Monster Hunter Wilds

Best Weapon Tier List

Monster Hunter Wilds Walkthrough Team

Last updated on: August 1, 2025 06:42 AM

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☆ FF14 Collab / Title Update 3
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★ Title Update 4 on 12/16: Gogmazios
☆ Armor Set Search updated with Appraised Talismans
★ HR50+ Builds | Tier List | Weapon Guides

Monster Hunter Wilds Best Weapons Tier List

This is our best weapon tier list for Monster Hunter Wilds (MH Wilds) with the best weapon types being the Gunlance, Great Sword, Long Sword, and Bow. Discover the best weapon to unleash your full hunting potential and stay on top of every hunt here!

Weapon Guides
Weapon Tier List	List of All Weapons	Beginner Weapons
Secondary Weapons	Weapon Combinations	Weapons Quiz

List of Contents

Best Weapon Tier List
Weapon Rankings Explained
SS Tier Weapons
S Tier Weapons
A Tier Weapons
B Tier Weapons
Best Weapons for Each Type
Weapon Balance Changes
Weapon Poll
Related Guides

Best Weapon Tier List

Before Reading!
Attention!	NEW This Weapon Tier List has been updated as of July 2, 2025.
ⓘ Weapon Tier Lists merely inform the general effectiveness of a weapon type based on player experience. Knowledge is power, but more importantly: Hunt as you would!

Weapon Tier List

Tier	Weapon




NEW Recent Tier Changes (July 2, 2025)
ⓘ Title Update 2 has arrived! We have shifted the position of 4 weapons in this update based on recent weapon changes and experience on release. ↑ Great Sword: S to SS Tier ㅤ・ Staying power with offset attacks and guard reliability throughout the game's release with nearly no mechanical changes has made us decide it deserves a spot at SS Tier. ↑ Hammer: B to A Tier ㅤ・ New mechanics allowed it to dish significantly more damage, notably additional offset effects, making it more competitive in DPS over the Hunting Horn and Lance. ↓ Heavy Bowgun: SS to S Tier ㅤ・ Previous experience with the weapon rebalance along with elemental management makes it a bit more complex to use effectively than previously thought. ↓ Lance: A to B Tier ㅤ・ The Lance is still a fun weapon to play but it has not seen much growth compared to its other contemporaries in A tier. It still stands strong as a safe and easy weapon to use for all players. ⓘ This Best Weapon Tier List is updated with the team's insights up until the current High Rank endgame using this set of criteria.

Date	Change
July 2, 2025	Tier List updated for Title Update 2 release. Also revised other write-ups, both in content and structure for better delivery of explanations. ↑ Great Sword: S to SS Tier ↑ Hammer: B to A Tier ↓ Heavy Bowgun: SS to S Tier ↓ Lance: A to B Tier
June 6, 2025	Placements maintained. Write-ups and linking are improved in the context of the May 28 Patch Notes 1.011.
May 14, 2025	↑ Heavy Bowgun: S to SS Tier ↑ Lance: B to A Tier ↑ Charge Blade: A to S Tier
March 20, 2025	↑ Insect Glaive: B to S Tier ↑ Lance: Slight increase in ranking ↑ Sword and Shield: Slight increase in ranking ↓ Switch Axe: Slight decrease in ranking
March 7, 2025	• SS Tier added to emphasize the strongest weapons. ↑ Gunlance: S to SS Tier ↑ Long Sword: S to SS Tier ↑ Bow: S to SS Tier ↑ Heavy Bowgun: A to S Tier ↑ Sword and Shield: B to S Tier ↑ Light Bowgun: B to A Tier ↓ Hunting Horn: A to B Tier
March 1, 2025	↑ Great Sword: A to S Tier ↑ Dual Blades: B to A Tier ↑ Heavy Bowgun: C to A Tier ↑ Switch Axe: C to A Tier ↓ Hammer: C to B Tier ↓ Light Bowgun: C to B Tier

The most effective weapons to use in Monster Hunter Wilds are the Gunlance, Great Sword, Long Sword, and the Bow. These four weapons are capable of easily producing the highest DPS results while being generally easy to use.

The Gunlance is a strong maintaining raw damage powerhouse that is safe to play for most hunters. It's also easy to build around the weapon, getting most of its damage raw shelling power and depending less on affinity.
The Great Sword has earned its place as a strong maintainer weapon since release, having already the powerful ability to perform an offset attack and guard. It also only received 1 change over the course of 2 Title Updates (guard fix in ver. 1.011).
The Long Sword maintains a top spot on the list due to its strong counter options and large arrray of hyper armor moves, making it easy to benefit from Counterstrike and sustain high DPS.
The Bow is a strong maintainer from the ranged set of weapons, boasting great evasion options and high firepower for both Raw and Element in addition to the mechanics of Focus Strike.

