Capcom did a good job from the start announcing the return of the Elder Dragon Gogmazios to the game with the release of Title Update 4 on December 16, the Monster Hunter players were also bombarded with great news. The revelation was made at the Monster Hunter Festa 2025 Paris event and the gigantic dragon fans have already started to sharpen their weapons and flock around its greasy body.
What are the details? The Nile of Hunters will exclusively let players who have attained HR 100 or above to challenge the monster, which will be referred to as endgame content. The primary trick is the heavy coating of oil on the beast’s skin – to soften that gunk, burning weapons must be applied to make it unprotected for the attacks with the dragon element. To be more specific, it is a two-step process: first, fire up and dissolve the oil and then inflict quality damage with the dragon. The smart players will thus be changing their gear according to the plan.
The reactions from the community have been mixed, that is, there will be the group of people who think that this is good news and the group that considers it bad. The hype around the fights with Gogmazios is tremendous, in addition to that, challenging the very nature of the game’s current systems is one of the players’ worries.
The most significant problem that players have is the Artian weapons system. At present, there are more than a few players who are either children and/or adults with jobs, and they also complain about the excessive grinding needed to get good rolls on these weapons. A player by the name of VagaOnly honestly stated, “Peeps like me with jobs & families don’t have that much time or energy to bother crafting a 100% perfect artian” and we agree with him. It’s as if the system is designed for some players to literally be using spreadsheets and save-scumming just to get decent weapons, which is a bit of a downer.
Another area where the shift of power is causing unhappiness is the issue of weapon balance. Jessika Sho made a passionate appeal for Charge Blade by saying, “Having to wind up twice for a single SAED ruins the flow of the weapon. Can’t take advantage of the same openings anymore.” That is rather a precise complaint from someone who apparently mains the weapon and it also points out how fragile the weapon balance can be in Monster Hunter. One’s enjoyment of the game can be greatly diminished when the favorite weapon feels wrong.
Gunlance players are facing their own challenges as well. WildRaposo asked if the Artian gunlances could have the option of shelling types, and he mentioned that there are “no monster-based normal shelling gunlances” which therefore limits build variety. It is these types of specific, technical grievances that reflect how much the Monster Hunter players delve into the mechanics of their weapons.
Moreover, the texture quality argument just won’t go away. KingCrisp bluntly asked if the PS5 version is “still in its PS2 phase,” which is… harsh but like… we’ve all seen those comparison videos. The visual fidelity has been a matter of dispute since the very start and players continue to hope for improvements.
Nonetheless, the thrill of Gogmazios is very powerful, despite all the complaints and issues. Searscale shouted, “I’m gonna clap his cheeks so bad,” which was accompanied by fire emojis, and that vibe is contagious. Gogmazios has always been one of those memorable bosses that players never forget – this enormous, tar-dripping dragon that demands not only good positioning but also perfect elemental mix! The fire-to-dragon mechanic they have devised seems to throw a bewitching spell over the encounter.
The timing is quite nice – December 16 gives players just the right amount of time to reach HR 100 if they are not there yet, plus there will be a new challenge during the holiday break. This is a smart move by Capcom, softening the usually boring post-Christmas gaming slump with an extra layer of fun.
What stands out the most is the amount of players who are already starting to consider their gear setups. DaddyH0UND made the statement, “So I don’t even need to change my setup from omega to Gog,” which could very well indicate that they have already theorized their approach. And that is how the Monster Hunter community lives – always planning, always optimizing, even before the new content arrives.
The Artian weapon dilemma, however, won’t be forgotten. With TU4 introducing more Artian bonuses, players are anxious that they would need to re-roll their already existing weapons or go through the long, frustrating, and demoralizing process of weapon-farming.
Irtneough painted an imaginative scene of the situation, saying: “I am already looking forward to the moment when I have to pray for a good roll set…only to be given a Dosha set bonus for my bow, while my friends on Xbox are getting perfect drops.”
