Summary
- Monster Hunter Wilds offers a variety of play styles with tanking options for Lance, Gunlance, and Sword and Shield.
- The Sword and Shield group build focuses on maintaining aggro in co-op play with health recovery and affinity boosts.
- Gunlance and Lance builds facilitate counterattacks and aggro holding through Diversion skill and high survivability for both group and solo play.
The latest entry in the Monster Hunter franchise has been the most popular to date — in terms of early sales numbers, at least. