Monster Hunter Wilds
Updated · Ver. 1.042 · 14 weapons ranked
Charge Blade, Heavy Bowgun, Long Sword, Great Sword, Insect Glaive, Gunlance, Sword & Shield and Switch Axe are the S-tier weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds right now: the highest damage and build ceiling with Gogma Artian weapons and Transcended armor. Bow, Hunting Horn, Lance, Dual Blades and Light Bowgun follow in A; Hammer sits alone in B.
Placements are reviewed every patch. Ver. 1.041 was the final balance update, so this ranking is stable until the Ascendance expansion in 2027.
S tier · 8
The meta: top damage and the highest build ceiling
A tier · 5
Strong picks, a step behind the meta
B tier · 1
Works, but outclassed
The meta: top damage and the highest build ceiling
#1 · S tier
Charge Blade leads the S tier: Savage Axe and Super Amped Elemental Discharge land the biggest hits in the game, and Guard Points answer most attacks once the phial loop is learned.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Best for · Players who enjoy a combo system with a high skill ceiling.
#2 · S tier
Heavy Bowgun is the safest way to top the damage charts: Ignition Mode and Pierce ammo shred large monsters from range with almost no risk.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Best for · Speedrunners and players who want the safest way to farm 10★ quests.
#3 · S tier
Long Sword is the most complete melee kit in Ver. 1.042: Iai Slash counters, Spirit Gauge uptime and generous hitboxes on Spirit Release Slash.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Best for · Anyone who wants a complete, forgiving melee weapon.
#4 · S tier
Great Sword hits harder per swing than anything else; Offset Rising Slash and Focus Strike make True Charged Slash easy to land on wounds.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Best for · Players who like reading the monster and committing to big hits.
#5 · S tier
Insect Glaive is back at the top after the Title Update 1 and 2 buffs: Rising Spiral Slash on wounds and full extract uptime give it high, consistent damage with the best mobility of any melee weapon.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Best for · Mobile players who want to stay on the monster at all times.
#6 · S tier
Gunlance reaches S tier on the back of the Title Update 2 shelling buffs: shells ignore hitzones, Wyvern's Fire is easy to land and Wyrmstake bursts wounds, all behind a guard.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Best for · Players who want a guard weapon with explosive burst.
#7 · S tier
Sword & Shield is the most versatile weapon in Wilds and a full S-tier pick: Perfect Rush combos, Perfect Guard and Backstep counters, and item use while drawn make it strong in every matchup.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Best for · Players who want one weapon for every hunt, from solo speed to group support.
#8 · S tier
Switch Axe rewards aggression: Full Release Slash on a wound is one of the highest damage moves in Ver. 1.042, and axe-mode offsets keep you on the monster.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Best for · Aggressive melee players who like a mode-switching rhythm.
Strong picks, a step behind the meta
#9 · A tier
Bow pairs strong elemental damage with full mobility: Tracer arrows and Focus Strike wound farming keep it a top ranged pick, just below the S tier.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Best for · Players who want high damage without committing to a melee timing game.
#10 · A tier
Hunting Horn is an A-tier pick in any group: Echo Bubbles, party-wide Attack Up and healing songs, with solid KO damage on its own.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Best for · Four-player hunts and support builds.
#11 · A tier
Lance was buffed in Title Update 1 and 2 and is the safest melee weapon: counters and Power Guard let it face-tank Arch-tempered hunts.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Best for · Learning Arch-tempered monsters without carting.
#12 · A tier
Dual Blades melt weak points with Demon Boost and elemental sets; Focus Strike wound damage keeps them strong in every elemental matchup.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Best for · Elemental matchups such as Rey Dau, Uth Duna and Jin Dahaad.
#13 · A tier
Light Bowgun is mobile and safe: Rapid Fire and status ammo make it a strong pick for elemental and support builds, with a lower ceiling than Heavy Bowgun.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Best for · Mobile ranged play and paralysis or sleep support in multiplayer.
Works, but outclassed
#14 · B tier
Hammer is still the best KO weapon, but its head-only damage profile and weak elemental scaling leave it behind the rest of the roster in Ver. 1.042.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Best for · Multiplayer support with damage, and head-break farming.
Tiers move only when a patch changes numbers or a review shifts the picture; every change is dated in the changelog (last entry , Ver. 1.042). Tier lists are opinions backed by data: the full method, sources and corrections policy are on the About page.
Full re-rank. S tier opens to eight weapons: Charge Blade, Great Sword, Insect Glaive, Gunlance, Sword & Shield and Switch Axe join Heavy Bowgun and Long Sword. Bow moves to A, where Hunting Horn, Lance and Light Bowgun join Dual Blades. Hammer drops to B.
September review against Ver. 1.042. No balance changes since 1.041; placements confirmed on 10★ Arch-tempered clear data.
Ver. 1.041 baseline: Arch-tempered Arkveld and 10★ quests. Heavy Bowgun, Bow and Long Sword hold S; Lance and Gunlance keep their Title Update 2 buffs.
S tier holds 8 weapons in Ver. 1.042: Charge Blade, Heavy Bowgun, Long Sword, Great Sword, Insect Glaive, Gunlance, Sword & Shield and Switch Axe. Charge Blade, Heavy Bowgun and Long Sword lead it; all of them scale best with Gogma Artian weapons and Transcended armor.
Less than it looks. Every weapon clears every quest in Monster Hunter Wilds, including 10★ Arch-tempered hunts. The list ranks ceiling and speed; pick the weapon you enjoy and use the ranking to know what to expect.
No. Ver. 1.042 (August 2026) added Prologue Demo save transfer and offline event quests. The last balance patch was Ver. 1.041 in February 2026, which Capcom called the final major update before the Ascendance expansion.
Long Sword, Sword & Shield and Bow are the easiest high-tier weapons: simple combos, strong counters or mobility, and forgiving hitboxes. Lance is the safest if you cart often, and Hunting Horn if you want to help a group.
Hammer is still the best KO weapon, but it only deals full damage on the head and scales poorly with element, so in Ver. 1.042 every other weapon clears faster on average. It remains a strong multiplayer pick.
