CapcomMonster Hunter Wilds is packed with a colossal number of armor sets for Hunters to choose from, but not all of them are worth investing resources in crafting.
As with previous games, each armor set has built-in Equipment Skills and set bonuses. Some of these are build-specific, intended to benefit certain weapons or activities, while others provide general buffs universally helpful to your monster-hunting adventures.
For this guide, we’ve focused specifically on the latter and split them between Low and High Ranks to provide a clear progression path into endgame and to save you from dumping all-important resources into niche gear.
Best Low Rank armor sets
While you’ll be discarding your Low Rank armor upon reaching Monster Hunter Wilds post-campaign High Rank, a handful of the former are strong enough to see you through even the toughest Brute Wyvern encounters Wilds has to throw at you.
It’s also worth noting that while equipping multiple pieces of the same set provides substantial benefits in the form of Set Bonuses and Group Skills, it’s always worth trying to mix and match different sets for multiple bonuses, as Group Skills usually only require part of a set to be equipped to get their full benefits.
Balahara
Boasting top-tier Equipment Skills, the Balahara set’s access to Quick Sheathe and Evade Extender work in tandem to bolster your Hunter’s maneuverability out on the field.
While you’ll only have access to level 1 for the former, equipping the full set will grant level 3 Evade Extender, making dodging enemy attacks far more reliable.
Likewise, equipping three or more pieces will provide the Scaling Prowess Group Skill – making Monster mounting and inflicting wounds easier to perform.
Alloy
While it won’t grant any wild DPS boosts, the Alloy set has solid defences, requires very little resources to craft, and has two solid Equipment Skills that all weapon types benefit from.
Quick Sheathe level 2 will make disengaging enemies and repositioning a breeze, while Tremor Resistance – which you’ll get at the maximum level 3 with the full Alloy set equipped – will nullify all minor and major ground tremors.
For the likes of Gunlance, Hammer, and other slow weapon types, the sure footing provided by Tremor Resistance isn’t to be scoffed at.
Ajarakan
Breaking monster appendages is one of the most efficient means of not only earning extra loot from a hunt, but preventing monsters from using their dangerous appendages to wallop you. The Ajarakan set’s access to max level Partbreaker provides both of those benefits.
Likewise, max level Bombardier increases all sources of explosive damage, while Blast Resistance provides substantial resistance to Blastblight. Cliffhanger, while only level 1, will help to conserve stamina while traversing the environment.
Last but not least, Group Skill Fortifying Pelt will increase your damage and defense each time you fall in battle, up to two times.
Rey Dau
Befitting its status as one of Low Rank’s toughest marks, Rey Dau’s set comes absolutely stacked with top-tier buffs.
For Equipment Skills, level 3 Constitution massively decreases stamina consumption when performing any action that consumes it, while level 3 Latent Power serves the dual role of further reducing stamina costs and temporarily boosting weapon affinity.
Throw in Group Skill Inspiration, which provides a flat damage increase to nearby teammates whenever items or Melodies that affect other players are used, and you’ve pretty much got every base covered.
Guardian Rathalos
The Guardian Rathalos set comes stuffed with ultra-powerful buffs. Besides it’s built-in Wylk Burst and Scorcher Group Skill and Set Bonus respectively, the biggest draw here is access to one of the Monster Hunter series’ best DPS skills.
Equipping the full Rathalos set will grant level 3 Weakness Exploit, providing a huge 30% affinity increase on weak spots and a further 20% on wounds, stacking for a whopping 50%, all told.
For utility, level 3 Intimidator will make ambushes from small monsters far less likely to happen while engaging Wilds’ megafauna.
Xu Wu
If you’re looking for a straight up DPS increase without any sort of conditional parameters or lengthy setup, look no further than the Xu Wu set’s two Equipment Skills.
Maximum Might increases the user’s affinity whenever an attack is performed at full stamina, with the effect persisting for several seconds afterward. Combine that with Stamina Surge, which vastly increases stamina recovery speed, and you’ll be enjoying massive uptime on a sizable affinity buff with no downside.
