MH Rise | MONSTER HUNTER RISE (MHR)

Bow Guide - Controls & Combos

Check out this Bow guide for Monster Hunter Rise (Switch). Find out about combos, controls, moveset, recommended switch skills, gameplay & Silkbind attacks in MH Rise!

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Bow Rank + Strengths and Weaknesses

Bow Rank

The Bow's new Silkbind ability Aerial Aim has the potential to do a huge amount of damage in a short amount of time. If you can manage to land it on an enemy's weak point, it can deal massive burst damage rivaling that of a Greatsword.

Strengths

High Mobility and High Damage

Movement speed with the bow out is quite high, and you can also use Charging Step or Dodgebolt to evade enemy attacks while attacking. Also, as mentioned previously, Aerial Aim's damage is just too good to pass up.

Can Support Allies Too

Using Arc Shot can provide an affinity buff for your party members. The Bow is a weapon that can shine in both solo and multiplayer!

Weaknesses

Can Be Hard To Manage Stamina & Range

Using Charging Step and Dodgebolt tends to eat up your stamina rather quickly. Playing with the Bow will require you to stay constantly aware of your stamina - this makes the skill Constitution very necessary. In addition to this, you'll also have to manage your range in relation to your target to ensure you're maximizing your DPS.

Bow Controls

Command	Action
	Aim
	Shoot
+	Arc Shot
	Backstep
++	Charging Step
→ After Power Shot→(Only Once)	Power Shot
	Melee Attack
+	Dragon Piercer
+or	Select Coating
	Load/Unload Coating
+	Focus Shot
+	Herculean Draw

Arc Shot

Characteristics
・Buffs allies within a certain range ・Has 3 different effects ・Should be used anytime you see an opening 【Recovery】Recovers a lot of HP over time 【Affinity】Gives you a temporary 15% Affinity boost 【Resistance】Makes you immune to knockbacks temporarily
Command
+

Arc Shot is a powerful ability with 3 different supportive effects. Every Bow will have one of these different effects. This should be used whenever you get a chance, as it provides a powerful not only to you but also to your party members!

Absolute Power Shot

Characteristics
・Increases your charged attack damage by 1 stage ・Can stun if it hits a monster's head ・Uses more stamina than a regular Power Shot
Command
▶
Follow-Up Moves
A: Absolute Power Shot

Just like regular Power Shot (which this ability can be swapped out for), you'll charge up an attack and loose it to deal damage. This version will deal more damage however, and will have a chance to stun if it hits an enemy's head. Additionally, this ability will use up more stamina.

Power Shot

Command
→ After Power Shot→(Only Once)

Power Shot is the regular version of Absolute Power Shot. After shooting, you can use this move again to unleash more arrows.

Charging Step

Command
++

Charging Step is one of the Bow's best moves. It will allow you to deal damage and dodge at the same time, raising your charge level by one stage. If it's already at the max, it will refresh it. Stand in the ideal range while firing this ability off to manage your charge level to maximize your Bow dps.

Focus Shot

Characteristics
・Recover stamina while dodging ・Immune at the start of the cast ・Uses one Silkbind charge
Command
+▶ In Midair Aerial Diving Melee Attack

Focus Shot will let you jump back and regenerate stamina while crouching. You can negate damage taken for a moment after inputting this command. You can choose which direction you move in by adjusting the left stick.

Aerial Aim

Characteristics
・Very high damage ・Jump in the air, loosing 3 arrows ・Arrow damage depends on your charge level ・Can connect into Aerial Diving Melee Attack ・Uses one Silkbind charge
Command
+
Follow-Up Moves
ZR: Shoot (Up to two times) After shooting, X: Aerial Diving Melee Attack

Fire off a vertical arrow, shooting two more after it. This will be affected by your charge level, so it's best to use it right after a Shoot or Charging Step attack. This move's DPS is very high, so even if you use it when your charge level is only at 1, it won't be the end of the world. Also, while in mid-air pressing X will let you trigger an Aerial Diving Melee Attack.

Herculean Draw

Characteristics
・Buffs your attack for 30 seconds ・Uses 2 Silkbind gauge charges
Command
+

The Silkbind move Herculean Draw actually costs you 2 charges. It will also provide you with a 30 second attack buff, which you'll want to try to have up as much as possible.

Melee Attack

Command

Swings your bow in front of you. You'll need to be very close to the enemy to hit this so it might not be practical.

Dragon Piecer

Command	+

A strong attack which requires a long preliminary action.

Select Coating

Command	+or

Choose the coating you want to use with this command. Once you've used up all coatings, don't forget to switch back to Close-range Coating.

New Silkbind Attacks Of Bow

Focus Shot

Command	+
Gauge Consumption	1 gauge
Gauge Recovery Time	10 seconds

Dodges backward and crouches. While crouching, your stamina rapidly regenerates. If timed right, you can nullify a monster's attack. Use the Left Stick to change the direction of dodging.

Aerial Aim

Command	+
Gauge Consumption	1 gauge

Fire off a vertical arrow, shooting two more after it. This will be affected by your charge level, so it's best to use it right after a Shoot or Charging Step attack.While in mid-air, pressing X will let you trigger an Aerial Diving Melee Attack.

Herculean Draw

Command	+
Gauge Consumption	2 gauges
Gauge Recovery Time	10 seconds (per gauge)

Surge forward in a designated direction. This move boosts your attack power for a short time as well. Consumes 2 gauges of Wirebug.