All Weapons and Guides

Best Weapon Tier List Criteria

Damage Output	Considers the weapon's potential damage output and DPS (raw, element, and affinity). This determines the average monster clear time and is the main determinant of this tier list.
Defense Options	Considers if there are defensive options for the weapon to improve survivability. This includes counters like offsets, weapon dodges, guard capability, and even super and hyper armor moves.
Entry Barrier	Considers how hard the weapon's mechanics is to pick up and learn.
Difficulty to Master	Considers how hard it is to master the weapon and bring out its latent potential.
NEW Mechanical Changes	Considers important weapon changes and balance adjustments over the course of the game's Patch Notes and Title Updates.

All weapons have strengths and weaknesses, but it is possible to have fast and optimal clear speed by playing lower-tier weapons through mastering their mechanics. This does, however, require more time and effort when in comparison to the higher tier weapons.

Tier Ranking Legends

Tier	Description
	High damage output, useful quick-access defensive options, and low entry barrier.
	High damage output, but requires more mastery for optimal use of combos and defense.
	High-average damage output, barrier to entry varies, but being competitive with higher tiers requires more mastery than usual.
	Average damage output, either requires a steep learning curve or high mastery to use effectively, may also be heavily dependent on comfort skills.

Does the Weapon Meta Matter?

The Meta for weapon types emerge not because of the weapons themselves, but because of general experience by players. This is not to discourage anyone from playing their favorite weapon; this only serves to inform the landscape of what weapon types are most often effective in a lot of cases, especially in a competitive environment.

Prioritize Your Favorite Weapon Over the Meta

A great hunter resonates well with a weapon in style. This is beyond considerations of whatever weapon is 'meta' or 'deals more damage than the other'. If you wish to play with a preferred weapon. Then by all means, do not think; just hunt! At the end of the day, all weapons can do well at the hands of an experienced player.

Best Weapon Rankings Explained

SS Tier Weapons

Jump to a Tier!

Gunlance \| Great Sword \| Long Sword \| Bow

Gunlance

	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
Gunlance	Damage Output

	Medium	★★★☆☆

The Gunlance is in the SS Tier as it offers both incredible offensive and defensive options, with its attacks incorporated in its guard and explosive moves. It is also now possible to counter attacks just from simply guarding.

Furthermore, it now has a sense of fluidity since you can now move while performing Shelling, making it one of the best weapons to use!

Gunlance Guides
Weapon Guide	Best Builds

Best Weapon Build for Gunlance

G. Lawful Bors	Rey Sandhelm γ Numinous Shroud β Rey Sandbraces γ Numinous Overlay β Rey Sandgreaves γ Chain Charm II
This is an HR50++ endgame build that aims to balance damage with some comfort skills.

Rey Dau Gamma-Zoh Shia Gunlance Build Details

Great Sword

	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
Great Sword	Damage Output

	Low	★★★☆☆

The Great Sword sits at an SS Tier rating due to its quality-of-life improvements with Focus Mode and the True Charged Slash.

This is because instead of using the old tackle combo, you can perform multiple True Charged Slashes as long as you have Wounds to destroy using Focus Slash: Perforate. Not only that, but you can also redirect your True Charged Slash using Focus Mode, so you no longer have to worry about missing!

Additionally, the Great Sword's ability to perform Offset Attacks and Power Clashes should not be overlooked. These abilities allow you to create openings that you can then use to perform a True Charged Slash combo, dealing massive amounts of damage.

Great Sword Guides
Weapon Guide	Best Builds

Best Weapon Build for Great Sword

Varianza	Numinous Crown α Numinous Shroud β G. Arkveld Vambraces β Numinous Overlay β Numinous Greaves β Exploiter Charm II
This endgame Great Sword build takes advantage of the new Zoh Shia armor to provide additional affinity via Maximum Might, while maintaining the other skills of the previous build.

Modified Critical Sleep GS Build Details

Long Sword

	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
Long Sword	Damage Output

	Low	★★★★★

The Long Sword is rated as one of the best weapons in SS Tier due to its amazing counters, Foresight Slash and Iai Slash, along with the rest of its moveset.

The newly-added Spirit Charge makes it easier to level up the weapon's Spirit Gauge and the Long Sword's new move Crimson Slash becomes available to the player when the Spirit Gauge level is at its max. This provides even more damage for the Long Sword.

The Long Sword also inherits the moves Spirit Thrust from Iceborne and Iai Spirit Slash from Sunbreak.

Long Sword Guides
Weapon Guide	Best Builds

Best Weapon Build for Long Sword

Dimensius	Gore Helm β Rey Sandmail γ Rey Sandbraces γ Gore Coil β Duna Wildgreaves γ Mighty Charm III
This is endgame Long Sword build boasts an affinity rating that can reach 100%. This is achieved with the use of armor skills such as Agitator, Maximum Might, and Latent Power.

Max Critical Long Sword Build Details

Bow

	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
Bow	Damage Output

	Medium	★★★★☆

The Bow, placed at SS Tier, has changed considerably since its previous incarnations. Coatings are now applied by expending the new Trick Arrow Gauge, which is also used to fire Tracer Arrows that can cause further shots to home in on the Tracer's impacted location.

