If you’ve spent any time grinding endgame hunts in Monster Hunter Wilds, you’ve probably heard players rave about the game’s most versatile mid-to-endgame weapon line. Monster Hunter Wilds Artian weapons stand out for their balanced stats, unique elemental perks, and accessibility for players who don’t want to grind dozens of the same rare monster for a single weapon upgrade. I’ve tested every variant of these weapons across 70+ hours of hunts, from solo tempered monster runs to 4-player siege quests, and I’m breaking down everything you need to know to make the most of them in your loadout.
What Makes Monster Hunter Wilds Artian Weapons Unique?
Unlike most weapon lines tied to a single monster’s drops, Artian weapons are designed to be flexible for all hunt types. The biggest standout feature is their built-in sharpness retention buff, which keeps white sharpness active for 30% longer than comparable endgame weapons. That means you won’t have to pause mid-fight to sharpen nearly as often, which is a game-changer for sustained DPS during long, tough elder dragon hunts.
They also come with customizable elemental slots that let you swap between fire, water, thunder, ice, or dragon alignments without crafting an entirely new weapon. You won't have to reforge a whole new weapon every time you switch up which monster you're hunting, which saves you hours of grind time if you like to mix up your hunt rotation. The line also has variants for every single weapon type in the game, so no matter if you main greatsword, hunting horn, or bow, there’s an Artian option that fits your playstyle.
I used my first Artian greatsword to beat the tempered Rathian run that had been stumping me for three days, so I can vouch for how much of a difference they make early in endgame content. They hit hard enough to take on the toughest master rank monsters, but don’t require the absurd grind of rare monster exclusive weapons.
How to Unlock and Craft Artian Weapons Step by Step
You’ll unlock the Artian weapon crafting recipe as soon as you complete your first 3-star master rank quest, so you don’t have to wait until the very end of the game to access them. The core crafting materials are relatively easy to farm compared to other endgame weapons, but there are a few tricks to speed up the process. You’ll need the following items to craft your first base Artian weapon:
Using a geologist skill level 3 doubles your chance of getting extra ore per node, so equip that before you head out on farming runs to cut your ore collection time in half. The ancient relics are the hardest material to find, since they spawn randomly in hidden chests that only appear in master rank expeditions. I used to spend 2 hours per run trying to find relics before I started using a map tool, so don't skip that step if you're short on time. You can use the interactive MH Wilds world map to mark all secret chest locations in every region, which makes finding relics far less frustrating.
Once you have the base weapon, you can upgrade it further with extra Artian ore and elder dragon parts to boost its damage and unlock extra decoration slots. You don’t need to max it out right away, even the base level Artian weapon is stronger than most fully upgraded low-rank endgame weapons.
Best Artian Weapon Builds for Common Playstyles
Artian weapons are flexible enough to work for almost any build, but there are a few setups that get the most out of their unique perks. For melee DPS players who main longsword, dual blades, or greatsword, pair your Artian weapon with critical eye level 7 and weakness exploit level 3 to hit 100% critical chance on monster weak points. This setup pairs perfectly with the weapon’s sharpness retention, letting you land consistent high-damage hits without stopping to sharpen.
If you main support builds, the Artian hunting horn is one of the best support weapons in the game. You can slot in both attack buffs and healing buffs in the customizable elemental slot, and the sharpness retention means you don’t have to stop playing songs to sharpen mid-fight. I run this setup for all my 4-player siege runs, and my team’s clear time dropped by 15% on average once I switched to the Artian horn.
For ranged players, the Artian bow is one of the most underrated options in the entire game. You can swap elemental alignments to match whatever monster you’re hunting, so you don’t have to carry 5 different bows in your item pouch for different hunts. I main dual blades, and my Artian set let me beat the post-game final boss 2 days earlier than I would have with my previous rare monster weapon line, just because I could swap to dragon element right before the fight without crafting a new pair of blades.
One common mistake players make with Artian weapons is wasting decoration slots on attack boost skills. Artian weapons scale 20% better with elemental damage than raw damage, so you’ll get far more damage output investing in elemental attack skills that match your current alignment.
Pros and Cons of Using Artian Weapons Vs. Other Endgame Lines
Artian weapons are not a perfect fit for every player, so it’s important to weigh their strengths and weaknesses before you invest time and resources into crafting one. The biggest pros are their accessibility, flexibility, and low grind requirement. You can craft a fully functional Artian weapon within a few hours of unlocking master rank, while most other endgame weapons require you to grind 10 or more runs of the same rare elder dragon to get all the required drops.
They’re also perfect for casual players who don’t want to maintain 10 different weapon builds for different monster types. The customizable elemental slot lets you adapt to any hunt in seconds, without having to return to camp to swap your entire loadout. For 90% of players, Artian weapons are powerful enough to beat every piece of content in the game, including the toughest post-game tempered hunts.
The main downside is that they don’t have the highest raw damage output compared to endgame elder dragon exclusive weapons. If you’re a speedrunner chasing top times, you’ll probably want to swap to a monster-specific weapon for optimized runs, since those have higher base damage and monster-specific damage buffs. The customizable element slot also takes up one decoration slot, so you have one less slot for QoL or damage skills than you would with a standard endgame weapon.
You should only invest in fully upgrading your Artian weapon if you plan to use it for at least 10 to 15 hunts, otherwise it’s a waste of rare elder dragon cores that you could use for other gear. I keep an Artian bow in my pouch at all times for random expedition hunts, so I don’t have to swap my loadout every time I run into a different monster, it’s perfect for casual play sessions where I don’t have a specific hunt planned.
At the end of the day, there's a reason Monster Hunter Wilds Artian weapons are one of the most popular gear lines for casual and semi-hardcore players alike. They strike the perfect balance between accessibility and power, and their unique customization options let you tailor them to exactly how you like to play. If you're just getting into master rank content, or you're tired of grinding the same monster over and over for a single weapon upgrade, give the Artian line a shot on your next hunt.