These are the best High Rank Gunlance builds in Monster Hunter Wilds. Learn about all the builds in the late game, tips for building for High Rank, and the best Skills and Armor pieces to use with the Gunlance while in High Rank.

Gunlance Builds Progression (High Rank)

Note that if you are still comfortable with a previous build you're using, you can skip some builds. This is a suggested build progression that you can follow until endgame.

Burst Agitator 2.0 GL from HR36++ Still Great!

Even with the release of Zoh Shia, the Frenzy Burst build from HR36++ is still the best in terms of balance between DPS and comfort. Although you can get Agitator from the Zoh Shia set, as well as the new Super Recovery skill, you will need to replace the Jin Dahaad armor pieces, which will make you lose the +25 Raw attack that Binding Counter provides. As such, there are no changes to current endgame build for now!

Endgame High Rank Build (HR 36++)

Burst Agitator 2.0 GL

Effective Raw

280.8

Effective Element

26.56

Raw Crit Damage

1.25x

Element Crit Damage

1.00x

Attack

552

Element

250

Affinity

-10%

Sharpness

Defense

265

vs. Fire

-14

vs. Water

-1

vs. Thunder

-6

vs. Ice

4

vs. Dragon

6

Weapon Skills

ArtilleryLv.3

GuardLv.3

Load ShellsLv.2

FocusLv.1

Armor Skills

AgitatorLv.5

BurstLv.5

CounterstrikeLv.3

AmbushLv.2

AdaptabilityLv.1

ConstitutionLv.1

Set Skills

Ebony Odogaron's PowerLv.1

Jin Dahaad's RevoltLv.1

Best Weapon

Non-Artian Weapon

Artian Alternative

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
G. Lawful Bors	8	552	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	③③①	250	-10%
Skills	Guard Lv. 2
Shelling Type	Wide
Shelling Power	Slightly Strong

Weapon Decorations	Artillery Jewel III【3】 x1 Magazine/Ironwall Jwl【3】 x1 Focus Jewel【1】 x1

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Argenesis	8	518	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	③③③	350	5%
Shelling Type	Normal
Shelling Power	Normal

The stats above are showing the Artian Weapon stats before any production bonuses were applied.

Weapon Decorations	Magazine/Ironwall Jwl【3】 x1 Guardian/Ironwall Jwl【3】 x1 Artillery Jewel III【3】 x1

Production Bonus	Artian Reinforcements
• Element +20 • Attack +5 • Attack +5 • Attack +5 Element Type: Any Element	• Attack +5 • Attack +5 • Attack +5 • Attack +5 • Sharpness +30

The Guardian Arkveld Gunlance G. Lawful Bors is perhaps the best Gunlance in the game right now, thanks to its high Attack and Slightly Strong Wide Shelling, making it perfect for the Shelling playstyle.

For Decorations, Equip a Magazine/Ironwall Jewel for Load Shells and the last Guard level, and an Artillery Jewel III to strengthen your Shelling damage. Lastly, equip a Focus Jewel to help charge your Wyvern's Fire faster. If you do not have the proper hybrid jewel, it is okay to equip a Magazine Jewel III instead.

Alternatively, you can equip the Artian Gunlance Argenesis. When crafting your Argenesis, try to get three Attack Infusions as your main source of damage is your Shelling, which scales off of your attack and does not crit. Also make sure that you have Normal Shelling. Afterward, try to get at least one or two Sharpness Infusions, and Attack infusions for the rest.

As for the Decorations, try to equip hybrid decorations, such as the Magazine/Ironwall Jewel and the Guardian/Ironwall Jewel. You should also equip a Artillery Jewel III to increase your Shelling damage. If you do not have the correct hybrid jewels, it is okay to equip a Magazine Jewel II and a Guardian Jewel III instead.

