Ultimate Monster Hunter Wilds Weapon Tier List (Day 1 Patch)

With the release of Monster Hunter Wilds, I’ve had a few weeks to try out all the weapons available this time around as well as try out the Day 1 patch that is launching alongside the game. As such, I put together this ultimate Monster Hunter Wilds Weapo🏅n Tier List to help both beginner and veteran players decide which wea🌄pon to use.

Monster Hunter Wilds Weapon Tier List

For this Monster Hunter Wild Weapon Tier List, I have ranked each weapon twice, once for beginners, and once for veterans. Some weapons like the Insect Glaive, can be difficult for new players to get a hang of, but absolute monsters in the hands of a veteran. On the other side, some weapons like the Sword and Shield can prove invaluable for beginners but lack the high ceiling cap a more experienced player might be looking for. Here is my ultimate Monster Hunter Wilds weapon tier list for the Day 1 Patch:

S Tier

• Bow (Beginner)
  • The Bow offers new players a more easy playstyle, favoring the ability to keep monsters at a distance while cycling through a variety of different ammo types to inflict elemental damage that each monster is weak to. You can essentially use your Palico (or friends) to take the monsters while you stand back and shoot away with your bow.
• Great Sword (Beginner)
  • A rather simple yet effective spammable combo makes the Great Sword one of the best beginner-friendly melee weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds, and also features a very defensive-friendly secondary attack that often lets you dodge out of the way while still dealing damage, which is a great ability to help learn the game with.
• Gunlance (Veteran)
  • Those who take the time to master the inner workings of the Gunlance will find it to be the best overall tankier-oriented weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds, allowing experience players to play the role of tank while still dealing massive damage with powerful and hard-hitting explosive shells.
• Hunting Horn (Veteran)
  • Essentially a heavy hitting blunt hammer that also allows the player to give themselves and other nearby allies buffs, the Hunting Horn can be extremely versatile when in the hands of a skilled player. A must-have for higher level group play, the Hunting Horn also allows players to place Echo Bubbles in specific areas on the field to grant special effects in Monster Hunter Wilds.
• Insect Glaive (Veteran)
  • The Insect Glaive is the ultimate proof that if you take the time to learn a weapon, it can be a game changer. The Insect Glaive allows players to vault into the air and perform deadly jumping attacks throughout an encounter, as well as manage their controllable Kinsect to gain powerful buffs and help turn the tide of battle. For the Day 1 Patch, the Insect Glaive also got a nice buff.
• Light Bowgun (Beginner)
  • For beginner players, the Light Bowgun is a solid option as it allows you to basically continuously fire at monsters with a machine gun-like weapon. Until you learn the game, keeping monsters at range is a huge advantage, and being able to consistently upkeep damage while moving around is a huge boon to newer players.
• Long Sword (Veteran)
  • If you’re a fan of combos, you know just how strong the Long Sword can be. Learning to master the Spirit Gauge to empower your well-orchestrated combo attacks give the Long Sword one of the highest skill potential weapons in all of Monster Hunter Wilds.
• Switch Axe (Veteran)
  • Some Day 1 buffs to the Switch Axe have made it a deadly weapon in the hands of skilled players that know how to effectively transition between Axe Mode and Sword Mode as they weave long-range and fast attacks into their offensive. Once mastered, the Switch Axe can be one of the highest damage weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds.
• Sword and Shield (Beginner)
  • Until you’ve fully grasped the mechanics of Monster Hunter Wilds, the Sword and Shield option allows newer players to easily block and attack monsters with your shield, reducing the overall damage you’re going to take while you learn things. It’s a solid option for getting a grasp of the game while ensuring your stay alive.

