Monster Hunter Wilds has 14 different weapons you can use on hunts, but each one has unique mechanics and abilities that make some more difficult to wield than others. Some weapons are really easy to pick up and use against monsters right away, using skills that are simple to understand. On the other hand, some weapons have multiple techniques that may take training to master.

Most weapons in the game should be familiar to those who have played previous Monster Hunter titles. That being said, several weapon changes in Monster Hunter Wilds give each tool new moves for even veterans to learn. Universal systems like Focus Mode and Offsets add more complexity to weapons, expanding their move lists and introducing more depth to every monster-slaying instrument.

Hardest & Easiest Weapons In Monster Hunter Wilds, Ranked

Know Which Weapons Have The Most To Learn

The hardest weapons to learn have the most mechanics you have to understand when fighting a monster. For example, the Insect Glaive in Monster Hunter Wilds requires you to wield not just your weapon, but a Kinsect animal companion who gathers a unique resource from monsters to grant your character buffs. Depending on the weapon, some mechanics are harder to figure out than others.

The following table lists every weapon in the game from hardest to easiest. The S Rank represents the hardest weapons to learn, while lower tiers will list weapons that are far easier to start using right away:

S-Tier

Weapons That Take Long To Learn

The two hardest weapons to learn in the game are the Charge Blade and Hunting Horn, which each have a variety of moves you need to learn. The Charge Blade is notorious for how it can switch between two forms, a standard Sword and Shield along with a powerful Axe mode. The balance between these modes is made even more difficult when you factor in the Charge Blade's unique Phial system.

The Charge Blade's Sword mode builds up energy, "charging" its blade until it is too hot to strike targets. When this happens, you have to manually load charge into phials, building up elemental or impact resources to expend while in Axe mode. In addition, the Charge Blade can power up its Sword, Shield, or Axe using Focus Mode or manual inputs during different combos, giving the weapon tons of mechanics to learn.

The Charge Blade in Monster Hunter Wilds also has a system called Guard Points, where you can perform a Perfect Block if you time your transformation between the weapon's two forms just as a monster attacks. This added mechanical depth is another reason why this weapon is hard to learn.

Similarly, the Hunting Horn is complex due to the multiple melodies you can perform through specific attack combinations. When you do a certain number of attacks in a sequence, the weapon will play a melody that grants you or your allies a buff of some kind. Finding the right songs through a Hunting Horn in the middle of an intense hunt can be complicated as you also try to deal damage to monsters and evade attacks.

The Hunting Horn also comes with multiple limitations, as you can only have three songs active at a time. The Hunting Horn has a tricky balance between playing the right songs and adapting to situations, making it a weapon that will take some experience to master.

A-Tier

Complex Weapons With Clear Strategies

Slightly easier weapons to learn are the Switch Axe and Insect Glaive, which share a lot of the same mechanical depth. The Insect Glaive commands a Kinsect bug to collect Extracts from a monster, unlocking unique buffs for the weapon. Constant management of this Kinsect during a fight will take some experimentation to figure out as you learn to seamlessly integrate a Kinsect into combos during a fight.

Kinsect buffs from the Insect Glaive are temporary, so you can also use Kinsect attacks to spread a special Powder near a monster. You can raise Kinsects to deal different effects with their Powder, which activates when you strike it.

The Switch Axe also has plenty of resource control that lends to its complexity. The Switch Axe manages a Switch Gauge that controls an Axe and Sword mode, demanding an even balance you have to pay attention to at all times. You Switch Gauge is divided into sections based on the weapon's two modes, with each form charging its own meter but depleting the other.

You deal more damage in the Switch Axe's sword mode, but every attack in that mode greatly depletes the Axe section of the Switch Gauge. The Switch Axe in Monster Hunter Wilds requires a back-and-forth between modes that eventually unlocks greater potential damage if done right. Elemental Discharges are only possible when you pilot this weapon correctly, which can be tough for new players.

