Monster Hunter has always had a wide selection of weapons for players. Giant swords, transforming axes, Insect Glaives or even dual-wielded daggers, all of these and more can be a part of your arsenal.
Whether you’re a newbie looking to pick up your first monster-hunting weapon or trying something new, thanks to the updates on how skills and weapons correlate in the latest Monster Hunter title, here’s a list of what’s what and how hard it hits.
The Great Sword
Damage Type: Slicing and blunt
Guarding: Yes
Playstyle: Hard-hitting but slow
The Great Sword has been a staple of the Monster Hunter franchise since its release. Providing players with high-impact hits that feel meaty and satisfying. This weapon exudes big hunter energy and delivers powerful blows to where it matters most with the new focus mode in Monster Hunter: Wilds.
You also benefit from the Tackle manoeuvre, which provides a brief moment of hyper armour and blocks damage as you charge into your enemy. If you’re the kind of player who loves seeing big numbers float above the enemy as you whack and whack and whack, the Great Sword is for you.
Sword and Shield
Damage Type: Slicing and blunt
Guarding: Yes
Playstyle: Jack-of-all-trades, close-up combat
The Sword and Shield is the ultimate weapon in Monster Hunter: Wilds, providing players with minimal downsides and damage in all categories. The short sword and shield combo allows players to stick in the fight, delivering fast blows and quick swaps to guarding.
This lets you always stick to the monster, delivering swing after swing with your sword. You can further buff this weapon by adding ailment damage and wracking up points quickly, as your attack speed is relatively high. The sword and shield are perfect for the player who loves getting in the thick of it.
Dual Blades
Damage Type: Slicing
Guarding: No
Playstyle: DPS and dodge
The classic DPS weapon has got to be the Dual Blades. Their excessively rapid attack speed ensures you’re stacking points of damage in quick succession. Add elemental or ailment damage to these blades, and you’ve got yourself a deadly combo.
While you can’t guard with the Dual Blades, this weapon allows for some sneaky evade manoeuvres that restore some of your much-used stamina and enable you to stick in the fight. The dual blades are perfect for players who love dodge rolling into fantastically whimsical damage combos.
Long Sword
Damage Type: Slicing
Guarding: No
Playstyle: Quick movement damage
Like the Dual Blades, the Long Sword provides players with quick attacks and excellent manoeuvrability. The difference here is the amount of range and movement you get while using the weapon.
Every attack moves the player in a direction, making combat feel fluid, fast and dance-like. The extended range gives you easier evade mechanics to the dual blades, but the lack of guarding means you must keep on your toes. The Long Sword is made for players who enjoy hacking up enemies and then dodging out of the way to boost your next attack.
Hunting Horn
Damage Type: Slicing and blunt
Guarding: No
Playstyle: AOE and buff mechanics
The Hunting Horn is Monster Hunter’s answer to those who enjoy taking a supportive role. The weapon itself provides mostly blunt damage by bonking enemies whenever you get the chance, but the main draw here are the buffs and AOE “spells” you blow through the horn.
When not attacking, players are graced with quick movement speed, allowing you to position yourself to play the perfect tune. The Hunting Horn is perfect for players who enjoy buffing up their party and delivering hard blows to any monster’s head.
Lance
Damage Type: Slicing and blunt
Guarding: Yes
Playstyle: Guard then attack
The Lance is another staple of the Monster Hunter series, renowned for its excellent defence mechanics. This weapon allows you to hunker down behind your shield with well-timed blocks and then striking out methodically with your oversized lance.
If you perfect your guarding here, you can deliver high amounts of damage simply because of the fact that you never get knocked down. Unfortunately, this weapon provides poor evasion mechanics, meaning you’ll need to become best buds with your shield.
The Lance is for players who like standing shield first in the face of danger and then delivering precise blows when the enemy is knocked back.
Gunlance
Damage Type: Slicing and explosive
Guarding: Yes
Playstyle: Long-range controlled damage
The Gunlance may seem like just another lance with a gun strapped to the bottom, but it’s quite different. This weapon gives players a decent amount of block before letting the damage loose via slicing and shelling combos. Players will swing their gunlance, slicing at the enemy before shooting off a range of explosive shells.
You will need to manage your reload timing here to get the most out of the Gunlance. Still, manoeuvrability is relatively quick with this weapon, allowing players to get out of harm’s way while doing so. The Gunlace is perfect for players who enjoy putting out massive amounts of damage while still maintaining the ability to block.