These changes have only served to amp up the Bow's damage further, but also increase its complexity somewhat. Mastering the Bow will now require the management of both Stamina and the Trick Arrow Gauge, but those who put in the effort will be rewarded with a powerful and satisfying weapon that can go toe to toe with the strongest foes.

Bow Guides
Weapon Guide	Best Builds

Best Weapon Build for Bow

Angelbein (Bow)	Rey Sandhelm γ Rey Sandmail γ Rey Sandbraces γ Gore Coil β Gore Greaves β Challenger Charm II
A build that focuses on Agitator to compensate for damage while waiting for Latent Power's activation.

Rey-Gore Agitator Bow Build Details

S Tier Weapons

Jump to a Tier!

Heavy Bowgun \| Sword and Shield \| Insect Glaive \| Charge Blade

Heavy Bowgun

	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
Heavy Bowgun	Damage Output

	Low	★★☆☆☆

The Heavy Bowgun, placed at S Tier, can dish out decent damage, especially with the Wounding mechanic and the powerful Ignition Mode, while still having strong defensive capabilities. With the right elemental ammo and build, the Heavy Bowgun excels in constant DPS.

They also have access to numerous support ammos like Paralysis or Demon Ammo, making them perfect for multiplayer play. Once you get used to the weapon's slow movement and spacing requirements, you will be able to deal large amounts of damage to monsters.

Heavy Bowgun Guides
Weapon Guide	Best Builds

Best Weapon Build for Heavy Bowgun

Greifen (Heavy Bowgun)	Gore Helm β Gore Mail β Gore Vambraces β Numinous Overlay β Gore Greaves β Challenger Charm II
This is a high-damage Agitator build for an Element-focused Heavy Bowgun. It uses 4 pieces of Gore β to maximize damage with Black Eclipse II.

4x Gore-Zoh AGI Elemental HBG Build Details

Sword and Shield

	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
Sword and Shield	Damage Output

	Low	★★★☆☆

The Sword and Shield returns as an S Tier weapon, having more invincibility frames during its Backstep. It can now use Perfect Guards to nullify most attacks with little penalty, making it a very safe weapon to play.

The new Charged Chop is a great move to use, and Perfect Rush still remains a powerful tool for lots of damage during windows of opportunity.

Though it is not as flashy as its contemporaries, the Sword and Shield can still hold its own as the jack-of-all-trades weapon. It can cut tails, stun monsters, block attacks, and use items while unsheathed, providing it unique utility on top of its good damage.

Sword and Shield Guides
Weapon Guide	Best Builds

Best Weapon Build for Sword and Shield

Verdoloto	Rey Sandhelm γ Rey Sandmail γ Rey Sandbraces γ Gore Coil β Gore Greaves β Challenger Charm II
This endgame Sword and Shield improves upon the previous HR 50++ build by having 95% affinity on armor skills alone.

Max Critical Rey Gore SnS Build Details

Insect Glaive

	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
Insect Glaive	Damage Output

	High	★★★☆☆

The Insect Glaive, placed at S Tier, is a versatile weapon that focuses on a mix of aerial and charged attacks while also utilizing Kinsects to obtain buffs.

This makes it a bit difficult to control, as it requires you to hold down certain buttons and aim your attacks during combat; however, if used correctly, you can deal great damage when you follow up with the new Spiral Slash move in exchange for losing all your extracts.

The fact that the Insect Glaive is the best weapon for aerial attacks remains unchanged from previous titles. The Jumping Advancing Slash combo has been revived on release, allowing you to continuously perform aerial attacks that can mount monsters effectively.

Insect Glaive Guides
Weapon Guide	Best Builds

Best Weapon Build for Insect Glaive

Diprielcha	Rey Sandhelm γ Gore Mail β Rey Sandbraces γ Rey Sandcoil γ Gore Greaves β Challenger Charm II
This endgame Insect Glaive Build uses 3 pieces of Rey Dau γ for Guts and Thunderous Roar, 2 pieces of Gore β for Black Eclipse to maximize damage output with Agitator 5 and Maximum Might 3 before triggering Latent Power.

Rey Gore Agitator MM IG Build Details

Charge Blade

	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
Charge Blade	Damage Output

	High	★★★☆☆

The Charge Blade, placed at S Tier delivers outstanding damage with phial explosions from Element Discharges and pure raw multi-hits with Savage Axe. But it is definitely not the easiest weapon to play with.

You will need to put in a lot of work to deal damage. It inherits much of its mechanics from World, but now one of its most damaging options, Savage Axe, is locked behind Perfect Guards, Monster Mounts, and Focus Strikes.

It is a strictly methodological weapon. Making mistakes in its cycle of charging and attacking will cost you valuable damage loss, or worse, an attack deflection. Using it as an effective guarding weapon also requires study, needing to keep in mind Guard Points. Such mechanic is high risk and high reward, giving you access to a powerful counterattack options.

