, complete with chainsaw. “Grace’s gameplay style is based on Resident Evil 2, whereas Leon’s is based on Resident Evil 4,” director Akifumi Nakanishi revealed in a recent interview with Denfaminicogamer.
Although Leon has always had his fans, the D.S.O agent’s middle-aged incarnation is getting much praise from Japanese speaking users on X. He’s already being affectionately called ikeoji (literally, “hot uncle” — a cool and attractive older guy). “Leon’s gradually becoming a hot uncle” one user mused. Sharing some screenshots, another user chimed in with “Leon’s aging in a cool way.” Another user summed up: “Resident Evil 9’s Leon is too hot. He’s 49 in this (as of 2026)? He’s so suave."
Fans are also getting inspired to draw Leon’s new look. “Leon in Resi 9’s new trailer is too damn fine,” said one user, posting the following fan art. “He’s aging in such a wonderful way, while retaining his coolness. I’m really looking forward to meeting this Leon,” enthused another user. “He’s turning into a hot older guy, like Keanu Reeves!” said one commenter.
Other eagle-eyed trailer viewers have noticed that Leon seems to have some kind of rash on his neck, prompting concerns that he has been infected. While many seem to be enjoying middle-aged Leon’s looks, others are worried as to whether he should still be fighting off mutants at his age, with one person saying: “I love Leon, but they should let him rest.” In the previously mentioned Denfaminicogamer interview, Resident Evil Requiem’s director revealed that Leon has a “major secret” that will have significant implications (but he’s keeping quiet on what exactly that is).
Legendary Japanese game developer Hideki Kamiya also weighed in on Leon’s new appearance and how some of Capcom’s beloved characters are getting long in the tooth. “Uncle Leon, at the very least, I would like for you to live happily in your old age,” Kamiya commented, sharing a timelapse of Leon’s aging face. In response, another user wrote that, although they were fine with game characters getting older, they hoped that Resident Evil and Devil May Cry characters could receive the happy ending they deserve. Replying to this, Kamiya mused: “Even if Dante became happy, won’t he always be poor?”
Resident Evil Requiem’s devs have already revealed that switching between playing as Grace and Leon will be like “jumping into a cold bath after a hot sauna,” such is the contrast between the tense survival horror sneaking and Leon’s no-holds-barred action. According to director Akifumi Nakanishi, there will be an almost equal split between newcomer Grace and fan favorite Leon. "Although he’s a character who carries a lot on his shoulders, we took a lot of care in refining him into an 'ikeoji',” Nakanishi concluded. "The reactions to the trailer on that front have made us happy (laughs).”
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 4 is finally here, and it makes a long list of gameplay and balance changes, as well as CPU/GPU improvements, load reduction, and the optimization of "PC-specific processes and addition of options and presets to reduce processing load."
Capcom said Title Update 4 introduces "an array of performance improvements across all platforms," focusing on CPU and GPU optimization and reducing processing load "with more than 100 under-the-hood improvements, among others."
"We'll follow this up in January with a PC-specific update with even more improvements, and are looking into further optimization for implementation in the February content update," the team explained last week. "We're committed to making Monster Hunter Wilds a great experience for all players. Thank you for your patience and continued support."
Monster Hunter Wilds Update 1.040 patch notes:
Major Additions and Changes
Monsters
Arch-tempered Jin Dahaad has been added. (It will be made available in a future Event Quest.)
Gogmazios has been added. Reach HR 100+ to unlock an extra mission that unlocks Gogmazios.
Additional 9★ tempered monsters (Doshaguma etc.) will be added as event quests.
Tempered (9★) Rathalos will now roam the Scarlet Forest, Oilwell Basin, and Wounded Hollow at Hunter Rank 100 or above.
For quests with two or more targets, the minimum quest time has been raised, resulting in longer quest durations overall. For existing saved Investigations, if the quest time falls below the new minimum time, it will be adjusted accordingly.
Player
Added new Support Hunters—Griffin (Great Sword), Nightmist (Light Bowgun), and Nadia—which will become available to join quests after completing the main mission "A Hunter's Pride." Nadia will only be available during a limited-time seasonal event, excluding certain quests.
