Mastering the best beginner weapons in monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds and reach the largest threats of the game.

To do this, you will be able to choose from 14 different weapon types, all of which are returning from both World and Rise. The new title doesn’t bring any new weapon types, though many of them have been modified in ways that significantly renew their mechanics. This, combined with the new Focus Mode system, offers a fresh approach to combat. Wilds could be your first Monster Hunter game and, at the very start, you’ll be faced with a tough decision: choosing a weapon. You can always swap weapons as you progress, but for starters, some are better than others.

5 Hammer

This Blunt Damage Weapon May Be The Simplest In The Game

While the Great Sword is, essentially, the flagship weapon in the series, the Hammer is one of the best weapons to wield for anyone starting the game. Like the Great Sword, the Hammer packs a heavy punch with an incredible amount of damage, but it is a lot more mobile. The Hammer allows you to deal massive blows with blunt damage against monsters, which is particularly good against monsters with tougher hides that are resistant to slashing damage, like the Gravios in Monster Hunter Wilds.

Moving around with the Hammer can be a bit slow, but one interesting point of note is that the weapon’s powerful Charge attack can be charged while you are moving around. As such, you may be able to move out of the range of certain monster attacks and continue charging up the Hammer’s strong blow for a high damage count. Another particular aspect of the Hammer is how simple its combos are. For beginners, being able to string combos without too much thought may be the best way of getting used to monster attack patterns and learning when to dodge.

Given the weapon’s size, its mobility and the ability to Charge while moving is particularly surprising, especially when compared to the Great Sword.

The Hammer does have a few downsides, however. One of them is that players carrying will move a lot slower than if they were wielding some other weapons, so it could take some time to get used to. Another con about the Hammer is that it mainly deals blunt damage, which makes it much harder to sever some monster parts. If your goal is to chop off a Rathian’s tail, for example, the Hammer is not the weapon for the job. Nevertheless, the Hammer is one of the easiest weapons to use as a beginner in Monster Hunter Wilds.

4 Dual Blades

The Quickest Weapon Type In The Game Deals Lower Damage

If you are looking for more agility, the Dual Blades are the answer. Easily the weapon type with the fastest attacks in the game, these double daggers are a great entry into the world of Monster Hunter. With it, you can execute several quick slashes against monsters and move out of their range. The Dual Blades are great for beginners and veterans alike because, as simple as they may be, they do have longer combos and special modes that the hunter can enter for increased damage in Wilds.

The Demon Mode enables you to deal more damage than regular while maintaining the same agility and mobility as before. Its usage is limited, but it’s easy to build up enough energy to activate the Demon Mode and enhance your attacks. In addition to that, you can also enter the Archdemon Mode, which makes your attacks deal even more damage to monsters. This requires some level of understanding of combos, but the Dual Blades’ functionalities are not too elaborate to the point that beginners in Monster Hunter Wilds would feel overwhelmed.

One of the negative aspects of the Dual Blades is that they deal a lot less damage than heavier, bulkier weapons. With each hit, the daggers deal significantly less damage than a Hammer, for example, but they do strike a lot more often and allow you to disengage from combat a lot quicker, which in turn keeps you safe if you are able to evade incoming attacks. Another downside is that the Dual Blades’ range is very short, so you’ll be forced to get very close to enemies to land attacks against them in Monster Hunter Wilds.

3 Long Sword

This Weapon Is Easy To Use But Tough To Master

For a bit more complexity in weapon combos but still playing it safe, the Long Sword is a great choice. Arguably one of the most balanced weapon types in the franchise, the Long Sword deals a medium amount of damage with each strike. It has a special enhancement system during combat that allows players to increase their Spirit Gauge and buff damage. Once the gauge becomes red, its maximum level, players will be able to deal stronger attacks with longer combos. Long Swords mix a decent amount of damage, mobility, and elaborate combos, making for a great learning experience.

While it does deal a bit less damage than larger weapons, such as the Great Sword, the Long Sword compensates for that with its large range, which will see you land attacks on enemies more frequently than not. When it comes to combos, there’s a bit of a learning curve to get used to its gauge system, but once that is mastered, you’ll likely see yourself seamlessly stringing attacks, knowing just when to strike and when to move aside. The weapon also has a powerful counterattack move called Special Sheathe for incredible damage in Monster Hunter Wilds.

Some of the downsides of the Long Sword include its learning curve. It takes a while to master its functionality and, outside of the enhanced Spirit Gauge state, the weapon can feel a bit bland when it comes to combos. Furthermore, some of the attack combos can completely miss a monster if you are ill-positioned when you start or if the monster moves away, and it can be tough to correct the direction without canceling the entire combo and restarting. Altogether, however, the Long Sword is a fantastic weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds to start learning the ropes.

2 Sword & Shield

This Melee Offers A Great Load Of Mobility & Versatility

Another great balanced weapon in the game is the Sword & Shield. There is some complexity and level of understanding of its combos, but the Sword & Shield is a jack of all trades. With it, you can attack and block and, most importantly, deal both slicing and blunt damage to monsters. The shield isn’t the best damage-canceling one in the game and harder attacks will easily get through it since it is not as sturdy as the shield provided by the Lance category. However, players do have some damage mitigation with it and access to special attacks.

The Sword & Shield also offers a large amount of mobility, almost comparable to that of the Dual Blades, but slightly smaller. Even so, it’s a great weapon if you want to get straight into the monster’s range, attack quickly, and move away to safety. If the Dual Blades seem too complicated at first or if their lack of protection is frightening, the Sword & Shield is a great substitute for that. Furthermore, the Sword & Shield allows you to use certain items without having to sheathe your weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds.

This is somewhat unique to the Sword & Shield, as other weapons need to be put aside before drinking a potion, for example. Because animation times can run a bit long, getting hit, running away, sheathing the weapon, taking the potion, and drawing the weapon can be time-consuming, and Sword & Shield allows you to skip the sheathing and drawing portions of the process, potentially keeping you safe from further monster attacks while you drink your potion in Monster Hunter Wilds.

1 Bow

This Is The Best Ranged Weapon To Start With

In of ranged weapons, which are a lot fewer than melee weapons, the Bow is the easiest entry point into the category. With a rather simplistic approach to gameplay, Bows can enable you to fire different types of arrows at monsters, each dealing different types of damage and triggering various effects. With Bows, you can charge your shots and fire them for increased damage, upgrading the value they bring to the battle. While the cadence of shots is much inferior to that of Light Bowguns and Heavy Bowguns, Bows offer a well-balanced ranged kit in Monster Hunter Wilds.

One of the key aspects of the Bow weapon type is that it has a huge amount of mobility. As such, you can quickly fire a shot and dash out of the way of an incoming attack, making it perfect to deal damage from afar and still avoid strikes against you when the monster inevitably targets your hunter. The whole idea behind the usage of a Bow is quickly striking and keep moving as you use homing arrows and explosions, eventually enabling weak points with the focus mode feature in Monster Hunter Wilds.

The homing system can be activated once you hit an enemy with a Tracer, which enables the other subsequent arrows to be fired and automatically hit the monster.

The ammo management system can be a bit tough to master but the Bow is arguably the easiest one among the ranged weapons. Overall, combining its considerable damage with its high mobility and ranged aspect, the Bow is among one of the strongest weapons, even in the late game, and it’s a great beginner weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds if you are not too keen on using melee weapons to start your adventure through The Forbidden Lands.