Charge Blade Guides
Weapon Guide	Best Builds

Best Weapon Build for Charge Blade

Chrono Gear	Numinous Crown β Numinous Shroud β G. Arkveld Vambraces β Gore Coil β Gore Greaves β Challenger Charm II
This is an HR50++ Raw-focused CB build that uses Zoh Shia pieces in combination with Gore and G. Arkveld. It takes advantage mainly of both Weakness Exploit and Agitator.

Zoh Shia Wex Agitator CB Build Details

A Tier Weapons

Jump to a Tier!

Dual Blades \| Light Bowgun \| Switch Axe \| Hammer

Dual Blades

	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
Dual Blades	Damage Output

	Low	★★★☆☆

Dual Blades, placed at A Tier, is still one of the fastest weapons in the game that can hit multiple times with a focus on evasive maneuvers, making it easy to use. In Wilds, the dodge roll during Demon Mode has been strengthened, allowing you to execute perfect dodges that can give damage boosts while also providing better movement options.

The Blade Dance combos are now divided into 3 separate moves with the addition of the Demon Flurry combos you can weave in between. This allows the Dual Blades to have less commitment to your most powerful combos, making you extremely mobile without any damage fall-offs.

Although it has a very short range, you will need a good amount of elemental skills in order to bring out the Dual Blades' true damage potential.

Dual Blades Guides
Weapon Guide	Best Builds

Best Weapon Build for Dual Blades

Tiltkreise	G. Ebony Helm β Udra Miremail α Rathalos Vambraces β Gore Coil β Gore Greaves β Marathon Charm III
An endgame elemental High Rank build that boasts consistently high elemental damage paired up with the best comfort skills.

Frenzy Burst DB Build Details

Light Bowgun

	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
Light Bowgun	Damage Output

	Low	★☆☆☆☆

The Light Bowgun, placed at A Tier, is a nimble ranged weapon. With access to the new Rapid Fire Mode, you get to dish out a barrage of hits from medium range while weaving in small dashes for mobility. The basic strategy of the Light Bowgun is to hone in on a monster's weak points using either the base or elemental ammunition with rapid fire and then using Focus Shot: Eagle Strike Shot to destroy multiple wounds.

This weapon is recommended for beginners because its mobility allows any hunter to safely deal good damage. Compared to past titles, the Critical Distance has shortened, and the number of Special Ammo has been reduced, so it is no longer the end-all-be-all weapon.

The Light Bowgun, however, has consistent damage with Pierce ammunition, the ability to quicken its shots with consecutive Burst Steps, and the prowess to fully utilize Elemental Ammunition make it a formidable weapon, thus cementing its spot in A-tier!

Light Bowgun Guides
Weapon Guide	Best Builds

Best Weapon Build for Light Bowgun

Szelatya Clairgun (Light Bowgun)	Gore Helm β Numinous Shroud β Gore Vambraces β Gore Coil β Gore Greaves β Challenger Charm II
This endgame High Rank build is an updated version of the HR36++ build which uses the new Zoh Shia armor for increased offensive capabilities.

Black Eclipse 2.0 LBG Build Details

Switch Axe

	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
Switch Axe	Damage Output

	Medium	★★☆☆☆

The Switch Axe, placed at A Tier, uses powerful attacks that takes advantage of its long reach and access to knockback immunity. It can take a while to grasp the mechanics of the Switch Axe though, mostly due to the need to manage multiple gauges all at once, but you will get better with more practice.

The Switch Axe is also suitable for a dodge-based playstyle due to its sidesteps which can be improved with Evade Extender or Evade Window. It is also now capable of using an Offset Attack, giving it a powerful countermove in its arsenal.

If you do not want to play the Switch Axe mechanically, a playstyle that revolves around Full Release Slash is easy and viable, but it will fall off in the late game as you encounter more mobile monsters.

Switch Axe Guides
Weapon Guide	Best Builds

Best Weapon Build for Switch Axe

Mundus Altus	Rey Sandhelm γ Gore Mail β Rey Sandbraces γ Rey Sandcoil γ Gore Greaves β Counter Charm III
An Agitator build capable of reaching 100% Affinity for the endgame.

Rey Gore Agitator SA Build Details

Hammer

	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
Hammer	Damage Output

	Low	★★★★☆

The Hammer, placed at A Tier, is a rugged weapon capable of knocking down any monster with its chunky hits in exchange for having a time commitment with its charges.

The Hammer has seen a couple of positive adjustments since the release of Title Update 2, allowing offset attacks not just on Upswings, but also on Charged Upswing and Mighty Charge Upswing! This weapon makes it better for knockouts, letting other hunters get their window to deal damage.

However, the Hammer has one of the shortest ranges out of all the weapon types. It also takes significantly more effort to deal the same amount of damage other high-tier weapons are capable of, on top of requiring skills for managing Charged Step stamina and Mighty Charge attacks.

Hammer Guides
Weapon Guide	Best Builds

Best Weapon Build for Hammer

Moteurvankel	G. Fulgur Helm β Numinous Shroud β G. Fulgur Vambraces α Gore Coil β Gore Greaves β Exploiter Charm II
This is an HR50++ post-Zoh Shia upgrade of the 100% Critical Hammer Build, swapping the torso and charm to reach 4 levels of Weakness Exploit.

