How to Stun Monsters

Players could stun monsters by dealing blunt damage through different weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds. Learn what stun is, which attacks deal blunt damage, and the benefits of stunning monsters here!

How to Stun Monsters

Deal Blunt Damage to the Monster's Head

To deal stun damage, you should deal blunt damage on the monster's head . Eventually, stun damage accumulates and once it reaches a certain threshold, the monster will be stunned.

Unfortunately, the more you stun a monster the harder it is to do it again because the threshold increases after every stun. This is a game feature that prevents you from consecutively stunning monsters. The ways you can deal blunt damage to monsters are as follows:

• Hammer Attacks
• Hunting Horn Attacks
• Great Sword - Tackle
• Lance - Shield Bash
• Sword and Shield - Shield Bash
• Insect Glaive - Blunt Kinsect
• Charge Blade - Impact Phials
• Switch Axe - Exhaust Phials
• Bowgun - Sticky Ammo
• Bow - Exhaust Coating
• Palico Blunt Weapons

Hammer Attacks

Platform	Move Input
PC	(At Charge Level 3) ↓ + ↓ (Hold until red then release)
PS5	(At Charge Level 3) ↓ + ↓ (Hold until red then release)
Xbox	(At Charge Level 3) ↓ + ↓ (Hold until red then release)

All of Hammer's attacks deal blunt damage. The new Hammer move called Mighty Charge is one of the hardest hitting moves you can unleash on a monster's head to deal a lot of stun damage.

Hammer Guide

Hunting Horn Attacks

Most of Hunting Horn's attacks deal blunt damage. In Monster Hunter Wilds, the weapon replaces its traditional support-centric playstyle with a more offensive one, allowing you to play your melodies while dealing high damage through perfectly timed performance extensions.

Do note, however, that some Hunting Horn attacks don't deal blunt damage, such as the Severing Echo Bubbles and the Hilt Stab.

Hunting Horn Weapon Guide

Great Sword - Tackle

Action	PC	PS5	Xbox
Tackle	While Charging	While Charging	While Charging

Aside from being able to mitigate monster attacks, the Great Sword can deal blunt damage through its Tackle move. Aim for the monster's head as you perform a tackle to soften monster blows and deal blunt damage at the same time.

Great Sword Weapon Guide

Lance - Shield Bash

Action	PC	PS5	Xbox
Guard ▼ Guard Dash ▼ Shield Attack	▼ + + ▼	▼ + + ▼	▼ + + ▼

Lance players could take advantage of the shield attack or bash move to deal blunt damage. Keep in mind that this only deals a small amount of blunt damage, so you would have to spam it numerous times to stun monsters.

Lance Weapon Guide

Sword and Shield - Shield Bash

Platform	Combo Input
PC	(Keep Holding W) + → + → +
PS5	(Keep Tilting the Left Stick Forwards) + → + → +
Xbox	(Keep Tilting the Left Stick Forwards) + → + → +

You can use the Sword and Shield's Shield Bash combo to consecutively deal stun damage. Make sure that all of your inputs connect to the monster's head in order to take them down quickly.
Sword & Shield Weapon Guide

Insect Glaive - Blunt Kinsect

If you're an Insect Glaive user and you want to have a chance to stun monsters, make sure to equip a Kinsect with Blunt attack type. This would allow you to deal stun damage whenever your Kinsect hits the monster's head.

Insect Glaive Weapon Guide

Charge Blade - Impact Phials

Note: Impact Phials is still not in the demo but will be present in the game's full release.

Charge Blade with Impact Phials also has the capability to stun monsters when unleashing attacks enhanced by phial charges. Similar to other weapons, you would have to hit the monster's head with phial-enhanced attacks to deal stun damage.

Charge Blade Weapon Guide

Switch Axe - Exhaust Phials

Note: Exhaust Phials are still not in the demo but will be present in the game's full release.

Switch Axes come with different phial types that affect the explosions during Amped State attacks. Exhaust Phials not only exhaust monsters but can also deal a small amount of stun damage, which could potentially take down monsters.

Switch Axe Weapon Guide

Bowguns - Sticky Ammo

Numerous Heavy Bowguns and Light Bowguns can use Sticky Ammo to stun monsters. Sticky Ammos are bullets that attach themselves to monsters and explode after a delay. Aim for the monster's head to deal remarkable stun damage!

Bow - Exhaust Coating

Note: Exhaust Coating is still not in the demo but will be present in the game's full release.

Certain Bows can apply Exhaust Coatings to their arrows. These coatings are primarily used to exhaust monsters but can also deal stun damage when hitting a monster's head.

Bow Weapon Guide

Palicos with Blunt Weapons

Your Palico is also capable of dealing stun damage through Palico weapons with Blunt damage type. Although they won't be able to build up a good amount of stun by themselves, this is still a considerable option if you want to stun monsters as often as possible.

Palico Guide

Benefits of Stunning Monsters

Chance to Deal High Damage Combos

Once a monster is stunned, it will most likely flail on the ground with stars on its head. This creates an opportunity for hunters to dish out high-damage combos that they wouldn't be able to use otherwise when the monster is alert and moving.

What is Stun?

A Status Effect that Topple Monsters

A stun is a status effect that occurs when you deal enough stun damage to a monster's head. You'll know a monster is stunned when they have circles around their heads and they are flailing on the ground.

Flashes Do Not Count as Stun

Monsters can have the same visual effect when you blind them with Flash Bombs or Flashflies, but it doesn't actually count as a stun. The monsters can still freely move, and these don't contribute to the stun threshold.

Monster Hunter Wilds Related Guides

Tips and Tricks

All Tips and Tricks Guides

All Tips and Tricks
Wounding Mechanic Explained	How to Use Focus Mode and Focus Strike
Multiplayer Guide: How to Play Co-Op	How to Skip and Pause Cutscenes
How to Use the SOS Flare	How to Change and Switch Weapons
How to Sharpen Weapons	How to Cook and Eat Meals
Weather System Explained	Seikret Mount Features and Abilities
Character Creator Guide	How to Guard and Block Attacks
Seikret Mount Features and Abilities	How to Change the Palico's Language and Voice
How to Heal and Increase HP	How to Restore and Increase Stamina
How to Use the Slinger	How to Mount Monsters
How to Trigger a Power Clash	Best Keyboard Settings and Key Bindings
Can You Change Game Difficulty?	What is Arachnophobia Mode?
How to Sneak Attack Monsters	How to Fast Travel
Is There a Training Area?	How to Capture Monsters
List of Status Effects	How to Set and Activate Traps
Scoutfly Guide: How to Track Monsters	How to Start Quests
How to Stun Monsters	How to Start Monster Fights and Turf Wars
How to Separate Monster Herds	-