Best Monster Hunter Wilds weapons tier list

Our MH Wilds weapon tier list ranks all 14 types to help you decide which is the best weapon for you

Our tier list below puts three weapons above all others, in the very top S-Tier rank. Those best weapons are: the Bow, Long Sword, and Sword And Shield. The Bow reigns supreme thanks to its unbelievable damage potential and the ease with which it can be used to decimate any monster in the game. The Long Sword is a remarkably well-balanced weapon that makes use of Offset Attacks and dodges to easily avoid damage. And the Sword And Shield gives you amazing mobility and versatility, allowing you to block, dodge, and carve up enemies with either brute force or elemental status effects. All three are exquisitely powerful in the right hands, and deserve their spots at the top of the tier list.

Below you can see our best Monster Hunter Wilds weapon tier list in full; keep scrolling beyond that and you can read in more detail about each of our rankings, as well as some notes on the best weapons in each category.
Weapon tier list rankings

S-Tier (best weapons):Bow
Long Sword
Sword And Shield

A-Tier:Hunting Horn
Hammer
Great Sword
Dual Blades
Insect Glaive
Gunlance
Heavy Bowgun

B-Tier:Lance
Charge Blade
Switch Axe
Light Bowgun

This tier list reflects the current weapon meta in Monster Hunter Wilds, but it's important to remember that things may change over time as new content updates and balance changes are added to the game by Capcom. Before you protest: all 14 weapons are incredibly powerful and well-balanced, so we're splitting hairs by necessity here in order to make a tier list in the first place. The weapon you should use is the one that you enjoy using most, full stop.



However, for a lot of people, it's good to know that you'll be spending your time learning the very best weapons that Monster Hunter Wilds has to offer. Below we'll explore each of our tier list rankings in greater detail, explaining why each weapon is ranked in the position it is.
1. Bow

Even among the S-Tier rank weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds, the Bow stands apart as the single best weapon in the game right now. With a Bow, you have easy access to amazing amounts of very precisely targeted damage thanks to the Tracers and Focus Strikes; and you're also highly mobile, capable of completely negating damage with a well-timed Charging Sidestep. It's a simple weapon that delivers outstanding damage, applies status effects easily, and gives you lots of tools for staying safe throughout a fight.

2. Long Sword

The versatile Long Sword has the reach of a Great Sword, but comes in a far less clunky and unwieldy package. Unlike most other weapons of its size, it's fast enough to deal great elemental damage, particularly once you max out your Spirit Gauge. The Long Sword allows easy access to every part of a monster, and keeps you mobile even while you're delivering tremendous amounts of damage. The best part, though, is the Foresight Slash, which acts as a counterattack that completely negates all damage when you time it right. With practice, you can feel utterly invincible with a Long Sword, which makes it a phenomenal choice whether in solo or as part of a hunting party.

3. Sword And Shield

The Sword And Shield has never been stronger than it is in Monster Hunter Wilds. It's the most versatile weapon of all, and I believe it outclasses the Dual Blades - the other very fast-attacking melee weapon. With the Sword And Shield equipped you are extremely mobile, particularly with the incredible utility of the Sliding Swipe; and if you find yourself in harm's way, you can use your tiny little shield to block or even perform a full-blown Power Clash against a large monster. Add to this the great consistent DPS and status effect procs you get with the SNS, and it well deserves its spot in the S-Tier rank.

4. Hunting Horn

Hunting Horn players are eating well with Monster Hunter Wilds. This buff-oriented blunt damage support weapon has always been a solid pick, particularly in multiplayer - but with the addition of Echo Bubbles, some fantastic endgame choices with great song lists, and the ability to perform an Offset Melody or other powerful 4-step melodies, the Hunting Horn is the best it's been yet.