Story Progression
The extra mission "An Ancient Resting Place" has been added. (This mission becomes available after having completed the main mission "A First Cry" and reaching HR 100.)
The extra mission "Ghosts Pay No Heed to Tomorrow" has been added. (This mission becomes available after having completed the extra mission "An Ancient Resting Place.")
Bases and Facilities
A new Festival of Accord event will be held from December 19, 2025 to January 14, 2026.
The following features will be temporarily modified during the Festival of Accord: the Handler's Outfit; Seikret decoration; the Diva's song list; the Grand Hub decorations; the Canteen's menu; Barrel Bowling; and Barrel Bowling Bombs.
In the Grand Hub, The Diva's song list has been updated.
Added new pin setups to Barrel Bowling.
Added options to upgrade to and reinforce Gogma Artian Weapons at the Smithy.
Added an option to perform Transcendent armor upgrades at the Smithy.
In the Reinforce Artian Weapons menu at the Smithy, the default sorting order in the weapon selection list has been updated, and new sorting criteria have been added while existing ones have been adjusted.
In the Dismantle Artian Weapons menu at the Smithy, new sorting criteria have been added for the weapon selection list while existing ones have been adjusted.
When smelting Armor Spheres and ore at the Smelting Foundry, the Smelting Points obtained from certain monster materials has been increased.
Added new sorting options for the following categories at the Quest Counter: Investigations: Most Attempts Left / Least Attempts Left Lobby Member Quests: No Passcode / Newly Started Quests / Open Member Slots
Adjusted the ordering of completed side missions within the Recommended sort option for Optional Quests at the Quest Counter.
Adjusted the ordering of quests displayed under SOS Flare Quests, Lobby Member Quests, and Link Member Quests at the Quest Counter so that quests set to Auto-accept appear before those set to Manual Accept, making Auto-accept quests easier to identify."
Added a Quest Last Played quick access option to the Quest Counter menu.
Removed the Settings category from the Quest Counter menu. Settings can now be accessed directly via a shortcut button which varies by platform.
When beginning a Field Survey or saving as an Investigation from the map, a Begin Survey prompt has been added to the summary and the corresponding tooltip icons have been adjusted.
Added a feature that sends an important message notification at the start of a quest to remind players to use a Lucky Voucher. (This notification can be toggled on or off in the Quest Counter Settings.)
Added an option to reset settings to their default in the Training Area.
When opening the Customize Radial Menu screen from the Start Menu, the game will now automatically detect the input device in use and display the appropriate controller or keyboard-specific screen.
Adjusted the display of monster icons, bonus rewards, and quest difficulty to improve visibility for the following Environment Overview events: – Monsters troubling settlements – Multiple target quests – Pack quests
System
CPU/GPU optimization will be implemented across all hardware by: – Applying frame distribution, reviewing collision detection, and reducing the number of simultaneous effects to optimize processing time. – Reducing the overall load by eliminating unnecessary processing. – Implementing over 100 performance improvements for players, monsters, Seikret, Palicoes, NPCs, GUI, effects, gimmicks, and more.
When a communication error message is displayed, player movement and camera control will now remain available. Note: Depending on your settings in Open Menu Controls, player movement may still be disabled.
The Hunter Friends list will now display in order of most recent login time.
SOS Flare Quests will now include Arch-tempered monsters as targets. Note: These are treated as separate targets compared to regular monsters.
The following Event Quests can now be accepted even during offline mode: – A Silent Flash (Arch-tempered Rey Dau) – These Roots Run Deep (Arch-tempered Uth Duna) – Be Cursed, Ye Shadowy Flame (Arch-tempered Nu Udra) – Planetes Protocol (Savage)
2 Dragon Ammo can now be obtained during one round of crafting.
Miscellaneous
Made adjustments so that the player can no longer be pushed by the handler while in Photo Mode.
Bug Fixes and Balance Adjustments
Bases and Facilities
Sorting armor by skill now also highlights the individual armor pieces that have the skill.
The "Equipment Skills" sort criterion in the Equipment Box now only displays available skills possessed by equipment you own.
Equipment appearance loadouts now include an option for registering the currently applied hair design data.
Layered armor in the Equipment Appearance menu can now be filtered by α and β types.