Bone
Available by default, the Bone set is dirt cheap to craft and offers two of the best perks in Marathon Runner and Stun Resistance.
The former will massively slow the rate at which stamina is depleted – a huge boon for fast weapons like Dual Blades and the Longsword – while the latter reduces the duration of stuns. If you’re sick of having your combo strings interrupted, the Bone set’s for you.
Best High Rank armor sets
Following the same trend of previous Monster Hunter titles, High Rank, a considerably more difficult post-game experience, will be unlocked after beating Wilds’ campaign.
With greater danger comes more lucrative rewards, including materials needed to craft High Rank Alpha and Beta sets. These provide completely different Equipment Skills to their Low Rank counterparts, often of a higher quality and level.
The most important difference to note, however, is the ability to augment the strength of High Rank armor even further with Decorations. As a general rule of thumb, Alpha armors have less or lower quality Decoration slots but more Equipment Skills than Beta versions.
Sticking to Alpha armours until you’re able to farm good Decorations to be used in Beta alternatives is the best course of action.
Rathalos Beta
If you’re a lover of Dual Blades, Longswords, or any other fast weapon type, you’re unlikely to find anything that will outcompete the Rathalos set.
Adrenaline Rush provides a temporary attack boost whenever you perform a perfectly-timed dodge, while Constitution‘s reduced stamina consumption will give you more opportunities to do so. Likewise, Evade Window markedly improves the invulnerability window when dodging, providing a perfect three-skill feedback loop.
We’ve chosen the Beta version here as the Equipment Skill levels, while lower than Alpha, are remarkably high and leave plenty of room for upgrades through Decorations.
Ajarakan Beta
Not dissimilar to its Low Rank counterpart, Ajarakan Beta retains Partbreaker as its key Equipment Skill but throws Resentment into the mix for good measure. The latter provides a sizable attack boost whenever you have recoverable damage (the red portion of your health gauge), which can be offset with defensive or regenerative Decorations as well as Talismans.
If you’re a sucker for a risk/reward playstyle, Ajarakan Beta can crank out some wild damage but will require you to know monster patterns to avoid getting one-tapped at low health.
Dober Alpha
For Stamina-hungry weapons like Hammer and Gunlance, the Dober set is a top priority. Providing reduced consumption rates in Contitution, greater recovery in Stamina Surge and more forgiving depletion rates in Marathon Runner – all at max level – you’ll never have to worry about resource management again.
Gravios Alpha/Beta
While every weapon type can benefit from Gravios, ranged weapon users will get the most consistent results from its Peak Performance and Recovery Speed skills due to the inherent safety offered by distance.
The latter confers a hefty attack buff when your Hunter is at full health, while the latter increases the speed in which lost health is recovered. With Tremor Resistance and Flinch Free drastically reducing interrupts to boot, this may just be the absolute best all-round set for Heavy Bowgun users.
Xu Wu Beta
Xu Wu Beta has everything a Hunter needs to keep hacking away at their mark without interruption. Heroics is the core DPS Skill here, granting a substantial damage boost for being at 35% or below total health.
Adrenaline Rush‘s additional damage for performing well-times dodges will stack on top of this, making Xu Wu a great set for glass cannon builds. It also provides level 2 Earplugs – invaluable protection against monster roars.
Balahara Alpha/Beta
While it won’t provide any DPS increase by itself – Decorations will help – both versions of the High Rank Balahara set are worth considering for any fast weapon users.
The presence of Evade Extender and Evade Window makes avoiding enemy attack patterns infinitely more consistent, while Stamina Surge‘s ramped resource recovery will eliminate downtime. All of these synergize with Balahara’s Master Mounter Group Skill and will make you an invaluable team member to have when it comes time to rodeo your mark.
That’s everything you need to know about the best armor sets to use in Monster Hunter Wilds. Looking for more guide content? Check out our review of Capcom’s ambitious sequel as well as our tier list ranking every available weapon type.