Recommended Bow Switch Skills

Rapid Fire Focused Set

For beginners to the bow, the above set is recommended, as focusing on Rapid Fire is always a safe bet. Always try to maintain your ideal distance from the target when firing off Charging Step. Aerial Aim's DPS is also just too good to pass up.

Spread Fire Set

When using spread ammo to fight at closer range, Dodgebolt is more useful than Charging Step. Stay closer to your enemy, dodging their attacks while dealing damage. Take Power Shot, as its stamina usage is simply less than its alternative. Aerial Aim is also just here for pure DPS.

Recommended Combos Of Bow

Aerial Aim Combo

Command
▶▶+▶▶▶In Midair Aerial Diving Melee Attack

Shooting twice will raise your charge level, after which you can pull off an Aerial Aim. It's also possible to raise your charge level with Charging Sidestep instead of a regular fire shot. If you have the stamina to spare, you can also fit in a Power Shot somewhere in here too.

Charging Step Combo

Step	Command
1	→→→→→++→ Step 2
2	→→→++ → Repeat step 2

Shoot three times to power up your charged shot to level 3. Then, perform 2 Power Shots (A → A). After that, repeat the loop of Charging Sidestep → Shoot → Power Shot x 2. If your stamina runs out, reduce the number of Power Shots to one and repeat the combo.

Combo Doesn't Change With Dodgebolt

Even if you swap out Charging Sidestep for Dodgebolt, the essentials of this combo remain the same. You might need a bit more stamina in that case, however, so if you're running Dodgebolt consider using only one Power Shot.

Tips On How To Use The Bow

Settings For Gunners

The Bow is a weapon that greatly benefits from changing around your settings. Gunner Reticle Speed in particular greatly affects your ability to accurately land Aerial Aim, so we recommend eventually switching it over to fast. We also strongly recommend you play with the Gyroscope off.

Know The Types Of Shots & Charge Levels

The Bow has a few basic mechanics you should familiarize yourself with if you want to master it. The types of arrows you use, as well as the damage done at various charge levels are both key to get down early.

Types Of Shots/Arrow

Effects Of Charge Levels

Note that if you have the Bow Charge Plus skill activated, you can actually unlock charge level 4 of the Bow.

Shoot At The Right Distance

The Bow requires proper aiming at specific distances (also referred to as "critical" range/distance) to deal the most amount of damage. If you shoot from the critical distance, your damage will decrease. The opposite is also true; shooting outside the ideal range will cause your DPS to go down. Use Charging Step and Dodgebolt to position yourself into ideal range to keep your damage up.

How To Determine The Appropriate Distance

Too Far or Too Close
Just Right
Out Of Range

The aiming icon is your main tool in making sure that you're aiming at the appropriate distance. You'll know when you're right on the mark when you see the ◎ icon.

Critical Range By Arrow Type

Power -> Close Range Coating Should Be Your Go-To Order

You'll want to first apply Power Coatings on your arrows to increase their damage. When you run out of them, you can swap over to Close-Range Coating, which doesn't have any usage limitations on it. However, note that when you swap over to Close-Range Coating, your ideal range (critical distance) will halve! You'll need to adjust your playstyle accordingly.

Charging Step & Dodgebolt Usage

Charging Step and Dodgebolt are both extremely useful moves that will help you maintain your charge level while also dodging enemy attacks. Always ensure that you're at the max charge level.

Buff With Herculean Draw

By using two Silkbind charges you can give yourself a 30 second damage buff. This is a really important buff to keep up, so make sure you always stay cognizant of it.

Land Aerial Aim For High DPS

The Silkbind move Aerial Aim deals incredible damage. You'll want to use this ability as much as possible, but it will also be important to save gauges for Herculean Draw, so as not to let the buff fall off.

Go For Wyvern Riding

If you want to pull off a Wyvern Riding maneuver with the Bow, you can either try to deal damage with Aerial Aim, or simply use a Puppet Spider. Given that you'll be using Aerial Aim so much, it's likely that you'll inadvertently trigger Wyvern Riding anyway, so this is often your best bet.

Coatings & Their Effects

List Of Coatings

Coating	Effect	Holdable Amount
Power	・Significantly increases arrow damage	50
Close-Range	・Slightly increases arrow damage ・Damage via close-ranged attacks increases ・Aim range is halved	∞
Poison	・Can inflict poison	20
Paralysis	・Can inflict paralysis	20
Sleep	・Can inflict sleep	20
Blast	・Attacks with blast ・Increases the blast attribute of your weapon	20
Stamina	・Decreases enemy stamina ・You can stun the enemy if you hit its head	20

Poison And Paralysis Removes Existing Element Temporarily

When you apply a poison or paralysis coating to a weapon, it will lose its original elemental attribute, continuin as long as you have that coating applied. However, if you use the same elemental attribute, you can double the effect.

Use Paralysis And Sleep To Create Openings

Paralysis and Sleep coatings are particularly useful in creating openings for teammates in multiplayer. The Stamina coating isn't particularly great, so you can feel free to not use that and focus on either using Blast/Poison to hit enemy weaknesses instead. That being said, Stamina coating can stun enemies, so if your ally has a blunt weapon and you're aiming for a monster's head, it's a good idea to use it.

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