B-Tier

Unique Resource Management Without Overwhelming Depth

The four weapons in this tier include the Bow, Gunlance, Great Sword, and Heavy Bowgun, which all have individual depth without too much complexity. The Bow is your most straightforward ranged weapon, using multiple types of arrows to pierce monsters from mid-range. There are many powerful arrows to use, but the Bow uses up Stamina to fire shots, which gives it a unique relationship with one of your main resources.

The Bow in Monster Hunter Wilds is far easier to use than the previous weapons due to how it can fire Tracer arrows. Tracer arrows allow all your other shots to home in on a monster, giving you little need to aim your next arrows. There are many combos to make the Bow effective, but they are easily practiced compared to other weapons.

The Gunlance is a more offensive variant of the normal Lance, using Shell attacks to fire explosive shots at monsters. Shell management on this weapon makes it a bit tricky to use, but the strong defense also seen on this weapon makes it extremely flexible. The Gunlance has long attack animations but very powerful techniques that are easy to do, giving it a perfect middle ground in weapon difficulty.

The Gunlance is one of the weapons that takes the most advantages from opening a wound on a monster. Focus mode attacks in Monster Hunter Wilds are very strong with the Gunlance, making it easier to use now compared to early iterations in the series.

Meanwhile, both the Great Sword and Heavy Bowgun are slow weapons with very damaging attacks. The Great Sword can charge up its attacks to deal with incredibly high DPS, while the Heavy Bowgun can equip unique Ammo types to blast away monsters. Both of these weapons have very simple move lists that players can understand quickly, but it will take time to get used to either tool's lack of mobility.

C-Tier

Straightforward Weapons With Slight Variations

Some of the easier weapons to learn in Monster Hunter Wilds are the Sword & Shield, Lance, and Light Bowgun​​​​​​. The Sword & Shield is a very straightforward tool in the game, using a simple sword to slash at targets and a shield to block attacks. However, the Sword & Shield is one of the only weapons that can use items while drawn, giving it more depth than you might expect.

At the same time, the Lance is a defensive bulwark that uses extremely simple poke attacks to strike at monsters. The Lance is focused on pure defense, making it act differently than the offensive-oriented weapons you'll see with a lot of other tools. Because of the Lance's defense-focused playstyle, it may take some time to get used to, but it does not have complicated combos or unique resources at its disposal.

The Light Bowgun is the more mobile of the two Bowguns available, using fast shots and evasive techniques to get away from monsters. This weapon is much safer to use, with mines creating a hit-and-run playstyle that makes it far easier to learn than the Heavy Bowgun. The Light Bowgun's quick attacks and traps make learning monster patterns a priority instead of learning combos or other maneuvers.

D-Tier

Easiest Weapons To Pick Up And Use

The easiest weapons in the game are the Dual Blades, Longsword, and Hammer. The Hammer arguably has the simplest move list among any weapons, using charging attacks to strike monsters in their head. In my experience, you don't even have to fully understand monster weaknesses with the Hammer, as you can just wack a target's head with this weapon to stun them often throughout a hunt.

The Longsword is a long-reaching weapon that can easily hit grounded and flying targets with its long blade. While using this weapon, you steadily build up Spirit into a unique Gauge, then unleash Crimson Slashes when that meter is fully charged. The Longsword in Monster Hunter Wilds has multiple evasive techniques that make you invulnerable, powerful strikes that deal lots of damage, and tons of mobility.

The changes to the Longsword in Wilds now allow it to break or cancel powerful Spirit techniques, reducing the risk it has had in the past of missing attacks. This makes it far easier to play in this entry in the series.

For any beginner, the Dual Blades are the perfect weapon to pick up and start slashing at monsters freely. The Dual Blades are the most mobile weapon in the game, allowing you to easily dodge incoming monster attacks. Invincibility frames from dodges along with a powerful Focus Strike make this weapon incredibly simple to use, even if it won't be cutting off any tails easily.

No matter what weapon you choose to use, practice against monsters will help you master the tool your character selects. Even the hardest weapon to use in Monster Hunter Wilds can be as fun as the easiest depending on your personal preferences, specific builds, or a variety of other factors.