MHW Tier List (MHW Best Weapons)

Updated:

19 Nov 2019

What Are The Best Weapons in Monster Hunter World?

When traveling the brutal wilds of Monster Hunter World you want to be sure that you have the very best of the best gear for the task at hand!

Whether you’re hunting alone or in a team of trusted allies, equipping the best weapon is paramount. So, what is the best weapon you ask?

Well, I’m here to tell you exactly that.

So read along with me intrepid hunter and arm yourself with the critical knowledge that is very best for solo and multiplayer hunts!

MHW Best Solo Weapons Tier List

S Tier

Dual Blades
Bow
Longsword

A Tier

Insect Glaive
Charge blade
Hammer
Greatsword

B Tier

Hunting horn
Switch Axe
Heavy bowgun

C Tier

Gunlance
Lance
Light bowgun
Sword and shield

MHW Best Multiplayer Weapons Tier List

S Tier

Light Bowgun
Sword and shield
Hunting horn

A Tier

Heavy bowgun
Bow
Greatsword
Insect glaive

B Tier

Switch axe
Charge blade
Hammer
Dual blades

C Tier

Longsword
Lance
Gun lance

Dual blades (Solo Tier - S) (Multi Tier - B)

Dual Blades make for excellent monster mincers!

Dual blades are the epitome of a meat grinder. With extremely fast attack speed, excellent response time due to manageable attack animations, and customizability, the dual blades excel in extreme burst damage.

Best built as an elemental set, the dual blades hits -very- quickly and can apply that elemental damage with mind-warping speed. In solo play you won't be staggering allies as much with the blinding rate of attacks, rendering dual blades in this hunters opinion better suited for solo stalking. Just be careful to manage your stamina and you’ll find this pair of razor-edged monster slicers to be one of the most enjoyable weapons to use.

Even in multiplayer, you’ll find yourself capping out damage and leaving the other weapons in a slice and diced wake of monster chunks and upturned dust! Enter into Demon mode and you’ll transform from a monster dicing part slicing menace into a titan of beast tearing terror! In Demon mode your damage is increased, attack animations become more frequent and -faster- and you move faster on foot! Be careful though, in Demon mode, your stamina is consumed faster than dash juice at the beginning of a monster hunting five K race.

Yet, even when exiting Demon mode, which can be done manually or when you run out of stamina, you’ll retain some of that Demon mode meter which will allow you to continue to capitalize off of its damage and speed boosts! If you play this weapon properly you will out damage your allies and give even the Tempered Elder Dragons something to tremble about in the dead of night.

Dual Blades Strengths:

1 Extreme attack rate
2 High elemental damage output
3 Easy to build
4 Easy to learn
5 Requires frequent sharpening

Dual Blades Weaknesses:

1 The human Beyblade attack *spinning* can send you too far off ledges and down hills.
2 Some attacks will stagger allies often when clustered around a monster
3 Stamina drain in Demon Mode is very high
4 Struggles with Raw Damage Builds
5 No blocks or built-inbuilt in long dodges

Watch Dual blades in action here:

Monster Hunter World | Dual Blades Tutorial

Longsword (Solo Tier - S) (Multi - Tier C)

The longsword makes ready for battle!

Flashy and keen, the Longsword is a mighty contender for the monsters of the new world. Best suited for solo play yet still viable with skill *stop staggering me!* in Multiplayer! The Longsword is -easy- to pick up, hits like a train, but has wide arcing sweeps that will stagger allies caught in its path. With epic attacks like the helm splitter, you’ll find yourself craving the next honorable duel with the titanic beasts of the wilds. Par the course for any Katana like weapon, the Longsword also has a nifty parry ability that will block any attack slung in its direction and allow the hunter to riposte with a powerful return swing. On top of it all the Longsword can enter a state where the monster’s natural armor counts for nothing and you can swing through it like a superheated plow through freshly fallen snow. Like other weapons, the Longsword will fill a gauge, the spirit meter, which allows for moves like Helm splitter. The Longsword exists for the sake of tearing through monsters with precision and ease. Build properly for damage you’ll find yourself confident and ready for the challenges of Monster Hunter World.

