How to use the Heavy Bowgun in Monster Hunter Wilds

The Monster Hunter Wilds Heavy Bowgun essentially turns you into a walking turret, which is to say you have a lot of firepower, but the mobility and speed of a small tank. This is one of a few ranged weapons in the game and thanks to how unwieldy it is, you won't be doing much dodging unlike with the Bow, for example, so instead you'll need to learn the art of the guard.

The Heavy Bowgun comes with an alternate fire mode called Ignition Mode, which allows you to fire two special ammo types, Wyvernheart and Wyverncounter. Then you also have all the standard types of ammo to get your head around, along with guarding. It's not quite as complicated as the Insect Glaive, but if you thought the Heavy Bowgun was simply a point-and-shoot weapon, think again. Here's how to use the Heavy Bowgun in Monster Hunter Wilds.

The Monster Hunter Wilds Heavy Bowgun explained

The Heavy Bowgun in MH Wilds is a weapon focused on those who want high firepower and resilience while sacrificing agility and movement in the process. To summarize in advance, to use the Bowgun effectively you need to alternate between the two fire modes - regular and ignition. Regular allows you to use all the various ammo types to exploit monster weaknesses, whereas the limited-use Ignition Mode allows you to fire a high-power machine gun stream, or a shotgun blast that can counter enemies attacking you, Bloodborne-style.

When in peril, you can't evade enemies very well, so instead you need to learn how to guard as part of the weapon's moveset. If that loss of mobility bothers you, you might be better advised to try the Monster Hunter Wilds Light Bowgun instead.

Ignition Mode explained

To get the most out of the Heavy Bowgun, you'll want to be switching between the standard mode and Ignition Mode regularly. While the standard mode allows you to fire all your different ammo types such as Pierce, Spread, and Poison (full list below), Ignition Mode introduces Wyvernheart and Wyverncounter.

Wyvernheart fires a continuous stream of bullets, which ramp up in damage the longer you shoot for without interruption. Wyverncounter, on the other hand, is essentially a shotgun blast that you only want to use up close. However, Wyverncounter also offsets your foe if they're attacking you when you use it, which is Monster Hunter Wilds' way of saying it knocks the monster off-balance.

Both of these consume the Ignition Gauge, which forces you back into the normal fire mode when it depletes. Focus Blast: Wyvern Howl is also available in both modes though and it doesn't consume your Ignition Gauge, but it should only be used to target monster wounds as it deals increased damage.

Heavy Bowgun ammo explained

When you're in the standard mode for the Heavy Bowgun, here are all of the ammo types available, although you should be aware that not every Heavy Bowgun can use all ammo types. If you inspect your weapon in the menus, you can find the full list of ammo info.

• Normal Ammo
• Pierce Ammo
• Spread Ammo
• Slicing Ammo
• Sticky Ammo
• Cluster Bomb
• Wyvern Ammo
• Poison Ammo
• Paralysis Ammo
• Sleep Ammo
• Flaming Ammo
• Water Ammo
• Freeze Ammo
• Thunder Ammo
• Dragon Ammo
• Recover Ammo
• Demon Ammo
• Armor Ammo
• Exhaust Ammo
• Tranq Ammo

Normal, Pierce, and Spread Ammo have unlimited capacity, whereas all the others must be crafted. As you'd expect, each type of ammo has different effects, so make sure you read up on them to ensure you're taking full advantage of their properties. They also have different effective ranges, so pay attention to when your reticle turns orange, as this means you're within critical distance.

Heavy Bowgun moveset

Here are all of the basic Heavy Bowgun moves and attacks:

• Fire
  • PC: LMB
  • PS: R2
  • XB: RT
• Aim/Focus
  • PC: RMB
  • PS: L2
  • XB: LT
• Reload
  • PC: R
  • PS: Triangle
  • XB: Y
• Ignition Mode
  • PC: F
  • PS: Circle
  • XB: B
• Guard
  • PC: R + F
  • PS: Triangle + Circle
  • XB: Y + B
• Select Ammo
  • PC: Mouse Wheel up/down
  • PS: L1 + Triangle/X
  • XB: LB + Y/A
• Wyvernheart (in Ignition Mode)
  • PC: LMB
  • PS: R2
  • XB: RT
• Wyverncounter (in Ignition Mode)
  • PC: R
  • PS: Triangle
  • XB: Y

There are two final things to keep in mind about the Heavy Bowgun: guarding and mods. Guarding allows you to defend against incoming attacks, but if you time it exactly right when the incoming attack is going to land, you'll perform a perfect guard. This still consumes stamina but negates all damage, and against certain monsters, you'll enter into a power clash. If you win, your foe will be staggered and open to more damage.

Mods can be applied to all Heavy Bowguns, and they essentially add perks to your weapon, such as increased ammo magazine size, upgrades one of the fire modes, or improves the recovery speed of the Ignition Gauge. The more you play, the more Heavy Bowgun mods you'll unlock.

For more help on the field, why not check out our how to play Monster Hunter Wilds multiplayer with friends? Alternatively for those bold hunters to prefer close range combat, check out our guide to the Monster Hunter Wilds Long Sword, or for whose who want to get REALLY close range, how to mount monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds!

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