Monsters
Fixed an issue where, if the player moves locales after the Jin Dahaad notification appears (indicating that Jin Dahaad is moving from the Iceshard Cliffs to Rimechain Peak) but before Jin Dahaad completes its move, the Jin Dahaad quest will fail to spawn.
Fixed an issue with the High Purrformance Barrel Puncher where Focus Strikes were not contributing correctly to the combo count.
Fixed an issue where Uth Duna's veil destruction animation could be canceled by another action, causing the veil to remain intact.
Fixed an issue where canceling Arkveld's Unleashed state (in which its chainblades sweep out in a wider area) during certain actions would fail and instead restore the damage required to cancel the state.
Player
General
Increased the max elemental values possible for the player's status.
Reduced the size of the reaction when performing a Perfect Guard against an attack that would cause a small knockback when guarding.
You can now chain from a Perfect Guard reaction more quickly into certain actions after performing a Perfect Guard against a powerful attack when using the sword & shield, great sword, lance, gunlance, charge blade, or heavy bowgun.
Fixed an issue where the Hook Slinger's range would be reduced when the capture net is equipped.
Fixed an issue where there was not enough guide info displaying when the player receives a restraining attack from a large monster.
Fixed an issue where the player would move much more quickly than intended during certain actions.
Fixed an issue where using The Blackest Night behind a Giant Ice Chunk during Jin Dahaad's powerful attack could cause the player to still take damage from the attack.
Fixed an issue where you could take damage from the Palico's Water Gun reaction when carrying a Barrel Bowling Bomb.
Fixed an issue where certain inputs during the Pumpkin Head gesture could prevent you from being able to dash.
Fixed an issue where the Water Gun gesture could not be performed when equipped with Omega's Sword or Omega's Rod.
Fixed an issue that would cause the player to thank Support Hunters at unintended times in response to their support actions.
Fixed an issue that prevented the Fender collaboration gesture from appearing correctly to other players during online play.
Fixed an issue where the player's longsword would not sit correctly in its sheath when performing the pose Battle-Ready Pose (Extra).
Fixed an issue where canceling the Pumpkin Head gesture under certain conditions would temporarily cause the player's hair to disappear.
Great Sword
Raw damage and elemental scaling for Charged Slash, Strong Charged Slash, and True Charged Slash have been increased.
Fixed an issue preventing the player from guarding again for a while depending on whether any directional inputs occurred after a Perfect Guard.
Long Sword
Special Sheathes will now take longer to be automatically deactivated if the player is waiting during a Special Sheathe.
Spirit Release Slash will no longer hit captured monsters.
Fixed an issue preventing the player from unsheathing their weapon for a while if there is no directional input after a Spirit Release Slash.
Sword & Shield
Adjusted the hitbox of Perfect Rush to make it easier for some inputs to land.
Forward Slash raw damage has been increased.
Forward Slash now combos into Lateral Slash more smoothly than before.
Perfect Guard now transitions into a regular Guard slightly more quickly.
Perfect Guard now combos into a Lateral Slash slightly more quickly.
Fixed an issue where the Sidestep Slash behavior during Focus Mode differed depending on the control type settings.
Fixed an issue that prevents you from performing basic actions after drawing your weapon from a stationary position.
Dual Blades
The amount of weapon sharpness consumed while performing Focus Strike: Turning Tide or Turning Tidedrill has been reduced.
Made adjustments to keep Demon Boost Mode active even after sheathing your weapon.
You can now exit Demon Mode mid-movement after performing a Demon Dodge in Demon Boost Mode.
Fixed an issue where the Focus Strike: Turning Tide action was canceled after deflecting off certain monster parts.
Fixed an issue with Type 2 Directional Controls that prevented you from moving in the intended direction after dodging in Demon Mode.
Hammer
During a Follow-up Spinslam, you can now use movement inputs to extend your movement distance during the attack.
Fixed an issue where portions of Focus Blow: Earthquake were dealing fixed raw damage.
Fixed an issue with Type 2 Directional Controls where moving in certain directions after an Overhead Smash would cancel the movement.
Hunting Horn
Performance Beat raw damage has been increased slightly.
Fixed a bug where the performance effects and attack timings were misaligned with player actions during certain performances.
