Heavy Bowgun Controls and New Moves | Monster Hunter Rise | MHR (MHRise)

This is a guide and gameplay preview of the Heavy Bowgun Weapon in Monster Hunter Rise (MHR). Learn about the new changes and moves available for the Heavy Bowgun, with details on its new Silkbind Attacks.

Is Heavy Bowgun Strong?

Strong in the Right Hands

Ranking

Heavy Bowguns or HBG for short can exert high amounts of firepower under the right conditions. Practicing all the tips we have listed and making sure to perfect how to use an HBG would make you a valuable asset to any hunting party.

Strengths

High damage Special Scope Can guard

High damage

Loyal to its name, the Heavy Bowgun boasts high damage output per bullet and can punish, but at the cost of less mobility.

Special Scope

You can add a Special Scope to your Heavy Bowgun and its damage will improve by 30% when you hit a monster at supercritical range. Though using it is another thing, as many players find it difficult to use the HBG with a Special scope thus you should practice with it and choose specific weak points when firing.

Can guard

You can add a shield mod for your Heavy Bowgun. This allows your HBG to better block incoming attacks and reduce damage taken from them. Partner this with Guard and Guard Up for maximum tankiness for survivability's sake.

Weaknesses

Low mobility Distance Problems

Low mobility

With the Heavy Bowgun being a powerhouse given the right build, it suffers from low mobility. As an HBG user, you are usually anchored to one spot and dish out damage. If a monster charges at you, it will take some time for you to sheathe the HBG and dodge. Which usually gives the monster a clear shot at you.

Distance Problems

There is a specific set distance for bullets and arrows to hit an enemy monster. You can't be really far away and still hit your shots, essentially avoiding a fight and becoming a sniper. That's why for most players it is difficult to figure out the Goldilocks spot, the place just right to hit your shots and keep a safe distance from an enemy monster.

Heavy Bowgun Controls

Button	Action
	Crosshairs
	Fire
	Load Special Ammo
	Reload
(Hold) ＋/	Select Ammo
+	Melee Attack
(Hold) +	Free Silkbind Glide
(Hold) +	Counter Shot

Recommended Control Setups

To easily learn the bowgun, we highly suggest that the player adjust the camera settings first. We suggest changing the camera speed to fast to make aiming way easier. If the player is not comfortable with this setup, we suggest switching back to default.

Heavy Bowgun Ammo Types and Attachments

Ammo Types

Regular Ammo
	Ammo that novices use. Fires a single shot.
Pierce Ammo
	A bullet that hits like a straight shot through monsters and damages them multiple times.
Spread Ammo
	Short-ranged spread shot like a shotgun.
Sticky Ammo
	Sticks to a target and detonates after a few seconds. Stuns monsters if stuck on the head and does small fire damage.
Cluster Bomb
	Shoots a bomb at a fixed location, scattering shrapnel around.
Flaming Ammo
	Elemental ammo that deals Fire damage.
Water Ammo
	Elemental ammo that deals Water damage.
Thunder Ammo
	Elemental ammo that deals Thunder damage.
Freeze Ammo
	Elemental ammo that deals Freeze damage.

Special Ammo

Using the Heavy Bowgun gives you the option to use Ammo that is unique to the HBG. Both ammo types are different from each other, which takes a bit of practice to use.

Wyvernheart Ammo

The Wyvernheart is the closes you get to a hand-held minigun in the game. It has a charge meter but you can choose to use it even if it is not fully charged. Make sure to keep your rapid-fire on the target since straying off from the target decreases your damage but staying on point increases it.

Input	(HBG unsheathed)

Wyvernsnipe Ammo

True to its name, the Wyvernsnipe grants an HBG user the ability to pop shots that deal high amounts of damage. Once the shot connects, it hits a monster a few times before finally ending in a big explosion.

HBG Mods

HBG mods are attachments that you can equip onto your Heavy Bowgun to improve its usability and function. Some of the listed mods here are only available with the HBG and not the LBG.

Heavy Bowgun New Moves

Official Heavy Bowgun Preview Video

Free Silkbind Glide

The Free Silkbind Glide is similar to a tactical slide. It helps close the gap between you and the monster. If you time it right, you can also hit a sneaky attack by the end of your glide.

Input	(Hold) +

Counter Shot

With Counter Shot, you plant yourself firmly on the ground with the wirebug and block incoming attacks. If you block an attack, you can quickly recover and do a counter shot.

Input	(Hold) +

Charged Shot

You can now do charged shots which deal a higher amount of damage, but at the expense of using a Wirebug gauge.

Input	(Hold)

Heavy Bowgun Returning Moves.

Load Special Ammo

The Heavy Bowgun has a different mode that allows it to fire a special set of ammo. It has a long animation so only switch ammo when there are no enemies nearby or the monster is currently downed/unable to act.

Input

How to Use the Heavy Bowgun

Keep Your Distance

The best strategy when using a Heavy Bowgun is maintaining proper distance from a monster. Remember to keep the enemy monster within a kill box or kill zone. Once they go past this, you can start packing up and think of re-positioning. Don't stay in tight corners where you might be trapped. Utilize the new silkbind attack like Free Silkbind Glide to escape if the monster gets too close for comfort.

Types of Distances

Close Range	Enlarge
Safe Distance	Enlarge
Out of Range	Enlarge

The Right Ammo for the Right Monster

Regular Ammo
	Regular ammo is good as a break between ammo types. It is ideal to use this when a monster is downed since you can spam it without much regret.
Pierce Ammo
	Pierce Ammo is ideal for situations where a monster might be flying or slithering at a far away range. It does multiple damage to a part which is ideal for breaking parts.
Spread Ammo
	Using Spread Ammo forces you to get up close and personal with a monster but you get to deal major damage to it. Spread Ammo is good against any monster.
Elemental Ammo
	Elemental Ammo is what is commonly used when facing a variety of monsters. Since some monsters are weaker to certain elements than other monsters, its best to look up each monster's weakness.

Be careful when using Cluster Bombs

Be careful when using Cluster Bombs since you can only equip a select amount of these. Once fired, it takes a while before landing so timing is key. After firing, it leaves you exposed as well since the reload time is longer than other ammo types. Cluster Bombs can also damage your allies.

Use Special Ammo when a monster is down

Using Wyvernheart and Wyvernsnipe when a monster is downed is ideal since using special ammo leaves you exposed to attacks.

Shield and Counter Shot

Evading while using a Heavy Bowgun is a really slow feat, so it's best to invest in a Shield mod and some Guard or Guard up. It's better to attempt a block than evade plus with the new silkbind attack Counter Shot, you can give back whatever damage is done to you.

Monster Hunter Rise Related Links

All Weapons and How to Use Them

All Weapon Guides

All Weapon Guides
Great Sword	Long Sword	Sword and Shield	Dual Blades
Hammer	Hunting Horn	Lance	Gunlance
Switch Axe	Charge Blade	Insect Glaive	Bow
Light Bowgun	Heavy Bowgun

Weapon Tier List