How to Use Gunlance

This is a guide on how to use the high-explosive melee gun hybrid of Monster Hunter World (MHW), the Gunlance. Read on more to learn about their controls and how to effectively use them.

Gunlance Basic Controls

Base Game Controls

Normal Stance

	Lateral Thrust I
	Shelling
+	Upward Thrust
+	Quick Reload
	Block
	Aim Slinger (unsheathed)
+	Fire Slinger

While Blocking (holding R2)

	Guard Thrust
	Full Reload
+	Wyvern Fire
	Block
	Align Facing to Camera Direction

Iceborne Exclusive Controls

+	Fire Clutch Claw

Shelling

Shelling is the firing of the gunlance like an actual gun. The bullet does not travel, but it causes an explosion at the tip of the lance. What's unique about this is that it ignores monster armor, although each shot takes double the sharpness of a normal hit. These rounds also need to be reloaded if they run out, though at the cost of no items.

Wyvern Fire

Wyvern Fire is a massive explosion that causes overheating of the gunlance. Once doing this, you'll notice your weapon physically open up and expose a hot-red portion. As long as this shows up on your weapon, your Wyvern Fire is on cooldown.

Wyrmstake Cannon

The Wyrmstake Cannon is a sharp blade that can get stuck in monsters, causing damage over time for a few seconds and culminating after. It's usually the last strike of a combo and it cannot reload via quick reloads, only full reloads when blocking. Take note however that these are easy to miss as there's a few second delay between the thrust and ejection of the Wyrmstake.

Blocking

Second to the Lance, the Gunlance's blocking is best in-game. As long as you have stamina, you can block most of the attacks monsters can throw at you. Be aware, however, that some attacks can break through your block, and these attacks often deal massive damage.

Best Gunlance Combos

Closing Distance Combo

> > >

This basic combo is a good way to close distance against enemies, ending up with a strong shot. This combo attacks mostly frontwards.

High Damage Combo

+ > > >

This is one of the stronger combos. The first two attacks hit overhead, followed by a third wide slash, then a final hit that's a Wyrmstake Cannon hit.

Double Shot to Wyrmstake Cannon

> >

This is a simple combo that shoots two shots and ends with a Wyrmstake Cannon strike. Very useful and should often be followed by a full reload.

Upward Shots to Wyrmstake

+ > > > >

To shoot upwards, which is especially useful if you're underneath a monster, start with an upward strike, then proceed to shoot while the lance is up. The shots and the Wyrmstake will go upwards instead of forwards, allowing you to deal damage directly above you.

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