Summary
- Early game players can benefit from using the Balahara starter set for Insect Glaive, focusing on evasion and mounting skills.
- Moving into mid-game, the G. Arkveld set provides a strong flayer build that maximizes wound damage and healing.
- Endgame players should consider the Zoh Shia/Gore Magala mix for a powerful frenzy and recovery build with survivability and damage bonuses.
Capcom's latest entry in the long-running Monster Hunter franchise, Monster Hunter Wilds, has been in players' hands for a while now. That means plenty of savvy veterans have worked out the best armor sets and weapons to use in any given situation. The recent first title update shook things up a little with new weapons and gear, providing new options for the endgame.
For the many new players getting into Monster Hunter for the first time, what armor and skills go best with their chosen weapons may not be obvious at first. Learning a weapon's playstyle and the skills that complement it is an essential part of a player's journey toward the endgame. Insect Glaive users often focus on using the weapon's mobility to mount monsters, and good wound generation and breaking synergies to get the most out of refreshing their Kinsect extracts.
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Using these status effects to their fullest capabilities will make players even better in Monster Hunter Wilds.
There are plenty of good sets for Insect Glaive users in the endgame, but new players might also be wondering what the best sets are to get them through the campaign and the mid-game first. With that in mind, these are the best armor sets for Insect Glaive builds throughout Monster Hunter Wilds' campaign and beyond.
7 Balahara Starter Set
Early Game Evasion Build
Armor Pieces:
Vespoid Helm
Vespoid Mail
Balahara Vambraces
Balahara Coil
Balahara GreavesSet Bonus Skills:
- Master Mounter
The Balahara set is a useful early game set for Insect Glaive users for two reasons. First, the three pieces of the set here will give three ranks in Evade Extender, increasing the effectiveness of dodges and the range of vaults with the glaive. The Balahara set bonus, Master Mounter, is the second reason. This skill makes it easier to mount monsters and to wound them when mounted.
The mobility and aerial mobility of Insect Glaives make them ideal for mounting monsters, so this is a useful bonus to have. The Vespoid pieces aren't essential, but they're easy to obtain early and increase healing from environmental items like Vigorwasps.
6 Rey Dau / Hirabami Mix
Early Game Evasion/Mounter Build
Armor Pieces:
Rey Sandhelm
Rey Sandmail
Hirabami Vambraces
Hirabami Coil
Hirabami GreavesSet Bonus Skills:
- Master Mounter
- Thunderous Roar I
Since the Master Mounter set bonus is a group skill, players can retain it by switching to three pieces of the Hirabami set once they get a little further into the early game. This is complemented by the Rey Dau helm and mail, partly for the Thunderous Roar bonus, and partly for the ranks in Latent Power and Constitution.
This set also gets three ranks in Evade Window from the Hirabami armor pieces, which is a great comfort skill that increases the i-frames players get when dodging. This offers a lot of utility for both damage and defense for an early game set.
5 G. Arkveld Set
Mid-Game Flayer Build
Armor Pieces:
G Arkveld Helm
G Arkveld Mail
G Arkveld Vambraces
G Arkveld Coil
Rey SandgreavesSet Bonus Skills:
- Decimator II
This mid-game build focuses on the Insect Glaive's ability to take advantage of creating and breaking wounds, combining ranks in the Flayer skill with the Decimator set bonus. Flayer makes it easier to inflict wounds and deals more raw damage to them, and Decimator rank two heals players significantly when they break a wound.
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This is a great combo for the Insect Glaive, as players can fill all their extracts, heal, and deal bonus damage all in one when breaking multiple wounds. Three ranks in Flayer and the set bonus come from the Arkveld armor, so players can also slot in comfort skills for stamina management or preferred utility skills.
