Guide: Best weapons for beginners in Monster Hunter Wilds

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Monster Hunter Wilds is out now worldwide on all platforms, with millions of players taking their first steps in the Forbidden Lands as you read this sentence. The game looks set to be a global phenomenon, just like Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Rise before it, and that means there will inevitably be countless players jumping into the Monster Hunter series for the very first time.

As exciting a prospect as that might be, Monster Hunter Wilds is a dense game, filled with more systems and choices than most triple-A games of its kind. One of the earliest choices a player has to make in Monster Hunter Wilds is which weapon to choose, with 14 different weapon types available from the get-go. Each and every one of these weapons plays entirely differently, and any given weapon system could probably be the entire combat system of a different game on its own, so choosing a weapon is a big deal, especially if you’re new to the game.

Thankfully, you don’t have to go it alone. Our team of Monster Hunter veterans remember what it was like to dive into that first hunt, and have put together this list of the best weapons for newcomers in Monster Hunter Wilds. These weapons – three melee weapons and a ranged weapon – are the simplest weapons to use effectively, but that doesn’t mean they’re underpowered or weak by any means.

Sword and Shield

The Sword and Shield has long been the best starting weapon for new hunters in the Monster Hunter series, and Wilds is no different. It’s a relatively fast weapon with a lot of outs – meaning you don’t lock yourself into long, unwieldy combos that leave you feeling vulnerable – and has the option to block attacks at the expense of stamina. It’s not a mindless option because of this stamina management aspect, and you’ll still have to pay attention and be deliberate with your attacks, but when you’re just starting out you’ll want to focus on as few extraneous things as possible, and the Sword and Shield offers distraction-free hunting without gauges, phials, form changes, ammo types, or kinsects.

Dual Blades

The Dual Blades are another fantastic option for beginner players, though admittedly slightly more complex than the Sword and Shield. It’s a weapon built on rapid attacks and lots of mobility, with low penalties for evasive actions and long, satisfying combos that can be interrupted if the player desires. There are no blocking options for DB players, but stamina is still a managed resource thanks to Demon Mode.

Entering Demon Mode changes how you attack and move, letting you dish out even more damage and deliver even bigger combos, but it slowly drains your stamina in the process. Once you fill up the Demon Gauge, though, you can switch off Demon Mode and keep the enhanced move set without draining your stamina. It’s a simple resource loop that’s relatively easy to manage as long as you don’t overextend and run your stamina too low to dodge a dangerous attack. Dual Blades also benefit the most from elemental and status weapons, because those effects are delivered on each hit — and given how many times Dual Blades hit, it’s very easy to build up to paralysis or poison, or hit a monster with its weakness for big damage.

Switch Axe

The Switch Axe is the next step up in terms of complexity from the Dual Blades and the Sword and Shield. Instead of asking the player to sacrifice stamina for additional damage or the ability to block, the Switch Axe has players focused on gauges. The default state of the Switch Axe is Axe Mode, which behaves a bit like a slightly faster Hammer with pretty good damage output and great mobility for a weapon of its size. It also has a good amount of utility, with a very simple-to-master counterattack that, if timed well, can knock a monster off its feet right when it’s about to hit.

Attacking with Axe Mode fills up the Sword Gauge, which lets you switch to Sword Mode. Here, your attacks are faster and wider reaching, and depending on the weapon you’re using, you’ll deal more damage or inflict more of a status or elemental effect once you’ve filled the Amped Gauge, filled by simply attacking in Sword Mode. Your time in Sword Mode is limited, as the Sword Gauge drops while in that mode, but when the Amped Gauge is filled and you’re running out of time, you can do a big Elemental Discharge attack for huge damage.

It seems like a lot to manage, and it can be at times, but it’s well worth learning the resource loop for the Switch Axe because it’s one of the most versatile, powerful, and useful weapons in the game.

Bow

Of the three – arguably four or five if you count the Gun Lance and Insect Glaive – ranged weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds, the Bow is the most straightforward to get up and running with. It’s pretty much exactly what it says on the tin — you aim it, you charge up a shot, and you fire it off. You can fire off arrows as fast or as slow as you like, depending on the situation, and you can even get off a huge, dragon-slaying shot if you have the time to get it ready.

Where the Bow gets complex is in its additional systems. There are different shot types to use and abuse in different scenarios, and knowing when to use them can be a challenge, but it’s much simpler than wrapping your head around the endless possibilities and ammo types found in the bowguns. Coatings also provide a few more options, and can really help in certain hunts, but even without delving too deep into those, you’ve got a competent weapon that lets you stay a fair distance away from the pointy end of a monster and that doesn’t ever need sharpening.