Choosing a weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds is a lot like choosing a class in other role-playing games. There are currently 14 weapons to choose from, each providing a distinct playstyle and unique strategy when engaging in combat.
The 14 weapons to choose from are Great Sword, Long Sword, Sword & Shield, Dual Blades, Hammer Sword, Hunting Horn, Lance, Gunlance, Switch Axe, Charge Blade, Insect Glaive, Light Bowgun, Heavy Bowgun, and Bow.
With so many weapons at your disposal, how could you possibly choose one? Well, the good news is you don't. In Monster Hunter, you are free to cycle between weapons at your own will. There are even training grounds to test out each weapon before you embark on a hunt.
But if you're just starting out in the game, you may be wondering what weapon type is best for you. Although the game does offer a quiz-like feature that attempts to determine the best fit for you, below is a quick breakdown of each weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Great Sword
The Great Sword is perfect if you enjoy heavy, powerful hits at the expense of speed and mobility. It's a sluggish weapon but you'll feel the weight of each of your hits. Timing your attacks at the same time a monster is attacking can knock the monster off balance and temporarily stun it, giving you an opening to attack.
Long Sword
The Long Sword is all about movement and landing combos to build up your power. It's a fun weapon that features a sort of mini-mechanic that offers some depth in the combat system. Attacks with the Long Sword will fill a Spirit Gauge. This will enable you to activate Spirit Blade attacks, which deplete the gauge as they are used. The final attack with your Spirit Blade combination, called Spirit Roundlash, will level up your sword's power. You can do this three times, which will turn the gauge red and unlock more powerful moves.
Sword & Shield
The trusty sword and shield are a staple in any action RPG. This is emphasizes quick hits and fast mobility. It's all about moving and attacking while leaping on monsters and dealing even bigger damage. If you're new to the Monster Hunter franchise, this is probably one of the easier weapons to pick up and play. It features a combo system that helps unleash a buffed version of Charged Chop.
Dual Blades
My personal favorite, Dual Blades is for those who enjoy quick and agile playstyle. It offers a series of rapid attacks that utilize a stamina system. Entering Demon Mode will drain your stamina but will increase your attack speed and offer a damage boost. Landing hits in Demon Mode will help build the Demon Gauge which can unleash your Blade Dance attacks. Exiting Demon Mode while your Demon Gauge is filled will put you in Arch Demon mode, providing a damage boost and a different moveset. It's a somewhat difficult balancing act, but a ton of fun if you like fancy attacks.
Hammer
Like destructive power but don't want to use a boring sword? The Hammer offers powerful charge attacks but with the benefit of added mobility. The hardest part of the Hammer is knowing how long to charge up your attack.
Hunting Horn
One of the more unique and interesting weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds, the Hunting Horn is a blunt weapon that can perform melodies that give you buffs. Each Hunting Horn comes with a selection of songs with each note tied to one of your attack buttons. The mechanic here involves entering the notes for a song, and storing it in a queue until you decide to play the song. The Hunting Horn definitely isn't for beginners and may appear underpowered, but true experts understand how powerful it can be.
Lance
The best offense is a good defense — at least according to those who use the Lance. The Lance is a defensive weapon that encourages blocking and parrying attacks. The weapon doesn't offer great mobility but does give you the ability to stand your ground and shift between thrusting and blocking. Its thrusting attacks are quick and safe to perform. It offers a good variety of guard-related moves and counters.
Gunlance
The Gunlance is one of the more complicated weapons in the game as it offers low mobility and features a bunch of different meters to manage. When attacking with the Gunlance, there are five main things to keep track of: melee attacking, shelling, reloading, guarding, and using the sidestep to unleash powerful attacks. If you're new to the game, I wouldn't recommend it, but once you get comfortable with hunts it's worth checking out.
Switch Axe
The Switch Axe is another complex weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds as it features two forms that you can switch between. Axe Mode excels at long-reach attacks and offers better mobility; however, its attacks are slower. Dealing damage in Axe Mode will fill your switch gauge. Once it passes a certain threshold, you ca switch to Sword Mode, which unleashes faster attacks that drain your switch meter. These attacks fill your amp meter. Once the amp meter is filled, you'll also refill your switch meter and deal extra elemental damage with each hit and unlock special attacks. Balancing these two forms are key to mastering the Switch Axe, making it one of the more complicated weapons in the game.
Charge Blade
The Charge Blade is a versatile weapon that also offers two attack modes. It's also commonly regarded as the most technical and complicated of the Monster Hunter weapons. Your primary attacks in Sword Form will fill phials. Once filled, you have to charge them with another special type of attack. When charged, you can use them to power up your shield or sword, or switch into Axe Mode. Axe Mode dishes out massive damage.
Insect Glaive
The Insect Glaive is an incredibly fun weapon, but also fairly complicated. It's a mobile weapon that performs high-flying, jumping air attacks. It also involves controlling the Kinsect, a small creature that provides powerful buffs. The Insect Glaive is all about mobile, quick strikes.
Light Bowgun
Up until now, every weapon we've covered has been melee. If you prefer long-range, you can go with the Light Bowgun. It's a mid-range weapon that offers high mobility and quick attacks and dodges. It utilizes different ammo types. The Light Bowgun offers a Rapid Fire mode that can be recharged when you successfully land attacks.
Heavy Bowgun
The Heavy Bowgun is another ranged weapon but offers the ability to fire a longer distance. It's also less about mobility and more about standing your ground and guarding incoming attacks with the Auto-Guard function. At its core, the basic gameplay with the Heavy Bowgun is simple, but what makes it complicated is managing the different special ammo types and knowing when to switch into Ignition Mode. Ignition Mode lets you fire your special ammo which is determined based on your weapon's customization.
Bow
Finally, we've go the bow, a mid-range weapon that uses a variety of arrow-based attacks. The bow offers a more mobile ranged playstyle and allows you to charge your attacks to increase their damage. You can also hit a monster with a Tracer that will cause arrows to home in on it and explode after being dealt enough damage or after enough time has passed.
So that's the basics of each weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds. Remember, despite all tier lists you'll read online that rank the weapons, there's no right or wrong choice. Every weapon in the game is capable of killing every monster in the game, so don't worry about picking the "best" ranked weapon. Find the weapon that is most enjoyable for you to play with because that's all that matters.