Monster Hunter World: Iceborne players will face Fatalis in the final update

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne's final major update is coming in October, and that means there's one more intimidating monster to take down. As a final challenge, hunters will have to slay Fatalis, a legendary black dragon who first appeared in the original game as a special online boss.

Fatalis likes fire, hanging out in its castle and destroying kingdoms. It's quite the catch. As a reward for taking down this fearsome beastie, the set bonus skill will do something. The devs aren't ready to give it away yet, but the developer diary above strongly suggests that it will bump up skill caps.

Along with the dragon, The Final Stand update will introduce a new skill that will let you take full advantage of the clutch claw no matter what type of weapon you're using. If you're using a light weapon, for instance, it would normally take two attacks to tenderise a monster you've hooked onto, but the new skill will let you do it in one.

The addition of master rank layered armour means that fashionistas will be able to unlock all of the layered armour sets, though it looks like some armour will require materials from an event quest that won't be available straight away. That's presumably the Arch-tempered Velkhana event, a new limited-time quest that will appear this autumn.

If you fancy gussying up your room, you'll be able to meld more decorations, as well as decorating it with new items, including pendants and monster bones.

The Final Stand is coming on October 1, followed by October's seasonal event: Fun Fright Fest. Expect Halloween-themed armour—for your palico as well—and a costume for your handler. Before that, though, you'll be able to play through all of the previous seasonal events in the Fest Rush.

Across the three weeks leading up to The Final Stand, Capcom's planning to release a trio of event quests, starting on September 11. There's also Iceborne's one year anniversary event quest, running from September 7-11. It sounds like the next couple of months are going to be very busy for folks in the monster hunting business.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.