If you’ve ever spent 20 minutes fumbling with a weapon that feels completely wrong for how you play Monster Hunter, you know how much picking the right main impacts your hunt success. I still remember picking up the Heavy Bowgun for the first time in Monster Hunter Rise and struggling to finish a single low rank hunt because I couldn’t get past the slow reload speed and terrible mobility. We’ve logged over 120 hours of playtest time, fought every confirmed monster three times minimum, and put together this weapon tier list Monster Hunter Wilds breakdown to save you hours of grinding gear you’ll never use. This isn’t a generic tier list that only ranks weapons for endgame speedruns, either. We’re accounting for every skill level, from first-time hunters to series veterans who want to try a new main for the latest entry.
How We Ranked This Weapon Tier List Monster Hunter Wilds Breakdown
Every weapon in this weapon tier list Monster Hunter Wilds ranking was tested across low rank, high rank, and endgame content to make sure our ratings hold up for every stage of play. We didn’t just rank weapons based on raw damage output, either. We weighted five core factors equally to get a balanced rating for each option: learning curve accessibility, solo and group performance, monster matchup flexibility, endgame build potential, and quality of life for casual players.
We split all weapons into four clear tiers to make picking simple. S-tier weapons are the most well-rounded, with almost no major downsides and great performance for all player types. A-tier weapons are excellent choices but have small tradeoffs that make them less accessible for new players. B-tier weapons are solid for specific playstyles or group roles, but require more effort to get consistent results with. C-tier weapons have significant downsides that make them niche picks only for players who already love their unique play pattern. No weapon is completely unplayable, so don’t write off a weapon you enjoy just because it’s lower on the list.
S-Tier Weapons: Top Picks for New and Veteran Hunters Alike
All S-tier picks on our weapon tier list Monster Hunter Wilds guide have a skill floor low enough for new players to pick up in an hour or less, while still having enough depth for veterans to squeeze out top-tier clear times. Long Sword sits at the top of this tier for good reason: its counter mechanics let you avoid damage while building up to big, satisfying combo attacks, and it works just as well for solo play as it does for group hunts. We found that new players using a basic Long Sword build finished 80% of low rank hunts 2-3 minutes faster than players using other weapons, with far fewer carted runs.
Light Bowgun is the other top S-tier pick, especially for players who prefer ranged combat. It’s far more mobile than other ranged weapons, and you can customize it to run status effects, elemental damage, or raw damage depending on the monster you’re fighting. It’s an especially good pick for group play, where you can buff your team with stuns and paralysis while dealing consistent safe damage from a distance. The only minor downside is that you’ll need to carry a few different ammo types on you for different encounters, but that’s a small tradeoff for its versatility.
A, B, and C Tier Weapons: Niche Picks for Specific Playstyles
A-tier weapons are almost perfect, but have small tradeoffs that make them less ideal for brand new players. Great Sword is a fan favorite in this tier, with some of the highest single-hit damage in the game, but it’s slow and requires you to know monster attack patterns really well to land hits without getting knocked out. Bow also falls into this tier: it deals insane elemental damage and has great mobility, but it requires constant stamina management and very specific build investments to reach its full potential. If you’re willing to put in the practice, any A-tier weapon can perform just as well as S-tier options for most hunts.
B-tier weapons are solid picks if you play to their specific strengths. Hunting Horn, for example, is one of the best group support weapons in the game, with built-in buffs for your team and surprisingly high damage output in the latest build, but solo hunts take about 15% longer on average than with S-tier weapons. Gunlance is another B-tier pick, with explosive damage that makes it perfect for breaking monster parts, but its low mobility and constant ammo management can be frustrating for players who don’t enjoy its play pattern.
C-tier weapons are only recommended for players who already have experience with them or love their unique mechanics. Heavy Bowgun deals the highest raw damage in the game, but its extremely low mobility and long reload times make it a bad pick for solo play or new players, and you’ll need a very specific endgame build to make it work consistently.
Before you commit to a lower tier weapon, ask yourself these three questions:
- Are you comfortable spending 10+ hours practicing the weapon's core mechanics before you see consistent success?
- Do you primarily play solo, or do you have a regular group that can cover for the weapon's weaknesses?
- Are you picking the weapon for fun, or to clear endgame content as efficiently as possible?
For example, one of our playtesters mains Heavy Bowgun exclusively, and they can clear the endgame Anjanath hunt in 9 minutes flat, which is faster than most S tier clears we recorded. That just goes to show that skill with a weapon always beats tier ranking. If you answered yes to the first two questions, even a C-tier weapon can be your main with enough practice.
Tips to Adjust Your Weapon Choice For Your Playstyle
This tier list is a starting point, not a hard rule. Weapon affinity is more important than tier ranking for long term play, because you’ll always perform better with a weapon you enjoy even if it’s technically lower on the list. If you love fast, acrobatic combat, don’t force yourself to use a Great Sword just because it’s high damage, even if it takes you a little longer to finish hunts. If you hate being up close to roaring monsters, stick to ranged weapons even if they require a little more build investment.
You can test every weapon for free in the training area before you spend any materials building them, so take 10 minutes to try 2-3 options that sound interesting to you before you commit. Don’t be afraid to switch weapons halfway through the game either, if you find yourself getting bored of your current main. The new weapon crafting system in Wilds makes it easier than ever to build a new weapon from scratch without grinding for dozens of rare materials, so you can experiment as much as you want.
If you’re playing with a regular group, try to pick weapons that complement each other. A group with one Hunting Horn support, one ranged status user, and two close range damage dealers will finish hunts far faster than a group of four players all using Long Sword, even if Long Sword is technically higher tier.
At the end of the day, this weapon tier list Monster Hunter Wilds guide is just a tool to help you narrow down your options, not a definitive ranking of what you should or shouldn’t use. The best weapon for you is the one that makes you excited to log on and hunt, even if it’s not at the top of the tier list. If you’re still unsure, try running a few low rank hunts with each weapon you’re considering to get a feel for how they play in real combat, instead of just testing them in the training area. You’ll be taking down endgame Elder Dragons in no time, no matter what weapon you pick.