Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak

Heavy Bowgun Builds and Best Armor (HBG)

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Monster Hunter Rise (MH Rise) - Heavy Bowgun Builds and Best Equipment Guide

This is a guide to the best builds and equipment for Heavy Bowguns in Monster Hunter Rise (MH Rise): Sunbreak. Learn about the best Heavy Bowguns for Sunbreak and the best builds and Armor pieces to use with the Heavy Bowgun for Low, High, and Master Rank.

All Heavy Bowgun Guides
Heavy Bowgun 1Trees & Full List Heavy Bowgun 2How to Use Heavy Bowgun 3Best Builds

If you have any suggestions or additional information, please comment them below!

Latest Sunbreak MR Build

TU5 Dragonheart Dereliction Raw HBGs

Spread Heavy Bowgun

Weapon Slots ATK DEF
Righteous VarkaRighteous Varka ④ーー 370 0
Affinity Element
0%
Rampage Slots
Special Ammo Wyvernsnipe
Weapon Augments
Decorations

Pierce Heavy Bowgun

Weapon Slots ATK DEF
Ursprung/MortUrsprung/Mort ③①① 360 0
Affinity Element
-35% / 15%
-
Rampage Slots
Special Ammo Wyvernheart
Weapon Augments
Decorations

Recommended Armor Loadout

Armor Slots Skills
Valstrax Helm - EclipseValstrax Helm - Eclipse ④①①
Risen Kushala IramRisen Kushala Iram ③②①
Flaming Espinas GripFlaming Espinas Grip ④②ー
Virtue / Prudence Coil Virtue / Prudence Coil ④②ー
Archfiend Armor ScerosArchfiend Armor Sceros ③②②
Resentment Lv. 1
Dereliction Lv. 1
Talisman Dragonheart Lv.4; with ②② slot or better
Rampage Decoration
Skills
Rampage Skill Swap between Wyvern Exploit, Anti-Aerial Species, Anti-Aquatic Species, or Fanged Exploit depending on the monster.
Attack Boost Lv.7 | Dragonheart Lv.5
Razor Sharp Lv.3 | Spare Shot Lv.3
Weakness Exploit Lv.3 | Critical Boost Lv.3
Tune-Up Lv.2 | Recoil Down Lv.2
Kushala Blessing Lv.2 | Intrepid Heart Lv.1
Frenzied Bloodlust Lv.1 | Bloodlust Lv.1
Dereliction Lv.1 | Resentment Lv.1
Evade Extender Lv.1 | Coalescence Lv.1
Spread only:
Spread Up Lv.3 | Maximum Might Lv.3
Reload Speed Lv.1
Pierce only:
Pierce Up Lv.3 | Reload Speed Lv.3
Ballistics Lv.1 | Steadiness Lv.1
Build Merits With the introduction of Vigor and Cyclus melding, Dragonheart can now be rolled in talismans. At Lv.5, this skill adds around 50 raw attack when activated, which is quite the boost! When paired with Dereliction on the Blue Scroll, the 80% HP threshold can be reached fairly easily even with the HP recovery of Bloodlust.
This build requires equipping the Power Barrel to maximize Tune-Up's attack boost. While this is certainly more powerful than our other raw builds, this is also much riskier to use as there is continuous health drain and HP must be kept below 80%. As a safety net, we've added Intrepid Heart.
Armor augments are not needed for this build. However, skills like Powder Mantle, Burst, and Resuscitate are welcome for even more damage. You may also aim for additional levels of Resentment.

Master Rank Heavy Bowgun Builds

High Rank Builds

MH Rise - High Rank Heavy Bowgun Builds

Gathering Hub HR 4 - HR 100+

Whether you're just breaking in the High Rank at HR 4 or are just looking for some new strategies at HR 100, we've got the best High Rank Heavy Bowgun builds to spice up your hunts.

►High Rank Heavy Bowgun Builds

Latest Builds Rank
Critical Spread Build HR 100+
Critical Piercer Build HR 100+
Heavy Artillery Build HR 100+

Low Rank Builds

MH Rise - Low Rank Heavy Bowgun Builds

Village Quests - Low Rank Hub

Check out the best Heavy Bowgun builds for Monster Hunter beginners or for speeding through Village Quests or Low Rank Gathering hub.

