With Monster Hunter Wilds set to release in early 2025, Capcom has provided franchise fans with a brief overview of all the weapons that are confirmed for the upcoming title. There will be a total of 14 weapons available at launch, with the developers implementing new mechanics and features for each of them.
Hence, while boasting some of the core moveset principles, all the weapons are likely to play out much differently than what they do in Monster Hunter World (with Iceborne) and Monster Hunter Rise (with Sunbreak).
Here is a list of all the weapons coming in the RPG and the type of playstyle that they cater to.
Every confirmed weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds
1) Great Sword
The Great Sword will be one of the heavier weapons in the game with very high damage values. It will be the perfect pick for you if you want to go for a more hit-and-run tactic that punishes monsters after they are recovering from a big attack.
Great Sword is very versatile when it comes to its playstyle variety and will reward those who have learned monster patterns by heart. It’s easy to pick up but incredibly hard to master which is why it’s considered by many franchise veterans to be one of the most satisfying weapons.
Noting beats the feeling of landing the perfect TCS on a sleeping monster.
2) Heavy Bowgun
The Heavy Bowgun is all about keeping your distance and bombarding the monster with heavy artillery in Monster Hunter Wilds. The weapon comes with an Ignition Mode which will let you fire special ammo while consuming an energy gauge.
The energy regens over time on its own, or when you land successive hits on the monster. Like the Great Sword, the Heavy Bowgun will not let you move around fast when the weapon is drawn.
You will get an Auto-Guard feature, along with a manual guard which will let you time the block on an incoming attack. Heavy Bowgun has one of the highest DPS potentials in the game as long as you are able to stand and keep firing.
3) Insect Glaive
The Insect Glaive is one of the more technical weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds. There is a fair bit of resource management that goes into mastering the weapon as you will constantly need to be aware of your Kinsect extracts.
These extracts will offer powerful buffs to the Glaive while changing some of its movesets. Insect Glaive has a very high skill ceiling and is not something that we will advise for newer players.
While it’s one of the most fun weapons to pilot in the RPG, it’s best picked up once you are more familiar with some of Wilds’ core gameplay mechanics.
Much of the Insect Glaive’s playstyle revolves around taking to the skies and dodging the enemy attacks while targeting their weak points. Hence, mastering monster patterns is very important for mastering the Glaive.
4) Gunlance
Gun is another heavy weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds which has a long reach and blasts monsters with explosive shells. The weapon comes with a great shield that helps it balance both defense and offense.
While your mobility will be restricted when the weapon is drawn, it does come with a sidestep mechanic. It will allow you to perform a short hop to help you reposition your hunter if they are in the path of an incoming attack.
The shield is capable of blocking the most powerful of attacks and a variety of powerful shell-based attacks makes it a very versatile pick. So if you like going for a more tanky approach that balances both defense and offense then the Gunlance will be the perfect fit.
5) Hunting Horn
Hunting Horn is another weapon that can be challenging to pick up for those new to the Monster Hunter series. It’s a blunt weapon that you can use to play songs that can damage monsters as well as buff your character and allies by improving their Attack, Defense, and Elemental Resistances.
In Wilds, the Hunting Horn comes with an Echo Bubble mechanic which grants special effects in a small AoE. As it’s a blunt weapon it has a very high knockout value as well, and will be able to topple monsters more easily letting your party members have more DPS uptime.
in Focus Mode, the Hunting Horn plays a song that delivers a series of sound blasts on the monsters wounded parts.
6) Long Sword
The Long Sword is perfect at executing swift combos and opening up enemy defenses allowing them to have a pretty high DPS uptime. However, to maximize the set of moves that it comes with, you will need to learn monster patterns by heart.
This makes the Long Sword very hard to master. Additionally, it comes with the Spirit Gauge mechanic which will let you fill out the Spirit bar after landing specific attacks. Once the bar turns red, some of your particular attacks will be strengthened.
You will be able to perform certain anime-like moves like slashing through incoming attacks and executing the incredibly satisfying Spirit Helm Breaker.
7) Charge Blade
The Charge Blade is another very technical weapon and is pretty difficult to pick up. We will not be recommending it for players new to the Monster Hunter franchise. However, once mastered, the weapon is incredibly versatile as it is capable of morphing between two modes in the middle of combat.
In the Sword Mode, you will be able to hit the monster and charge your Phials. Once the Phials are charged, you can power the Axe Mode with it and deal massive damage.
Additionally, once the Phial charges are maxed out you will be able to power up different aspects of the weapon. The Charge Blade’s SAED (Super Amped Elemental Discharge) is one of the most satisfying moves to pull off in the game. However, being consistent with it will need proper Phial and resource management.
The weapon also comes with a shield, allowing you to balance both offense and defense
8) Hammer
The Hammer is an extremely simple weapon and is the perfect choice for beginners who are looking to get more familiar with monster patterns and some of the core gameplay mechanics. Mastering it will take a while, and while being a heavy weapon, it does come with a fair bit of mobility.
The weapon is all about going for the “bonk” and as it’s a blunt instrument, it has a very high knockdown potential if you are targeting the monster’s head. You will be able to topple them more often and then use the Clutch Claw to reposition yourself.
Once mastered, the Hammer can be a very satisfying weapon to use in both single-player and multi-player. You will also be able to charge up the hammer’s swings to deal more impact damage to monsters and have an easier time stunning them.