Zoh Shia Critical Hammer Build Details

B Tier Weapons

Jump to a Tier!

Hunting Horn \| Lance

Hunting Horn

	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
Hunting Horn	Damage Output

	High	★★★★★

The Hunting Horn, while being at B Tier due to the steps needed to deal optimal damage on its own, is a fun and rewarding weapon to play (especially in Multiplayer) due to its support capabilities.

It is able to grant buffs to Hunters such as Attack Up, Earplugs, and Stamina Use Reduction depending on the type of horn, and it also comes with more diverse support mechanics such as Echo Bubble.

The Hunting Horn allows you to stack successive notes within certain moves along with a perfect input mechanic. Though it cannot promise as much damage as other faster and harder-hitting weapons due to its speed and complexity, its value for comfort for its user and everyone in a team is unmatched in the hands of a maestro.

Hunting Horn Guides
Weapon Guide	Best Builds

Best Weapon Build for Hunting Horn

Blazing Gariel	Rey Sandhelm γ Numinous Shroud β Rey Sandbraces γ Numinous Overlay β Rey Sandgreaves γ Chain Charm II
This is an endgame Hunting Horn Build that focuses increasing raw attack by building into Agitator 5, Burst 5, and using 3 pieces of Rey Dau γ for Guts (Tenacity).

Rey-Zoh Agitator Burst HH Build Details

Lance

	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
Lance	Damage Output

	Low	★★★★☆

The Lance, placed at B Tier, has access to more mobility options compared to previous titles, as it can now incorporate more guard and counterattacks in its combos. This makes the weapon more fluid and reliable when reacting to monster movements. While not flashy, the Lance's strongest suit is its capability to stick and deal consistent damage!

With the addition of the Triple Thrust, Payback Thrust, and the Charge Counter, the Lance also has access to higher damage moves so it can play catch-up with the other 13 weapons. However, most of the other weapons have also upped their game, so the Lance is still in that limbo of moving goalposts.

It is still a good weapon to pick up, however, and is currently in its best form with Wilds, so try this weapon out and see if you like it!

Lance Guides
Weapon Guide	Best Builds

Best Weapon Build for Lance

Skyscraper	Numinous Crown β Numinous Shroud β G. Arkveld Vambraces β Gore Coil β Gore Greaves β Challenger Charm II
A critical raw build that makes use of Zoh Shia's armor for max level Agitator. Super Recovery is also a feature that allows your Lance to be an inpenetrable fortress.

Agitator Burst Critical Lance Build Details

Best Weapons for Each Type

Jump to a Weapon!
Gunlance	Long Sword	Bow	Great Sword
Heavy Bowgun	Sword and Shield	Charge Blade	Switch Axe
Dual Blades	Light Bowgun	Insect Glaive	Hunting Horn
Hammer		Lance

Best Gunlances

Weapon	Reason
G. Lawful Bors	・Has one of the highest attacks among Gunlances. ・ Has Slightly Strong Wide Shelling which helps it deal even more damage, especially when partnered with the skill Load Shells.
Argenesis (Sleep)	・Raw attack with boosts tops out at 230, 10 short of G. Lawful Bors's 240. ・Element can be modified, but take note of its Shelling type. ・Shelling customization covers Long, Normal, and Wide, but Shelling Power is limited to Normal.
Blazing Lael	・A good alternative to Argenesis following G. Lawful Bors, has added raw damage through Whiteflame Torrent. ・Has Slightly Strong Shelling but is limited to a Normal Shelling Type.

The best weapons for Gunlance are those with high raw attack, as most of your damage will come from your Shelling.

Best Long Swords

Weapon	Reason
Dimensius (Any Element)	・Artian Long Sword with variable infusion and reinforcement stats that you can customize however you like it.
Wyvern Blade "Maple"	・Offers a good starting point to the players who just entered the endgame with its innate Level 3 Critical Boost.
Stahlrecht	・Has high Dragon element attack. ・Has maxed-out Critical Element skill.

The Long Sword's top weapons all feature high attack ratings with each individual skill that can be tailored to the player's build.

Best Bows

Weapon	Reason
Angelbein (Any Element)	・Artian Bow that can be crafted and upgraded to gain massive values for either stat and enjoys three Level 3 Decoration slots.
Dark Filament	・Innate Critical Boost 3 helps it dish out high damage via critical hits.
Verzweiflung	・Carries great affinity at 20%. ・Has access to Critical Element 3, making it a good weapon for elemental builds.

The Bow's best weapons are those that carry high elemental Attack, as well as good affinity.

Best Great Swords

Weapon	Reason
Varianza (Sleep)	・Adjustable stats make it an amazing Great Sword that can fit into any build, allowing you to adjust it based on whether you need raw damage or affinity.
Düsterstolz	・Dragon element Great Sword with great affinity and raw damage. ・Innate Critical Element allows you to deal more elemental damage on crits.
Stalwart Lamorak	・Dragon element Great Sword with great affinity and attack. ・Innate Focus helps you perform charge attacks faster

The top weapons for Great Sword focus on their high raw damage, as well as their functionality and elements.

