Check out this Monster Hunter World: Iceborne guide & walkthrough on how to use the weapon - Hunting Horn! Learn recommended combos, skills, play tips, and more!!!
How To Use Hunting Horn
Related Article On Hunting Horn
 How To Use | Best Builds |
| Best Skills | Endgame Tier List |
Hunting Horn - Overview & Strengths
Complicated Blunt Weapon For Support Buffs
In Monster Hunter World, the Hunting Horn is one of the most complicated weapons to use. It is a heavy blunt weapon that plays notes to implement buffs to yourself and your party. It can deal moderate damage as long as monster heads are the main target.
Has Longer Reach To Reach Monster's Head
Compared to the Hammer, the other blunt weapon in MHW, the Hunting Horn has longer reach. This makes it an effective weapon for dealing blunt damage towards monster heads - increasing its chance to stun.
Attacks Are Notes To Combine Into Melodies
The main feature of the Hunting Horn is that every attack it does is a note played. Combining attacks (or notes) can be turned into melodies that can affect status buffs to you & your party.
Play Correct Notes To Give Party Buffs
Playing the correct notes in the right order will create a melody. When you perform this melody, it will affect you & your fellow hunters that are within your range with positive buffs.
Can Stack 3 Melodies At A Time
When you play the correct notes and turn it into a melody, you can perform it right away or stack it into your song bank to be played together later. You can stack up to 3 melodies in your song bank, with the oldest one being pushed out when a new one is played.
Buffs Differ Per Hunting Horn
The types of buffs that you can implement will changed depending on the Hunting Horn that you equip. Always check the notes that they have in the equipment info to know which buffs they can give.
Encore Is Used To Prolong Or Improve Buffs
You can press the perform button again before the song you're performing runs out to create an Encore. This further enhances your buffs - either elongating their duration or enlarging their effects.
Can Only Dodge To Avoid Attacks
The Hunting Horn does not have the capacity to guard and you can only avoid taking monster damage by dodging away from incoming attacks.
Hunting Horn - Recommended Combo List
Basic Combo That Adjusts Distance
- 1. Right Swing (Note 2)
- 2. Left Swing (Note 1)
- 3. Right Swing (Note 3)
- 4. Dodge
| ▶▶▶+ |
Hunting Horn combo that utilizes right and left swings (Note 1 & 2) with room for movement at the end. You can choose to distance yourself from the monster or stay still & attack a weak spot.
Powerful Attack Combo
- 1. Right Swing (Note 2)
- 2. Swing + Bash
- 3. Backward Attack
- 4. Forward Attack
| ▶++▶+▶+ |
A simple high attack power combo that can be done using the Hunting Horn.
Encore Attack Combo
- 1. Forward Attack
- 2. Left Swing (Note 1)
- 3. Perform
- 4. Encore
| +▶▶▶ |
An attack combo that plays a self-improvement melody with an Encore performance at the end to improve buffs.
Hunting Horn - Recommended Skill List
Use Skills To Improve Damage, Stun Chance, & Melody Duration
The Hunting Horn can do moderate damage when hitting monsters in the head. Enhance this further by using skills that improve attack power & stun chances. Other skills that increase evasion, melody duration, and prevents stuns from monster shouts are also helpful.
Recommended Skills To Improve Damage
| Skill | Effect |
|---|---|
| RECOMMENDED! Attack Boost | Increases raw attack power plus affinity rate after a certain level |
| RECOMMENDED! Weakness Exploit | Increases affinity rate of attacks that land on monster weak spots |
| Maximum Might | Raises affinity when stamina bar is full |
| Critical Boost | Increases attack power of critical hits |
| Agitator | Raises attack & affinity rate when monster is enraged |
| Handicraft | Increases weapon's sharpness gauge |
| Felyne Slugger (Food Skill) | Increases chance to stun monsters |
Recommended Skills For Better Gameplay
| Skill | Effect |
|---|---|
| RECOMMENDED! Horn Maestro | Raises duration of Hunting Horn songs |
| RECOMMENDED! Earplugs | Prevents stun from monster shouts |
| Evade Window | Increases invulnerability time when dodging |
Hunting Horn - Gameplay Tips & Tricks
Using The Hunting Horn Needs Mastery Of Melodies
Being one of the most complicated weapons in the game, the Hunting Horn needs practice and mastery of melodies for you to be effective in the hunt. Head to the Training Area and learn the different melodies for each Hunting Horn to use them better.
Stack Up Melodies Before Playing Them
Your song bank can store up to 3 melodies at a time. You can stack them up to perform them one after the other. This is an effective way to keep your attack up whilst buffing yourself and your party.
Always Aim For The Monster's Head
The Hunting Horn is capable of doing a good amount of damage and can stun a monster if you hit its head. Always aim for the monster's head to increase the chance of a stun.
Always Check Party's Buffs
Since your main role as a Hunting Horn user is to provide support buffs, keep an eye on your team's active status. You can check which buffs they've received by checking their names on the left side of the screen.
Hunting Horn - Damage Per Move
Motion values are still being confirmed in-game and damage per move written below is based on the Training Area.
| Weapon Move | Damage |
|---|---|
| Reverse Swing (While Performing) | 68 |
| Forward Swing (While Performing) | 65 |
| Encore Swing (While Performing) | 46 |
| Side Swing (While Performing) | 46 |
| Forward Swing | 43 |
| Perform | 42 |
| Side Swing | 42 |
| Back Swing | 42 |
| Slam | 40 |
| Multi-Hit Overhead Swing | 28 |
| Backward Slam | 26 |
| Jumping Smash | 26 |
| Forward Slam | 21 |
| Right Slam | 21 |
| Left Swing | 17 |
| Handle Hit | 8 |
Hunting Horn - Basic Move List
Basic Move List
| Button | Move |
|---|---|
| | Note 1 (Left Swing) |
| | Note 2 (Right Swing) |
| + | Note 3 |
| | Perform |
