Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance is showing off gameplay footage of its new ‘Boost Bracer’ mechanic, and it’s giving me major Devil May Cry vibes

With the 2026 Tokyo Game Show drawing near, Capcom is metaphorically and literally putting on the turbo boost for revealing new gameplay for Monster Hunter Wilds‘ Ascendence DLC expansion by showing off the new ‘Boost Bracer’ mechanic.

The Boost Bracer is a special gauntlet designed to give each of the game’s fourteen weapon types new, exciting ways to play them.

Here’s how the Boost Bracer will function in Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance, which is scheduled to launch in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

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From what we can tell from Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance’s ‘Boosted Actions’ trailer, the Boost Bracer has a special ‘Boost’ gauge that needs to be filled up by hitting enemies with ‘Boost Drivers’, which are new super moves that will be added for every weapon type in the DLC expansion.

Once the gauge is filled up, your weapon will be powered up with new moves, combos, and properties for a limited time before it needs to be filled again with successful Boost Driver attacks, which appear to have cooldown timers similar to the ‘Wirebug’ mechanic from Monster Hunter Rise.

The Boost Bracer’s features shown so far include unlocking new moves and combos, enhancing a weapon’s pre-existing moves, boosting a weapon’s survivability by improving its guard capabilities or allowing its wielder to run with the weapon unsheathed, and more.

For the next two weeks leading up to Capcom’s Tokyo Game Show Showcase on September 17, 2026, the developers will be releasing daily gameplay trailers showcasing how the Boost Bracer will alter each weapon type, starting with the Great Sword.

For the Great Sword, the Boost Bracer will allow the user to chain multiple Offset Attacks, sprint while the weapon is unsheathed to perform running Offset attacks, and perform enhanced versions of its charge slashes (including a super version of the iconic True Charged Slash).

Windows Central’s Take

My first impression upon seeing the Boost Bracer in action is that it reminds me HEAVILY of Nero’s ‘Exceed’ mechanic from Capcom’s Devil May Cry series, where you rev up the character’s ‘Red Queen’ weapon like a motorcycle to enhance its attacks to absurd degrees that make you feel like a superhero.

I feel somewhat conflicted because, on one hand, I’m afraid that these Boost Bracer attacks are going to make fighting enemies a trivial task even in Master Rank when combined with Monster Hunter Wilds’ already overpowered Wounds and Focus Mode mechanics (which, by the way, I hope get nerfed along with other changes I hope Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascension brings to make the base game more challenging).

On the other hand, I can’t deny it looks cool and fun to use in motion, and I’m curious to see how it will improve my favorite weapon types in the game, like Gunlance and Sword & Shield.

Plus, it really makes me miss Devil May Cry, as we haven’t seen a new game for the series since 2019’s Devil May Cry 5, so Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance is probably the closest follow-up we’re going to get right now.

Stay tuned for more as we keep an eye out for the rest of the Boost Bracer showcase trailers in the lead-up to the 2026 Tokyo Game Show, where Capcom will show off a gameplay demo for Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance featuring the new mysterious, unnamed flying wyvern from the debut trailer and the return of a classic Elder Dragon.

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