Weapon Type Tier List - Strongest Weapon Type Ranking

Weapon Type Tier List for Monster Hunter Wilds (MH Wilds). Guide includes weapon ranking based on Beta, strongest weapon, and more!

Weapon Type Tier List - Best & Strongest Weapon Type

Tier List

*The order within the same tier are random.

The strongest weapon types in Monster Hunter Wilds are Gunlance and Heavy Bowgun. They are characterized by their ability to deliver higher firepower compared to other weapon types. These weapons also excel in survivability, with high Guard capabilities and the ability to attack safely from a distance.

Weapon Ranking Evaluation Criteria

	- Weapon types capable of delivering overwhelming damage. - Weapons with high survivability and farming efficiency.
	- Weapon types capable of dealing high damage. - Weapon types with high-performance Guard and Evade actions.
	- Weapon types with stable damage output and good balance.
	- Weapons with clear strengths, but with a high threshold for achieving high damage output.
	- Not well-suited to the environment. - Lower damage output compared to other weapon types.

Tier List for Reference Only

This ranking should only be used as reference. The most important factor in what weapon you should use is your own preference!

April 3 - Free Title Update 1

	Adjustment Detail
Hammer	Fixed an issue where Focus Strikes could not be used quickly after coming to a stop after moving during a charge.
Hunting Horn	Fixed an issue where certain actions that required simultaneous inputs were not behaving correctly.
Lance	Made it easier to land thrust attack finishers after a focus strike in which the first hit causes large knockback.
Bow	- Reduce the damage of Dragon Piercer - Increase the Element value of Power Volley - Increase damage of Thousand Dragons ┗ takes effect also when using Close-range and Power Coating. - Power Shot and Power Volley now affected by Charge Master - Fixed an issue where sneak attacks could not be canceled
Light Heavy	[Light Bowgun] Fixed an issue that caused Wyvernblast to react to Palico attacks [Both] - Ranged attack capabilities have been adjusted when riding a Seikret. - Fixed an issue where Opening Shot did not work with special ammo. - Fixed an issue where sneak attacks could not be canceled

Free Title Update 1 on April 3rd (PST) included adjustments for the weapons listed above. The majority are bug fixes, but the damage output has been changed for the Bow, such as for the Dragon Piercer.

Weapon Adjustments in End of May

A buff for the Hammer is being considered for the update at the end of May or during the summer. Furthermore, there may be overall adjustments to other weapon types to expand the available options, which could lead to changes in the rankings.

What Do You Think is the Best / Strongest Weapon?

Voting Results

Weapon Ranking per Type

Great Sword Weapon Ranking

Ranking
(5 Levels of Ranking: SS/S/A/B/C

Overhead Slash is Very Reliable

The Great Sword's aim can be adjusted during Focus Mode, making it easier and more reliable to hit monsters with the powerful Overhead Slash attack. Additionally, you can create opportunities with Power Clash and Offset Attacks to be able to deal Overhead Slash.

Long Sword Weapon Ranking

Ranking
(5 Levels of Ranking: SS/S/A/B/C

High Damage With Easy to Use Counters

The greatest strength of the Long Sword is its ability to counter enemy attacks through a wide range of counter moves without losing momentum. It takes time to get used to, but once mastered, it's a very strong weapon. Another strength of the weapon is its Spirit Gauge which increases attack the higher its level is.

Excellent New Attacks & Changes

The Long Sword in Wilds introduces several excellent new techniques. The familiar high-damage move, Spirit Helmbreaker, now has a new branch called Spirit Release Slash, allowing for an even higher burst power. Additionally, the new technique Crimson Slash enables a powerful combo loop, allowing you to consistently maintain high damage output.

Sword & Shield Weapon Ranking

Ranking
(5 Levels of Ranking: SS/S/A/B/C

Very Agile With the Ability to Stun

The Sword and Shield is one of the most agile weapons in the game. It has very fast movements when attacking, allowing for a quick and agile stance. It can attack with the shield, which builds up Stun when focusing on a monster's head.

Sword and Shield is also the only weapon type that can use items while in the drawn state, so it is recommended to those who are looking for a support-oriented weapon for multiplayer.

Powerful Guard and Evade Actions

The Sword and Shield in this game excel with Perfect Guard, allowing you to perfect guard most attacks with Guard Slash and unleash powerful counterattacks. Additionally, the Backstep and Sliding Swipe have long invulnerability windows, making them highly effective Evade actions. If mastered, these techniques enable you to keep attacking without interruption.

Dual Blades Weapon Ranking

Ranking
(5 Levels of Ranking: SS/S/A/B/C

Strengths Lie in High Attack Rate & Mobility

The Dual Blades are the weapon type with the highest number of attacks and work especially well with Elemental weapons. Additionally, activating Demon Mode significantly increases movement speed, giving it top-tier mobility. With few openings and simple controls, it's a weapon type that's easy to use, even for beginners.

Hammer Weapon Ranking

Ranking
(5 Levels of Ranking: SS/S/A/B/C

Stun & Mobility

The Hammer is a Blunt weapon, allowing you to stun monsters by consistently hitting their heads. Despite its appearance, the Hammer offers good mobility, making it easy to handle. The new move, Charged Step, allows you to move while maintaining the Charge state, adding to its versatility.

