Our next choice is the slow, meandering siege cannon that is the Heavy Bowgun, and in many ways the difficulty with this weapon can be summed up in one sentence: It’s not the same as it was in Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. Stick to high raw damage or affinity where possible, especially whilst you’re learning. You will likely notice a huge amount of elemental or status models available, yet no matter the title, we’ve still yet to find any that are worthwhile.Further to the above, it’s a good idea to start with single basic attacks, until you get used to the timing and movement of a target.It’s not always possible to hit the biggest charged attack.Do not feel like you must go for every opening, there will be more chances.The fact that higher raw damage output is always desirable, at least for maximising KOs, means that you’ll often be left sifting through poor options until you defeat one monster in particular. Levels of charge must be considered, adapted and often abandoned depending on the developing situation.The ‘head’ zone of a target is often it’s most dangerous position.Depends on being close to the target’s face to operate optimally.By contrast, a Hammer that does not approach the target is less than useless. Even the most basic of hunters can pick up the Horn and provide the team with appreciable buffs and benefits, and they can do this without even so much as approaching the target. Some readers might question why we have chosen this instead of the Hunting Horn, and while we do understand that the latter naturally has more options available to it, and as such more to learn, it has one rather large thing going for it: You’re always able to provide benefit. They do of course, eventually, but not without a great deal of practice and forethought. Essentially, optimal use of the Hammer lands the hunter in the worst possible position and expects them to thrive. Not only are monsters’ heads almost always moving in one direction or another, but they’re often obscured by wings and arms that swing back and forth, or accompanied by mouths that enjoy spitting fire/electricity/poison/swimming knives/lobsters or some such. Alas, it is not the pon itself that makes the Hammer complicated, but rather the requirement of applying it to the target’s head. This is the essence of it all really, and besides environmental changes, hunting arts, Silkbinds and styles being introduced at various points in the series, the basic tenets remain charge up, get in position and release. Charge up your swing, wait for an opening and let it loose on the target’s head. It feels like such a simple concept, does the Hammer. That said, after a long period of time absorbing the many nuances of Rise, the following weapons are those that we feel will take a budding hunter the longest to master. Title changes too can have an influence, the best example being that the advent of Rise has seen us fall in love with the Hunting Horn, so we’re naturally going to put in the work to get better with it.

Further to this, each of the 14 is built differently, and your tendencies as a player will likely influence how well you get along with each of them. It takes hundreds of hours to fully acquaint yourself with one of the fourteen on offer, and likely thousands to consider yourself close to a master of its use. Mastery of a Monster Hunter weapon is not something easily achieved.

Monster hunter rise weapons