Hunters,

We’re kicking off the New Year with a driftsmelting event! During the event, you’ll receive Crimson/Azure/Amber/Cyan/Pale/Black Driftstones guaranteed every time you slay a large monster.
You can also earn Insta-Smelt Solution from the Daily Quests available throughout the event, so be sure to log in and claim them every day!

The appearance of a riftcharged monster is just around the corner. Use driftsmelting to grant new skills and upgrade your equipment even further!

Dates & Times

Monday, January 5th, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. – Sunday, January 11th, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. (local time)

Event Details

Monster Appearances

Activity is expected to increase for the following monsters.

• Astalos
• Khezu (including Riftborne)
• Brute Tigrex
• Silver Rathalos
• Azure Rathalos
• Coral Pukei-Pukei
• Basarios

Event Effects

Driftstone bonus

• Guaranteed Crimson/Azure/Amber/Cyan/Pale/Black Driftstone from all large monsters.
  • Only if you have enough storage space.
• Distance required for driftsmelting with driftstones obtained during this event period reduced to 1 km.

Check below to see which monsters drop which driftstones and the skills that each unlock.

Daily Quest reward increase

• Additional Insta-Smelt Solution from Daily Quests distributed between Monday, January 5th, 2026, at 12:00 a.m. and Sunday, January 11th, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. (local time).
  • Receive a maximum of 7 over 7 days.

Limited-Time Quest: NY 2026 Driftsmelting Event (Slaying)

Take on limited-time quests that include slaying Astalos, Brute Tigrex, and Silver Rathalos. Complete them to earn materials for the target monster!

Limited-Time Quest: NY 2026 Driftsmelting Event (Smelting)

Take on limited-time quests that include driftsmelting. Complete them to earn 3 Weapon Refining Parts and 3 Armor Refining Parts.

Premium Quests

Premium Quests are quests that can be unlocked by exchanging gems in the in-game shop. Complete these quests to earn valuable rewards!
Please check the in-game shop for quest details.

• Purchase Premium Quests:
  Monday, January 5th, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. – Sunday, January 11th, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. (local time)
• Activate Premium Quests:
  Monday, January 5th, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. – Thursday, February 5th, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. (local time)

Premium Quest Rewards

In addition to the above, completing each quest will grant Hunter Rank Points, Season Tier Points, and more. See the in-game Shop for details.

Happy New Year! Driftstones in the Shop

To celebrate the New Year, you’ll find driftstones for sale in the in-game Shop!

Sales Period

Thursday, January 1st, 2026, at 12:00 a.m. – Sunday, January 11th, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. (UTC)

◆ Headstrong Driftgem (NY)
Material that can be used to add skills to armor through driftsmelting.
Guaranteed to add the skill Headstrong.

Skill Effect:
Damage increases after not evading for 10 seconds.

◆ Charge Master Driftgem (NY)
Material that can be used to add skills to armor through driftsmelting.
Guaranteed to add the skill Charge Master.

Skill Effect:
Increases your weapon’s elemental value and abnormal status buildup when using charged attacks.

◆ Offensive Dodger Driftgem (NY)
Material that can be used to add skills to armor through driftsmelting.
Guaranteed to add the skill Offensive Dodger.

Skill Effect:
Increases damage for 15 seconds after performing a perfect evade.

◆ Focus Driftgem (NY)
Material that can be used to add skills to armor through driftsmelting.
Guaranteed to add the skill Focus.

Skill Effect:
Shortens charging time and increases the fill rate of the long sword, dual blades, switch axe and charge blade’s gauge.

◆ Thunder Attack Driftgem (NY)
Material that can be used to add skills to armor through driftsmelting.
Guaranteed to add the skill Thunder Attack.

Skill Effect:
Increases weapon’s thunder-element value.

◆ Critical Eye Driftgem (NY)
Material that can be used to add skills to armor through driftsmelting.
Guaranteed to add the skill Critical Eye.

Skill Effect:
Increases affinity.

◆ Fighting Spirit Driftgem (NY)
Material that can be used to add skills to armor through driftsmelting.
Guaranteed to add the skill Fighting Spirit.

Skill Effect:
When the Special Gauge becomes full, damage dealt increases for 20 seconds.

Recommended Equipment for Driftsmelting

In the in-game recommended loadouts, we’re showcasing several sets that use featured defense weapons, which grant bonus points when used in riftcharged monster hunts.
If you’re not sure what to focus on, try adding the skills below to a recommended set!

Thunder Great Sword Set

• Astalos Crashblade, Astalos Crashblade+
• Kirin Horn
• Astalos Mail
• Astalos Braces
• Mizutsune Coil
• Fulgur Greaves

Recommended skills for driftsmelting: Fighting Spirit, Thunder Attack, Critical Eye, etc.
This set contains skills that help your Special Gauge fill more quickly, so adding Fighting Spirit is highly recommended!
And although it requires a significant amount of effort, if you raise Thunder Attack to Lv. 5 solely through driftsmelting, you can activate Advanced Thunder Attack Lv. 2.

Thunder Heavy Bowgun Set

• Wyvern Assault, Wyvern Assault+
• Astalos Helm
• Kadachi Mail
• Basarios Vambraces
• Golm Faulds
• Astalos Greaves

Recommended skills for driftsmelting: Headstrong, Critical Eye, Fighting Spirit, etc.
If you prefer a heavy bowgun playstyle that relies heavily on guarding, try adding Headstrong!
Raising your affinity with Critical Eye is also recommended.

Morph Boost Dual Blades Set

• Khezu Daggers, Khezu Skards
• Volvidon Helm
• Fulgur Mail
• Fulgur Vambraces
• Arzuros Coil
• Goss Harag Greaves

Recommended skills for driftsmelting: Offensive Dodger, Critical Eye, Thunder Attack, etc.
For dual blades loadouts that land many hits after a Perfect Evade, we recommend adding Offensive Dodger!
It’s also effective to raise your affinity with Critical Eye, or boost your damage further with Thunder Attack.

Winter Bow Set

• Wrapping Bow
• Tzitzi Headgear
• Kadachi Mail
• Astalos Braces
• Golden Obi
• Astalos Greaves

Recommended skills for driftsmelting: Charge Master, Focus, etc.
For bow loadouts that focus on charged attacks, we recommend adding Charge Master!
You can also strengthen your playstyle by using Focus to shorten charge times.

Please note that the examples above are only a small selection. Use them as inspiration and carry out driftsmelting with your favorite equipment!
Be sure to make use of driftgems from the Driftstone Exchange Hub, as well as the driftgems available in the New Year packs on sale.

Additional Information

• All hunters who have completed the prologue can enjoy the event content.
• Event quests will automatically become available in the Special Quests tab to all hunters who have completed the prologue.
• Riftborne monsters will only start to appear after you have unlocked 8★ monsters on the field.
• Driftsmelting can be unlocked by completing the pre-season story.
  The pre-season story refers to the period from the end of the prologue to the completion of Chapter 13: Sunderer of the Skies.
• Event quests will be available from Monday, January 5th, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. – Sunday, January 11th, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. (local time). Be sure to complete the quests and receive your rewards between these times.
• Driftstones can be obtained when you have space to store new ones.
• The distance required to smelt a driftstone acquired before the event period will remain the same even if it is smelted during the event period, but the distance required for a driftstone acquired by hunting a monster during the event period will remain 1 km after the event period ends.
• The distance required to smelt driftgems obtained by exchanging driftstone shards will remain the same during the event.
• Check in-game for details of the skills granted by driftstones.
• Quests and rewards are subject to change without notice.

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