Lance
High Thrust III and Mid-Thrust I, II, and III raw damage has been increased.
Grand Retribution Thrust and Double Counter-thrust raw damage has been increased.
Triple Thrust raw damage and elemental scaling have been increased.
Perfect Guard now chains into other actions more quickly.
The damage reduction rate for large guard reactions during a guard or Perfect Guard has been increased. Note: The Guard Up damage reduction rate will apply for attacks that become blockable due to the skill effect.
Fixed an issue with Type 2 Directional Controls where Leaping Thrust could not be performed in the intended direction from a stationary position.
Gunlance
The Wyrmstake Cannon was adjusted to make it easier to hit monsters.
Wyrmstake Cannon attacks in Focus Mode have been adjusted to make it easier to fire in the direction of the reticle.
The damage reduction rate for large guard reactions during a guard or Perfect Guard has been increased. Note: The Guard Up damage reduction rate will apply for attacks that become blockable due to the skill effect.
Fixed an issue where Wyrmstake Shots would disappear if a Wyrmstake Cannon attack hit another player.
Switch Axe
Sword: Counter Rising Slash can now be chained into a sidestep.
Sword: Counter Rising Slash has increased invulnerability to knockback, and can be quickly chained into an evade.
You can now evade while charging Unbridled Slash and Full Release Slash.
You can now quickly chain into an evade when landing after performing a Zero Sum Discharge Finisher.
Focus Assault: Morph Combination was adjusted to make it easier to hit wounds and weak points.
Focus Assault: Morph Combination raw damage has been increased.
Raw damage has been increased for Sword: Overhead Slash, Sword: Right Rising Slash, Sword: Left Rising Slash, and Sword: Heavenward Flurry.
Unbridled Slash raw damage has been increased.
Element scaling for multi-hit attacks and raw damage has been increased for Element Discharge and Zero Sum Discharge.
Axe: Spiral Burst Slash raw damage has been increased.
Raw damage has been increased for Sword: Downward Fade Slash, Sword: Morph Double Slash, and Axe: Morph Rising Double Slash.
Sword: Morph Slash raw damage has been increased when chaining from an evade in Sword Mode.
Fixed an issue where the values on the status screen for Dragon Phial, Poison Phial, Paralysis Phial, and Exhaust Phial would show a higher number than the maximum possible value. *This does not change the actual functionality, just the numbers that are displayed.
Charge Blade
Hit stops that occur during multi-hit attacks in Power Axe Mode have been reduced. Note: "Hit stops" are visual effects where your movement temporarily freezes or slows down when an attack connects with a monster.
During Axe: Morph Slash, the window for utilizing guard points or executing a Perfect Guard has been extended, and the actions will now trigger sooner.
Savage Axe Slash raw damage has been increased.
Axe: Element Discharge and other attacks now chain into moves like Axe: Morph Slash more quickly.
The first hit of Axe: Element Discharge II now chains into Axe: Morph Slash.
Focus Slash: Double Rend can now chain into Axe: Morph Slash.
Focus Slash: Double Rend can now chain into other actions more quickly.
Fixed an issue where Axe: Element Discharge II couldn't chain into Axe: Amped Element Discharge when certain inputs were used.
Fixed an issue when initiating a guard where there was a delay before turning in the intended direction.
Fixed an issue where the button guide display differed from the actual inputs during certain Sword: Morph Slash combos.
Insect Glaive
You can now chain into a Descending Slash using short button inputs. The Charge Level will increase depending on the preceding attacks. Note: With the right timing, you can use △+○ (PS5) / Y+B (Xbox) / Default Left + Right Click (PC) to chain into a Descending Slash.
Sidestep Slash and Sidestep Slash Combo raw damage has been increased, and attack speed after harvesting all three extracts has been raised.
The player will no longer be knocked back after initiating a Rising Spiral Slash.
Jumping Slash/Strong Jumping Slash can now chain into a Descending Slash/Strong Descending Slash.
Fixed an issue where certain charged attacks would not chain into a Descending Slash during Focus Mode, even after releasing the charge.
Fixed an issue where the Kinsect behaved abnormally while performing a Focus Strike: Leaping Thrust on certain monsters, such as Nu Udra.
