The best Monster Hunter Wilds weapons in our tier list below will let you become a powerhouse, able to do massive damage with ease. Not only that, but we've got all sorts of details on how the best weapons in MH Wilds work, what weapons are well-suited to beginners, and what you should be prioritizing at large, depending on your playstyle. Not only that, but we'll reveal the secret of how to craft Artian Weapons - the best and most powerful tools in all of Monster Hunter Wilds. Ultimately, this is the only page you'll ever need when considering the development of your hunter's arsenal, so let's start with our best weapons tier list for Monster Hunter Wilds, kept constantly up-to-date after all the most recent patches and tweaks.
Monster Hunter Wilds weapon tier list
The current tier list for the best weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds is as follows:
- S-tier weapons
- A-tier weapons
- Dual Blades
- Hammer
- Sword & Shield
- Great Sword
- Insect Glaive
- Charge Blade
- Light Bowgun
- B-tier weapons
- Switch Axe
- Gunlance
- Lance
- Hunting Horn
We expect to see these rankings shuffle around a little bit when it comes to future updates and expansions, but ultimately it's important to keep in mind that any weapon can kill any monster, and player skill is more vital than anything else. Stats give you the advantage, of course, but a powerful weapon won't do anything in the hands of somebody who doesn't know how to use it. On top of that, a weapon doesn't do much for your durability - you'll need the Monster Hunter Wilds best armor to pair with any weapon you equip, especially for those that require you fight close-range.
The best weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds
Once you've picked the actual weapon type, you'll need to get the best weapons of that type in MH Wilds - and the best weapons we've encountered are the special Artian Weapons. To unlock these, you need to do the following:
- Progress through the main campaign until you complete Chapter 4 - 3. "Wyvern Sparks and Rose Thorns".
- This will unlock a new kind of powerful monster variant called Tempered Monsters.
- Killing Tempered Monsters will grant the player a random assortment of Artian Parts.
- Go to Gemma to Forge Artian Weapons from those parts.
- Reinforce the Weapon with money and certain mineral materials to maximize their offensive power.
Artian parts are infused with different elements and effects, and the weapon you craft will have different effects depending on what parts you used (such as Ice, Thunder, Sleep, Poison, etc). They can also have a focus on either damage or affinity.
The toughest Tempered Monsters in the game will drop Rarity 8 Artian Parts. Weapons made from these, and then reinforced, will outclass anything else Gemma will build for you, at least at time of writing. The only downside is that Artian weapons don't have Equipment Skills tied to them, so those trying to exploit certain mechanics and emphasize certain builds may not want to make use of them. Still, for those who want raw power, this is where you should go.
Best weapons for beginners in Monster Hunter Wilds and new players
If you're starting a Monster Hunter game for the first time in MH Wilds, we recommend picking either the Dual Blades, Long Sword, Great Sword, Hammer, or Sword & Shield. These weapons are alternately more simple to use (like the Blades) or have built-in defensive abilities that allow players some margin of error (like the Sword and Shield).
The game gives you a little personality quiz when it starts off to try and see what's right for you, but it doesn't really take into account ease of use and how intuitive (or not) certain weapons are, which can make for a difficult learning curve. Of course, any weapon can be learned by new players, it's just the options above are far simpler and more accessible to newcomers than - say - the Hunting Horn or Insect Glaive.
Once you've picked out a new weapon, read its guide in the menu so you understand it completely, and try a few easy hunts on low level monsters or even endemic wildlife for practice. You won't master anything straight away - and that's OK, as you're not supposed to! These are skillsets that you build over time, and very few players keep practice with more than two or three weapons at a time.
Be sure to check out our Monster Hunter Wilds review, where we described it as "The new peak of the series and an early contender for game of the year". Or for the rarest of all the beasts, find out where you can discover the Monster Hunter Wilds Sandstar here!
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