Longsword Strengths:

1 Very easy to use
2 Can be unblockable
3 Excellent melee range
4 Very high damage output
5 Excellent part severing

Longsword Weaknesses:

1 Literally zero ranged attacks apart from slinger
2 Wide swings stagger allies too much
3 Not super versatile/fits one role
4 Relies on spirit Gauge
5 Loses sharpness quickly

Watch the Longsword in action here:

Monster Hunter World | Long Sword Tutorial

Bow (Solo Tier - S) (Multi - Tier A)

The bow is a level headed, adaptable weapon style!

Agile, hard to pin down, versatile, damaging. The bow is the shining paragon of monster hunting. Able to coat arrows for statuses, use elemental damage, and equipped with chargeable attacks that utilize evades. This weapon has it all, with proper skill and preparation a hunter can rely on their bow to carry them through the most h-arrowing *get it* of hunts. Though you will surely not want to get caugh in melee for stepping into any tough monter's ring of influence can get you carted -very- fast with this weapon in hand. I personally have found that a -big- part of this weapons versatility and utility lies in K.O mechanics. Trust me, gear yourself up to strengthen K.O damage and unleash your hail of iron balls onto the heads of monsters. You'll be delighted to find that you can knock down monsters at a range and help your entire team keep that leviathan of a creature you're hunting down and wailed on without risk to life and limb!

Bow Strengths:

1 Versatile ammo Types
2 Good damage
3 Agile and hard to hit
4 Can K.O
5 Can apply status effects at range

Bow Weaknesses:

1 Very vulnerable to melee damage
2 Tends to stagger allies if you shoot from directly behind
3 The charge up takes long
4 Out damaged by other weapons
5 Reliant on elemental builds

Watch the Bow in action here:

Monster Hunter World | Bow Tutorial

Sword and Shield (Solo Tier - C) (Multi Tier - S)

There is no better ally to have at your back than a master Sword and Shield hunter!

The sword and shield is indeed a fantastic weapon kit. Able to use pots and the slinger whilst equipped, it makes for a very adaptable and versatile set of equipment. In solo play, however, some of the best features of Sword and Shield are left out. The ability to buff and heal an entire party with wide range -mid fight- and still dealing damage is left out when playing alone. It’s a powerful kit, easy to play and build, but just doesn’t shine the same way in Solo Play as it does in Multiplayer! In multiplayer, the Sword and Shield finds its calling. The hunter can fire his or her slinger, use potions, powders, traps, bombs, flashbugs, Screamer pods, berries, nuts, and mushrooms AND apply all of those tasty buffs to allies with a proper build! Some might say the Sword and Shield is the best for support. All the while a Sword and Shield hunter can continue to fight and deal damage and rely on blocks for those much-needed saves against attacks they failed to dodge! With that, the Sword and shield dodoes both blunt *K.O* and slice damage so you can not only slug a monster out but you can also slice off valuable parts for you and your party to harvest!

Sword and Shield Strengths:

1 Can K.O
2 Can Block
3 Can use items while equipped
4 Can use slinger while equipped
5 Titanic support power

Sword and Shield Weaknesses:

1 Mediocre damage output in solo play
2 Requires gem investment to block well
3 K.O damage with the shield could use a buff!
4 Isn’t powerful until late game
5 Time-consumingTime consuming hunts in solo player

Watch the Sword and Shield in action here:

Monster Hunter World | Sword & Shield Tutorial

Insect Glaive (Solo Tier - A) (Multi Tier - A)

All too agile, the glave truly is a weapon of finesse!

If there was an attack helicopter in the world of Monster Hunter, it would be the insect Glaive. With a deployable, damaging, status cloud applying Kinsect at your side, you can fight from ranged. And even when up close you’re a hard one to get ahold of. Literally spinning and whizzing through the sky much like your faithful companion that gives the class its name! The Insect Glaive propels itself through the air with you riding along dealing immense amounts of aerial damage and avoiding the monster’s attacks all in one fun to play fun to watch weapon. In order to truly reach maximum potential in Multiplayer be sure to let your Kinsect leave its clouds for allies to detonate with their own attacks. These clouds can apply status and do damage and give you and your allies more opportunity to ramp up damage output or disable the monster.

