Best Monster Hunter Wilds weapons and tier list for the Beta

The best weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds are in our weapon tier list below, and with 14 different killing tools available both in the beta and the upcoming core game, we've been playing through them all to see what's ranking high and what in need of an upgrade, from the legendary Long Sword to the nuanced Insect Glaive. Our tier list is very much in flux at the moment, as we continuously test and compare every weapon, so we'll be updating this information as we learn all their little quirks and powers better and better. 

Still, we're pretty confident in our selection of the best weapons for MH Wilds right now, as while they're all powerful, we've found some true standouts for both new players and veterans alike. And yes, the Long Sword, once again, is a complete powerhouse.

Best weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds

After playing the beta for Monster Hunter Wilds, these are the best weapons we've put to use so far:

• Long Sword: The Long Sword is legendary in the Monster Hunter community for getting a certain amount of preferential treatment from the devs, and very little has changed. By charging up the Spirit Gauge, players can do truly astoundingly damaging attacks - and with the Wound system, landing a Focus Strike charges it to red very easily. It's also pretty easy to use in comparison to some of the more complex weapons out there, with less of a learning curve.
• Bow: The bow is another easier one to learn, and its powerful ranged shots mean you can do heavy damage at distance - a surprising amount of damage, in fact. This is effectively a sniper build, but a decent amount of evasion abilities and some allies to play distraction mean that an archer can devastate monsters from range.
• Dual Blades: Though not the highest in terms of damage, the Dual Blades are massively effective at inflicting status effects with the speed at which they hit, and offer superior evasion to most other weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds. Agile heroes become downright untouchable when they master the Dual Blades, spinning through the air and triggering the Archdemon Mode for increased damage. As long as you can manage stamina effectively, the beasts will never stop you.

Monster Hunter Wilds weapon tier list and rankings

In the wake of the Monster Hunter Wilds beta, our current tier list for the best weapons in the game is as follows:

• S-tier weapons
  • Long Sword
  • Bow
  • Heavy Bowgun
• A-tier weapons
  • Dual Blades
  • Hammer
  • Sword & Shield
  • Great Sword
  • Insect Glaive
  • Charge Blade
  • Light Bowgun
• B-tier weapons
  • Switch Axe
  • Gunlance
  • Lance
  • Hunting Horn

Keep in mind that this is only within the beta, and this is almost certainly not going to be the way things land in the full game, as new gear, equipment, builds and simple fixes and balances made in the meantime will almost completely change the meta and change what weapons are best. Still, for those who are enjoying the beta as much as we are, this should help you make the maximum impact along the way.

Best weapons for beginners and new players in Monster Hunter Wilds

If you're starting a Monster Hunter game for the first time in MH Wilds, we recommend picking either the Dual Blades, Long Sword, Great Sword, Hammer or Sword & Shield. These weapons are alternately simple to use (like the Blades) or have built-in defensive abilities that allow players some margin of error (like the Sword and Shield). 

The game gives you a little pop quiz when it starts off to try and see what's right for you, but it doesn't really take into account ease of use and how intuitive (or not) certain weapons are, which can make for a difficult learning curve. Of course, any weapon can be learned by new players, it's just the options above are far simpler and more accessible to newcomers than - say - the Hunting Horn or Insect Glaive. 

Once you've picked out a new weapon, read its guide in the menu so you understand it completely, and try a few easy hunts on low level monsters or even endemic wildlife for practice. You won't master anything straight away - and that's OK, as you're not supposed to! These are skillsets that you build over time, and very few players keep practice with more than two or three weapons at a time.

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