CapcomUsing the best weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds can give you a huge advantage when it comes to dealing damage and surviving against the toothy terrors in the Forbidden Lands.
While all 14 weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds can be viable, I’ve painstakingly tested them during my 45+ hour review to help showcase the very best. Whether it’s down to their high damage or general ease of use, the top-ranked weapons make a huge difference to your clear times and getting those all-important part-break rewards.
After all, gunning for quick 10-minute kill times will ensure you can cram in more successful hunting sessions. So, whether you’re looking to farm early-game monsters like Chatacabra efficiently, or just want to eliminate late-game threats like Gore Magala, our tier list for Monster Hunter Wilds has ranked every weapon.
Monster Hunter Wilds weapon tier list
| TIER | WEAPONS |
|---|---|
| S | Long Sword, Bow, Great Sword |
| A | Hunting Horn, Charge Blade, Gunlance, Heavy Bowgun, Switch Axe |
| B | Insect Glaive, Light Bowgun, Dual Blades, Hammer |
| C | Sword and Shield, Lance |
Best weapon – Long Sword
Out of the three S-tier weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds, I’d recommend using the Long Sword. Not only does it pack some serious damage, but it can effortlessly counter incoming attacks. Its attack speed also makes it great for dishing out elemental attacks that exploit monster weaknesses, while also applying status effects that lock down your scaly opponent.
Our tiers explained
- S: The best
- A: Very good
- B: There might be situations where these can perform well
- C: Best to avoid unless you find yourself drawn to them
Our weapons tier list has been formulated from my own experience playing through end-game content in Monster Hunter Wilds, with these rankings taking into account ease of use and average kill times.
These weapons may receive buffs or nerfs via future content updates, so we’ll update this list should anything change their ranking.
S-Tier weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds
Long Sword
Dexerto/Capcom- Weapon Type: Melee
- Best secondary weapon: Bow or Light Bowgun
- Difficulty: Easy
- Excels at: Slicing monster parts
The Long Sword has some of the highest kill times against Arkveld in Monster Hunter Wilds, killing the white Wraith in just seven minutes. This highly versatile weapon can weave in long-reaching attacks, which can effortlessly cut off tails and apply part breaks on monster appendages.
Hunters are rewarded for playing aggressively here, with each hit building up the Long Sword’s Spirit Gauge, which allows you to use powerful Spirit Blade attacks. To make matters even better, Long Sword mains now have two fantastic aerial attacks, with the new Spirit Release Slash and Spirit Helm Breaker.
The latter can be canceled mid-animation, which can save you from any miscalculated plays that would otherwise lead to a swift cart. Overall, if you’re looking for a weapon that combines speed, damage, and good range, then you need to add the Long Sword to your arsenal.
Make sure to check out the best way to build the Long Sword in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Bow
Dexerto/Capcom- Weapon Type: Ranged
- Best secondary weapon: Great Sword
- Difficulty: Hard
- Excels at: Targeting weak points
Offering both high damage and incredible precision, the Bow is the best-in-class ranged weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds. This is largely down to the new Trick Arrow Gauge, which enables the loading of coatings and Tracer Arrows.
This is a huge buff to Bow’s overall utility, as players no longer need to bring Power Coatings which can take a lot of resources and money. The Tracer Arrow also enables players to pinpoint a specific monster part, and then bombard it with a volley of honing arrows.
Not only does this ensure you’re able to break monster appendages for extra rewards, but it’s one of the best weapons for exploiting wounds. When there are lots of glowing weak points, you can use the Bow’s Focus Fire: Hailstorm to break them all at once. This will often down your target and give you the perfect opportunity to spam level three charged shots.
Bow also has great mobility thanks to the Charging Sidestep, which enables you to dart around the battlefield, unleashing level-three charge shots. While it lacks any ability to block attacks, the Bow’s new Discerning Dodge can be used to evade attacks at the last second. Pulling this off takes some practice, but it will instantly fill both your Trick Arrow Gauge and stamina bar.
Great Sword
Dexerto/Capcom- Weapon Type: Melee
- Best secondary weapon: Great Sword
- Difficulty: Hard
- Excels at: Dealing massive damage
The mighty Great Sword has always been a go-to weapon for Hunters looking to deliver meaty hits that deliver big damage. The new Focus Mode is a great buff that makes landing True Charge Slash much easier, allowing you to turn 360 degrees during a charge.