Not Suited for Wild's Environment

The Hammer, due to its nature of targeting the head for Stun, does not pair well with the Wounds system in Monster Hunter Wilds. Additionally, its firepower is lacking compared to other weapon types, and even its highest attack move, Mighty Charge, cannot deliver damage that justifies the Charge time. Offset Attacks are also harder to land compared to other weapons, making its drawbacks more noticeable in its current state.

Hunting Horn Weapon Ranking

Ranking
(5 Levels of Ranking: SS/S/A/B/C

Excellent Support Ability

The Hunting Horn is an exceptionally strong support weapon, providing excellent Melody buffs for both yourself and your teammates, making it unparalleled in multiplayer support. With self-buffs from Melody and the follow-up damage from Echo Bubbles, it can also deal solid damage. However, the setup time for Echo Bubbles and other motions can be long, requiring careful timing to avoid monster attacks.

Lance Weapon Ranking

Ranking
(5 Levels of Ranking: SS/S/A/B/C

Best Guard Performance

The Lance has the highest guard performance among all weapon types, and its stability is its greatest strength. By repeatedly using Guard and attacks with few openings, you can steadily win, though it may take time. By incorporating counter techniques, you can also deal decent damage, making it a weapon type that can balance both reliability and firepower as you improve your skill.

Gunlance Weapon Ranking

Ranking
(5 Levels of Ranking: SS/S/A/B/C

Ignores Hitzone and has Strong Guard

The Gunlance offers a variety of actions that ignore hitzone values through Shelling, with particularly excellent firepower from Wyrmstake Full Blast and Wyvern's Fire. In addition to its overall powerful Guard, it can also guard during a Quick Reload, and Shelling Sidestep improves mobility, making it a weapon with no weaknesses in both offense and defense.

Switch Axe Weapon Ranking

Ranking
(5 Levels of Ranking: SS/S/A/B/C

Difficult to Handle and Takes Damage

The Switch Axe requires managing various gauges, and its combo tree and controls are complex, so mastering it to deal high damage takes practice. Additionally, even if Counter Rising Slash succeeds, you may still take damage, and Full Release Slash, which has a knockback immunity effect, forces aggressive play, so it's important to be cautious of taking hits.

Charge Blade Weapon Ranking

Ranking
(5 Levels of Ranking: SS/S/A/B/C

High Difficulty, High Damage Weapon

The Charge Blade has high technical, complicated moves including the Phial Charge, Shield Boost, and Axe Attacks. Once you understand how it works and its rhythm, you can continue to deal high damage with it. If you use Power Axe Mode, the consumption of Phials will be reduced and you can also combo that and loop to Amped Element Discharge.

Insect Glaive Weapon Ranking

Ranking
(5 Levels of Ranking: SS/S/A/B/C

Many Strengths but Difficult to Use

The Insect Glaive uses rapid attacks and can deal high damage once you get used to it. It also has the unique advantage of being able to Vault and attack from the air. However, it is very difficult to control because it is necessary to make use of the Extracts and use Focus Mode almost all the time.

Bow Weapon Ranking

Ranking
(5 Levels of Ranking: SS/S/A/B/C

Uninterrupted Attacks with Perfect Evade

The Bow allows for Stamina Recovery through Perfect Evade, enabling continuous, uninterrupted attacks by smoothly dodging. While the control difficulty is not very high, it does require predicting the monster's movements and positioning yourself effectively.

Light Bowgun Weapon Ranking

Ranking
(5 Levels of Ranking: SS/S/A/B/C

Mid-Range Rapid Fire is Stable & Easy to Use

The Light Bowgun is easy to use, stable, and can easily deal damage mid-range. While using the rapid-fire mode at an appropriate distance to hit the target, you can further damage it by hitting Wounds with special ammos.

Burst Step is Powerful

The Light Bowgun, with the new action Burst Step, can deliver damage while eliminating the recoil after firing. By using Pierce Ammo Rapid Fire and equipping Element-focused gear, you can achieve high firepower by mastering the critical distance.

Heavy Bowgun Weapon Ranking

Ranking
(5 Levels of Ranking: SS/S/A/B/C

Element Ammo has Very High Firepower

The Heavy Bowgun, with Element-focused equipment, delivers immense Firepower and allows you to deal massive damage with easy controls. The new action Ignition Mode enables you to unleash Wyvernheart Ignition for a significant damage boost. Defense is also strong, offering high survivability.

Strong Defense and High Survivability

A key strength of the Heavy Bowgun is its solid defense through Auto Guard. When facing the enemy, it automatically guards as long as you're in a guardable position. While its mobility is a bit limited, its high survivability more than makes up for it.

Monster Hunter Wilds Related Articles

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Weapon List	Best Weapon Types	Secondary Weapons
Best Equipment	Artian Upgrades	Artian Parts

Weapon Trees and Best Builds

Weapon Guide by Monster

Chatacabra	Quematrice	Lala Barina	Congalala
Balahara	Doshaguma	Uth Duna	Rompopolo
Rey Dau	Nerscylla	Hirabami	Ajarakan
Nu Udra	Guardian Doshaguma	Guardian Rathalos	Guardian Arkveld
Jin Dahaad	Guardian Ebony	Xu Wu	Yian Kut-Ku
Gypceros	Rathian	Guardian Fulgur	Rathalos
Gravios	Blangonga	Gore Magala	Arkveld

Useful Weapon Information