►Low Rank Heavy Bowgun Builds

Latest Builds Rank
Evasive Heavy Gunner Build Village Quest ★4 to ★6

Best Heavy Bowgun Skills

Best Damage Skills

These skills make it possible to deal extra damage! Aim for these skills for maximum DPS to defeat those monsters easier and finish those quests faster!

Best Skills Explanation
Weakness Exploit
★★★
Increases affinity when hitting enemy weakspots, which can increase your DPS significantly.
Ammo Type Up
★★★
Get one of the three ammo type skills depending on what you're going to use! We recommend maxing this skill out before anything else.
Normal/Rapid Up | Spread Up | Pierce Up
Element Attack
★★★
Sunbreak featured buffs for elemental damage, making elemental builds viable. Be sure to max out this skill to get the most out of its potential.
Fire | Water | Ice | Thunder | Dragon
Attack Boost
★★★
Increases DPS for all ammo types. Aim for at least 4 levels of this skill.
Critical Boost
★★
Amplifies critical damage by 30/35/40% per level, working well with Weakness Exploit.
Burst
★★
Continuous shots from the Bowgun can power you up with this skill. Max it out whenever possible but a single point is enough to deal impactful damage.
Dereliction
★★
Using the Red Scroll will increase element values while using the Blue Scroll increases attack values, improving overall damage. Don't fear the depleting health; with how the Bowgun playstyle works, you'll never have to worry about getting hit! For additional elemental damage, pair this skill with Strife from the Chaotic Gore Magala Armor Set.
Available in Sunbreak Base Game
Element Exploit
★★
This skill is ideal to have on elemental builds, making sure you pull off significant damage every time you hit elemental hit zones!
Available in Sunbreak Free Title Update 1
Critical Element
★★
Increases elemental damnage during critical hits. Slot this skill in whenever your affinity is close to or at 100%!
Maximum Might
Increases affinity when Stamina is at maximum. Slot in this skill if you need more affinity to reach 100% from other skills.
Dragon Conversion
When activated, this skill from the Risen Crimson Glow Valstrax Armor will benefit elemental builds, increasing DPS even further! Only consider this skill when you can build around it.
Available in Sunbreak Free Title Update 4
Bloodlust
Overcome the Frenzy Virus to power up with this skill; best paired with Coalescence.
Available in Sunbreak Base Game
Mail of Hellfire
Attack on Red Scroll will increase your raw power by 15. This is a fun skill to consider when you can build around it!
Available in Sunbreak Base Game

Best Comfort Skills

These are skills that make managing weapon mechanics a lot easier. Damage is only part of the equation - taking time to slot in comfort skills that increase consistency & comfort will also increase overall DPS!

Best Skills Explanation
Recoil Down
★★★
This skill reduces the time between shots, greatly helping with DPS and preventing you from staying in place for too long.
Reload Speed
★★★
Ideal skill to output more DPS throughout the fight!
Spare Shot
★★★
Increased DPS by giving you a chance to shoot ammo for free.
Steadiness
★★★
Reduces deviation, which will make your shots more accurate. At level 3, this skill also extends your range. Slot this skill in if you're eating for Dango Temper.
Ballistics
★★
Ballistics helps extend your critical distance, allowing you to hit optimal damage from far away. This skill helps with positioning safely throughout the fight.
Ammo Up
★★
Increases ammo clip size for bowguns, which lets you shoot more and, in turn, increases DPS. For most Bowgun builds, 2 levels of this skill is enough.
Evade Extender
★★
A great comfort skill to have. Evade Extender greatly helps with survivability, considering Bowgunners should avoid getting hit at all costs.
Tune-Up
Introduced in the Sunbreak Expansion, this skill increases the power of your attached mods. Tune-Up is a nice pickup for most bowgun builds, but only consider this skill when you can build around it.
Available in Sunbreak Base Game
Intrepid Heart
Whenever the gauge above your health bar is full, this skill can be useful in clutch situations.
Available in Sunbreak Free Title Update 2

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• Weapons marked withNEW have been updated.
• Weapons withUP have been reviewed and does not warrant an updated build from the Bonus Update.
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