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How to Unlock Tempered Investigations in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne

Tempered investigations can be awarded after collecting a tempered monster’s tracks, but the target may differ. Learn the track loop, base-game HR gates and what Iceborne adds in the Guiding Lands.
WorldMonster Hunter World: Iceborne Length2 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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To get a tempered investigation, collect tracks from a tempered monster and check your Investigations list: the game may award an investigation at random. The target can be a different monster from the one whose tracks you gathered; the tracks determine the investigation’s threat tier, not a guaranteed target. In Iceborne, first make sure you have access to the expansion, then distinguish the older base-game High Rank gates from Iceborne’s Guiding Lands systems.

How tempered investigations are unlocked

  1. Hunt or follow a tempered monster and gather its tracks.
  2. Check the Investigations list for a newly awarded tempered investigation. Track collection can award one at random; there is no established fixed number of tracks or guaranteed drop rate.
  3. Use the investigation’s threat tier to understand the kind of quest awarded. The target is not necessarily the monster whose tracks you collected.

Kiranico’s version 15.11 database describes this track-to-investigation loop and lists separate threat-level groups for the base-game roster: Kiranico’s Monster Hunter: World investigations guide. Those groups are base-game information, not a complete Iceborne Master Rank roster.

Check your progression and Iceborne access

Accessing the Iceborne campaign

Capcom Support’s article, updated July 16, 2026, says players must complete the base Monster Hunter: World campaign, reach Hunter Rank 16, and speak to the Feisty Fiver in Astera to access the Iceborne campaign and quests. See Capcom Support’s Iceborne access instructions.

Base-game High Rank threat gates

A Samurai Gamers guide dated August 29, 2019 reports that threat level 1 investigations appear during the story, while base-game High Rank 30 and HR 50 gates unlock threat levels 2 and 3 respectively. These are base-game HR gates; they should not be treated as Iceborne Master Rank requirements. The guide predates later updates and does not establish current MR thresholds: Samurai Gamers’ tempered investigations guide.

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#1 Best Overall
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition - PS4 - PlayStation 4 Standard Edition
  • Contains both Monster Hunter: World and the Iceborne expansion
  • Explore sprawling locales teeming with undiscovered creatures and thriving ecosystems
  • Battle fearsome monsters not only to craft new weapons & armor, but also to drive the story forward and uncover the mysteries of the New World and Hoarfrost Reach
  • Extensive single-player campaign that also allows drop-in multiplayer; use the SOS Flare to summon other hunters for an assist!
  • Use monster materials, as well as items found growing in the wild, to craft new items and gear

What changes in Iceborne’s Guiding Lands

The Guiding Lands add region levels and special tracks that can be used to lure monsters. In its October 10, 2019 title-update notes, Capcom said special tracks became easier to obtain and guaranteed when capturing a monster or carving its body or a broken part. The notes also describe fixing region levels, a way to prevent them from changing. These are historical update details, not a current, complete monster-spawn table or a guide to every Master Rank investigation requirement. Read Capcom’s October 10, 2019 update notes.

Where to gather tracks

For a general investigation

Follow tempered monsters and collect the tracks they leave. Check the investigation list as you go rather than expecting the awarded target to match the track source. The available sources do not establish a best Iceborne farming route, an optimal number of tracks, or a guaranteed investigation rate.

Rank #2
Monster Hunter World Iceborne Master Edition (PS4)
  • Monster Hunter World Iceborne Master Edition includes the original Monster Hunter World
  • Massive Volume of Content - Iceborne builds on every aspect of World with a wealth of new challenges and surprises
  • New Story Introduces Hoarfrost Reach Locale - Picking up the plot from World, hunters will travel to a snow-covered terrain which progressively expands with the story, eventually becoming the largest region in World so far
  • New and Returning Monsters - The new locale is home to brand new frigid climate foes as well as returning fan favorites joining the Monster Hunter: World lineup. Leading the pack is the new flagship monster Velkhana, an elder dragon with powerful ice attacks that is a pervasive threat in the new story
  • Master Rank difficulty option - A brand-new quest tier above High Rank that makes new and existing monsters more ferocious than ever

A historical base-game example

Samurai Gamers’ 2019 guide recommends tempered Diablos in Wildspire Waste as a track-following option for base-game threat level 2 investigations. Treat that as a dated base-game tactic, not a verified best route for Iceborne or a recommendation for every platform and version.

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Match the activity to the reward you want

Tempered investigations can be pursued for rewards such as feystones and decorations. Kiranico’s base-game system also lists streamstones for augmentation, but those older reward expectations should not be assumed to apply to every Iceborne investigation: Iceborne adds endgame systems of its own. If your aim is a Guiding Lands lure or materials, work with special tracks and the relevant region instead of treating those goals as interchangeable with completing an investigation.

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Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition - PS4 - PlayStation 4 Standard Edition
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition - PS4 - PlayStation 4 Standard Edition
Contains both Monster Hunter: World and the Iceborne expansion; Explore sprawling locales teeming with undiscovered creatures and thriving ecosystems
$30.00
Bestseller No. 2
Monster Hunter World Iceborne Master Edition (PS4)
Monster Hunter World Iceborne Master Edition (PS4)
Monster Hunter World Iceborne Master Edition includes the original Monster Hunter World
$34.99
Bestseller No. 3
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition - Xb1 - Xbox One Standard Edition
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition - Xb1 - Xbox One Standard Edition
Contains both Monster Hunter: World and the Iceborne expansion; Explore sprawling locales teeming with undiscovered creatures and thriving ecosystems
$63.74
Rank #3
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition - Xb1 - Xbox One Standard Edition
  • Contains both Monster Hunter: World and the Iceborne expansion
  • Explore sprawling locales teeming with undiscovered creatures and thriving ecosystems
  • Battle fearsome monsters not only to craft new weapons & armor, but also to drive the story forward and uncover the mysteries of the New World and Hoarfrost Reach
  • Extensive single-player campaign that also allows drop-in multiplayer; use the SOS Flare to summon other hunters for an assist!
  • Use monster materials, as well as items found growing in the wild, to craft new items and gear

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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