Insect Glaive Strengths:

1 You’re a helicopter
2 High damage output
3 Kinsect Clouds lend additional damage to allies
4 Can avoid most attacks mid-air
5 Great for landing mounting damage

Insect Glaive Weaknesses:

1 Wide attack swings stagger allies on the ground
2 Can be difficult to master
3 Camera controls can get wonky at times in mid-air
4 Can be hard to sustain DPS if aerial controls aren’t mastered
5 Requires frequent sharpening

Watch the Insect Glaive in action here:

Monster Hunter World | Insect Glaive Tutorial

Charge Blade (Solo Tier - A) (Multi Tier - B)

The charge blade user fears no situation nor any monster!

This weapon is complex. But, in a good way! It relies on charge phials and certain attack sequences to charge said phials. Able to transform into a sword and shield -and- a two-handed blade, the charge blade is a masterful, -powerful- weapon. Wide arcs attacks and AoE discharges can make it a nuisance in multiplayer hunts, but when free to swing to your heart's content and discharge without fear you find that this adaptive weapon is one of the very best. On top of it’s flashy and punishing discharges the Charge Blade can transform to offer the wielding hunter a shield. I can’t even tell you how many times a quick block has saved a hunt from failure! Granted it can take time to learn and master the charging but this isn’t too punishing of an aspect to warrant lowering the tier of this weapon. The skill needed is telltale of the sheer power of the Charge Blade

Charge Blade Strengths:

1 A very fun weapon once mastered
2 Great for elemental builds
3 Powerful discharges
4 Can block in the shield and sword mode
5 Top tier damage output

Charge Blade Weaknesses:

1 Complex and requires a lot of practice
2 Fails to perform well if not built to meta
3 Slow sheathing can lead to problems using items
4 Phial discharges can interrupt allies
5 Wide swings often interrupt allies

Watch the Charge Blade in action here:

Monster Hunter World | Charge Blade Tutorial

Hammer (Solo Tier - A) (Multi Tier - B)

Grim and stoic, the hammer is unflinching in it's purpose and direction.

Shattering bones and pulverizing scales. That is the purpose and cause of the Hammer. It has wide rapid spins, charge ups, weapon buffs, and can even throw allies! You’ll find the Hammer in S - Tier because it can shatter parts with little effort and provides damage reduction through said part breaks and also is the best of the best at dishing out repeated and valuable K.O’s which send the monster sprawling onto its side and rendering it helpless for a period of time*aiming for the head* During a K.O the entire party has free rain to dish out continual damage without risk of counter attack. Easy to use, easy to -build- and hits like a train. On top of it all the hammer can leap and spin through the air in a comical yet monstrous fashion that hurls you around like a cannoncanon ball in order to dish out canon like damage. Monsters won’t know what hit them when you send their body hurling to the ground with repeated K.Os!

Hammer Strengths:

1 K.O machine
2 Great for breaking parts
3 Unique and powerful sliding attack
4 Can charge the hammer with power
5 Fantastic raw damage

Hammer Weaknesses:

1 Very short reach
2 Very slow swings
3 Not good for elemental builds
4 Moveset can get stale
5 Allies often stagger you during K.Os trying to hit the head

Watch the Hammer in action here:

Monster Hunter World | Hammer Tutorial

Greatsword (Solo Tier - A) (Multi Tier - A)

The Greatsword is an anchor for any hunting team being both powerful and reflexive!

Heavy hitting, skillful, the ability to block, and with a nifty kick to boot! *get it* The greatsword is a fantastic weapon for both Solo and MultiplayMulti play! It has wide arcs, that unfortunately stagger friends, can toss allies, and often relies heavily on charges/guards to be effective. In multiplay where monster HP is buffed and being able to keep pace with the group the greatsword isn’t the -best-. But in Solo play where the HP of the monster isn’t buffed, your pace is your own to choose, and you don’t have to worry about your wide arcs, the Greatsword is an excellent weapon-companion. With precise timing, proper charges and builds and with good support from allies the Greatsword can become a nightmare for any monster that finds itself on the receiving end of that massive blade. Construct your gear for attack damage and critical and you’ll see why the Greatsword was able to hit for the single most punishing swing this game has seen, over five -thousand- damage in a single hit!

Greatsword Strengths:

1 Charge up for amazing damage!
2 Can block
3 Sheathes quickly for last moment item use
4 Great for tail lopping
5 Has a nifty kick!

