Monster Hunter Wilds has 14 unique weapons that you will be able to try out as you progress through the narrative and reach the end game in High Rank. Each weapon plays out very differently but is equally capable of seeing you through some of the hardest content in the RPG, as long as you are being able to master its movesets.
That being said, for beginners, some weapons will be better than the rest. They have some easy-to-execute skill sets, and that will help you have an easier time grinding through the early game as you learn the various monster patterns and combat mechanics.
Easiest weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds
These weapons are the easiest to pick up in the game, and are the perfect choice for those who are just starting their journey in the Windward Plains:
1) Lance
Lance has the most defensive stats out of all the weapons in Wilds. It will help you tank through most monster hits allowing you some room to learn their patterns and have an easier time with hunts.
The gameplay of the Lance is all about countering monster hits with pokes. Most of the time you will be crouching behind your shield, blocking monster attacks, and then pocking them in return. It’s a very simple weapon to pick up and is great to have along in 4-man co-op sessions.
2) Hammer
Much like the Lance, the Hammer too has some of the simplest set of moves in the game. It doesn’t take long to master as your gameplay will primarily revolve around swinging the weapon like a club and bonking the monster’s head as many times as possible.
Hammer has one of the highest stun values in Wilds, and you will likely be getting 3-4 knockdowns in a hunt giving you and your team a lot of DPS uptime. Moreover, the Hammer even comes with a surprising amount of mobility for a weapon that size. With the slinger and the increased movement speed you get when charging attacks, you will have an easier time repositioning around the monster.
3) Greatsword
While it’s pretty difficult to master, the Greatsword is very easy to pick up. It’s the most well-rounded weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds, with the highest damage numbers. The weapon has slower attack animations which you can cancel out of, making it a great pick for learning monster patterns.
Moreover, with Offset Attack, as well as Perfect Guard built into its kit, Greatsword can do it all. What takes time to master the weapon is the fact that to wield it perfectly you will need to learn every monster attack pattern by heart. The Greatsword is also the best weapon that teaches you the importance of improving your mobility in a hunt by sheathing your weapon.
4) Sword and Shield
The Sword and Shield is incredibly versatile and can do almost everything that a Greatsword does. However, it comes with more mobility options along with the ability to use potions and set down traps while the weapon is drawn.
The weapon is a lot less punishing and the perfect tool for newer players who are having trouble learning monster patterns and are getting hit a lot. It’s moves are also very simple and it won’t take you long to pick them up.
5) Dual Blades
Dual Blades is one of the most mobile weapons in monster Hunter Wilds. it comes with some of the best evasive maneuvers that will let you i-frame through everything that the monster throws at you. This makes your hunts significantly easier, and while Stamina management is something that you will need to keep an eye on, it’s still easier to play around this weapon’s stamina consumption compared to that of the Bow.
Moreover, the Dual Blades has some of the coolest moves and Focus Strike attack in Wilds. It’s extremely flashy and as long as you get used to the Demon Mode, picking this weapon up will be easy.
Medium difficulty weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds
Medium-difficult weapons are a bit harder to master in Monster Hunter Wilds. Not only will you need to be aware of the monster patterns with them, but there is also a fair bit of resource management that you will need to keep a constant eye on.
1) Long Sword
The Longsword is one of the most popular weapons in the franchise and comes with a set of really flashy verticle movements that attract a lot of players. However, compared to some other weapons in Wilds, there is a slight difficulty curve when it comes to picking it up.
You will want to actively counter monster attacks to maintain resources. While maintaining them is not that tricky, it does require a fair bit of monster knowledge and is not something that we recommend you pick up if you are new to the series.
2) Gun Lance
The Gun Lance is a flashier version of the Lance and comes with very strong defensive capabilities as well. However, compared to the Lance it does compromise on some defense for more offensive tools like the Shelling which goes towards gun attacks.
When playing the Gun lance you will have to manage the different shells that the weapon has, however, it’s pretty easy to manage once you get used to them. What actually makes the weapon difficult to pick up is the longer attack animations. These will usually lock your character down making them vulnerable to monster attacks. Hence a fair bit of monster knowledge is required to wield the Gun Lance right away.
