The top picks for our Monster Hunter Wilds best weapon tier list are the Gunlance, Long Sword, and Bow. Discover the best weapon to unleash your full hunting potential and stay on top of every hunt here!

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Best Weapon Tier List

Weapon Tier List

Tier	Weapon
This tier list has been updated with the team's insights up until the endgame using this set of criteria; however, the rankings are still subject to change as new weapon mechanics and skill interactions are discovered!

The best weapons to use in Monster Hunter Wilds are the Gunlance, Long Sword, and Bow. These three weapons requires a bit of mastery but can produce the highest DPS while being able to offer some survivability with dodges, guards, and counter moves.

The Gunlance is an absolute powerhouse that can consistently deal explosive damage and block attacks, offering both high DPS and survivability.

The Long Sword, the quintessential counter weapon, is on top of the current meta due to the availability of numerous counterattack options and invulnerability frames, all while dealing strong sever damage!

The Bow currently has one of the highest firepower due to the powerful elemental options and new mechanics introduced to the weapon.

All Weapons and Guides

Tier List Criteria

Damage Output	Considers the weapon's potential damage output and DPS. 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.
Entry Barrier	Considers how hard the weapon is to pick up and learn the mechanics and basics.
Difficulty to Master	Considers how hard it is to master the weapon and bring out its latent potential.

The tier list was created based on weapons with the highest DPS potential while also offering strong survivability options. Weapon complexity, consistency, and the mastery required to achieve the fastest clear times were also considered.

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, requires more time and effort when in comparison to the higher tier weapons.

Prioritize Your Favorite Weapon Over the Meta

At the end of the day, all weapons can do well at the hands of an experienced player. Although this tier list is meant to show which weapons are performing well in general, we highly recommend playing with any weapon you want!

Best Weapon Rankings Explained

SS Tier Weapons

Jump to a Tier!

Gunlance

Gunlance	Damage Output
	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
	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

Long Sword

Long Sword	Damage Output
	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
	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. Additionally, the Long Sword received a new move called Crimson Slash that 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

Bow

Bow	Damage Output
	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
	Medium	★★★★☆

The Bow 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

S Tier Weapons

Jump to a Tier!

Great Sword

Great Sword	Damage Output
	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
	Low	★★★☆☆

The Great Sword has an S Tier rating because of the quality-of-life improvements that came with Focus Mode and the True Charged Slash. This is because instead of using the old tackle combo, you can instead 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

Sword and Shield

Sword and Shield	Damage Output
	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
	Low	★★★☆☆

The Sword and Shield returns with more invincibility frames during its Backstep, allowing it to evade attacks better. It also now has a Perfect Guard that can nullify many attacks with little penalty, making it very safe 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

Heavy Bowgun

Heavy Bowgun	Damage Output
	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
	Low	★★☆☆☆

The Heavy Bowgun can dish out decent damage, especially with the Wounding mechanic and the powerful Ignition Mode, while still having strong defensive capabilities. Additionally, they 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

Insect Glaive

Insect Glaive	Damage Output
	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
	High	★★★☆☆

The Insect Glaive in Monster Hunter Wilds 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

A Tier Weapons

Jump to a Tier!

Charge Blade

Charge Blade	Damage Output
	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
	High	★★★☆☆

The Charge Blade delivers outstanding damage with phial explosions from Element Discharges and pure raw multi-hits with Savage Axe. But it is definitely not the easiest. You will need to put in a lot of work to deal damage — this makes it stay at A tier. 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

Dual Blades

Dual Blades	Damage Output
	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
	Low	★★★☆☆

Dual Blades 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

Light Bowgun

Light Bowgun	Damage Output
	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
	Low	★☆☆☆☆

The Light Bowgun 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

Switch Axe

Switch Axe	Damage Output
	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
	Medium	★★☆☆☆

The Switch Axe uses powerful attacks that takes advantage of its long reach and access to knockback immunity. It can be bit hard for beginners 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 at it as you use it more. However, if you do not want to play it mechanically, a play-style 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.

A lot of the problems in the Open Beta Test has since been fixed including the addition of knockback immunity during Full Release Slash, better overall counterattack timings, and more. It is a weapon that is fun to use, but expect a bit of a learning curve!

Switch Axe Guides
Weapon Guide	Best Builds

B Tier Weapons

Jump to a Tier!

Hunting Horn

Hunting Horn	Damage Output
	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
	High	★★★★★

The Hunting Horn is good due to both its support and damage capabilities. It is the definite support weapon in nature, being able to give very useful 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 has come a long way from World, now allowing you to stack successive notes within certain moves along with a perfect input mechanic. Though the Hunting Horn 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

Lance

Lance	Damage Output
	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
	Low	★★★★☆

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

Hammer

Hammer	Damage Output
	Entry Barrier	Difficulty to Master
	Low	★★★★☆

The Hammer is a rugged weapon capable of knocking down any monster with its chunky hits in exchange for having a time commitment with its charges. If you are adept at dodging attacks with the Charging Sway and can reliably hit offsets with the new Upswing, you can give your party members a ton of free time to deal damage since KOs will be plentiful!

However, the Hammer has one of the shortest ranges out of all the weapon types. The Hammer also takes significantly more effort to deal the same amount of damage the other high-tier weapons are capable of.

Hammer Guides
Weapon Guide	Best Builds

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. ・ Its Slightly Strong Wide Shelling helps it deal even more damage, especially when partnered with the skill Load Shells.
Argenesis (Sleep)	・Can be modified to have as much attack as the G. Lawful Bors but without the negative affinity. ・Its element can be modified to any element you need, although you do need to take note of its Shelling type.
Firetrail Quemador	・Can take advantage of Slight Strong Normal Shelling. ・Generally a great all-around Gunlance thanks to its guard, high attack, and positive affinity.

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.
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.
Wild Stinger	・Has access to Cluster Bomb and Paralysis and Recover Ammo. ・Has Special Ammo Boost, which will empower its Special Ammos like Wyvernheart Ignition.

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	・Has access to Blast which improves the weapon's knockdown potential. ・Has Divine Protection and All Ailments Negated.
Resounding Galahad	・Has high raw damage. ・Has a useful set of songs, including Restore Sharpness and Resounding Melody. ・Has innate Slugger 2 and Horn Maestro 2.
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.
Nerscrapper	・Has exceptional white sharpness and a respectable affinity bonus. ・A Sleep Hammer which can consistently put monsters to sleep.
Huracan Hammer	・Elemental hammer with innate Critical Boost to boost critical hit damage.

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.
Fieberschild	・Has Critical Element which fits affinity-centric builds.
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.

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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	Endemic Life
Skills	Decorations
Talismans	Characters
Quests	Palico
Trophies	Cosmetics
Furniture	News and Game Info
Message Boards	-

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Best Meals and Food Effects	Best Status Effect
List of All Bugged Skills	Best Co-op Strategies
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