Hammer
Damage Type: Blunt
Guarding: No
Playstyle: Knockout blows
At first glance, the hard-hitting Hammer may seem cumbersome, but you’d be wrong. This weapon provides great movement mechanics and allows players to swing for the monster’s face from various terrain and positions.
Being a blunt-damage-only weapon, your main goal here is to knock enemies out by smashing their heads in. If you’re the kind of player who loves watching monsters writhe on the floor as your party digs in, the Hammer is made for you.
Switch Axe
Damage Type: Slicing and explosive
Guarding: No
Playstyle: Combo fighters
The Switch Axe is a combination sword and axe weapon that strengthens you in combination attacks. Switching between sword and axe mid-fight allows you to land hit after hit on the monster before you. This weapon is attack-focused, and thus, you will not have access to any guard mechanics.
Still, if you time your combos well, you will be the damage dealer your party praises at the end of the fight. The switch axe is designed for players who enjoy stunning combos that deal with different damage types in one go.
Charge Blade
Damage Type: Slicing and phial
Guarding: Yes
Playstyle: God mode players
The Charge Blade can, without a doubt, be the best weapon in Monster Hunter. Like the switch axe, it provides players with two weapon combinations: the axe and the sword and shield. Combining these two weapons allows players to utilise the sword and shield mechanics of up close guarding and stabbing and then switching to the heavy impact mechanics you get from the hammer.
You get a little bit of everything here, from perfect guarding to excellent evading and a high damage output. The only downside is that the charge blade is extremely hard to master. If you’re the kind of player who enjoys being part of the elite few, then the Charge Blade is for you.
Insect Glaive
Damage Type: Slicing damage
Guarding: No
Playstyle: Aerial combat
The Insect Glaive is a unique weapon that provides players with offensive evade mechanics from the air. The glaive allows you to prop yourself into the air at any moment and then deliver aerial slicing combos or grants you the opportunity to mount the monster and deal massive amounts of mounted damage.
Players also gain the use of a Kinsect, a support character that can be sent out to attack the monster or collect buffs from the monster to boost their offensive capabilities. The Insect Glaive is there for players who enjoy staying in the fight while dodging all the enemy’s blows with graceful air slides and windmill slices.
Bow
Damage Type: Ranged
Guarding: No
Playstyle: Ranged crowd control
The Bow is the typical ranged weapon that allows you to lay on the damage from a distance. Utilising your infinite ammo and different arrow coatings, you can damage the monster at hand, evading and dodging any attacks that may come your way. The downside to the Bow would be managing your stamina and ensuring the monster is focused on another player in your party.
Monster Hunter: Wilds now allows bowmen to loose tracker arrows, which home the rest of your shots to a specific point on the monster. This is great for hitting those weak spots over and over. If you’re a fan of hanging back and doing the most out of combat, then the Bow is a good choice for you.
Light Bowgun
Damage Type: Varied
Guarding: No
Playstyle: Up close damage variation
The Light Bowgun allows players to spit varying ammo types at monsters, allowing for different types of damage depending on what’s required. The bowgun is not only light in name but in weight, meaning you have quick movement speed, allowing you to dance around the monster, dealing damage as you go.
You’ll need to stay on your toes compared to the bow as you sit closer to the enemy. The Light Bowgun is perfect as a secondary weapon as you can still ride your Seikret mount while firing at the enemy and escaping for some much-needed healing time.
Heavy Bowgun
Damage Type: Varied
Guarding: Yes
Playstyle: Up close damage variation
The Heavy Bowgun is quite similar to the Light Bowgun, allowing you to deal different kinds of damage depending on the ammo you use. The difference here is that you’ll have to hunker down to fire your shots. Movement is slow, but because the weapon is heavy, you can utilise it as a shield should the monster come your way.
The Heavy Bowgun also deals more damage than the Light Bowgun, so if you’re looking to deal high amounts of elemental damage while the monster is down, the Heavy Bowgun is a great secondary weapon.
You can also fire the Heavy Bowgun from the back of your mount making it perfect for players who enjoy blasting bullets into their enemy’s face, ala-Scar face.
And there you have it, all twelve weapons you can choose from in the Monster Hunter: Wilds game. Each offers different playstyles and damage outputs, allowing you to really get into the guts of whatever behemoth you encounter.
Be sure to give each one a test run. Monster Hunter: Wilds has added new mechanics for all of these weapons, including counterattacks and focus strikes that differ between weapons.
We’ll see you out in the wilds! Happy hunting!
