Do you enjoy the Hammer but find it a bit one-dimensional? Does buffing yourself and your teammates make you feel like the one person your party can’t live without? Or are you simply fighting against the naysayers who claim the Hunting Horn is a “support” weapon? Whatever the case, this unique weapon has been a personal favorite since MHGU–and Monster Hunter Rise made it even cooler.

Here are 5 of the top Hunting Horn builds in Monster Hunter Rise:

5. Khezu Thunder

Khezu Keen Hunting Horn in Monster Hunter Rise

Focusing on counter attacks and invisibility frames has never been a staple of the Hunting Horn, relying instead on big K/O damage and stat-boosting songs. But things have changed with the addition of the armor skill Embolden. This build makes use of high defense and evade windows to keep you safe.

What We Love About This Build:

Embolden

• The armor skill Embolden makes an ideal build for solo players. When targeted by a monster, Embolden provides an additional 10 defense along with boosted levels of Guard and Evade Window.

Feels safe

• Good defensive stats and plenty of dodge enhancements unlock a safer playstyle for this in-your-face weapon.

No talisman needed

• This build was created without the help of a talisman, so equipping one allows for a lot of variety–regardless of how rare yours is.

The Nitty Gritty:

Equipment:

Weapon: Khezu Keen+ (320 Attack, 0% Affinity)

• Earplugs (S), Health Regeneration, Elemental Attack Boost

Head: Flaming Espinas Brain

• Attack Boost (2), Razor Sharp (1), Spare Shot (1)

Chest: Risen Kaiser Mail

• Critical Eye (3), Weakness Exploit (1), Powder Mantle (1)

Arms: Lambent Wristrays

• Evade Window (3), Adrenaline Rush (2)

Waist: Onmyo Ateobi

• Embolden (1), Agitator (3), Adrenaline Rush (1)

Legs: Utsushi True Greaves (H)

• Evade Window (1), Agitator (1), Attack Boost (2)

Talisman: Best available. Refer to recommended skills below.

Petalace: Absolute Petalace

Armor Skills:

Attack Boost (7), Evade Window (4), Agitator (4), Critical Eye (3), Critical Boost (3), Adrenaline Rush (3), Weakness Exploit (2), Defiance (2), Defense Boost (2), Evade Extender (1), Razor Sharp (1), Spare Shot (1), Burst (1), Powder Mantle (1), Embolden (1)

Deco Jewels:

1x Jumping 2, 1x Elembane 3, 1x Chain 2, 3x Attack 2, 3x Critical 2, 1x Tenderizer 2, 2x Cornerstone, 2x Defense

Rampage Slots:

Anti-Species

Switch Skills:

Overhead Smash, Melody Mode: Performance, Crush Attack Combo, Bead of Resonance, Silkbind Shockwave

Build Playstyle:

Stick close to the monster and roll through attacks to make use of Evade Extender. Make sure to target the head whenever possible for maximum stun effect, and use Silkbind Shockwave for even more damage.

 

4. Scorned Magnamalo Comfort

Devil's Lute Magnamalo Hunting Horn in Monster Hunter Rise

Scorned Magnamalo has given us another top-tier build thanks to the great stats and songs of the Devil’s Lute Hunting Horn. If you’re looking for a safe, non-meta build that does an incredible amount of damage, this one’s for you!

What We Love About This Build:

Comfy melodies

• The Devil’s Lute Hunting Horn provides a wealth of comfortable songs that make quick work of even level 120 anomaly monsters. Sonic Barrier, Attack and Defense Up, and Health Regeneration are an ideal combo for when you feel like taking the lazy approach to monster slaying.

Great base stats

• At 300 attack, purple sharpness, and a burst stat of 30, the Devil’s Lute boasts an outstanding amount of value. Add in a few damage decorations and it almost feels unfair to be this strong.

Sonic Bloom

• This silkbind skill is what sets the Scorned Magnamalo build apart. It’s easy to use, does an INSANE amount of damage and fits in perfectly with our desired playstyle.