Best Heavy Bowguns

Weapon	Reason
Greifen (Paralysis)	・Adjustable stats make it a great choice, as you can increase its raw damage or affinity based on what you need. ・Has access to both Thunder and Paralysis Ammo.
Mountainous Roar	・A great raw-damage option focusing on Pierce Ammo and will benefit most raw-focused HBG builds. ・Can get increased affinity through Slicked Blade.
Ableben Abzug	・Has high attack and affinity ・Innate Critical Element mixes well with Freeze and Dragon Ammo. ・Has access to Slicing Ammo, which is great for cutting tails.

The best weapons for Heavy Bowgun include those with high attack and affinity, as well as those with good functionality. Additionally, these bowguns run Pierce Ammo, which is currently the best base ammo in the game.

Best Sword and Shields

Weapon	Reason
Verdoloto (Any Element)	・Customizable Artian weapon that can be built and upgraded to gain very high stats across the board.
Precipice Mateptro	・A great elemental Sword and Shield with 350 Ice.
Corona	・Has innate Critical Boost 3 to increase crit damage.

The Sword and Shield benefits off of having high raw and elemental attack, as it can make use of both in its gameplay, as well as good affinity to boot.

Best Charge Blades

Weapon	Reason
Chrono Gear	・Charge Blade with Paralysis which is useful for Offensive Guard and Load Shells.
Dear Lutemia	・A high damage and high affinity Poison weapon with Offensive Guard 2 and Guard 1.
Leidenskraft	・Has high affinity of 20%. ・Has high white sharpness.

The best weapons for the Charge Blade involve those with high affinity values, status effects such as Paralysis, and lots of available deco slots. It also matters that Charge Blades uses Impact Phials, which is easier to boost overall compared to Element Phials.

Best Switch Axes

Weapon	Reason
Mundus Altus	・Can be customized to work around Power Phial.
Eisengeist	・Has Critical Element for element-focused builds.
Rath Blaze Splitter	・Has Critical Boost to increase crit damage.

Top Switch Axe weapons all feature good slots to put necessary skills for the weapon. They are also all featuring Power Phials, which is currently great in general.

Best Dual Blades

Weapon	Reason
Tiltkreise	・An Artian weapon that is a great all-rounder. ・Boasts at least 250 element, which is better than most non-Artian weapons.
Precipice Ulokiem	・A great elemental Dual Blade with 300 Ice.
Hungerklauen	・Has a good 20% affinity paired with Critical Element 3, which makes it perfect for elemental builds.

The top Dual Blades make use of high elemental damage to take advantage of the quick attack speed of the weapon.

Best Light Bowguns

Weapon	Reason
Szelatya Clairgun	・Has high raw damage in conjunction with a highly-leveled Pierce and additional levels to Opening Shot.
Animilater	・Artian LBG with high customizability ・Has three 3rd-level decoration slots which helps with maximizing elemental damage output.
Valkyrie Flame	・Has access to Pierce and 15% affinity ・Possesses the option to use Foray as a consistent skill due to its innate Poison Duration Up.

The Light Bowgun's best weapons are the bowguns that heavily utilize Pierce Ammo's damage output and elemental prowess, and to also take advantage of the new Rapid Fire Mode.

Best Insect Glaives

Weapon	Reason
Diprielcha	・Has at least 250 for any element, which is useful for elemental builds. ・Has some affinity to synergize with Critical Element.
Gravordius	・High raw damage. ・Damage output can be improved with Blast. ・Has negative affinity but can be alleviated with Critical Eye and Weakness Exploit.
Queen Regalia	・Has Poison which is used for status buildup. ・Has innate Critical Status 3 and Poison Duration Up. ・Can work for a Foray build.

The best Insect Glaives provide hybrid stats that can benefit from raw attack, elemental damage, and status buildup weapons.

Best Hunting Horns

Weapon	Reason
Omiltika	・Can be customized to have a specific element or status ailment for the improving the weapon's DPS and utility. ・Songs are determined by whether the Hunting Horn commits to either an element or ailment.
Resounding Galahad	・Has high raw damage. ・Has a useful set of songs, including Restore Sharpness, All Melodies Extended, and Resounding Melody. ・Has innate Slugger 2 and Horn Maestro 2. ・All Melodies Extended song allows it to combo with other present melodies (even from a secondary Hunting Horn).
Ajara-Jivaka	・Has access to Blast which improves the weapon's knockdown potential along with Slugger 3. ・Can output Earplugs to help against monster roars.

For the Hunting Horn, its best weapons cover affinity and raw damage on top of useful Hunting Horn songs.

Best Hammers

Weapon	Reason
Moteurvankel	・Artian Hammer that possesses high affinity and raw damage. ・Can be infused with any ailment, preferrably Paralysis or Blast.
Binder Mace	・Has exceptional white sharpness and raw damage. ・Uses the useful status ailment Paralysis which can immobilize monsters for big damage opportunities.
Blazing Uria	・A viable raw hammer that uses the skill Whiteflame Torrent to inflict additiona damage on some combos.