A Tier

• Bow (Veteran)
  • Unfortunately for veteran Bow players, the weapon got a slight nerf in the Day 1 Patch otherwise it would stay in the S Tier regardless of player skill. Even still, it’s still a very strong weapon worth using, especially if you know how to make use of the different ammo types that a veteran player would.
• Charge Blade (Veteran)
  • A skilled player that knows how to properly switch between Sword Mode and Axe Mode to optimize damage or evasiveness can really push the Charge Blade to the max. Especially once you learn how to use Charge Phials to ramp up the damage output before switching to Axe Mode.
• Dual Blades (Veteran)
  • Knowing when to enter Demon Mode and furthermore Archdemon Mode to take advantage of the Dual Blades fast attacks makes them very effective in the hands of a player that knows how to use them. Plus, it’s nice to have so much added elusiveness while still wielding strong weapons.
• Great Sword (Veteran)
  • The raw slicing power of the Great Sword keeps in strong even in the hands of a veteran player, but the simple combos pale in comparison to weapons like the Long Sword which will have better results for a skilled player. Even still, just knowing how to properly play Monster Hunter Wilds while using a Great Sword will lead to success.
• Gunlance (Beginner)
  • Another solid tanking option alongside the Sword and Shield for beginner players. It’s essentially Sword and Shield on steroids with a massive gunblade and shield instead of a smaller regular sword and shield. You can guard attacks, then follow up with powerful explosive shells to shred monsters.
• Lance (Beginner and Veteran)
  • Changes to the Lance from the Day 1 patch for Monster Hunter Wilds have made it a strong choice for both beginners and veterans, allowing players to make use of guard and counter attacks to follow-up with fast hitting and powerful thrusting attacks to deal massive damage while still mitigating damage as well.
• Light Bowgun (Veteran)
  • I’d make the argument that if you’re a skilled player of Monster Hunter Wilds you should take advantage of the combos that melee weapons offer, but if you are determined to play ranged, the Light Bowgun might be the best option for a veteran.
• Long Sword (Beginner)
  • Learning how to master the Spirit Gauge and the many combos of the Long Sword will be paramount in really taking advantage of the Long Sword’s potential, but its still a hard hitting and more maneuverable option for beginners to Monster Hunter Wilds.

B Tier

• Charge Blade (Beginner)
  • Charge Blade is another piece of proof that mastering a weapon makes a world of difference. The Charge Blade is a solid weapon even for beginners, but effective use of Charge Phials and swapping between the two modes elevates the weapon much higher.
• Dual Blades (Beginner)
  • The Dual Blades are easy to spam rapid attacks on monsters even for a beginner, but its true strength lies in knowing when to enter Demon and then Archdemon Mode to power up your attacks. Once you’ve got this down, the Dual Blades become much stronger of an option in Monster Hunter Wilds.
• Hammer (Beginner)
  • Bonk! That really sums up the Hammer for beginner players. If you want to be able to power up attacks to bonk monsters in the head and potentially stun them, the Hammer is for you. It’s very slow but also hard hitting, so if that sounds like your playstyle, give the Hammer a try but also the Hunting Horn, which is also in the B tier.
• Heavy Bowgun (Beginner)
  • For players who want to be immobile while launching powerful ranged attacks at monsters, the Heavy Bowgun is for you. If the Light Bowgun is a machine gun, the Heavy Bowgun is an artillery cannon. However, the lack of mobility also makes it not a particularly ideal option for beginner players, though you can block with it as well.
• Hunting Horn (Beginner)
  • It may seem odd to see the Hunting Horn and Hammer in the same tier for beginners, but the reason is moreso that until you know how the weapon, and Monster Hunter Wilds works, the Hunting Horn isn’t nearly as effective, making it more powerful in the hands of a veteran than a beginner.
• Switch Axe (Beginner)
  • Some Day 1 Buffs for the Switch Axe have made it a powerful weapon even in the hands of newer players, but it still has somewhat of a skill gap that requires you to essentially learn two weapons at once to really make use of it. Even still, you could probably just use one of the two and still have some success with the Switch Axe in Monster Hunter Wilds.

C Tier

• Hammer (Veteran)
  • I know this may seem a bit harsh, and for the most part the Hammer probably belongs more in B Tier for both beginner and veteran players, but in Monster Hunter Wilds it really feels as though Hammer users should just be using the Hunting Horn instead.
• Heavy Bowgun (Veteran)
  • At a glance, the Heavy Bowgun is a weapon that has never really made too much sense in Monster Hunter from a gameplay standpoint, and that’s even more clear for experienced players in Wilds. Sure you get a hard hitting weapon that can attack at range, but the need to hunker down in place and expend energy to really do damage just goes against everything Monster Hunter, especially at range.
• Insect Glaive (Beginner)
  • The Insect Glaive is incredibly powerful in the hands of a veteran, but for beginners you’ll probably end up just jumping around haphazardly without properly managing your Kinsects and optimizing your damage and utility, meaning you should just play one of the other weapons that more easily does more damage.
• Sword and Shield (Veteran)
  • Even though the Sword and Shield is great for beginner players, it really falls off compared to the other tanky options of Gunlance and Lance. In fact, there’s not a real reason to go with Sword and Shield once you know how to play Monster Hunter Wilds unless you just really like the playstyle.

As you can see, most weapons are simply better when in the hands of a more skilled player. This means that you should try all the weapons and see which one you likeไ the most; after all, they all have vastly different playstyles. Once you find one you like, keep playing it until you master it and it will be able to hold its own against any other weapon regardless of its placement on this tier ﷽list!