Burst Agitator 2.0 Loadout

Armor	Slots	Skills
G. Ebony Helm β	ーー	Burst Lv. 2
Blango Mail β	ーー	Agitator Lv. 2
Dahaad Shardbraces β	ーー	Adaptability Lv. 1 Agitator Lv. 1
G. Ebony Coil β	ー	Burst Lv. 1
Dahaad Shardgreaves β	ーー	Agitator Lv. 2
Charm	Chain Charm II
Armor Decorations	Counter Jewel【2】 x3 Ambush Jewel【2】 x2 Physique Jewel【1】 x1

Skill Summary

The skill summary above takes note of all the skills if you use the G. Lawful Bors.

This build revolves around maximizing the damage buff from Burst, which you can easily stack when you perform a Wyrmstake Full Blast combo like the one listed in our Gunlance Weapon Guide. Other than Burst's ramping attack buff, Artillery will increase the damage of your Shelling, further increasing your damage output, while Agitator will increase your Attack and Affinity whenever the enemy is enraged.

Counterstrike will provide additional damage whenever you are sent flying by an enemy attack, while Ambush will provide a 30 second Attack buff, which should be enough to cover your entire opening Wyrmstake Full Blast to Wyvern's Fire combo.

Guard and Constitution will reduce the Stamina drain of blocking, helping you defend against more attacks. Should you enter a Power Clash, Binding Counter will increase your attack for a while, further increasing your damage.

If you prefer to break monster parts instead, you can choose to equip three Destroyer Jewels instead of Counter Jewels. You will, however, lose 25 Raw Attack from Counterstrike.

Armor Alternatives

Armor Alternatives	Explanation
Numinous Shroud β	Agitator Lv. 2 •　Has the same armor skills as Blango Mail β, but with higher defense and a Level 3 Deco slot. •　Available upon reaching HR 50.

Once you reach HR50, you will unlock the ability to fight Zoh Shia. You can then swap out the Blango Mail β for Numinous Shroud β. This gives you the same level of Agitator, but with more defense and a Level 3 Decoration slot.

This also allows you to equip 2 Chain Jewels on the Level 3 Decoration slots, which lets you equip a different Charm such as the Fitness Charm V or the Earplugs Charm II.

Best Mantles to Use

Best Mantles	Explanation
Rocksteady Mantle	•　Negates knockback, allowing you to perform your charge attacks without getting interrupted •　You will need to keep watch of your HP as it does not negate damage.
Corrupted Mantle	•　Increases weapon affinity by up to 30% and Attack by up to 20. •　Enough attacks must be made to remove the health penalty and activate additional weapon buffs.

For this build, we suggest using the Rocksteady Mantle so that you can focus on attacking without fear of getting sent flying. This will also help activate Counterstrike. While using this mantle, however, keep watch of your HP as you still take damage.

Alternatively, you can also bring the Corrupted Mantle for increased Affiniity and Attack. Although you won't be able to maximize the Affiniity increase, the Attack boost will be a huge help. You will, however, need to activate the mantle's second effect to enjoy the Attack boost.

Make sure to take note of your chosen mantle's active period and the cooldown afterwards!

Best Secondary Weapons

Weapon & Type	Explanation
Ableben Abzug (Heavy Bowgun)	•　Has strong Pierce Ammo, which synergizes well with Burst and Agitator. •　Has access to Slicing Ammo, allowing you to sever tails from a distance. •　Can use Dragon Ammo, which is a rare but strong ammo type.
Rathling Phoenix (Light Bowgun)	•　Can Rapid Fire Level 2 Pierce ammo, which synergizes well with Burst and the Bowgun's Critical Boost •　Can also Rapid Fire Level 2 Flaming Ammo, making it strong against monsters weak to Fire. •　Can Rapid Fire Poison Ammo, making it easier to poison monsters.