Fixed an issue where the Kinsect stopped moving after encountering ledges in certain terrain.
Light Bowgun
Focus Blast: Eagle Strike Rapid Fire Gauge recovery amount has been greatly increased.
Chaser Shot responsiveness has been improved, and it is now easier to chain into evades or other shots after firing.
Rapid Chaser Shot responsiveness has been improved, and it is now easier to chain into evades or other shots after firing.
Burst Step now chains more easily into Rapid Chaser Shot.
Adhesive Ammo explosions now restore the Rapid Fire Gauge.
Wyvernblast raw damage has been increased, and the cooldown time has been greatly reduced.
It is now easier to chain into basic actions after setting up a Wyvernblast.
Normal Ammo raw damage has been increased.
Normal Ammo Chaser Shot raw damage has been increased.
Normal Ammo Rapid Chaser Shot firing rate has been increased.
The raw damage of the final shot of Normal Ammo Rapid Chaser Shot has been increased.
The number of shots from Pierce Ammo Rapid Chaser Shot has been increased.
Spread Ammo Rapid Chaser Shot firing rate has been increased.
The raw damage and elemental values of elemental ammo Rapid Chaser Shot (excluding Dragon Ammo) has been increased.
Elemental ammo Rapid Chaser Shot (excluding Dragon Ammo) firing rate has been increased.
Dragon Ammo Rapid Chaser Shot firing rate has been increased.
Dragon Ammo has shorter time between hits and is more likely to hit monsters.
Dragon Ammo max effective range has been increased.
Rapid Chaser Shot firing rate has been increased when using Poison Ammo, Paralysis Ammo, and Sleep Ammo.
Reduced the amount of Rapid Fire Gauge consumed by ammo that can be used for rapid fire.
Fixed an issue where moving diagonally while aiming could cause you to move much slower than intended.
Heavy Bowgun
Wyverncounter Ignition now restores Ignition Gauge upon a successful offset.
The player is no longer knocked back when firing Wyverncounter Ignition.
The responsiveness of Wyverncounter Ignition between loading and firing the attack has been improved.
Wyverncounter Ignition now chains more easily into other actions after firing.
You can now chain into guarding or sidestepping when readying Wyvernblast Ignition or Focus Blast: Wyvern Howl. The evade performed when readying or after firing these moves has also been changed to a sidestep.
Reduced the amount of Ignition Gauge that Wyvernblast Ignition consumes.
Wyvernblast Ignition raw damage and Fire damage has been increased.
Wyvernblast Ignition now chains more quickly into guards, evades, and other actions after firing.
Wyvernpiercer Ignition raw damage and max number of hits has been increased.
Wyvernheart Ignition raw damage has been increased.
Focus Blast: Wyvern Howl now restores Ignition Gauge when hitting weak points or destroying wounds.
The responsiveness of Focus Blast: Wyvern Howl between loading and firing the attack has been improved.
Focus Blast: Wyvern Howl now chains more easily into other actions after firing.
Focus Blast: Wyvern Howl raw damage has been increased.
Dragon Ammo has shorter time between hits and is more likely to hit monsters.
Dragon Ammo max effective range has been increased.
Ignition Mode ST I and II damage multiplier scaling has been increased. (Affects Wyvernpiercer Ignition, Wyvernheart Ignition, and Focus Blast: Wyvern Howl.)
Fixed an issue where, under certain conditions, player actions would become erratic while performing Stalwart Guard.
Bow
Dragon Piercer and Arc Shot raw damage has been increased.
Increased the raw damage of Tracer arrows and Fuse arrows.
Charged Shot, Power Shot, Power Volley, and Thousand Dragons raw damage and elemental scaling has been increased.
Power Coating and Piercing Coating raw damage scaling has been increased.
Coating application speed has been increased.
You can now chain from a Charging Sidestep into loading a Tracer arrow.
Fixed an issue where damage scaling and the effects of the Partbreaker skill were not reflected properly when destroying multiple wounds or weak points at the same time with Focus Fire: Hailstorm.
Fixed an issue where stamina would not naturally recover under certain conditions when performing a backward Discerning Dodge.
