This is a guide about the best skills for Gunlances. Read on to know which skills to look out for when making a Gunlance build and why.

Offensive Skills

Attack Up

Gunlance Shells and Wyvern's Fire do NOT crit - which is why I recommend Attack Up over the usual Affinity Skills for Gunlances.

Artillery

The Artillery skill boosts the Gunlance's shell attacks by 30% and reduces Wyvern's Fire's cooldown by 50% at level three (Artillery level four and five are unlocked via the Artillery Secret Skill).

This Skill is a MUST-HAVE for all Gunlances regardless of Shelling Type.

Agitator

The introduction of the Clutch Claw made the Agitator Skill a community staple when making builds. When active, Agitator grants hunters +20 attack and affinity by 10% at level five. (Level six and seven are unlocked via the Agitator Secret Skill.)

The Clutch Claw, specifically its Flinch Shot Attack, gave hunters the ability to enrage the monster whenever the opportunity presents itself. This gave hunters a way to maintain their Agitator's up-time.

Partbreaker

Partbreaker is particularly useful for Gunlances as it boosts Part Damage by 30% at level three.

This direct increase in part damage compliments the Gunlance's efficiency in picking a specific monster part and focusing on it until the part breaks.

Partbreaker damage increase does NOT reflect in floating damage numbers.

Defensive Skills

Guard

The Guard Skill is considered to be the most important skill in any hunter's Gunlance build. The Guard Skill bolsters a Gunlance's blocking efficiency. Hunters will receive a massive improvement in impact absorption and a 50% reduction in stamina depletion when blocking attacks at level five.

A hunter's mobility is severly limited when the Gunlance is unsheathed. This skill ensures that hunters can stand their ground and block attacks in almost every scenario.

It is recommended that hunters invest in at least three points in Guard should they decide to incorporate it within their builds.

Guard Up

Another favorite for blocking hunters. The Guard Up Skill allows hunters to block otherwise unblockable attacks from monsters.

Evade Extender

Evade Extender is a skill that greatly increases the evasion distance at level three.

This skill is particularly useful with Gunlances as the increase in it's hopping distance can translate in drastic improvements for both offensive and defensive capablities.

Offensive Guard

The Offensive Guard Skill increases a hunter's attack by 15% for a few seconds whenever a perfectly-timed block is executed.

This compliments the Gunlance well as Gunlance hunters typically want to be in the thick of any fight.

Health Boost

It never hurts to pump up one's HP! Health Boost increases a hunter's Health by 50 at level three, making it a solid addition to any build - especially early on in the game.

Utility Skills

Focus

Focus allows Gunlances to charge their shells 15% faster at level three. This skill is mostly recommended for Gunlance builds that use Wide or Long Shelling Types.

Capacity Boost

Capacity boost is a straight-forward skill that increases the Gunlance's maximum shell count by one. While this can be incorporated to any Shelling Type, It is particularly effective in Gulances with Normal Shelling Types.

Speed Sharpening

Gunlance Shellings and Wyvern's Fire can pierce a monster's hide when dishing out their damage. The trade-off is that Gunlances tend to lose sharpness faster than any other weapon in the game.

Speed Sharpening is an excellent solution to this problem as it removes three cycles of the sharpening animation at level three.

Related Monster Hunter World(MHW) Guides

All Skills

List of All Skills

Best Skills for Each Weapon

Recommendations for Other Weapons
Charge Blade	Dual Blades	Long Sword	Sword & Shield
Switch Axe	Insect Glaive	Hunting Horn	Great Sword
Lance	Gunlance	Hammer	Bow
Heavy Bowgun		Light Bowgun

Weapon Related Guides

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	Overall Best List	Best Skills
	Layered Weapon Augments
	Best Great Sword for Each Element
	Best Great Sword for Iceborne
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	Overall Best List	Best Skills
	Layered Weapon Augments
	Best Long Sword for Each Element
	Best Long Sword for Iceborne
Swords and Shields	Trees & Full List	How to Use
	Overall Best List	Best Skills
	Layered Weapon Augments
	Best Sword and Shield for Each Element
	Best Sword and Shield for Iceborne
Dual Blades	Trees & Full List	How to Use
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	Layered Weapon Augments
	Best Dual Blades for Each Element
	Best Dual Blades for Iceborne
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	Layered Weapon Augments
	Best Hammer for Each Element
	Best Hammers for Iceborne
Hunting Horns	Trees & Full List	How to Use
	Overall Best List	Best Skills
	Layered Weapon Augments
	Best Hunting Horn for Each Element
	Best Hunting Horn for Iceborne
	Hunting Horn Notes and Effects
Lances	Trees & Full List	How to Use
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	Layered Weapon Augments
	Best Lance for Each Element
	Best Lance for Iceborne
Gunlances	Trees & Full List	How to Use
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	Best Gunlance for Each Element
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Charge Blade	Trees & Full List	How to Use
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Insect Glaive	Trees & Full List	How to Use
	Overall Best List	Best Skills
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Kinsects
Kinsects	Kinsect Tree and Complete Kinsect List	Best and Recommended Kinsects

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Bows	Trees & Full List	How to Use
	Overall Best List	Best Skills
	Layered Weapon Augments
	Best Bow for Each Element
Light Bowguns	Trees & Full List	How to Use
	Overall Best List	Best Skills
	Layered Weapon Augments
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Heavy Bowguns	Trees & Full List	How to Use
	Overall Best List	Best Skills
	Layered Weapon Augments
	Best Heavy Bowgun for Each Element