Build Playstyle and Combos

The recommended playstyle to maximize the build is as follows:

1. Always try to initiate with a Sneak Attack to activate the 10% attack increase from Ambush 2.
2. Follow up with a Wide-Sweep into a Wyrmstake Full Blast to trigger the full effect of Burst 5.
3. Prepare to block for any upcoming attack. Aim to trigger a Power Clash to get the +25 raw attack from Binding Counter I
4. From then, continue following up with either Wyrmstake Full Blast or a Burst Fire Combo, depending on the monster opening.
5. Release your Wyvern's Fire whenever available to deal the most amount of damage.

The best playstyle for this build is to simply maintain your full stack of Burst by alternating between a Wyrmstake Full Blast, Burst Fire Combo, or the Wyvern's Fire Charge and Release, depending on how long your opening is. Do not forget to fire your Wyvern Fire whenever it is available, since this is your highest damaging move.

You can equip your Rocksteady Mantle at the beginning of the fight to easily commit to the Gunlance's long animations and trigger Counterstrike without having to break your momentum. Another great tip that will increase both your survivability and damage is to slightly delay your inputs when a monster is active so you can insert or time your blocks to counter any attack!

Gunlance Weapon Guide and Best Combos

High Rank Build (HR 21 to HR 35)

Burst Agitator Gunlance

Best Weapon

Artian Weapon

Non-Artian Alternative

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Artian Cannon I	6	472	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	②②②	300	5%
Shelling Type	Normal
Shelling Power	Normal

The stats above are showing the Artian Weapon stats before any production bonuses were applied.

Weapon Decorations	Magazine Jewel II【2】 x1 Artillery Jewel II【2】 x1 Artillery Jewel【1】 x1

Production Bonus	Reinforcement Prioritization
• Attack +5 • Attack +5 • Attack +5 Element Type: Any (Optional)	• Attack +5 • Attack +5 • Attack +5 • Attack +5 • Sharpness +30

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Albirath Rook II	6	414	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	②①ー	260	15%
Skills	Critical Element Lv. 1 Master's Touch Lv. 1
Shelling Type	Wide
Shelling Power	Slightly Strong

Weapon Decorations	Magazine Jewel II【2】 x1 Artillery Jewel【1】 x1

Since your Shelling does not crit, get as much Attack Infusion as you can. Getting an Elemental infusion is optional as your Shelling does not deal Elemental or Status Damage. When rolling for Reinforcements, try to get as much Attack and Sharpness as possible to deal even more damage. For decorations, equip Magazine Jewel II for more Shells, and Artillery Jewels to maximize your Shelling damage.

For an alternative, you can also equip Albirath Rook II, which has slightly strong Wide Shelling. Equipping Magazine Jewel II will increase its ammo capacity, which in turn increases your damage, especially when you perform a Wyrmstake Full Blast combo. This damage is further increased thanks to the Artillery Jewel I.

Burst Agitator Gunlance Armor Loadout

Armor	Slots	Skills
G. Ebony Helm β	ーー	Burst Lv. 2
Blango Mail β	ーー	Agitator Lv. 2
G. Ebony Braces β	ー	Divine Blessing Lv. 1 Burst Lv. 1
Blango Coil β	ー	Agitator Lv. 2
Mizutsune Greaves β	ーー	Burst Lv. 2
Charm	Challenger Charm I
Armor Decorations	Ambush Jewel【2】 x2 Counter Jewel【2】 x2 Physique Jewel【1】 x3

Skill Summary

The skill summary above takes note of all the skills if you use the Artian Weapon.

This High Rank build takes advantage of Burst to deal a lot of damage, which you can easily stack whenever you perform your Wyrmstake Full Blast combo. Artillery will increase the damage of your Shelling, making your Shelling combos stronger especially when combined with Load Shells to increase your Shells amount.

Agtiator provides 20 Raw attack whenever the monster is enraged, while Counterstrike provides another 25 Raw attack whenever you get launched back. Ambush will also provide an attack boost at the start of the fight when you perform a Sneak Attack.

Constitution will help lower your Stamina consumption when blocking and dodging, while Divine Blessing will sometimes reduce the damage you take.

