The Sunbreak secret armour sets are some of the best-looking in the expansion, especially if you want to get into the Elgado spirit by throwing off your old Kamura rags in favour of something more fitting. Perhaps you want to dress up like a pirate captain? Or even steal Rondine the Trader’s outfit?
There are also master rank variants of the secret armor sets from the original game, and even though they look identical, you can upgrade to them if you don’t feel like changing. Here I’ll walk you through how to unlock the three main secret armor sets in Sunbreak and the master rank versions of those that were available in Monster Hunter Rise.
As a side note, master rank layered armor unlocks after you defeat the Afflicted Arzuros at MR 10, after the main story is complete, so it takes a little while before you can style things exactly how you want.
Sunbreak secret armor: How to unlock
There are three secret armor sets in Sunbreak that become craftable once you get their specific materials. Two of these come from the Meowcenaries, while the third is acquired through the new Backroom Deals mechanic for The Argosy. Here’s how to unlock each set individually:
- Barbania Set: Use the Letter of Introduction to activate Backroom Deals when sending a buddy off to acquire materials through The Argosy. The material you want is the Locked Treasure Chest. A list of the special items you have a chance to acquire through Backroom Deals appears on the right when setting up a trade request. If Locked Treasure Chest doesn’t appear for you, it’s either because you haven’t acquired one yet, or haven’t progressed your rank enough. It first appeared for me on the list in MR 4, but that might be because I’d just acquired one randomly through The Argosy.
- Five Element Set: Send a Meowcenaries expedition to the Jungle. Any sparkling node has a chance to reward you with Nohsic Snuffcap, which will reveal the armor set at the blacksmith.
- Snowshear Set: Send a Meowcenaries expedition to the Citadel. Any sparkling node has a chance to reward you with Grooved Bones, which will reveal the armor set at the blacksmith.
- Dignified Set: While not really secret, you will need to acquire a Royal Certificate II in order to craft Rondine the Trader’s outfit. I came across some by completing the main story and just generally helping people around Elgado Outpost.
If the Jungle and the Citadel aren’t unlocked for the Meowcenaries yet, you’ll have to progress your master rank further until they are.
Monster Hunter Rise secret armor: How to get master rank versions
Using The Argosy and the Meowcenaries, you can also unlock master rank variants of the secret armor sets from the original game. These sets look the same as the high rank variants, but they have extra skills. To unlock each you’ll need a new material that can be acquired the same way as the old one.
Here are the Meowcenaries locations, materials, and the master rank sets they correspond to:
- Lava Caverns – Flounce Jelly – Jelly X
- Shrine Ruins – Rainbowshrooms – Grand Chaos
- Frost Islands – Jewel of the Fallen Star – Edel X
- Sandy Plains – Sinister Gloomcloth – Death Stench X
- Flooded Forest – Maximumpkin – Mosgharl X
When setting up a trade request with The Argosy, these potential materials will be listed on the right hand side. Here’s the master rank set that each of them corresponds to:
- Large Toxic Kumori – Spio X
- Large Armored Bream – Vaik X
- Split-Jaw Buttlefly – Rhopessa X
- Valiabiscus – Melahoa X
- Deep Shell – Shell-Studded X
- Sun Springnight Karp – Makulva X
There are also lots of armor sets you can get just by completing requests around Elgado. I recommend unlocking the Commission set if you want to dress like the Handler from Monster Hunter World. You can get this by capturing a master rank Bazelgeuse for Arena Master Arlow when he requests it.