This has helped alleviate those frustrating moments where you’d begin your charge combo, only for the monster to change its position at the last second. If that wasn’t enough, Great Sword also now has access to a shiny new move – Offset Rising Slash.
When timed perfectly, your Hunter will deliver a deadly counter that deals huge amounts of damage. Nailing down the frames needed to pull it off can be tricky, but if you put in the time to manage it, you’ll have yet another way to deal damage.
Adding to the Great Sword’s counter is its ability to Power Clash when perfectly blocking monster attacks, giving you yet more opportunities to deliver the punishment. Having the ability to reach flying monsters and far-off weak points is also a bonus. Did we mention that it also just looks really freaking cool?
A-Tier weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds
Hunting Horn
Dexerto/Capcom- Weapon Type: Melee
- Best secondary weapon: Great Sword or any weapon you want to buff
- Difficulty: Hard
- Excels at: Supporting fellow Hunters & delivering buffs
Hunting Horn is absolutely oozing with game-changing utility buffs that you and fellow Hunters can enjoy. Whether you’re enhancing damage, unleashing heals, or just blasting monsters with high-damage soundwaves, it has everything you need to be a team player.
The biggest buff Hunting Horn received in Wilds is the new Echo Bubbles mechanic, which allows HH players to place AoE buffing zones. This is huge when you’re looking to keep your team healthy, raise their damage, or just negate any unwanted effects.
To deliver these buffs, you’ll need to input a string of combos to the rhythm of your Horn’s melody. While everyone is fighting for their lives, you’re essentially playing your own rhythm game. Sure, you can clobber the monster over the head and deliver KOs, but you need to master the melodies if you want to master this musical weapon.
Hunting Horn just narrowly misses out on an S ranking due to the complexity of its kit. While skilled HH mains will be able to juggle buffs alongside dealing damage, the skill needed to get it pumping out that S-tier damage can make it rather tricky.
Make sure to check out the best Hunting Horn build to get the most out of it.
Charge Blade
Dexerto/Capcom- Weapon Type: Melee
- Best secondary weapon: Bow or Light Bowgun
- Difficulty: Hard
- Excels at: Good mix of defense and offense
What’s better than hitting monsters over the head with a big sword and shield? Well, maybe one that can provide explosive blasts? That’s exactly what Charge Blade does. Just like Switch Axe, the Charge Blade can morph between two modes – Sword and Axe.
In Sword Mode, the Charge Blade has access to a shield that can be used to block incoming attacks and a sword that delivers small slashing combos that charge the weapon’s shield phials. These phials operate like Long Swords Spirit Gauge, in that they are used to empower the Charge Blade’s Power Axe Mode (Savage Axe).
Axe Mode offers the highest damage with Hunters being able to deliver the additional hits by holding down the attack button. Not only does this deal more DPS, but it reduces phials consumed on Element Discharges – the Charge Blade’s big showy explosive move. To say that this thing hits like a truck when fully powered up would be a massive understatement.
If you’re looking for a weapon that has amazing offense and strong defense, then you really can’t go wrong with Charge Blade. Just be sure to practice on some easier monsters like Chatacabra before you go on taking down Arlveld.
Gunlance
Dexerto/Capcom- Weapon Type: Melee with a bang
- Best secondary weapon: Bow or Light Bowgun
- Difficulty: Hard
- Excels at: Defensive play with explosive twist
Gunlance provides an explosive twist to defensive gameplay. Unlike lance, this weapon is all about weaving in explosive shells, Wyrmstakes, and Wyvern Fires with your long-reaching lance hits. Despite being on the slower side when it comes to attacks, the added blasts from the Gunlance’s explosive arsenal give it an edge in the damage department.
This is especially true when you target weak points with the Drague Auger, which sees you plunge your lance through the monster and deliver a devastating blast with your Wyrmstake. However, it’s the new Wyrmstake Full Blast that takes the crown for causing the most destruction.
This all-out move unleashes all of your shells and Wyrmstake shots at once, delivering a mighty blast that can destroy even the tankiest monster’s hide. This makes Gunlance particularly powerful when it comes to breaking monster tricky monster appendages – we’re looking at you Rey Dau wings!
