HoYoverse’s Nodusfall pairs co-op monster hunts with a break from random character pulls
Its Gamescom demo featured 4-player hunts, role-based characters, clash counters, and a final battle against a dragon and its armored rider.
Nodusfall is taking HoYoverse in a very different direction. The upcoming free-to-play co-op action game keeps the studio’s interest in dramatic fantasy worlds, but its combat centers on hunting massive creatures with a team instead of collecting characters through random draws.
HoYoverse has not confirmed a release date or even a release year for Nodusfall. Characters will be obtained by playing through the story rather than by relying on character gacha. Cosmetic monetization is being considered, but the current information does not explain whether gear, cosmetics, or another part of progression could involve chance-based purchases.
The game made its debut during Gamescom’s Opening Night Live, where its dark fantasy setting drew comparisons to Elden Ring and Monster Hunter. The first comparison mostly applies to the atmosphere. Nodusfall takes place in a world where divine authority has fallen apart and order has disappeared, creating a setting that is both bleak and beautiful.
HoYoverse’s reveal trailer sets the tone for that ruined world and its enormous threats.
A dark fantasy world built around the Dreadnodi
Nodusfall takes place on a mythic continent corrupted by creatures called the Dreadnodi. Players become Weavers, people described as being enlightened by the divine and entrusted with sacred missions to restore order.
The monsters draw from both Eastern and Western mythology, with manticores, dragons, and giant bears among the creatures shown or described so far. The world stretches across golden hills, fiery skies, gloomy moors, misty forests, deserts, and enormous canyons. HoYoverse has also indicated that more regions will arrive after launch.
The reveal trailer presents a darker tone than HoYoverse’s usual anime-focused adventures. There is still room for spectacle and dramatic character powers, but the central fantasy is built around confronting enormous beasts and uncovering the damage left by the Dreadnodi.
Contracts lead teams into multi-phase monster fights
Players can enter the world alone or with a group, choose a contract, prepare a loadout, and pursue a large target across an outdoor area. The hunts include several stages and escalating boss-style encounters, and they can take a substantial amount of time to finish. The demo ended in a fight against a huge dragon and a heavily armored rider.
Victories provide resources for unlocking new skills and forging weapons, giving each hunt a clear purpose beyond simply surviving the encounter. Groups will also need to think about squad variety when facing the hardest bosses, although players can switch roles and loadouts whenever they want rather than being locked into one character or build for an entire account. The official Nodusfall website currently describes that flexibility as part of the game’s plan.
The demo began in a hub where a 4-player team could select and customize its characters. These are not blank avatars defined only by their equipment. Each character has a distinct combat style and its own mechanics, with role-based classes covering jobs such as tanking and healing.
One of the characters available during the demo had 2 classes, while the others had 1. The tank could stay close to enemies and absorb punishment with a large sword, while another party member supported the group from a distance with healing abilities. Nodusfall is not presented as an RPG, but its class design gives every team member a clear purpose.
Bosses can also provide powerful Divine Skills. The reveal material hints that some of these abilities may let characters change form during combat. Once an enemy’s weakness is exposed, players can trigger cinematic finishing attacks, with both solo and co-op finishers planned.
Fast combat gives every class a moment to shine
An early PC Gamer Gamescom hands-on preview showed how the game separates itself from both comparisons. Its contract structure is recognizable from Monster Hunter, but Nodusfall is not a soulslike, and its hunts are more direct and aggressive than the deliberate battles found in Monster Hunter.
Nodusfall’s action moves at a quick pace. Attacks can be chained together while players track skill cooldowns, and even a heavily armed tank can move across the battlefield with surprising speed. The result is a combat system that favors constant pressure rather than waiting for a single opening.
Precision still has a place through the clash mechanic. A player charges a powerful attack and releases it just as a monster strikes, turning the incoming hit into a counterattack. The mechanic also feeds into the game’s visual style, with the character’s massive sword changing into a glowing magical weapon during the exchange.
Players can also choose an ultimate ability for their character, with the game suggesting options that fit the selected role. One demo character could transform into a towering dual-wielding knight with a new set of powerful skills, allowing the player to unleash spinning attacks and explosive magic across the arena.
The final encounter put those tools to work. The dragon took to the air while its rider fought on the ground, forcing the team to divide its attention between 2 threats. After the rider was weakened, the group combined its abilities to summon a massive ghostly warrior. The rider eventually consumed the dragon and continued the battle alone, but the team finished the encounter soon afterward.
More systems are planned beyond the hunts
HoYoverse is also planning a PvP mode built around the game’s monsters. One player could take control of a boss while another player, or a group, fights against it. That would give the monster-hunting formula a different kind of rematch, with a human-controlled opponent using its attacks in ways a regular AI enemy cannot.
The current plan suggests a game built around the pleasure of facing enormous monsters with friends, while leaving room for flexible progression and competitive encounters. Nodusfall still has plenty of room for more systems before launch, but its foundation is easy to understand. Pick a role, accept a contract, and go after something much larger than yourself.
Future betas are open for pre-registration
The official website allows players to pre-register and complete a questionnaire for possible selection in future betas. Signing up does not provide immediate access to the game, and HoYoverse has not announced a current beta schedule. The site points to future updates through the game’s official social channels.
What do you think of HoYoverse moving toward co-op monster hunts, and would you try Nodusfall without random character pulls? Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