The Nitty Gritty:

Equipment:

Weapon: Devil’s Lute (300 Attack, 30 Blast, 0% Affinity)

• Sonic Barrier, Attack and Defense Up, Health Regeneration

Head: Archfiend Armor Cerato

• Weakness Exploit (1), Resentment (2)

Chest: Lambent Hauberk

• Agitator (2), Critical Boost (1), Sneak Attack (1)

Arms: Channeler’s Hope (Spring)

• Evade Window (1), Wirebug Whisperer (1), Attack Boost (2)

Waist: Malzeno Coil

• Blood Rite (2), Partbreaker (1), Attack Boost (1)

Legs: Flaming Espinas Heel

• Intrepid Heart (1), Attack Boost (1), Burst (2)

Talisman:

• Attack Boost (3)

Petalace: Absolute Petalace

Armor Skills:

Attack Boost (7), Resentment (5), Stun Resistance (3), Partbreaker (3), Wirebug Whisperer (3), Defiance (3), Burst (2), Agitator (2), Blood Rite (2), Critical Boost (1), Weakness Exploit (1), Handicraft (1), Slugger (1), Horn Maestro (1), Recovery Speed (1), Evade Window (1), Sneak Attack (1)

Deco Jewels:

1x Destroyer 4, 3x Furor 2, 3x Steadfast, 1x Wirebug 4

Rampage Slots:

N/A

Switch Skills:

Overhead Smash, Melody Mode: Performance, Swing Combo, Sonic Bloom, Silkbind Shockwave

Build Playstyle:

Stay on your target and attack without letup. Because of Blood Rite, passive health regen, and Intrepid Heart, you shouldn’t need to heal too often. Make good use of Sonic Barrier to keep from being staggered and use Sonic Bloom every chance you get for maximum damage.

 

3. Anjanath Fire

Horn of the Indomitable Hunting Horn in Monster Hunter Rise

Hunting Horns have a long history of changes in the Monster Hunter series, and the Sunbreak expansion in Monster Hunter Rise has turned it on its head by adding tons of new armor skills and combos. This build takes particular advantage of the Silkbind Shockwave skill to deal high elemental damage while keeping yourself safe.

What We Love About This Build:

Dereliction feels safe

• Like a lot of weapons, Dereliction provides Hunting Horn users a massive boost to their overall dps. But where the Hunting Horn shines is with its instant healing capabilities–which virtually negates Dereliction’s health-drain effect.

Very meta

• Qurious crafting to reach the required stats for this build takes some luck. But if you’re able to roll the extra slots, you’ll have a top-tier build for a long time.

High attack

• The Rathalos Hunting Horn has a high attack rating of 310 (+45 fire). Add 5 levels of Resentment to that and you’re getting an additional 25 attack whenever you have recoverable health.

The Nitty Gritty:

Equipment:

Weapon: Horn of the Indomitable+ (330 Attack, 30 Fire, -15% Affinity)

• Stamina Recovery Up, Health Recovery (S), Attack Up

Head: Nephilim Helm

• Critical Eye (2), Element Exploit (1), Strife (1)

Chest: Risen Kaiser Mail

• Critical Eye (3), Weakness Exploit (1), Powder Mantle (1)

Arms: Archfiend Armor Epine 

• Dereliction (2), Resentment (1)

Waist: Nephilim Tassets

• Critical Eye (2), Resentment (2), Strife (1)

Legs: Archfiend Armor Sceros

• Dereliction (1), Resentment (1)

Talisman:

• Attack Boost (3), Weakness Exploit (2)

Petalace: Absolute Petalace

Armor Skills:

Attack Boost (7), Critical Eye (7), Resentment (5), Fire Attack (5), Dereliction (3), Weakness Exploit (3), Critical Boost (3), Master’s Touch (3), Horn Maestro (1), Strife (2), Teostra Blessing (2), Element Exploit (1), Bloodlust (1), Powder Mantle (1), Burst (1), Handicraft (2)