Skills
Guard Up: Now also reduces damage taken when guarding regardless of the attack. The skill details are now as follows: Reduces damage taken when guarding and allows you to guard against ordinarily unblockable attacks. Level 1: Reduces damage taken by 10%, plus an additional 20% when conditions are met. Level 2: Reduces damage taken by 20%, plus an additional 30% when conditions are met. Level 3: Reduces damage taken by 30%, plus an additional 50% when conditions are met.
Charge Up: Now also boosts the damage of Hammer charged attacks.
Ballistics: Now also boosts the raw damage of Level 3 shots made at critical range.
Elemental Absorption: Reduced the cooldown time between skill activations.
Flayer: Increased the activation rate and effect strength.
Flayer: When activated, the skill deals bonus damage even if a monster part has exceeded its maximum wound limit.
Flayer: Fixed an issue where the skill activation notification would not display in high-rank quests when triggering bonus damage (after enough buildup value has been accumulated).
Binding Counter (Set Bonus Skill): Increased the effect duration.
Flawless Armor (Set Bonus Skill): Increased the effect strength.
Protein Fiend (Set Bonus Skill): Increased the effect duration and the Level 2 effect strength.
Bad Blood (Set Bonus Skill): Reduced the cooldown time between skill activations, and increased the effect strength.
Scorcher (Set Bonus Skill): Reduced the cooldown time between skill activations, and increased the effect strength.
Whiteflame Torrent: Reduced the cooldown time between skill activations, and increased the effect strength when used together with the set bonus skill Scorcher.
The following weapon moves for each weapon have been added to the pool of moves that can trigger bonus damage skills: Long Sword: Spirit Thrust, Spirit Helm Breaker, Spirit Blade II Hammer: Charged Upswing, Mighty Charge Upswing, Mighty Charge Slam Lance: Triple Thrust Gunlance: Wyrmstake Cannon, Wyrmstake Full Blast, Multi Wyrmstake Full Blast Charge Blade: Sword: Condensed Element Slash, Axe: Amped Element Discharge, Axe: Super Amped Element Discharge Insect Glaive: Descending Thrust, Strong Descending Thrust, Descending Slash, Strong Descending Slash Heavy Bowgun: Wyvernheart Ignition, Wyvernpiercer Ignition Bow: Thousand Dragons, Piercing Coating on normal arrows and Tracers, Power Shot (excluding when Piercing Coating is applied), Power Volley (excluding when Piercing Coating is applied), Flying Swallow Shot (excluding when Piercing Coating is applied)
Binding Counter (Set Bonus Skill): Fixed an issue where the skill activation would unintentionally carry over after resetting a challenge quest.
Bubbly Dance (Set Bonus Skill): Fixed an issue where the required evasion count for activating the skill would not reset during challenge quests.
Support Hunters
Slightly increased the attack power for Olivia, Rosso, Mina, and Kai for when the quest leader is at HR 50 or higher.
Improved the response of Support Hunters when the player has not performed any attacks for a certain period of time: it is less likely for Support Hunters to stop attacking, and they also return to combat faster after the player resumes attacking.
Fixed an issue where Support Hunters could lose health and faint even after a quest has been completed.
Fixed an issue where Support Hunters would go into standby near a trap placed for a Nerscylla Clone (during the Omega Planetes hunt) even if the trap would have no effect.
Fixed an issue where in some situations Support Hunters would not attack Omega Planetes even when standing near it.
Fixed an issue where Mina would aim for out-of-reach body parts on certain monsters.
Fixed an issue where a monster would not enter the Power Clash state when Rosso successfully triggers a Power Clash.
Fixed an issue where system messages would not properly appear when the host player received melody effects from Kai's Performances.
Fixed an issue where Support Hunters would unintentionally and repeatedly use Flash Pods or traps.
Fixed an issue where weapon and slinger ammo would unintentionally disappear upon hitting a Support Hunter mounted on a Seikret.
Seikret
When riding a Seikret and attempting to use an item, the item use will not be cancelled even if the Seikret performs an automatic evasion at the same moment.
It now takes less time for the Seikret to be able to speed up again after performing an automatic evasion.
Fixed an issue where performing a jumping dismount from the Seikret could unintentionally call the Seikret again even if no inputs were made at the time.