To maintain your high damage output, you’ll need to continuously reload your shells and keep enough in reserve for your Wyrmstake Full Blast. The limited mobility will also mean you’ll need to pick your openings carefully if you wish to avoid being sent back to base camp. However, if you master the boomstick, you’ll be well on your way to getting some quick kill times.
Heavy Bowgun
Dexerto/Capcom- Weapon Type: Ranged
- Best secondary weapon: Long Sword, Dual Blades, or Sword and Shield
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Excels at: Long-range damage
Heavy Bowgun offers the highest range damage in the entire game and can shred through heavily armored monsters. Being able to pinpoint a monster’s weak points is just too good to miss. HBG performs fairly similarly to how it did in World, with the weapon having a gauge (Ignition Mode).
Once this has been filled up, you’ll be able to utilize two incredibly powerful moves – Wyvernheart and Wyverncounter. The first allows you to use your HBG like a minigun, barraging your target with a hail of bullets.
I found this to be fantastic at creating wounds on monster weak points that could then be exploited with charged blasts from Wyvern Howl’s explosive rounds. The second move, Wyverncounter, uses energy from the gauge to attach an explosive to your gun that essentially acts like a counter.
While you can manually and auto-guard attacks with your Heavy Bowgun, having a counter that turns slow monster attacks to your advantage is fantastic. Sure, the Heavy Bowgun isn’t the most mobile weapon in Wilds, but boy does it make up for this with its incredible damage.
Switch Axe
Dexerto/Capcom- Weapon Type: Melee
- Best secondary weapon: Long Sword, Great Sword, or Gunlance
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Excels at: Slicing with both quick and methodical hits
Switch Axe is Wilds’ second morphing-style weapon. It pairs fast slashing Sword combos with the slower, but beefier hits of its devastating Axe mode. The mighty morphing Swaxe has had a much-needed glow-up in Wilds, boasting some fantastic quality-of-life changes.
First up is the weapon’s ability to now smoothly switch between both Sword and Axe modes, which helps players keep up the pressure during hunts. The Switch Axe also has super armor during the weapon’s explosive new Full Release Slash – a move that delivers damage in all directions around your hunter.
This is particularly useful when you’re going for those risky combo ender moves where you’re likely to take damage or get knocked out of the move entirely. However, to make use of this move, you’ll need to build up your Sword gauge by using Axe mode.
While getting to and maintaining your Sword Mode is still the main priority, Axe Mode isn’t terrible either thanks to Power Axe Mode. During this phase, you’ll deal more damage in Axe Mode and fill the Switch Gauge much faster.
You get access to some of the Offset Rising Slash – a counter that hurls your Ax into the monster’s body, further proving that Axe Mode isn’t to be scoffed at. Just be aware of the mobility here as earning to sidestep attacks can be rather tricky, and the lack of a shield can quickly lead to some quick deaths if your positioning is off.
B-Tier weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds
Insect Glaive
Dexerto/Capcom- Weapon Type: Melee
- Best secondary weapon: Hammer, Great Sword, or Bow
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Excels at: Aerial damage and mounts
The Insect Glaive in Monster Hunter Wilds is easily one of the most rewarding weapons to master, though it comes with a hefty learning curve.
At its core, this weapon is all about synergy with your Kinsect – small, customizable insect companions that help you power up your glaive’s gauge. Managing this gauge efficiently is key, as keeping it maxed out unlocks devastating combos and allows you to stay airborne during most battles, making you incredibly mobile and difficult to hit.
This agility makes the Insect Glaive especially effective against massive monsters like the Black Flame or Rey Dau. The ability to hop from one side of a monster to the other not only makes for dynamic, fluid combat but also opens up opportunities to deal significant damage with ease. The aerial control you have lets you mount monsters seamlessly and deliver both knife and glaive strikes, culminating in a powerful finisher.
But that’s not all – the Insect Glaive also has the unique advantage of being able to fire Kinsects directly at monsters to inflict multiple negative status effects. This can be a game-changer, letting you exploit a monster’s weaknesses to speed up the hunt.
While it may take some time to get used to managing your Kinsects, once you do, you’ll be soaring through battles, delivering massive damage and outmaneuvering the toughest of foes.
Check out our guide for the best Insect Glaive build in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Light Bowgun
Dexerto/Capcom- Weapon Type: Ranged
- Best secondary weapon: Long Sword, Great Sword, or Gunlance
- Difficulty: Easy
- Excels at: Poking enemies from afar
Unlike its heavy counterpart, the Light Bowgun is a lot more mobile. In fact, you can move around while shooting, which is very powerful when fighting agile monsters like Rey Dau. This time around, the Light Bowgun has a new Chaser Shot, which allows Hunters to weave in high-powered shots in amongst their regular attacks.
