Monster Hunter Wilds Update 1 is now available, introducing Mizutsune, the Grand Hub, and enhanced PC VRAM performance.

The first big title update for Monster Hunter Wilds is upon us like a large, iridescent squirrel dragon covered in bubbles, and when I say a large, iridescent squirrel dragon covered in bubbles I am, of course, referring to the Mizutsune – a new Wilds monster last seen in Monster Hunter Rise.

It and a new, high rank version of the Zoh Shia are the title update’s headline additions. But it’s not all monster hunting. There’s also a new social area, the Grand Hub, wherein you can hang with your mates, bowl exploding barrels and do some arm-wrestling. With your mates, I assume. The changelog just says “Arm Wrestling Barrel”. I assume you won’t be arm-wrestling a barrel.

The update requires 6GB of storage space, or 16GB if you’re using the high resolution texture packs. If you’re wondering where to find the Mizutsune, you’ll need to reach Hunter Rank 21 to unlock a mission you can start by speaking to Kanya in the Scarlet Forest Base Camp. Complete that mission, and the bubble-huffing rainbow lizard is yours for the slaying. There’s a Tempered version of the Mizutsune to fight after HR 41. As for the high rank Zoh Shia, you’ll need to be HR 50 to access the relevant story mission.

Naturally, these munsters bring with them new weapon and armour crafting options. We can also expect new skills, status ailments, pop-up camp gear options, limited bounty categories, voice lines and poses. The Grand Hub becomes available after completing a tutorial mission that appears from HR 16.

It’s a bountiful rework indeed, with a bunch of balancing adjustments and fixes to wash down the extra critters, gear and quests. As promised, there have been some PC technical improvements as well, though it’s hard to gauge from the fleeting description just how much difference they’ll make: “Improvements were made to VRAM usage, and the DirectStorage version has been upgraded.”

Find the full patch notes here.