In case you missed the first Monster Hunter: World beta, or don’t have PlayStation Plus, you can jump into the second beta, which takes place this weekend. Beta #2 starts Friday, December 22 9 am Pacific/12 pm Eastern on PlayStation 4. It ends December 26. Monster Hunter: World releases on January 26, 2018 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and later on PC.

Content wise this beta features the exact same three hunts of scaling difficulty: Great Jagras, Barroth, and Anjanath, and the two zones of Ancient Forest and Wildspire Waste. It includes a few preset characters and palicos as well as the training area and a sampling of all 14 weapon types. The beta features both single player and up to four player multiplayer.

The second beta is opening up to a much wider audience beyond just those with PlayStation Plus. Like the first beta, it’s designed to test the server loads in anticipation of the game’s release next month. It’s not clear if you still need PS Plus to play multiplayer, however.

If you still have Monster Hunter: World installed, no additional download will be necessary. Otherwise you can begin pre-loading the beta today for when the beta starts on Friday.

Like the first beta, participating nets you some rewards if you play the full game on the same account. Completing any of the quests will earn one unique Face Paint customization. Completing each quest will net a small trove of useful items such as potions and traps, for use in the full game.

The Monster Hunter: World beta runs from December 22-26. Monster Hunter: World launches January 26, 2018.


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Eric has been writing for over nine years with bylines at Dicebreaker, Pixelkin, Polygon, PC Gamer, Tabletop Gaming magazine, and more covering movies, TV shows, video games, tabletop games, and tech. He reviews and live streams D&D adventures every week on his YouTube channel. He also makes a mean tuna quesadilla.