Monster Hunter Wilds · Light Bowgun build
Updated · Ver. 1.042 · HR 100+ · Defensive · A tier weapon
A solo elemental Light Bowgun build: Guardian Ebony pieces, Gogmazios Coil α and an Ebony Odogaron roll reach Burst Boost II (+18 attack while Burst 5 is active), two Arkveld γ pieces and a Lord's Soul roll add Guts, and the Evasion Charm IV with one jewel gives Evade Window 5, so a well-timed hop avoids almost any attack.
Attack
Priority 1
Burst
5/5
Priority 2
Weakness Exploit
5/5
Priority 3
Thunder Attack
3/3
Priority 4
Evade Window
5/5
Priority 5
Tetrad Shot
3/3
Priority 6
Opening Shot
3/3
Priority 7
Divine Blessing
3/3
Set bonus
Burst Boost II · 4 pts
Group bonus
Guts (Tenacity) · 3 pts
Set bonus
Hasten Recovery I · 2 pts
Mantle
Rocksteady Mantle (or Corrupted Mantle)
Bethorned Agony forged element-focused in the element you need (thunder here), upgraded to its Gogma form. Bowgun mods: Element Ammo Powder, Rapid-Fire Magazine and Adhesive Ammo.
Rolled
Ebony Odogaron's Power1
Lord's Soul1
Guardian's ProtectionLv 1BurstLv 2Ebony Odogaron's PowerLv 1
Arkveld's HungerLv 1Blight ResistanceLv 1Lord's SoulLv 1Convert ElementLv 3
Guardian's ProtectionLv 1BurstLv 1Ebony Odogaron's PowerLv 1Divine BlessingLv 1
BurstLv 2Ebony Odogaron's PowerLv 1Peak PerformanceLv 1GogmapocalypseLv 1
Arkveld's HungerLv 1FlayerLv 2Blight ResistanceLv 2Lord's SoulLv 1
Charm
Evade WindowLv 4Load element ammo that matches the monster's weakness and fire from critical distance. Burst kicks in after five hits and Burst Boost II extends it and adds +18 attack, so stay on the trigger. Your defense is evasion: with Evade Window 5 a hop through an attack avoids it, and Divine Blessing 3 softens the hits you do take. Hasten Recovery restores a little health as you attack. Darcblade builds it for solo play; in a group you can drop Evade Window for more damage.
Burst Boost II4 ptsG. Ebony Helm β, G. Ebony Braces β and Gogmazios Coil α each carry a point of Ebony Odogaron's Power; the weapon roll makes four. Burst Boost II extends Burst and adds +18 attack while it is active, on top of Burst 5 from the same three pieces.
Guts (Tenacity)3 ptsHasten Recovery I2 ptsBlight ResistanceArkvulcan Mail γ and Greaves γ give two points of Lord's Soul and the Lord's Soul group roll the third: Guts (Tenacity) raises attack and lowers defense, lets you survive one lethal hit, then trades the bonus for defense and resistances. The same two pieces bring Hasten Recovery I, Blight Resistance 3 and Convert Element 3.
Evade WindowEvade ExtenderDivine BlessingThe Evasion Charm IV gives Evade Window 4 and one Evasion Jewel finishes it; two Jumping Jewels add Evade Extender 2 for longer hops. That combination, with Divine Blessing 3, is what lets a Light Bowgun stay in its critical range against solo monsters.
Thunder AttackOpening ShotTetrad ShotBolt/Precise, Opener/Precise and Bandolier/Precise give Thunder Attack 3, Opening Shot 3, Tetrad Shot 3 and Ballistics 3 in three slots. Changing element means changing the Bolt/Precise jewel and the weapon, nothing else.
Weakness ExploitBoth Guardian Ebony β pieces are rarity 6: Transcendence turns the helm's 2 into 3-1 and the braces' 2-1 into 3-2. That fits five Tenderizer Jewels for Weakness Exploit 5, the affinity the build relies on since no piece carries any, plus a Protection and a Shockproof Jewel.
Another element: a Bethorned Agony forged in that element plus the matching /Precise jewel (Stream/Precise for water, Frost/Precise for ice, Dragon/Precise, Blaze/Precise).