Not only does the Chaser Shot amplify the Light Bow Gun’s damage, but it also boosts the recovery of the weapon’s Rapid Fire Gauge. As the name suggests, Rapid Fire Gauge increases the speeds of your shots, taking the weapon’s DPS to new heights.
There’s also the powerful addition of the Eagle Strike Shot, an explosive move that deals huge amounts of damage to exposed weak points. While the Light Bowgun may be outclassed by the Bow and Heavy Bowngun, its ease of use and comfy playstyle make it a great addition to your arsenal.
Make sure you check out our guide for the best way to build the Light Bowgun in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Dual Blades
Dexerto/Capcom- Weapon Type: Melee
- Best secondary weapon: Gunlance, Lance, Bow
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Excels at: Agile slices
Dual Blades can be pretty unforgiving early on in the game. This is largely down to the stamina gauge ticking down during the weapon’s Demon Mode. Despite this, these issues can be alleviated by crafting armor sets with Marathon Runner/Constitution or by taking Dash Juice.
Doing the above is important if you wish to unleash as much damage as possible. After all, activating both Demon Mode and Arch Demon Mode will give you access to Dual Blades’ most potent combos. Your DPS can also be taken a step further if you opt for an elemental crit build that exploits a monster’s weakness.
The lack of defensive options does make Dual Blades pretty risky, especially during High Rank quests so you’ll need to keep an eye on your positioning. If you’re a fan of the risk vs reward playstyle, and don’t mind dedicating some resources to maximizing your damage, then you’ll enjoy this weapon.
Dual Blades also has one of the single coolest moves in the entire game – Turning Tide. This Focus move sees your Hunter target weak points by launching themselves into the air, before plunging towards their target, frantically spinning their Dual Blades along the monster’s back like Levi Ackerman.
To get the most from them, check out the best Dual Blades build.
Hammer
Dexerto/Capcom- Weapon Type: Melee
- Best secondary weapon: Bow or Light Bowgun
- Difficulty: Hard
- Excels at: Knocking out monsters with blunt damage
Everyone loves having a Hammer bro on their team. After all, delivering colossal hits that KO your foe is always going to be beneficial, especially when everyone can safely weave in their most powerful attacks.
As a result, Hammer mains will always want to aim for the monster’s head to deliver the bulk of their damage. This does make the weapon very unforgiving to use, particularly when facing hyper-aggressive beasts like Arkveld.
Despite dishing out a lot KO damage, the Hammer is also on the sluggish side. All of its moves have lengthy animations and require a fair amount of setup – we’re looking at you Big Bang Combo. Landing this move is an absolute nightmare, and many Hammer mains forgo it completely.
However, the basic overhead swing combo is still incredibly strong, and the ability to dodge monster attacks while charging does help Hammer maintain pressure.
C-Tier weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds
Sword and Shield
Dexerto/Capcom- Weapon Type: Melee
- Best secondary weapon: Hammer, Great Sword, or Bow
- Difficulty: Easy
- Excels at: Quick hits and supportive plays
The humble Sword and Shield has always been a go-to for Hunters looking to combine speed, defense, and offense. Being able to quickly dash in for some lightning-fast slices and then dash out again can’t be understated.
It’s also one of the quickest weapons to sheathe and even allows you to use certain items while the SnS is drawn. This makes it incredibly useful when you find yourself needing to quickly chug some Potions or Lifepowders.
Just like the Hunting Horn, Sword and Shield has great utility when paired with Wide Range builds. This enables you to heal nearby Hunters and buff them when taking your own consumables. Did we mention that you can also use your shield to KO monsters?
Lance
Dexerto/Capcom- Weapon Type: Melee
- Best secondary weapon: Long Sword, Light Bowgun
- Difficulty: Easy
- Excels at: Poking monsters and defensive plays
Lance has received some much-needed changes to its kit since the first beta. Capcom revealed that they have tweaked the Charge Counter to enable guarding while charging, which enables you to chain from one move to another.