5. Hammer

The straightforward Hammer is capable of brute-force-bonking its way into even the most armoured Monster Hunter player's heart. The main lure of the Hammer is its massive stun potential: aim at a monster's head and you'll be stunning them with ease (particularly with the right Skills), leading to some very easy fights. It's got some massively powerful charge attacks that maintain your mobility while you're charging, making it one of the simplest and most forgiving weapons in the game to learn. There's a reason we pick the Hammer as one of our best starter weapons for Monster Hunter Wilds beginners.

6. Great Sword

The monumental Great Sword can deliver the highest raw damage per strike of any weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds, provided you charge it up first. The most iconic weapon type in the series, the Great Sword is a little easier to use in Wilds thanks to the addition of Focus Mode, which helps you to aim those massive swings at exactly the right angle. The reason it's not top-tier and other large weapons like the Hammer and Long Sword outclass it is simply because of how unwieldy and slow the Great Sword is, and how punishing it is when you miss an attack. It's a simple moveset, but a very tricky weapon to master.

7. Dual Blades

The lightning-fast Dual Blades have one strategy: aggression. As the fastest-attacking weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds, they are of course excellent at inflicting element damage and building up status effects, so they're a great pick against enemies that are particularly weak to a certain status. Demon Mode is easy to misuse and the stamina management involved makes the Dual Blades surprisingly finnicky, but there's no denying the attack power when you're diving between a monster's legs, evading attacks and letting loose with massive, seconds-long combos.

8. Insect Glaive

If this were a tier list based on how fun and satisfying each weapon is, then the Insect Glaive may well sit at the top thanks to those marvellous aerial attacks. Kinsect management is of course essential with the Insect Glaive, and the micromanagement involved can be to your disadvantage in some cases, but it also provides a lot of versatility and power to a weapon which feels almost as freeing and mobile as the SNS.

9. Gunlance

The Gunlance can hit like an absolute truck, and can end some fights quicker than nearly anything else. This should speak to how close together all these weapons truly are in power. With such high attack and defence, the reason the Gunlance is in the lower half of A-Tier is simply because its lack of mobility can lead you into difficult situations unless you are very well practiced with the weapon.

10. Heavy Bowgun

The Heavy Bowgun, much like the Gunlance, can deliver stupendous damage from afar once you know what you're doing. It's hard to recommend a Light Bowgun when you have its heavier cousin as an option, simply because of the damage output available here, as well as the versatility of all the different ammo types. But, as is common in this end of our tier list, it's brought down by its clunkiness and complexity, and you should definitely pair it with a faster melee weapon to counteract its shortcomings.

11. Lance

The Lance is a slow and steady defensive powerhouse, an endless redoubt of charged pokes and giggling from behind a gigantic shield. The Lance can deal good damage in capable hands, and it's of course strong enough to take into the endgame, as is every other weapon. But you certainly won't be breaking any speed records with a Lance as your primary. It's a good option for sustained and safe raw damage, but it can't cope with the mobility and power of certain of its rivals.

12. Charge Blade

The complexity of the Charge Blade is its major drawback, when all's said and done. It can deliver excellent burst damage with the sword once it's powered up, but the challenge involved in getting the absolute most out of this weapon only makes sense when you happen to enjoy it. Otherwise, whatever it can do well can also be done just as well with several other weapon choices, and without nearly as much complexity and learning time.

13. Switch Axe

The Switch Axe looks cool, and feels cool, particularly in the gigantic axe form. But while not as complex as the Charge Blade, it still feels like the Switch Axe comes off a little worse compared to other weapons when you consider how much goes into learning the best ways to deliver the strongest combos, and what you get out of it in raw damage. It's a hard sell for beginners, a punishing and unwieldy option even in its more nimble form.

14. Light Bowgun

The Light Bowgun is by no means a bad weapon, but personally I don't think sacrificing damage for mobility is really all that beneficial in Monster Hunter Wilds. It does much of what the Heavy Bowgun does, and there are times when the extra manoeuvrability is useful, but in most cases you may find yourself pining for the greater damage potential to get the fights over and done with quicker.