Deco Jewels:

4x Attack 2, 1x Blaze, 1x Mastery+ 4, 1x Mastery 2, 3x Critical 2, 1x Handicraft+ 4, 2x Flamescale, 1x Hardblaze+ 4, 1x Sonorous, 1x Furor 2

Rampage Slots:

Anti-Species

Switch Skills:

Overhead Smash, Melody Mode: Performance, Crush Attack Combo, Sonic Bloom, Silkbind Shockwave

Build Playstyle:

Capping out Attack Boost, Critical Eye, Resentment, and Fire Attack gives a huge boost to your damage. Take advantage of the elemental buff from Silkbind Shockwave, use your melodies to stay safe, and crush your target with Sonic Bloom.

 

2. Rathalos Elemental

Ophelia's Grace Rathalos Hunting Horn in Monster Hunter Rise

High raw attack coupled with the Elemental Attack Boost melody put the Rathalos Hunting Horn in a league of its own. This build focuses primarily on dishing out loads of boosted damage through a combination of Silkbind Shockwave and the Crush Attack Combo.  

What We Love About This Build:

Permanent purple sharpness

• Having level 3 Protective Polish allows you to easily maintain purple sharpness simply by sharpening it once every 90 seconds. That means you get a x1.39 damage multiplier that can easily last the entire hunt.

Low affinity

• Boasting low affinity might seem counterintuitive in a crit-heavy meta, but Hunting Horns do best with raw and elemental attacks. And the shockwave from our favorite silkbind attack isn’t affected by crits anyway!

Easily swappable weapons

• The armor pieces in this build work for virtually any element. Swap your weapon and decorations to suit the hunt and you’re good to go.

The Nitty Gritty:

Equipment:

Weapon: Ophelia’s Grace (310 Attack, 45 Fire, 0% Affinity)

• Elemental Attack Boost, Sonic Wave, Stamina Recovery Up

Head: Utsushi True Mask (H)

• Razor Sharp (2), Spare Shot (2), Wirebug Whisperer (1), Attack Boost (2)

Chest: Silver Solmail

• Elemental Exploit (1), Critical Element (1), Fire Attack (3)

Arms: Archfiend Armor Epine

• Dereliction (2), Resentment (1)

Waist: Archfiend Armor Ura

• Weakness Exploit (1), Chain Crit (2)

Legs: Archfiend Armor Sceros

• Dereliction (1), Resentment (1)

Talisman: Best available. Refer to recommended skills below.

Petalace: Absolute Petalace

Armor Skills:

Attack Boost (7), Fire Attack (5), Weakness Exploit (3), Protective Polish (3), Stun Resistance (3), Dereliction (3), Resentment (2), Razor Sharp (2), Spare Shot (2), Chain Crit (2), Critical Element (1), Horn Maestro (1), Speed Sharpening (1), Wirebug Whisperer (1)

Deco Jewels:

2x Blaze, 1x Sharp+, 1x Sharp, 2x Attack, 1x Sonorous, 2x Tenderizer, 1x Hard Steadfast, 1x Grinder

Rampage Slots:

Elembane Jewel 3

Switch Skills:

Overhead Smash, Melody Mode: Performance, Crush Attack Combo, Bead of Resonance, Silkbind Shockwave

Build Playstyle:

Focus on hitting your target on its weakest body parts while quickly building the Infernal Melody gauge. Don’t forget to sharpen every 90 seconds to maintain permanent purple sharpness, and–like most Hunting Horn builds on our list–use Silkbind Shockwave when you can to deal tons of damage.

 

1. Mycotoxic Healing

Mycotoxic Fungasax Hunting Horn in Monster Hunter Rise

Level 120 anomaly monsters aren’t a walk in the park. This Mycotoxin Hunting Horn build focuses on keeping you safe through melodies, armor skills and naturally high defense stats. There’s a reason why it’s one of our most-used builds in Master Rank!