This makes it much easier to keep pressure on during KOs and moments where you have time to unleash attack after attack. The Lance’s Power Guard also now charges to higher levels more quickly when used to block powerful hits, with Perfect Guard and Power Guard being chained into new moves.
While the Lance still prioritizes survivability over anything else, it’s hoped that these updates will help improve its reliability at launch. For now, though, we’ll keep it in B tier until further testing can be done.
What weapon should I choose?
Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter what weapon you pick. Each one is a viable choice and it depends on the playstyle you want to go for. You can always experiment with multiple weapons as well, so if you’re struggling in a particular fight don’t hesitant to try a different approach!
If you’re a newcomer to the franchise though, we’ve got a brief rundown of the playstyles of each below:
| Weapon | Playstyle |
|---|---|
| Great Sword | The Great Sword may be slow but it lets you deal with weighty attacks for big impact. If you want sheer power in your hands and want to focus on damage dealing, this is a great option. |
| Long Sword | The Long Sword is great for countering incoming attacks and stringing combos together. It’s got fantastic reach and is perfect for anyone who favors aggressive play. |
| Sword & Shield | If you want a balance of offense and defense, the Sword and Shield is a trusty choice. It also offers a lot of speed so you can dive in and deal damage before safely getting out of harm’s way. |
| Duel Blades | If you want to speed around the battlefield and rapidly slash away at foes, Duel Blades are the weapon for you. You’ll be chipping away for a while with your attacks but you’ve got great evasion so should be able to avoid incoming damage relatively easily. |
| Hammer | The Hammer excels at stunning enemies, and unleashing powerful Blunt attacks. This one is tricky to master, however, so might not be ideal for complete beginners. Though, it’s a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. |
| Hunting Horn | Specialises in delivering a variety of buffs to teammates. If you’d rather play the support role, Hunting Horn is the way to go. |
| Lance | The Lance is great at countering and is a solid choice for anyone who prefers to play in a more defensive role. |
| Gunlance | The Gunlance is on the slower side but it’s got a long reach and can fire off explosive shells. If you enjoy the defensive capabilities of the Lance and want to inject some explosive energy into battles, go for this. |
| Switch Axe | A versatile morphing weapon that lets you combine devastating long-reach Axe attacks, with quick Sword damage. Not the easiest to learn but if you like the thought of smoothly switching between modes, it’s worth giving a go. |
| Charge Blade | Another morphing weapon where you can switch between a Sword and Axe. Has a good balance of offense and defense. Charge Blade has a steep learning curve, as you’ll need to manage your Charge Phials. May not be ideal for beginners but it’s incredibly rewarding once you’ve got the hang of it. |
| Insect Glaive | The Insect Glaive is fantastic for anyone who enjoys aerial combat. It’s another weapon with a tough learning curve but when you’re used to managing your Glaive gauge, you can outsmart even the deadliest beasts. |
| Light Bowgun | If you prefer attacking from a distance, the Light Bowgun is a solid mid-range weapon. You maintain quite a lot of mobility with it and can fire a variety of ammo at monsters. It’s also one of the easier weapons to learn, so why not give it a shot? |
| Heavy Bowgun | Delivers the biggest long-ranged damage in the game. The Heavy Bowgun works exceptionally well against heavily-guarded monsters. It also gives you the option to manually guard against any incoming attacks. |
| Bow | A mid-range weapon that’s ideal at honing in on weak points and wounds. You can coat your arrows to increase their power and poison enemies. The bow also lets you stay extremely mobile on the battlefield. It’s a weapon that anyone who enjoys ranged play should try. |
Artian Weapons are the best in the game
Finally, Artian weapons were introduced in Wilds and they’re extremely powerful. They can be forged with materials dropped from Tempered Monsters. Once you’re able to craft these, you’ll have some of the best weapon variations in your hands.
Before you can start using them, however, you’ll need to play through the campaign until you complete the main mission “Wyvern Sparks and Rose Thorns“.
After you’ve done this, Tempered Monsters will be available in the world and you’ll be rewarded with a variety of random Artian materials upon killing one of them. With these, Gemma can forge you an Artian Weapon at the Smithy in your base camp, and you’ll be able to reinforce it.
While you need to take down some tough monsters to get these, they’re well worth it as you’ll certainly be a powerhouse with an Artian Weapon or two in tow.
Now that you know what the best weapons are in Monster Hunter Wilds, be sure to check out our armor tier list, every monster in the game, and the roadmap of future content.