Greatsword Weaknesses:

1 Powerful swings are very slow
2 Needs to be invested in to block well
3 Hard to keep DPS consistent
4 Can’t K.O
5 Relies on expensive armor sets to be strong

Watch the Greatsword in action here:

Hunting Horn (Solo Tier - B) (Multi Tier - S)

Don't be fooled. The horn hits as hard as it supports!

At the top of B - Tier is the Hunting Horn. Some might be confused by this. However, the ability to self-buff a weapon with already massive damage output, self-heal, reduce monster damage, and inflict immense amounts of Ko’s puts the Hunting Horn near to the Hammer for lethality. Better suited for Multiplay but still a titanic weapon in the hands of a good hunter even when alone! In multiplayer, the Hunting Horn is a beacon of Reliability and leadership! Able to grant immunity to near -all- status effects, able to buff health totals, restore health, and buff attack and defense, the Hunting Horn is truly unique. All of the songs you play apply to the entirety of the party, giving you the ability to universally increase damage output and even snag a Hunter away from being carted with your powerful doots and toots! If you want to look and sound good while pulverizing monster bits pick up the Hunting Horn for sure!

Hunting Horn Strengths:

1 Big damage
2 Self-buffSelf buff, party buff
3 Can heal and give immunity to status
4 Great K.O machine
5 Quick sheathe and adaptable

Hunting Horn Weaknesses:

1 No ranged attacks
2 Competes with the hammer for Head blows
3 Builds can be confusing
4 Songs can be interrupted/lost
5 Takes time to master note inputs and rotations

Watch the Hunting Horn in action here:

Monster Hunter World | Hunting Horn Tutorial

Switch Axe (Solo Tier - B) (Multi Tier - B)

Large and in charge! This transformer hits like a malleable train!

This weapon hits hard. Slowly, but hard. It swings very widely and can adapt to a great many fights with ease. It’s a bit more complex to pick up than some weapons, but not too much so. Granted it can be out DPS’d by other weapons. But, its ability to be built for raw and elemental damage, hit the monster at a decent distance, and sever limbs makes it a great Solo Hunting weapon! In multiplayer, the Switch Axe requires more careful timing and skill to not stagger allies. Played correctly though, the Switch axe will be lopping off tails and smashing limbs with ease allowing the rest of the hunters to capitalize on those valuable monster parts!

Switch Axe Strengths:

1 Wielding a literal transformer
2 Has a grab that does immense amounts of damage without a mount!
3 Can break limbs easily
4 Great for lopping off tails with its reach
5 Can be built for amazing raw damage and can exhaust/K.O monster with Exhaust phials

Switch Axe Weaknesses:

1 No ranged
2 Wide attack arcs stagger enemies during K.Os
3 Loses sharpness fast
4 Staggers allies with wide attack arcs
5 Outperformed by other weapons for damage and mobility

Watch the Switch Axe in action here:

Monster Hunter World | Switch Axe Tutorial

Heavy Bowgun (Solo Tier - B) (Multi Tier - A)

The HeavyBowgun is a master of ordinance and firepower!

The Heavy Bowgun is versatile and powerful. With the ability to build for great range, a built-inbuilt in long distance dodge, and a myriad of ammo types to suit any situation, it truly is a fantastic weapon. ItsIt’s only downfall in solo play is that it’s a bit easier to get caught by monster melee abilities which can lead less experienced hunters into a bit of trouble! But with some practice, you’ll find the Heavy Bowgun to be a great solo play option! However, in Multiplayer the Heavy Bowgun is able to apply buffs to defense and fire off health rounds as well as rely on divided aggro in order to lay continues punishment down on the monster! Given its ability to fire off mortar like Cluster Bombs and apply status effects at range the Heavy Bowgun finds a powerful and welcomed place in any Multiplayer hunt!

Heavy Bowgun Strengths:

1 Cluster Bombs are fantastic
2 Diverse ammo to fit multiple hunts
3 Can augment to improve quality
4 Can apply buffs and heals at range
5 Immense damage output at a great range

Heavy Bowgun Weaknesses:

1 Requires ammo which is Finite
2 Takes time to master rolls and dodging properly
3 Missing shots kill dps
4 Reloads are long and can be dangerous
5 Multiple weapons are needed for fitting different roles

Watch the Heavy Bowgun in action here:

Gunlance (Solo Tier - C) (Multi Tier - C)

With grim determination the gunlance readys to face Asteras monstrous foes!