Group play: Evade Window 5 matters less with other hunters drawing aggro. Swap the Evasion Charm IV for a damage charm (an Exploiter or Chain charm frees Tenderizer slots for other jewels).
Second element: Darcblade's water Bethorned Agony runs Stream/Opener, Precise Jewel III and Bandolier Jewel III for the same weapon skills.
The Shockproof Jewel is the free pick: Shock Absorber only matters in a group.
No Ebony + Lord's Soul roll: that is the hardest part of the build. Without it Burst Boost stays at rank I and Guts is lost.
Build by Darcblade, adapted and re-fitted to the database.
Updated · Ver. 1.042 · gear data from wilds.mhdb.io · build adapted from Darcblade
A solo elemental Light Bowgun build: Guardian Ebony pieces, Gogmazios Coil α and an Ebony Odogaron roll reach Burst Boost II (+18 attack while Burst 5 is active), two Arkveld γ pieces and a Lord's Soul roll add Guts, and the Evasion Charm IV with one jewel gives Evade Window 5, so a well-timed hop avoids almost any attack.
Loadout: Bethorned Agony (Bolt/Precise Jewel [3], Opener/Precise Jewel [3], Bandolier/Precise Jwl [3]); G. Ebony Helm β, Arkvulcan Mail γ, G. Ebony Braces β, Gogmazios Coil α, Arkvulcan Greaves γ; Evasion Charm IV; Rocksteady Mantle (or Corrupted Mantle); armor jewels Tenderizer Jewel [3] ×5, Protection Jewel [1] ×2, Evasion Jewel [2], Jumping Jewel [2] ×2, Shockproof Jewel [1]. Core skills: Burst 5, Weakness Exploit 5, Thunder Attack 3, Evade Window 5, Tetrad Shot 3, Opening Shot 3, Divine Blessing 3, plus Burst Boost II (Ebony Odogaron's Power) and Guts (Tenacity) (Lord's Soul) and Hasten Recovery I (Arkveld's Hunger).
Bethorned Agony with Bolt/Precise Jewel [3], Opener/Precise Jewel [3], Bandolier/Precise Jwl [3]; G. Ebony Helm β, Arkvulcan Mail γ, G. Ebony Braces β, Gogmazios Coil α, Arkvulcan Greaves γ; Evasion Charm IV; Rocksteady Mantle (or Corrupted Mantle). That reaches Burst 5, Weakness Exploit 5, Thunder Attack 3, Evade Window 5 with Burst Boost II, Guts (Tenacity), Hasten Recovery I.
Soft skin · HZV 45+. A solo elemental Light Bowgun build: Guardian Ebony pieces, Gogmazios Coil α and an Ebony Odogaron roll reach Burst Boost II (+18 attack while Burst 5 is active), two Arkveld γ pieces and a Lord's Soul roll add Guts, and the Evasion Charm IV with one jewel gives Evade Window 5, so a well-timed hop avoids almost any attack.
It is built for solo. In a group the monster targets you less, so Evade Window 5 is worth less than raw damage skills; replace the Evasion Charm IV and the Evasion Jewel.
An element-focused Bethorned Agony with the Ebony Odogaron's Power set roll and the Lord's Soul group roll. Both are needed: the first completes Burst Boost II, the second Guts.
It is adapted from Darcblade's video "BEST OF THE BEST LIGHT BOWGUN BUILDS : MONSTER HUNTER WILDS", re-fitted to the game data on this site: every piece, jewel and skill total above is checked against the database, and the swaps list what was changed and why.
Light Bowgun is A tier on the weapon tier list. This is one of 4 Light Bowgun builds on the site, each tuned for a different target.
Light Bowgun · ElementalMutual Hostility II, Bubbly Dance into Coalescence 3 and Weakness Exploit 5, any element.
Weakness Exploit 5 · Fire Attack 3 · Coalescence 3
Light Bowgun · Endgame metaFour Arkveld γ pieces, Black Eclipse, Flayer 5 and Burst 5 for Normal, Pierce or Spread.
Weakness Exploit 5 · Burst 5 · Flayer 5
Light Bowgun · ProgressionPierce 3 Rey Dau bowgun with Weakness Exploit 5 and Agitator 5, no rolls or arch-tempered.
Weakness Exploit 5 · Agitator 5 · Piercing Shots 1