The Hammer's best weapons have one thing in common, which is the ability to inflict status ailments thanks to their fast multi-hit strings alongside the weapon's stun potential.

Best Lances

Weapon	Reason
Skyscraper	・Artian Lance which can be customized to use useful status ailments such as Paralysis and Blast. Can be further reinforced with stat boosts.
Blazing Sital	・Has Whiteflame Torrent which adds additional damage to most of the Lance's normal combos.
Spear of Prominence	・Has Critical Boost which fits affinity-centric builds.

The best Lance weapons rely on their high affinity, and their decoration slots can be slotted Offensive Guard, Guard, or Guard Up, which are essential Lance skills.

Weapon Balance Changes

Weapon Adjustments in Ver 1.011

Weapon Changes in Ver 1.011

・[Fixed] Great Sword: Fixed an issue where guarding immediately after turning would not properly block attacks.

・[Fixed] Long Sword: Fixed an issue where, if a wound was destroyed during the multi-hit sequence of Spirit Helm Breaker, subsequent hits would not register.

・[Fixed] Sword＆Shield: Fixed an issue where performing a Focus Strike with the Sword & Shield on certain terrain would cause the player to continuously slash while falling for several seconds.

・[Fixed] Sword＆Shield: Fixed an issue where Arch-Tempered Rey Dau wouldn't topple even after landing a Focus Strike on a weak point.

・[Fixed] Dual Blades: Fixed an issue where a Sliding Slash could not be canceled.

・[Fixed] Dual Blades: Fixed an issue where Demon Mode attacks could be performed even after exiting Demon Mode.

・Hammer: The overall power of attacks has been increased.

・Hammer: Element scaling for Charge Shot and Overhead Smash has been increased.

・Hammer: You can now evade while readying an Upswing attack.

・Hammer: The responsiveness of actions performed while charging has been improved, and sliding has been made easier to perform.

・Hammer: Enlarged the hitboxes for Upswing and sneak attacks.

・Hammer: The cancel timing for Focus Blow: Earthquake is now slightly earlier.

・[Fixed] Hammer: Fixed an issue where selecting an item from the Custom Radial Menu would not automatically use the item after sheathing your weapon.

・Hunting Horn: Echo Bubble, Performance, and Focus Strike: Reverb damage has been increased.

・Hunting Horn: Encore damage has been significantly increased.

・Hunting Horn: The cancel timings for Encore and Offset Melody are now slightly earlier.

・Hunting Horn: Toned down the visual effects of Echo Bubbles to improve visibility during a hunt.

・Gunlance: The overall power of attacks and element scaling has been increased.

・Gunlance: Elemental values and crit rate now apply to the consecutive hit damage of Wyrmstake Cannon.

・Gunlance: Adjusted the power of Shelling: increased the attack power scaling for "Slightly Weak" and below, and decreased it for "Slightly Strong" and above.

・Gunlance: Increased the attack power scaling for the long shelling type Wyrmstake Cannon.

・Gunlance: Slightly decreased the attack power scaling of Wyrmstake Full Blast, while significantly increasing it for Burst Fire.

・[Fixed] Gunlance: Fixed an issue where the number of hits from Wyvern's Fire varied depending on the frame rate settings.

・Insect Glaive: Improved the behavior of Kinsects so that they fly more accurately in the aimed direction when using Kinsect: Harvest Extract.

・[Fixed] Insect Glaive: Fixed an issue where hitboxes would not function properly when chaining into a Strong Rising Slash Combo from certain attacks.

・[Fixed] Insect Glaive: Fixed an issue where ailments would not be applied by Kinsect attacks despite meeting the conditions.

・[Fixed] Insect Glaive: Fixed an issue where charging your Kinsect consecutively could prevent some of its attacks from hitting monsters.

・Light Bowgun: Normal Ammo damage has been increased.

・Light Bowgun: The amount of Rapid Fire Gauge consumed while using Normal Ammo in Rapid Fire Mode has been decreased.

・Light Bowgun: The amount of Rapid Fire Gauge recovered while using Pierce Ammo has been decreased.

・Light Bowgun: Spread Ammo damage has been increased.

・Light Bowgun: The critical range of Spread Ammo has been extended.

・Light Bowgun: The damage of Rapid Chaser Shot's last shot with Spread Ammo has been increased.

・Light Bowgun: The amount of Rapid Fire Gauge recovered while using Spread Ammo has been increased.

・Light Bowgun: The cancel timing for Spread Ammo is now slightly earlier.

・Light Bowgun: The recoil distance of Spread Ammo has been reduced.

・Light Bowgun: The maximum number of hits from Elemental Ammo has been decreased.

・Light Bowgun: Elemental Ammo damage has been decreased.

・Light Bowgun: The amount of Rapid Fire Gauge consumed while using Elemental Ammo in Rapid Fire Mode has been decreased.

・Light Bowgun: Sticky Ammo damage has been increased.