4 Rathian / Kut Ku Mix
Mid-Game to High Rank Poison / Foray Build
Armor Pieces:
- Barina Headgear (beta)
- Rathian Mail (alpha)
- Kut-Ku Vambraces (alpha)
- Kut-Ku Coil (beta)
- Rathian Greaves (alpha)
Set Bonus Skills:
- Master Mounter
This early high-rank armor set will help players bridge the gap from mid-game to high rank, with a focus on using status damage and the Foray armor skill. Players will need a status-based weapon to make use of this build, and the Princess Regalia from the Rathian tree is an achievable option at this stage that will offer good poison damage.
Using this combination of Kut-Ku, Rathian, and Lala Barina gear gets players four ranks in Foray and two ranks in Agitator. Players also get the useful Master Mounter set bonus with this mix, as the group skill is shared by the Rathian and Kut-Ku pieces. It's a simple build that relies on maximizing status damage.
3 Blango Mixed Set
Early High Rank Agitator Build
Armor Pieces:
- G. Fulgur Helm (beta)
- Blango Mail (beta)
- Rathalos Vambraces (beta)
- Ajarakan Coil (beta)
- Blango Greaves (beta)
Set Bonus Skills:
- War Cry I
As Insect Glaive players move further into high rank, they're going to want a set that complements the weapon's inherent strengths. This set uses Agitator and Partbreaker to maximize damage to wounds, and leaves plenty of room for utility skills like Evade Extender or Stamina Surge with decoration slots. Players also get the two-piece Blango set bonus, War Cry, which gives an attack boost when the To Victory gesture is used.
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There are several set bonus skills to make use of in Monster Hunter Wilds, but some are arguably better than others.
Practically, this is awkward to use and a fairly minor boost, but extra attack power is always useful. Players can load up with a weapon that has high affinity and go for critical strikes on wounds to make the most of this build.
2 Gore Magala / Nu Udra Mix
High Rank Burst / Frenzy Build
Armor Pieces:
- Gore Helm (beta)
- Udra Miremail (alpha)
- Gore Vambraces (alpha)
- Gore Coil (beta)
- Udra Miregreaves (beta)
Set Bonus Skills:
- Black Eclipse I
- Bad Blood I
This high-rank build makes use of Burst, Frenzy, Partbreaker, and Resentment to deal massive consecutive damage under the right conditions. Players will need to use a Sanity Charm to get the levels in Antivirus needed to make use of the Black Eclipse set bonus, increasing attack and affinity after recovering from Frenzy. Players get two ranks of Burst from the armor, but it's best to stack this to max rank with decorations, as this skill can be easily activated with the Insect Glaive's aerial combos.
Players should also use decorations for ranks in Partbreaker, as this will maximize wound damage along with the second set bonus, Bad Blood. Bad Blood triggers when Resentment is active (when there is red health on the health bar) and gives a decent attack boost that is even higher when attacking wounds. The synergies between all these bonuses working together can lead to very high damage output for Insect Glaives.
1 Zoh Shia / Gore Magala Mix
Endgame Frenzy / Recovery Build
Armor Pieces:
- Numinous Crown (beta)
- Numinous Shroud (beta)
- G. Arkveld Vambraces (beta)
- Gore Coil (beta)
- Gore Greaves (beta)
Set Bonus Skills:
- Black Eclipse I
- Super Recovery I
- Ward of Wyveria
The new high rank Zoh Shia armor has prompted many players to revise their endgame builds to include it, as the Super Recovery set bonus is one of the best healing skills in the game. The fact that players also get three ranks in Agitator from the two pieces of the Zoh Shia set here is a nice bonus. Combining this with the G. Arkveld gloves gives players two ranks in Weakness Exploit, but also activates the Group Skill Ward of Wyveria, which reduces elemental and unique (guardian) damage taken.
This set offers great survivability bonuses for the endgame, but doesn't need to sacrifice damage, as it's easy to max out Agitator, Weakness Exploit, and Critical Boost with decorations. Along with the Frenzy/Antivirus combo from the Gore Magala pieces, this means players will be hitting critical hits often and dealing big damage with them.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 89 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
