Lagiacrus is coming to Monster Hunter Wilds, and it may just be the game’s best news yet. The leviathan is a hulking artifact from Monster Hunter Tri, and brought strange, but temporary, additions to the franchise. While Lagiacrus was huntable in the 3DS title, Monster Hunter Generations, it’s been a decade since then, and 15 years since a proper console appearance of the monster. At long last, its time has come once more.

Lagiacrus is not coming with Wilds‘ first update, but will instead grace the screens of hunters in Title Update 2, which is slated for release in the Summer. While we’re still some time away from the monster’s addition, if Capcom can properly modernize a moveset intended for underwater fights, Lagiacrus may quickly become one of Monster Hunter Wilds‘ best hunts. Regardless of its implementation, though, it’s always good to see a fan-favorite monster return after such a long hiatus.

Lagiacrus Was Monster Hunter Tri’s Underwater Flagship

A Fan Favorite

Exact information – via the official Monster Hunter Title Update 1 Trailer on YouTube – was left quite slim, with Lagiacrus not even receiving an explicit announcement. Based on the end of the trailer, however, Lagiacrus’ entrance is guaranteed for Title Update 2. Lagiacrus was the flagship monster of Tri, the only game to experiment with underwater combat. Consequently, it was only logical that the game’s flagship be a serpentine sea monster, which fully utilized the game’s unique features.

There’s a reason that Lagiacrus is ranked the third most popular monster, according to the 20th Anniversary Monster Hunter website, despite last appearing in-game a decade ago. The leviathan is like a far more threatening Loch Ness Monster, swimming through the depths with scales that glow as they become enhanced with electricity. The glowing spikes, cobra-esque head shape, and overall fantastic design made this monster stand out, even with the clunky nature of Tri‘s underwater combat that would have completely soured a less interesting monster.

Lagiacrus Hasn’t Seen Consoles Since 2009

Brought To The Modern Age

What makes Lagiacrus even more exciting is the fact that it hasn’t been on consoles since 2009. Unlike Wilds‘ missing elder dragons, featured heavily in the previous generation, Lagiacrus has been properly absent from the mainline series. While Mizutsune is a similarly distinct fight and an exciting addition, there’s nothing quite like reviving a monster that’s been absent for a decade.

Lagiacrus, I believe, has a particular popularity for many perpetual Monster Hunter fans because of the game he was created for. Monster Hunter Tri was released for the Wii, and many Western players, myself included, experienced Monster Hunter for the first time with that title. While the DS games worked even more toward a solid Western fanbase, Tri and its iconic cover art featuring Lagiacrus still have a hefty degree of nostalgia attached. I never actually defeated Lagiacrus in Monster Hunter Tri, so, 15 years later, I’m looking forward to finally besting the monster.

Monster Hunter Wilds’ Lack Of Underwater Hunts Will Force Innovation

Lagiacrus Doesn’t Need Underwater Combat To Shine

Every Monster Hunter fan has a favorite monster they want to be added to Wilds, but Lagiacrus promises something beyond nostalgia. Being designed with underwater combat in mind, Lagiacrus now exists in a pretty awkward space with the feature’s long absence. Its incarnation in Monster Hunter Generations simply restricted its moves to land-based attacks, effectively cutting the moveset in half. While this was a fine compromise at the time, more must be done in this new attempt at revival.

Wilds‘ has already successfully created a swimming fish monster that works well on land while still utilizing water-based attacks. Uth Duna, the apex of the Scarlet Forest, is an excellent example of how fish-based monsters can be integrated into land-based Monster Hunter games. I don’t expect Lagiacrus, then, to come to Wilds with half a moveset. Hopefully, Lagiacrus’s revival will see a major design overhaul of the fight to better translate the iconic monster into a game without underwater hunts.

Lagiacrus will no doubt be found within the Scarlet Forest, and will hopefully have some interactions – like a turf war – with the zone’s other apex predator, Uth Duna.

I’m excited to see what Monster Hunter Wilds can do with a fan-favorite flagship that hasn’t been used in over a decade. Flagships, as seen with the more recent Arkveld and Nergigante, should be flashy, distinct, and generally memorable hunts. Without the underwater gimmick of Lagiacrus, much would need to be added for it to live up to its anticipation. Hopefully, Monster Hunter Wilds will deliver a slam-dunk remake of Lagiacrus that truly does the long-awaited monster justice.