3) Insect Glaive
The Insect Glaive is all about how you are making the most of your Kinsect during a hunt. You will send it out to attack monster body parts and collect and extract from the part that it attacks. Recalling the Kinsect will make your hunter consume the extract gaining a specific buff in the process. However, the buffs are temporary so Kinsect management is something that you will constantly need to keep an eye on.
Acquiring the Red extract will completely change some of the Insect Galive’s movesets and is the most important buff to have. However, as every extract location is different for a different monster, it can be hard to extract the color that you want when the monster is constantly moving around. This makes the Insect Glaive quite annoying to pick up for those who are just starting out.
4) Light Bowgun
The Light Bowgun is a medium-range weapon with a good bit of mobility. This makes it one of the safer options to go for in Wilds, however, much of its difficulty lies in the use of the mines which is one of the core DPS skills of the weapon.
Mines are small traps that explode when you or the monster attacks them. As it’s a stationary tool it’s important to place it at the right spot by predicting the monster’s attack patterns and movement. Hence it can be quite tricky to maintain an uptime on the mines when you are against a very aggressive monster who likes to move around a lot.
5) Heavy Bowgun
The Heavy Bowgun plays very similarly to the Light Bowgun but does sacrifice a fair bit of mobility for more defensive options and range. You can snipe the monster from a screen away, however, its lack of evasiveness and slower attack animations make it hard for new players to pick up right away.
Fortunately, the weapon does come with a guard mechanic and can trigger Perfect Guard and Power Clash when you get the timing right. It’s one of the hardest-hitting weapons in the game and can breeze through hunts as long as they are not constantly getting attacked.
6) Bow
The Bow is another extremely evasive weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds that comes with a perfect dodge mechanic. When you pull off a perfect dodge or a Discerning Dodge, you recover Stamina along with your Trick Arrow gauge. however, to perfect your dodges in the game you will need to be aware of the monster patterns.
Moreover, Stamina management for this weapon is harsher than that of the Dual Blades so early on you might be struggling if you do not have enough Constitution and Stamina Surge in the build. Moreover, you will have to constantly apply and manage coatings as well, if you are looking to have an easier time in your hunts.
Hardest Weapons to pick up in Monster Hunter Wilds
The hardest weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds are extremely tricky to pick up and there are multiple resources that you will need to manage to make your hunts as efficient as possible. These are not something that players new to the franchise should be picking up at all.
1) Hunting Horn
The Hunting Horn playstyle is all about queuing up songs and then performing them to gain a variety of buffs and effects. Each attack queues up a note and you combine the notes in a sequence to make a song. Each song will provide a different effect, but you can only queue up a maximum of three songs when using the weapon.
The buffs are also temporary so you will constantly need to create notes, make the songs, and play them while at the same time dodging monster hits and hitting them back. Along with the notes, you also have an Echo Bubble mechanic that grants a buff when you stand in the AoE. Much of your DPS will revolve around standing there and playing your notes to deal additional damage to the monster.
2) Switch Axe
The Switch Axe has a lot of resource management that you will need to be constantly aware of. The basic playstyle with this weapon is to seamlessly transition your combos between the Axe and the Sword mode and vice versa.
You start by fighting the monster in Axe Mode, which will then generate energy for the Sword to use. You will then transition into the Sword mode and build up another resource gauge which will increase the potential of the Sword mode as well. There is just too much to consider when piloting the Switch Axe and it can very easily overwhelm a lot of new players.
3) Charge Blade
Much like the Switch Axe, the Charge Blade comes with two forms as well that you will need to seamlessly weave into your combos. In base form, the weapon is a Sword and Shield which can then transform into a large battleaxe with some incredibly high DPS numbers.
It’s the most resource management-heavy weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds and much of its gameplay loop revolves around charging vials in Swoard and Shield mode and then absorbing the phials when in Axe mode. it takes hours and hours of practice to do the transitions seamlessly in a combo and it’s only recommended that you pick it up once you are more familiar with the monster attack patterns.