9) Light Bowgun
A much lighter version of the Heavy Bowgun which comes with a fair bit of mobility allowing you a much easier time repositioning around a fight. However, it does not have the same explosive damage as that of the Heavy Bowgun, and a Light Bowgun is best used in mid-range combat.
It has quick attacks and dodges and comes with the Rapid Fire mechanic. Successive hits on the monster will build out an energy gauge. Once full, you will be able to channel the Rapid Fire mode. Once the mode is active you will be able to and multiple hits in quick succession, however, the bar will deplete over time and with each attack.
The Light Bowgun will also let you place mines on the field which will explode once a monster walks over them. It’s great at dealing stagger damage, stunning, and toppling monsters over.
Much like the Heavy Bowgun, the Light Bowgun will also give you access to a variety of ammo types which will let you apply status effects and maximize DPS.
10) Sword and Shield
The Sword and Shield is the perfect weapon of choice for beginners. It’s simple to use, not too hard to master and is the only weapon in the game that will let you use items and consumables while you have it drawn.
The weapon is also pretty versatile as it will let you deal both Cut and Blunt damage. The sword strikes are fast and let you effortlessly maneuver around the fight. The shield, on the other hand, will let you block incoming damage and also attack the monster to deal blunt damage and stagger it.
So if you are new to the Monster Hunter franchise then the Sword and Shield will be the best pick for you in Wilds.
11) Switch Axe
The Switch Axe is another multi-faceted weapon that can seamlessly morph between two modes in the middle of a fight. It has a powerful Axe mode as well as a Sword mode, each allowing you to cater to a particular situation during a hunt.
While the Axe mode will make your movements slower, it will help extend your reach and do more damage. The Sword mode, on the other hand, has much faster combos, but you will have to get up close and personal to make the most of it.
While in combat, you can switch between the two modes, significantly increasing the DPS output of your combos. The weapon is also not too mechanically challenging and as long as you are fairly familiar with monster patterns, you will be able to make the most of it once you pick it up.
12) Bow
When played right, the Bow has one of the highest DPS uptime out of all the weapons in the game. It has traditionally been the most popular choice amongst speedrunners in previous franchise entries, and the fact will remain the same in Monster Hunter Wilds as well.
The Bow is a mid-ranged weapon that comes with a lot of mobility. You will be able to dash in and out, repositioning yourself while firing out volleys of arrows. Additionally, you will also be able to use a variety of arrow coatings to either inflict CC on the enemy or increase the DPS of your shots.
You can charge your arrow shots by holding the attack button or “dash dancing” while having it drawn. Higher charge levels will increase the damage that you do. Consistently “dash dancing” will keep your bow strung to the highest charge level, however, it will eat through your stamina.
Stamina management is key when it comes to mastering the Bow. Hence, while the weapon is not that difficult to pick up, it is very difficult to master.
In Wilds, the Bow comes with a jump attack as well as the Tracer arrow mechanic. When a monster is hit with a Tracer your arrows, including the Dragon Piercer will hone in on it. After dealing enough damage to it, the Tracer will explode.
The Bow’s Focus Strike will target all the wounded points within a large circle. Your arrows will lock on to the areas and you will be able to deploy a rain of attacks on these weak points. This mechanic is quite similar to the Magic Archer vocation in Dragon’s Dogma.
13) Lance
The Lance is the tankiest weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds and much of its playstyle revolves around guard-related moves and counters. It has unwavering defense and you will be able to use the lance to poke the monster safely from behind the shield.
Perfectly countering monster attacks with a block will deal high stagger damage to them and much like the Hammer, the Lance is also great at toppling monsters over.
The weapon will offer a lot of guard counters each catering to a different monster attack. It’s the best choice for those who like going for a more defensive playstyle and wish to act as a vanguard for their party when hunting monsters in multiplayer.
14) Dual Blades
Dual Blades are another very agile set of armaments in Monster Hunter Wilds. It deals damage in rapid succession and comes with two additional modes: the Demon and the Arch Demon mode. The Demon mode will increase your damage output with the Arch Demon mode even further.
Each of the modes will also introduce a few additional movesets to the Dual Blades, however, it’s going to drain your stamina the longer you are in the modes. Hence, like the Bow, stamina management is key when looking to mastering this weapon.
When executing a Focus Strike, the Dual Blades will use the Clutch Claw to execute the infamous and the incredibly satisfying “Beyblade” attack. While the weapon looks very satisfying to use, Dual Blades are not easy to pick up.
They need a fair bit of commitment to get used to and is not advised for those who are just starting out. But if you are adamant about playing as Levi from Attack on Titan, feel free to pick it up.
Which weapon should you pick in Monster Hunter Wilds?
Every single weapon is viable in Monster Hunter Wilds. There is nothing called a “meta”, and you should just pick up the one that appeals to you the most.
However, if you are new to the franchise, we suggest that you go with something that is a bit more beginner-friendly like the Sword and Shield, Hammer, Switch Axe, Light Bowgun, or the Great Sword.
if you love weapons that have fast combos and a good DPS uptime, then something like the Bow, Insect Glaive, or Dual Blades will make you feel right at home. However, these weapons do come with a side of resource management that you will need to master over time.
If you like to fill the role of a frontline for your party then the Lance, the Gun Lance, and the Charge Blade are going to be right up your alley. And for those willing to play the support, the Hunting Horn and Heavy Bowgun (with different supportive ammo types) are indeed the best choices.
But do keep in mind that Wilds’ Seikret mount will let you switch between primary and secondary weapons on the fly. So it’s best to invest time in learning the mechanics of two different weapons.