Best Secondary Weapons

Weapon & Type	Explanation
Rathling Gun I (Light Bowgun)	•　A great secondary weapon that can Rapid Fire Level 2 Pierce Ammo, which synergizes with this build's Burst and Maximum Might •　Has Critical Boost, further strengthening any Critical attacks your Bowgun deals. •　Can also Rapid Fire Fire Ammo and Poison Ammo.
Grounding Fulgur I (Heavy Bowgun)	•　A great Heavy Bowgun with a focus on shooting Thunder Ammo. •　Has Critical Element, which will help increase your Elemental damage alongside this build's Burst and Maximum Might.

High Rank Build (HR 9 to HR 20)

Resentment Burst Gunlance

Best Weapon

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Quematrice Culebrina III	5	391	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	②①ー	200	5%
Skills	Guard Lv. 2
Shelling Type	Normal
Shelling Power	Slightly Strong

The Quematrice Culebrina III's slightly strong Normal Shelling, high attack, and Blue Sharpness makes it a great gunlance for the early parts of High Rank. Its Guard also helps you survive more attacks during a hunt.

Equip an Artillery Jewel II and an Artillery Jewel I to this Gunlance to further increase the strength of its Shelling.

Alternative Weapon Choices

Weapon	Rarity	ATK	DEF
Hope Gunlance IV	5	368	0
	Slots	Element	Affinity
	②①ー		0%
Skills	Critical Eye Lv. 1 Speed Sharpening Lv. 2
Shelling Type	Normal
Shelling Power	Normal

Hope Gunlance IV use Normal Shelling, which is used in one of the Gunlance's best combos. Additionally, the weapon's Critical Eye will provide additional Affinity to this build, while Speed Sharpening keeps you in the fight longer by shortening sharpening times.

It is recommended to slot in an Artillery Jewel II and an Artillery Jewel I to this Gunlance to further increase the strength of its Shelling.

Resentment Burst Gunlance Armor Loadout

Armor	Slots	Skills
Gypceros Helm β	ー	Stamina Surge Lv. 1
Conga Mail α	ーーー	Intimidator Lv. 2 Burst Lv. 1
Gypceros Vambraces β	ーー	Resentment Lv. 2
Gypceros Coil α	ー	Stamina Surge Lv. 1 Resentment Lv. 1
Conga Greaves β	ーー	Burst Lv. 1
Charm	Chain Charm I
Decorations List	Weapon Decorations: Artillery Jewel【1】 x1 Artillery Jewel II【2】 x1 Armor Decorations: Counter Jewel【2】 x2 Sheath Jewel【1】 x3 Physique Jewel【1】 x1

Skill Summary

This early High Rank build focuses on dealing as much damage as possible through various means. Artillery will increase the damage of the Gunlance's Shelling, while Burst will provide additional damage as long as you keep attacking. This will automatically reach max strength after you perform a Wyrmstake Full Blast or Burst Fire.

Resentment will be easy to activate, as blocking normally with the Gunlance will result in some chip damage, which will give you red HP to activate Resentment. Counterstrike will provide additional damage should you fail to block an attack and get sent flying back.

Quick Sheathe will help when you have to sheathe your weapon for more mobility, while Stamina Surge and Constitution will help your Stamina recover quicker after performing a block or evade.

Best Secondary Weapons

Weapon & Type	Explanation
Hope Rifle IV (Light Bowgun)	•　Has Rapid Fire on Normal and Spread Ammo, both of which are strong when combined with Weakness Exploit •　Has access to Poison, Recover, and Demon ammo, making it perfect as a support weapon for solo and multiplayer play.
Chicken Decapitator I (Great Sword)	•　A great secondary weapon that can shoot take advantage of this build's Affinity and damage increasing skills. •　Has Focus and Charge Master, making powerful True Charged Slashes possible.

Monster Hunter Wilds Related Guides

List of Builds for Each Weapon

All Weapon Builds in Monster Hunter Wilds

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

Non-Meta Builds in Monster Hunter Wilds