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

By Karl Reyes | February 26th, 2025 | Categories: Monster Hunter

Monster Hunter Wilds features 14 distinct weapon classes that have special gameplay mechanics. If you’re a new MH player looking forward to the release of Wilds, this guide will help you get situated with every weapon type and help you find the right one for your hunting needs.

Table of Contents

Sword and Shield

The Sword and Shield class is a safe and simple option for beginner hunters, as it has a perfect balance of mobility, elemental damage, and defensive capability to survive early and mid-game hunts.

While the Sword and Shield have an average DPS output, the weapon specializes in applying elemental Blights like Fireblight and Thunderblight thanks to its quick moveset.

In terms of accessibility, the Sword and Shield have plenty of QoL features like the ability to use items without sheathing and dodge rolls that cancel your attacks. For absolute beginners, the Sword and Shield is the best choice.

Longsword

The Longsword is one of the easier weapons to pick up, as it has easy access to high-damage combos and fast, snappy swings for quicker monsters. This weapon also rewards you for playing more aggressively by passively buffing your damage with the Spirit Gauge mechanic.

With Monster Hunter Wilds, the new Focus system greatly benefits the Longsword as this weapon has poke attacks that can be used to hit Wounds and deal even more damage. If you want an easy damage-dealing weapon, the Longsword is a great starter choice.

Greatsword

One of the most iconic weapons in the Monster Hunter franchise, the Greatsword has the rawest power in exchange for having the slowest moveset in the series. Greatswords can access a charge-up mechanic where the longer the attack button is held, the more damage and stun it can deal.

Despite its focus on slow, big damage hits, the Greatsword has plenty of defensive maneuvers like its shoulder bash and offset attacks to knock monsters off their feet.

This weapon requires users to plan ahead and learn a monster’s attack patterns at the same time, as Greatsword users can easily whiff charged swings. It’s one of the harder weapons to use, but mastery of this weapon will have users see the highest damage numbers.

Dual Blade

The Dual Blades offer the best mobility and attack speed in the game, as this class focuses on putting out as much damage as possible with its fast, long looping combos.

This weapon class lacks any defensive capabilities but has plenty of movement options to dodge incoming attacks, but this requires a ton of stamina usage compared to other weapon types.

The Dual Blades’ Demon Mode provides access to better combos and attacks that weave into each other, creating fun combo loops that contribute even more damage. Hyper-aggressive players will love the Dual Blade’s mechanics.

Hammer

The Hammer has good mobility and damage, with an emphasis on dealing stagger damage that, if accumulated enough, causes monsters to be stunned for a larger damage window. The core gameplay loop of the Hammer is striking a monster’s head with it to accumulate the most stagger.

This weapon has slightly faster attacks than the Greatsword but shares the signature charge mechanic that can cause its swing to deal even more stagger.

Hammer players, especially when playing in a team, can set up frequent damage windows by staggering monsters non-stop.

Hunting Horn

The Hunting Horn is one of the premier support weapons in the franchise, giving the user and nearby allies powerful buffs on demand that are on par with consumables. This weapon will require a bit of understanding to be effective with, but it is well worth the learning curve.

Despite its status as a support weapon, the Hunting can dish out good damage with its regular swings while sharing the same stagger values as the Hammer.

Hunters will need to load a specific set of inputs to activate a buff, with each Hunting Horn having a pre-made list of buffs and required inputs. These buffs can be refreshed constantly, which makes it the perfect weapon for support-inclined players.

Lance

The Lance has the absolute best defensive kit in the game, as it has the potential to block the heaviest attacks without getting knocked out.

Much of the Lance revolves around guarding a monster’s attacks while counter-attacking with powerful thrusts from behind a safe shield.

The Lance allows its users to tank otherwise dangerous attacks and hold a monster’s attention away from the party while dealing consistent damage. Paired with the game’s Focus and Offset Strike system, the Lance makes for the perfect brawling weapon.

Gunlance

The Gunlance plays similarly to the Lance but has an extra layer of complexity that, if mastered, deals even more damage than the latter.

This weapon has three different systems, Shells, Wyvern Gauge, and Wyrmstake Shot. Shells can be shot from the Gunlance mid-combo to penetrate armored parts. Wyvern Gauge allows the use of Wyvern Fire, which is a high-damage shot that regenerates when attacking. Wyrmstake Shot is a universal ammo type.

The Gunlance is great for Lance players who want to do a little more after mastering Lance mechanics.

Bow

Among ranged weapons, the Bow is one of the easiest and safest weapons to use. This weapon has solid mobility and comes with a quiver that has unlimited ammo, giving this weapon a steady and consistent source of damage.

While the Bow has unlimited ammo, users can apply Coatings on their arrow to deal additional types of damage. However, these are limited and must be replenished.

Players who have good aim and want easy access to ranged damage should consider the Bow for its ease of use.

Light Bowgun

The Light Bowgun is a machine gun that fires fast and has good mobility, but compared to the Bow, requires ammunition and must be reloaded after being empty. On top of that, this weapon deals lower damage per shot but can apply status effects quickly.

Light Bowguns have a maximum range before projectiles are no longer registered, meaning that users must be close to mid-range to their target.

Players who want a classic third-person shooter experience will find good use for the Light Bowgun while providing good coverage for weak spots like a monster’s wings or head.

Heavy Bowgun

The Heavy Bowgun has the most range out of all the ranged weapons but also has the slowest rate of fire and mobility in the game. It shares the same magazine system as the Light Bowgun but holds fewer shots in exchange for more firepower.

This weapon has a unique mechanic called Ignition Mode that can be used for special Wyvern attacks.

Heavy Bowguns are the snipers of Monster Hunter, requiring patience and accuracy to deal maximum damage. With its low mobility, positioning, and timing are key for effective use of this weapon.

Insect Glaive

Insect Glaives are a highly mobile weapon class, with an emphasis on aerial combos that can keep you in the for a time. This weapon has a unique mechanic called Kinsects where you can launch these creatures towards a monster part to extract essences that provide you with buffs.

This weapon is notable for its ability to make monster mounting easier. Mounting a monster allows a Hunter to cause a stun for free, regardless of their stagger values.

Players who like to get airborne and strike at hard-to-reach monster parts and gain buffs mid-combat will find a good use for the Insect Glaive.

Switch Axe

The Switch Axe has a lot of versatility as it has two forms: Sword Mode and Axe Mode. The Sword Mode has fast attacks that deal more damage, while Axe Mode has more reach but slower attack speed.

Attacking a monster with one form creates energy for the other form, which encourages players to switch modes. Hits with the Axe fill up the Switch gauge, which allows Sword transformation, while Sword hits empty the Switch gauge but fill the Amp gauge, which allows future Sword hits to use Phials for elemental explosions.

The Switch Axe is a perfect weapon for players who want a more technical playstyle with a rewarding gameplay loop for mastering this weapon.

Charge Blade

The Charge Blade is by far the most difficult weapon to pick up and master, as it has multiple mechanics to keep track of. However, it is also the most rewarding to master, as it deals massive physical and elemental damage with its complex moveset.

Attacks with the Sword mode fill up phials that can be expended by transforming into the Axe mode. With the Axe, these phials add bonus damage to its attacks, while granting unique buffs.

This weapon is best used if you have a solid understanding of Monster Hunter mechanics and control scheme, as the Charge Blade demands a lot of technical skill.