Miscellaneous
System
Limited bounties under the categories "Research Help: Monsters", "Research Help: Fishing", and "Research Help: Endemic Life" have been adjusted to reward more armor spheres.
Fixed an issue where some lobbies where joining is limited to Lobby ID Search could still be joined via Hunter Friend Search.
Fixed an issue where you could not post or join quests in online lobbies after switching your crossplay settings from "Disable" to "Enable" in the title screen options.
Fixed an issue where, under certain conditions, a chat notification claiming a seasonal event would be "Ending Soon" would mistakenly appear even if there is significant time left for the event.
The squad member list now shows the name of your active squad in the header.
You can now also send Hunter Friend requests from the squad member list.
Made slight adjustments to the flow for editing and deleting widgets in the Hunter Profile.
Removed the confirmation window that appeared when finishing editing Hunter Profile widgets.
Fixed an issue where the The Equipment Loadouts widget in the Hunter Profile would show mistakenly updated reinforcement bonuses for Artian weapons.
Exiting your Hunter Profile now prompts a confirmation window.
Added a confirmation window to the Reset Widgets function in the Hunter Profile (to help prevent accidental resets).
In addition to how many you currently own, the save data selection screen now shows you the max number of Character and Palico Edit Vouchers you can own.
New text has been added to the end of each Support Hunter profile briefly explaining their strengths.
Moved the in-game tips related to Lagiacrus from "Hunting" to "Lagiacrus" in the Tip List category of the Play Guide.
Using the Take All function with Nata's Material Retrieval feature now displays the names and amount of all items you are obtaining.
Omitted the confirmation window that appears when selecting an item for Material Retrieval.
Added an option to the supply item confirmation window to let you discard items from the item pouch.
The endemic life menu at Ecological Research now shows how the current number of captured creatures and the max number possible.
Adjusted the icons so that, when outside of combat, parts removed from monsters (such as tails) are easier to find.
The red wave effect on the health gauge (the effect that triggers when your health is at critical levels) is now disabled when the "Health Gauge Warning" option is set to "Do Not Display".
A new "Hide During Combat" setting has been added to the "Hide Other Seikret" option.
A new "Radial Menu Selection Type" option has been added.
Adjusted the text and icons that appear in the fishing controls.
Handler
The Handler will now avoid getting too close to large monsters.
Palico
Fixed an issue where the Palico would cancel in-progress support moves when the player performs certain actions, such as a Focus Strike with a bow.
Fixed an issue where the Palico would continue to glow after performing certain inputs during the Hocus Palicosus gesture.
Fixed an issue where your Palico could become stuck and unable to descend the cliff at the entrance to Area 17 in the Oilwell Basin.
Other
Fixed an issue where some voice lines would not trigger properly.
Fixed various text issues.
Fixed other miscellaneous issues.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
Gaston, the swole villain from Beauty and the Beast, will reportedly be the next Disney baddie to get the live-action movie treatment.
Following in the footsteps of Maleficent and Cruella de Vil, Deadline reports that development has begun on a Gaston standalone picture.
It's believed that the movie will feature an all-new version of the character — depicted in Disney's 1992 animated classic as a self-entitled sexist. Luke Evans previously portrayed the character in live-action in the 2017 Emma Watson-starring Beauty and the Beast remake.
Work on the project is still in its early stages, but Disney is apparently very keen on the idea and planning a "swashbuckling" take.
The project has screenwriter David Callaham attached, who previously worked on The Expendables franchise, and has co-writing credits on Wonder Woman 1984, Shang-Chi and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. LucasFilm producer Michelle Rejwan is also attached, following her work on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, plus Disney+ series Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Reportedly, Disney briefly paused its work on live-action remakes that feature classic characters after this spring's disastrous launch of a new Snow White, which failed to recoup its $240 million production budget amid a string of poor reviews and online controversies.
But the company has apparently now thawed on the concept following the $1 billion success of its subsequent Lilo & Stitch movie — for which a sequel is already in the works. Disney is also believed to be planning a live-action version of Tangled, with Scarlett Johansson reportedly in talks to play its villain Mother Gothel.
Image credit: Disney.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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