The gunlance is a tower. Hard to hit, durable, with -consistent- damage models that don’t give two Bomberry’s about a monster’s Armor values. Able to survive the most brutal of attacks, it’s a stalwart weapon indeed. However, in solo play, the lack of immense damage can make fights draw out in prolonged and grueling slugfests. It’s a great weapon, it’s definitely user-friendly and easy to learn but it lacks some of the immense damage and mobility that other weapons come pre-packaged with. Some of the boons of the Gunlance include a built-inbuilt in wyvern fire that goes on cooldown after each use. Hitting the enemy with multiple blasts that bypass armor. With that, the explosive shells from the gunlance ignore the monster’s armor for consistent and decent damage output.

Gunlance Strengths:

1 Explosive damage isn’t affected by armor
2 Is very good at blocking
3 Can use Wyvern Fire for immense damage
4 Can attack high and low
5 Can K.O with explosive damage -and- cut off tails with thrusts

Gunlance Weaknesses:

1 Suffers with damage output
2 Prolonged fights can drain items in solo fights
3 Combat hopping can be hard to master
4 Explosive damage is limited in regards to buffing *Only one skill buffs the shell damage*
5 Mastering slam combos with shell types is complicated

Watch the weapon in action here:

Lance (Solo Tier - C) (Multi Tier - C)

Like a lighthouse over dark foggy waters, the lance is an immovabel guide to any team!

Even more of a wall than the Gunlance, the lance is a titan amongst defensive weapons. With precision and might a lance player can withstand the most brutal of the New World’s monsters’ attacks and give the pain back with pinpoint accuracy. However, the lack of in-combat mobility can make the lance fall behind in critical moments. And we’ve all been there when a charge-thrusting lancer knocks us out of the way or cancels a major weapon charge, it’s for this reason and it’s lack of ability to sheathe quickly (Like… at all) that we find the lance in Tier C. Unable to pop powders and bombs rapidly and with the annoying lance stagger to allies, we’d prefer to see it in solo play!

Lance Strengths:

1 The very best for blocking
2 Has a charge that can rack up lots of damage
3 Easy to pick up and use
4 Can sever tails with pokes
5 Default blocks don’t use much stamina at all

Lance Weaknesses:

1 Damage output is low
2 The sheathe is very slow which makes using items dangerous
3 Combat style can get stale
4 Goes through sharpness quickly
5 Sheathing to Sharpen is dangerous due to slow speeds

Watch the weapon in action here:

Monster Hunter World | Lance Tutorial

Light Bowgun (Solo Tier - C) (Multi Tier - S)

LIght BowGunners are diverse adaptable hunters. Quick witted and reflexive to the shifting hunts nature!

Able to apply status at range. Give allies buffs and health. And able to give a monster a heavy pounding at range is fantastic in multiplayer! But in solo play, the Light Bowgun lacks in damage output. Its ability to heal and buff at range is useless. And the fragility that comes with ranged weapons and a need to reload makes it difficult to excel with. Pair that with low clip size and diminutive recoil control and the Light Bowgun isn’t a very spectacular solo play weapon. Yet, when grouping up you’ll find that the ability to give allies armor, attack damage, and restore health with -ammo- alone is amazing! Add on top of that the buffing of Wide Range skill and potions and powders and you’ll find the Light Bowgun pulling its weight in the realm of support!

Light Bowgun Strengths:

1 Amazing at applying status at range
2 Fantastic ranged heals and buffs
3 Can be built for multiple functions
4 Rapid fire ammo makes it harder to miss
5 Sheathes quickly for fast item use

Light Bowgun Weaknesses:

1 Fragile when caught in melee
2 Shallow ammo pools
3 Minute damage per shot
4 Can’t be augmented with a shield as the Heavy Bowgun can
5 Shorter range than the Heavy Bowgun

Watch the weapon in action here:

Monster Hunter World | Light Bowgun Tutorial

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Mathew Nordyke

Hailing from the far north of Michigan, Mat is a respected Viking-Scribe of potent ability! His extensive experience in the RPG and RTS Genre's give him sterling command over war and words!

Gamer Since:

1991

Favorite Genre:

RPG

Currently Playing:

Black Desert Online, Monster Hunter: World, Total War Warhammer II

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