User blog comment:Kogath/Monster Hunter: World Discussion/@comment-6050823-20180521170708

Here's some more information that was revealed during the Monster Hunter Championships 2018 streams (1, 2).


 * Turns out the First Fleet were battling an Elder Dragon at sea, which is how one of the ships (Gathering Hub) got stuck in the cliff.
 * They never say what Elder Dragon did it, but we'll likely learn its identity in the future.
 * The fleets had early sketches of Astera as it was being built up gradually.
 * Astera is powered by water turbines. The turbines use water currents from a nearby waterfall to provide the necessary energy for Astera, which is used for various equipment in the village.
 * The First Fleet was sent to the New World as the stepping stones for the rest of the Research Commission. They could be seen as the pioneers of the New World for the other fleets since the First Fleet established Astera there.
 * It was confirmed that the Meowscular Chef was the Admiral's Palico in the past.
 * A lot of people in Japan theorized that the Meowsuclar Chef was the Huntsman's Palico because in Japanese the game is a bit more vague about the past for some characters. In the English translation, they made it a lot more obvious for people as well as other details.
 * The Admiral doesn't use a slinger like most other people in the Research Commission, he instead just uses a rope as his "slinger".
 * While the Second Fleet Master was trying to master the Wyverian-Equipment Arts, he lost one of his eyes.
 * The Third Fleet Master really loves smelling things, so the whole Research Base is filled with incense because she likes the smell so much. It can best be described as her fetish.
 * When the Third Fleet made it to the New World, they rebuilt their ship and turned it into an airship. The fleet used the airship to fly through the Great Ravine before crash landing in the Coral Highlands, due to a Legiana attacking the vessel.
 * The Fourth Fleet has many individuals, but the Field Team Leader isn't exactly a part of the Fourth Fleet. He was only added to the Fourth Fleet due to it being the most recent fleet to come to the New World at the time, before the events of MHW.
 * They finally officially confirmed that the Excitable A-Lister is indeed the Ace Cadet. He was actually one of the first people who volunteered to go with the Fifth Fleet to the New World.
 * Capcom brought him back for old players.
 * Capcom said that the problem with the Handler is that she is too cute!
 * Within the Coral Highlands is a species of coral called "Land Coral", which some resemble cherry blossom trees. This land coral is known to release white flakes (coral eggs) in the air to reproduce, which strong wind currents carry throughout the Coral Highlands.
 * Some of the strange objects in the Coral Highlands like the seaweed and the bouncy platforms are actually different species of land coral that are unique to the area.
 * Smaller monsters, such as the Raphinos, are attracted to the land coral because they feed on the coral eggs in the area, while larger monsters, like Tzitzi-Ya-Ku, come to feed on the smaller monsters.
 * Early in development, Paolumu was going to suck in air through its nose to inflate its neck. It was also mentioned that Paolumu's tail was based off a meat tenderizer.
 * In the higher portions of the Coral Highlands, there isn't much nutrition from the Rotten Vale for the land coral, causing the coral to turn white and eventually die.
 * Legiana is the apex predator of the Coral Highlands that lives in the more mountainous parts of the area. If any large monster enters its territory, it will attack them without warning. Though Paolumu primarily eats coral eggs, Legiana still sees it as a threat to its territory.
 * On Legiana's underbelly are blue lines/pores that release a freezing substance. When this substance combines with the moisture in the air, Legiana is able to perform its ice-based attacks and cover portions of its body with ice.