What We Love About This Build:

Useful melodies

• The Stamina Use Reduced, Health Recovery (L), and Defense Up melodies suit our healing build perfectly. Defense Up boosts your defense by 10% all by itself.

Intrepid Heart

• Equipping the Intrepid Heart armor skill further enhances this build’s defensive capabilities by significantly reducing any incoming damage once activated. To put it simply, having this skill allows you to tank a big hit–even from the toughest monsters.

No talisman needed

• As with the Khezu Thunder build, the Mycotoxin Healing set doesn’t need a talisman to be effective. That leaves plenty of room for Attack Boost or Critical skills.

The Nitty Gritty:

Equipment:

Weapon: Mycotoxic Fungasax (330 Attack, 42 Poison, 0% Affinity)

• Stamina Use Reduced, Health Recovery (L), Defense Up

Head: Divine Ire Mask

• Furious (1), Critical Eye (1), Razor Sharp (2), Spare Shot (2)

Chest: Golden Lunemail

• Counterstrike (2), Divine Blessing (3), Defiance (2)

Arms: Flaming Espinas Grip

• Intrepid Heart (1), Attack Boost (1), Razor Sharp (2), Spare Shot (2)

Waist: Anjanath Coil X

• Attack Boost (2)

Legs: Flaming Espinas Heel

• Attack Boost (1), Burst (2), Intrepid Heart (1)

Talisman: Best available. Refer to recommended skills below.

Petalace: Absolute Petalace

Armor Skills:

Defense Boost (7), Attack Boost (4), Razor Sharp (3), Spare Shot (3), Divine Blessing (3), Recovery Up (3), Thunder Resistance (3), Stun Resistance (3), Defiance (3), Counterstrike (2), Burst (2), Intrepid Heart (2), Critical Eye (1), Horn Maestro (1), Furious (1), Spiribird’s Call (1)

Deco Jewels:

3x Steadfast, 1x Hard Element Resistance 4, 1x Hard Defense++ 4, 1x Hard Defense 3, 1x Medicine+ 4, 1x Medicine 2, 1x Sonorous, 1x Cornerstone, Spiribird’s Call

Rampage Slots:

Anti-Species

Switch Skills:

Overhead Smash, Melody Mode: Performance, Crush Attack Combo, Bead of Resonance, Silkbind Shockwave

Build Playstyle:

Don’t be afraid to get up close and personal with your target. The Intrepid Heart gauge is easy to fill so any major attack won’t be a big deal. Safety is increased further by Defense Boost, giving a +10% increase to your defense stat (plus an additional 35). Bead of Resonance and Silkbind Shockwave should be used as much as possible to whittle down your target’s hp and leave them open to be captured.

Hunting Horn Recommended Skills:

Horn Maestro:

• Increases shockwave damage and speed of performing melodies. This skill is a vital part of most Hunting Horn builds.

Weakness Exploit:

• A powerful skill that increases the affinity of any attack targeting a monster’s weak zone. More important for raw builds, since elemental and shockwave damage isn’t affected by critical hits.

Attack Boost:

• Increases overall attack power. At level 7 it provides a 10% boost plus an additional 10.

Slugger:

• Boosts stun power. This is perfect for blunt weapons like the Hunting Horn, providing an additional +40% to your stun damage at level 3.

Protective Polish:

• Keeps your weapon sharper longer. At level 3, weapon sharpness won’t decrease for a whopping 90 seconds after sharpening.

Dereliction:

• One of the “meta” skills in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak. Qurio will continually drain your health but provide a decent boost to damage. Effect is increased with additional Qurio. Swapping scrolls will recover a portion of your health.

Resentment:

• Boosts attack power when you have recoverable (red) health. At level 5, this gives you an attack boost of +25. Great choice for builds that use Dereliction, since you will have recoverable health for most of the hunt.

 

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