Best starting weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds ranked

Monster Hunter Wilds is going to occupy the gaming sphere for a long time, with many returning franchise players and many new faces. For newer players, getting into Monster Hunter Wilds can be a lot, so here are the best starting weapons.

Best starting weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds, ranked

Just because this list will show what we consider to be the best starting weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds does not mean that these are overpowered or better than the others. This is more for ease of use and getting accustomed to the game’s mechanics.

Great Sword, Long Sword, Sword and Shield, and Dual Blades

These weapons are quite flexible and can be understood rather easily. They also pair well as primary or secondary weapons for something more complicated.

The Great Sword is kind of the most versatile weapon class in Wilds. It excels in damage and doesn’t sacrifice a lot. There’s definitely a skill ceiling to learning more advanced techniques, but beginners can get by just fine by doing some slashing and defensive maneuvers.

The Long Sword is very similar to the Great Sword in that it has just as good damage. However, it has a “spirit gauge” mechanic where once it’s filled up, you can use that to deliver devastating blows to the monsters. It also has a counter mechanic for more defensive play.

The Sword and Shield is more for people who may find it difficult to dodge attacks. You sacrifice attack power for sturdier defensive options. Playing with something more defensive can slowly help you study monster attack patterns.

Contrary to the Sword and Shield, the Dual Blades are more for players who want a more hyper-aggressive playstyle. There are fewer defensive options for these players, so the name of the game is knowing when to dodge, run away, or wait for an opening.

Hammer, Charge Blade, Switch Axe, Lance, and Gunlance

These weapons might seem a bit straightforward, but have some major strengths that require more setups in mind.

The Hammer is a really strong weapon and sort of the heavy version of the Dual Blades. It’s all about going on the offensive, but you have to coordinate your attacks better, as the attack animations are a lot longer. 

The Charge Blade is like a more complex Great Sword, except it has two stances that go hand-in-hand with each other. It can block during the Sword stance, which is what you will use to charge your phials. These phials are then used when switching to the Axe stance, where you’ll deal big damage. Mobility might be a problem, but it’s very much compensated by the amount of damage you can potentially deal.

The Switch Axe basically feels like the combination of the Long Sword and the Charge Blade. You build meter in Axe mode to turn your weapon into a giant sword, but there’s another meter you build up during the Sword mode to become amped. It’s like evolving your weapon twice, with varied moves along the way.

The Lance is a more defensive weapon to take if you want something heftier than the Sword and Shield. It’ll be great in a team setting to take aggro and perform good pokes while your teammates can more safely approach and damage monsters.

If you like the Lance and want something with more oomph, then the Gunlance is just that. It’s really slow and has its drawbacks against faster monsters, but it can be a beast with proper setups.

Bow, Heavy Bowgun, Light Bowgun, Hunting Horn

The Bows and Bowguns are very powerful ranged weapons in Monster Hunter games. How you shoot isn’t like a traditional FPS or third-person shooter, especially having to take ammunition and crafting into consideration. Still, even if you need to go a bit out of your way to make these work, the ranged weapons are excellent choices as secondaries for ranged play.

Hunting Horns are what would happen if Hammers became support weapons. Though that may sound really cool, you need to have good timing for getting buffs; otherwise, you’re just using this as another Hammer alternative. 

Insect Glaive

Lastly is the Insect Glaive. It’s the most complicated weapon class in Monster Hunter games in general. You have three different buffs that you ideally want to have on at all times for this weapon to really shine. 

It excels in aerial combat, allowing you to mount monsters a lot better than other weapons. It’s also one of the better weapons in terms of mobility overall, but without those aforementioned buffs, you’re not going to get a lot out of this weapon.

You can’t mash around with your basic attacks and some dodging to get results. You really need to learn this, or you’re going to have a hard time dealing any damage.