・Light Bowgun: Sticky Ammo stun value has been increased.

・Light Bowgun: The cancel timing for Sticky Ammo is now slightly earlier.

・Light Bowgun: The maximum number of hits from Dragon Ammo has been increased.

・Heavy Bowgun: Normal Ammo damage has been increased.

・Heavy Bowgun: The amount of Ignition Gauge recovered while using Pierce Ammo has been decreased.

・Heavy Bowgun: Spread Ammo damage has been increased.

・Heavy Bowgun: The critical range of Spread Ammo has been extended.

・Heavy Bowgun: The amount of Ignition Gauge recovered while using Spread Ammo has been increased.

・Heavy Bowgun: The maximum number of hits from Elemental Ammo has been decreased.

・Heavy Bowgun: Elemental Ammo damage has been decreased.

・Heavy Bowgun: Sticky Ammo damage has been increased.

・Heavy Bowgun: Sticky Ammo stun value has been increased.

・Heavy Bowgun: Adjusted the cancel timing for Sticky Ammo to be earlier.

・Heavy Bowgun: Slicing Ammo damage has been increased.

・Heavy Bowgun: Wyvernpiercer Ignition damage has been increased.

・Heavy Bowgun: The maximum number of hits from Dragon Ammo has been increased.

・[Fixed] Bow: Fixed an issue where charging could not be performed after applying coatings while in Aim/Focus Mode.

・[Fixed] Bow: Fixed an issue where some of the damage for Power Shot would not display during combos using Pierce Coating.

・[Fixed] Bow: Fixed an issue where the knockback animation from being hit could be overridden if you fired the bow at the same time.

Several changes were made to the weapons in the 1.011 update. Direct buffs were made to the Hammer and Hunting Horn weapons while ammo adjustments were made to both th Light and Heavy Bowgun. Some other adjustments were also made to the rest of weapons.

Update 1.011.00.00 Patch Notes (May 28)

Weapon Adjustments in Title Update 1

Weapon Changes in Title Update 1

・[Fixed] Fixed an issue where sneak attacks could not be canceled when using light bowgun, heavy bowgun, or bow.

・Lance: Made it easier to land thrust attack finishers after a focus strike in which the first hit causes large knockback.

・[Fixed] Hammer: Fixed an issue where Focus Strikes could not be used quickly after coming to a stop after moving during a charge.

・[Fixed] Light Bowgun: Fixed an issue that caused Wyvernblast to react to Palico attacks.

・[Fixed] Hunting Horn: Fixed an issue where certain actions that required simultaneous inputs were not behaving correctly.

・Heavy bowgun and light bowgun ranged attack capabilities have been adjusted when riding a Seikret.

・Bow: Dragon Piercer damage has been decreased.

・Bow: Power Volley elemental values have been increased.

・Bow: Thousand Dragons damage has been increased. This includes when using Close-range Coating and Power Coating.

・Bow: Power Shot and Power Volley are now affected by the skill Charge Master.

Title Update 1 brought along Version 1.010.00.00 of the game, which included a couple of adjustments for some weapons.

Title Update 1 Patch Notes 1.010.00.00
(April 3)

Weapon Poll

Which Do You Think Is the Best Weapon?

Bow 265

Votes

Charge Blade 139

Votes

Dual Blades 171

Votes

Great Sword 120

Votes

Gunlance 147

Votes

Hammer 103

Votes

Heavy Bowgun 51

Votes

Hunting Horn 98

Votes

Insect Glaive 257

Votes

Lance 97

Votes

Light Bowgun 44

Votes

Long Sword 149

Votes

Switch Axe 94

Votes

Sword and Shield 166

Votes

Monster Hunter Wilds Related Guides

Monster Hunter Wilds Walkthrough Wiki

Monster Hunter Wilds Wiki Contents
Weapons	Armor Sets
Monsters	Builds
Story Walkthrough	Artian Weapons
Maps and Locations	Items and Materials
Tips and Tricks	Game Mechanics
Endemic Life	Skills
Decorations	Talismans
Characters	Quests
Palico	Trophies
Cosmetics	Furniture
Festivals	News and Game Info
Message Boards

Recommended Guides

Best Weapons Tier List	Secondary Weapons
Weapon Combos	Best Items to Bring
Armor Set Search	Endgame Guide
Unchangeable Features and Missables	Best Skills
Best Beginner Weapons	Easter Eggs and Secrets
Respawn Timers	Is MH Wilds Too Easy?
Best Meals and Food Effects	Best Status Effect
List of All Bugged Skills	Best Co-op Strategies
Weapon Popularity Tier List	How to Prepare for Title Update 1
Weapon Changes from the Beta	Weapon Changes from Rise and World
List of All DLC and Prices	All Event Armor and Weapons
Talisman Rating Tool	Best Talismans

Comment

Anonymous 9 months

IG in B despite having one of the fastest times in speedruns?????????

Anonymous about 1 year

SnS had better times than many weapons in beta so I dont think it deserves to be bottom tier

See more comments (7 Comments)

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