Full Monster Hunter Wilds Guide: What Weapons Should You Use?

There are fourteen different weapon classes in Monster Hunter Wilds, each with unique gameplay mechanics. This guide will assist you in becoming familiar with each sort of weapon and identifying the best one for your hunting requirements if you’re a new player of MH anticipating the release of Wilds.

Sword and Shield

Because it strikes the ideal balance between mobility, elemental damage, and defensive capabilities to withstand early and mid-game hunts, the Sword and Shield class is a straightforward and safe choice for novice hunters.
The Sword and Shield’s DPS output is moderate, but because of its rapid moveset, the weapon excels at applying elemental Blights like Fireblight and Thunderblight.
Numerous quality of life (QoL) features, such as the ability to utilize items without sheathing and avoid rolls that cancel your strikes, are accessible with the Sword and Shield. The Sword and Shield is the ideal option for complete novices.

Longsword

Because it boasts rapid, sharp swings for faster monsters and easy access to high-damage combinations, the Longsword is one of the simpler weapons to learn. By passively increasing your damage through the Spirit Gauge concept, this weapon also incentivizes you to play with greater aggression.
The Longsword, which features poke attacks that can be utilized to hit Wounds and deliver even more damage, benefits greatly from the new Focus system with Monster Hunter Wilds. The Longsword is a fantastic first weapon if you want a weapon that deals damage easily.

Greatsword

The Greatsword, one of the most recognizable weapons in the Monster Hunter series, has the slowest moveset yet the rawest power. Greatswords have a charge-up mechanism that increases the amount of damage and stun it can inflict the longer the attack button is held.
The Greatsword features many defensive moves, such as its offset and shoulder bash attacks, to knock opponents off their feet even if its emphasis is on slow, large damage hits.
Because Greatsword users can easily detect charged swings, this weapon necessitates that users plan ahead and simultaneously master a monster’s attack tendencies. Although it’s one of the most difficult weapons to use, those who master it will witness the highest damage totals.

Dual Blade

Since the Dual Blades class is focused on dealing as much damage as possible with its quick, lengthy looping combos, they have the best mobility and attack speed in the game.
Although this weapon class has several movement choices to avoid incoming assaults, it lacks defensive characteristics. However, compared to other weapon kinds, this consumes a significant amount of stamina.
Better combinations and attacks that flow into one another are available in the Dual Blades’ Demon Mode, which also creates entertaining combo loops that increase damage. The Dual Blade’s mechanics will appeal to gamers that are extremely aggressive.

Hammer

With a focus on dealing stagger damage that, when compounded sufficiently, stuns monsters for a longer damage window, the Hammer has good mobility and damage. Striking a monster’s head with the Hammer in order to gain the biggest stagger is the main gameplay loop.
This weapon features the Greatsword’s trademark charge mechanism, which can let its swing deal even more stagger, but it attacks a little more quickly.
Hammer players can constantly stun monsters to create regular damage windows, especially when playing in a team.

Hunting Horn

With potent on-demand buffs comparable to consumables, the Hunting Horn is one of the best support weapons in the series for both the user and nearby teammates. It will take some knowledge to use this weapon effectively, but the learning curve is well worth it.
The Hunting shares the same stagger values as the Hammer and, although being a support weapon, can provide decent damage with its frequent swings.
Each Hunting Horn has a pre-made list of buffs and necessary inputs that hunters must load in order to activate a buff. The ability to continuously refresh these benefits makes it the ideal weapon for players that want assistance.

Lance

Because it can block the strongest strikes without being knocked out, the Lance possesses the best defensive equipment in the game.
The Lance’s primary function is to defend against a monster’s attacks while launching a strong counterattack from behind a secure shield.
By delivering steady damage, the Lance enables its users to deflect otherwise hazardous attacks and divert a monster’s focus from the group. The Lance is the ideal brawling weapon when used with the game’s Focus and Offset Strike system.

Gunlance

Though it has an additional degree of intricacy that, once mastered, causes significantly more damage than the Lance, the Gunlance plays similarly to the Lance.
There are three distinct systems with this weapon: Wyvern Gauge, Wyrmstake Shot, and Shells. The Gunlance’s mid-combo shells can be fired to pierce armored components. Wyvern Fire, a high-damage shot that regenerates during an attack, can be used with Wyvern Gauge. One ubiquitous sort of ammunition is Wyrmstake Shot.
Lance players who want to accomplish a little more after they’ve mastered Lance mechanics will love the Gunlance.

Bow

The bow is one of the most user-friendly and secure ranged weapons. With its strong mobility and included quiver of limitless ammunition, this weapon is a reliable and constant source of damage.
Although the Bow’s ammunition is limitless, users can add coatings to their arrow to cause more kinds of damage. But these are finite and need to be restocked.
The Bow’s ease of usage makes it a strong choice for players with good aim who want quick access to ranged damage.

Light Bowgun

In contrast to the Bow, the Light Bowgun is a machine gun that requires ammo and needs to be refilled after being empty. It fires quickly and has good mobility. Additionally, this weapon may quickly apply status effects but deals less damage per shot.
Users of light bowguns must be near to mid-range to their target because of the maximum range at which bullets are no longer registered.
In addition to offering good coverage for vulnerable areas like a monster’s head or wings, the Light Bowgun will be useful to players seeking a traditional third-person shooting experience.

Heavy Bowgun

Of all the ranged weapons in the game, the Heavy Bowgun has the longest range, but it also moves and fires the slowest. Although it uses the same magazine arrangement as the Light Bowgun, it has more firepower but can contain fewer bullets.
Ignition Mode is a specific Wyvern attack feature that is exclusive to this weapon.
Heavy Bowguns are Monster Hunter’s snipers; in order to deliver the most damage, they need to be accurate and patient. Because of its limited mobility, time and placement are crucial for this weapon’s efficient use.

Insect Glaive

With a focus on aerial combos that may hold you in the air for a while, Insect Glaives are a very mobile weapon class. You can launch these animals at a monster portion to harvest essences that give you boosts using the weapon’s special Kinsects mechanic.
One noteworthy feature of this weapon is its capacity to facilitate monster mounting.
Regardless of their stagger values, a Hunter can stun for free when they mount a creature.
The Insect Glaive will be useful for players that enjoy getting airborne, hitting difficult-to-reach monster components, and gaining bonuses in the middle of battle.

Switch Axe

With two modes—Sword Mode and Axe Mode—the Switch Axe is incredibly versatile. While Axe Mode has a greater reach but a slower attack pace, Sword Mode offers faster attacks that inflict more damage.
Players are encouraged to swap modes since using one form to attack a monster releases energy for the other form. Axe strikes fill the Switch gauge, enabling Sword transformation; Sword strikes fill the Amp gauge but empty the Switch gauge, enabling Phials to be used for elemental explosions in subsequent Sword attacks.
For gamers who want a more technical playstyle and a rewarding gameplay loop for mastering this weapon, the Switch Axe is ideal.

Charge Blade

Due to its numerous features that require attention, the Charge Blade is by far the most challenging weapon to learn. But because of its intricate moveset, which deals a great degree of elemental and physical damage, it is also the most rewarding to learn.
Sword mode attacks load up phials, which can then be squandered by switching to the Axe mode. These phials give special bonuses and increase the damage of the Axe’s attacks.
Due to the Charge Blade’s high technical skill requirements, it is advisable to utilize this weapon if you have a firm grasp of Monster Hunter mechanics and control scheme.