When you're new to system of weapon upgrades and character progression. As always, your character's level doesn't count for much: what really makes you stronger, over the course of the game, is the incrementally better sets of weapons and armor you're able to craft.

So, say you're a new player who's done your first couple of hunts, and decided on a weapon type you'd like to stick with long-term. You know you're supposed to upgrade your weapon over time to stay competitive, but one look at the Smithy's weapon upgrade table, and your head starts to spin. There are too many numbers on the screen, and you don't know what any of them do. Some weapons seem so far out of reach, and others just show up as "???" in the menu. Thankfully, it's a lot less complicated than it seems.

How Monster Hunter Wilds Weapon Trees Work

What To Look For & When To Look For It

In Monster Hunter Wilds, you can upgrade your weapons along multiple set paths by speaking to the Smithy, Gemma, in any major settlement. These paths are called "trees" because they branch off in multiple directions: you may be able to upgrade one weapon several times along the same branch by using increasingly rare materials of the same type (or from the same monster), or break off in another direction by introducing parts from a different species.

You should check the Smithy regularly, ideally each time you hunt a new monster; discovering and defeating new species will unlock new branches of each weapon type's tree. If you see a weapon you like, you can add it to your wishlist by pressing triangle/Y to open the sub-menu. Once a weapon's on your wishlist, you'll get a notification when you've gathered all the materials you need to craft it.

For the most part, in the early game, you want to focus on the middle two s of the Smithy menu. The second from the left will tell you what you need to craft the weapon you've selected, as well as how much of each required material you have. The middle will show you the weapon's attack power, along with other important stats like affinity (chance of landing critical hits or experiencing damage reduction), element, and sharpness. You can press R2/RT to scroll through sub-menus that'll show you the weapon's other stats, like skills and accessory slots.

In general, your top priority should be to increase attack in the early game. Don't make the mistake of crafting every single weapon available; focus on those that have better stats than whatever you have equipped currently. Pay attention to elements in the early game, too, as you'll likely want to choose non-elemental weapons to avoid running up against monster resistances you're not prepared for. Later on, you'll need to craft weapons intentionally designed to hit enemy weaknesses for extra damage.

Best Weapon Tree To Invest In First

Why You Should Invest In The Bone Tree

So, with all those considerations in mind, where should you start? If you've just started your Monster Hunter Wilds playthrough, you should always invest in the Bone Tree first, no matter what weapon type you prefer. Bone Tree weapons tend to have some of the highest damage available to you in the early-to-mid game, usually about 100 points more than your starter weapon. They can easily be crafted at a low cost, with readily available materials.

I usually find, in most Monster Hunter games, that Bone Tree weapons are good enough to carry me through a significant portion of the midgame. At that point elemental weaknesses become more important to the gameplay, and I splinter off into multiple branches as needed.

The only real downside to Bone Tree weapons is that their sharpness stat pales in comparison to most other branches of the upgrade sequence. Sharpness dictates how many times you can strike a monster with your weapon before it starts glancing off. Thankfully, sharpness isn't terribly important in the early game of Monster Hunter Wilds. I almost never had any issues with my Bone Tree weapons, and when I did, I always had time to sharpen them with the Whetstone.

You can sharpen your weapon while riding your Seikret, which will allow you to dodge most attacks automatically. You should also get into the habit of sharpening your weapon whenever the monster runs away to a new area.

Materials To Gather For Bone Tree Weapons

To get started on the Bone Tree, you'll only need two Mystery Bones and 500z. These materials can easily be found at gathering points called Bonepiles throughout MH Wilds' map - you don't even need to hunt monsters to find them. Simply open your map and press right on the D-Pad twice to select the "Filter Icons" option, then scroll until you find Bonepiles in the list that appears. You can then search the map for Mystery Bones to your heart's content.

Even later upgrades mostly call for materials you can find in Bonepiles, so better Bone Tree weapons are never far away. For their ease of crafting and their high damage, you should always invest in Bone Tree weapons first. You'll have to move onto another branch of the upgrade tree eventually, but Bone Tree weapons can carry you easily through the early sections of Monster Hunter Wilds.