How to use the Insect Glaive in Monster Hunter Wilds

The Monster Hunter Wilds Insect Glaive may seem like one of the more complex weapons in the game and, well… actually no, you'd be right. Compared to some more traditional weapons such as the Long Sword or Bow, the Insect Glaive has a little more to get your head around, but that doesn't mean it's too tricky. Let us explain.

Like many of the Monster Hunter Wilds weapons, the Insect Glaive has undergone some radical changes from previous games such as World, because it's less about aerial combos now, so the moveset focuses more on ground-based attacks. While you can still vault into the air and use the Vaulting Dance attack in Monster Hunter Wilds, you'll be down on the surface quicker than previous iterations of the weapon which would allow you to dance in the air for some time. Here's what you need to know about how to use the Insect Glaive in Monster Hunter Wilds including an explanation of its basic mechanics, the Kinsects and extracts, along with its moveset.

The Monster Hunter Wilds Insect Glaive and Kinsects system explained

The first thing to know about Kinsects is that they have their own equipment slot, so you must visit Gemma, the blacksmith, to purchase and equip different ones. This is also where you can upgrade your Kinsects. Don't equip the Insect Glaive and expect it to be good-to-go from the start, which is different to a weapon such as the Bow which has various coatings available by default.

Different types of Kinsect will suit different builds, and with the base Insect Glaive you'll have access to the Mauldrone and Culldrone Kinsects. You can select these in the Raising Kinsects menu to choose different nurture effects, which allows you to specialize your build. One aspect of this to keep in mind is the Dust Effect, which the Kinsect will leave behind in the air. If you attack the powder, it will explode, resulting in either blast, poison, or paralysis on the monster, or health for you.

Kinsects are essentially giant bug companions to the Insect Glaive, and with the ability to equip one at a time, you can send it out in fights to deal damage, but most importantly, harvest extracts. There are four types of extract that generally come from the following body parts:

Send your Kinsect out and target various body parts of your monster foe to extract the different colours. Red, white, and orange are the important ones, with green only coming in handy if you need to heal. Combine all three and you'll have more powerful attacks and new attacks in your arsenal, along with all the buffs that come with each colour.

Insect Glaive moveset

Here are all of the basic Insect Glaive moves:

• Rising Slash
  • PC: LMB
  • PS: Triangle
  • XB: Y
• Wide Sweep
  • PC: RMB
  • PS: Circle
  • XB: B
• Vault (follow up with Rising Slash or Wide Sweep for mid-air attacks)
  • PC: R + Space
  • PS: R2 + X
  • XB: RT + A
• Focus Thrust: Leaping Strike (while in focus)
  • PC: Shift
  • PS: R1
  • XB: RB
• Kinsect: Mark Target
  • PC: R
  • PS: R2
  • XB: RT
• Kinsect: Fire
  • PC: R + Shift
  • PS: R2 + R1
  • XB: RT + RB
• Kinsect: Harvest Extract:
  • PC: R + LMB
  • PS: R2 + Triangle
  • XB: RT + Y
• Kinsect: Recall (while Kinsect is in flight)
  • PC: R + RMB
  • PS: R2 + Circle
  • XB: RT + B

The Insect Glaive is tricky to pick up and can be quite daunting at first, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be flying (although not quite as much as you would in previous Monster Hunter games, unfortunately). Descending Slash - executed by slashing while coming down from a Vault Dance - is one of the most powerful attacks at your disposal, and some players rate the Glaive as one of best weapons.

If you're struggling to master the Kinsect controls and mechanics, be aware that performing moves in focus mode will extract buffs automatically, so rather than trying to control your Kinsect from afar, get in the habit of using focus mode constantly and hitting a variety of body parts to quickly accumulate the buffs.

Want to know more about the game? Our beginner's guide for Monster Hunter Wilds has all the info you need to start out, or find out about the options for playing with friends on our explanation of Monster Hunter Wilds crossplay.

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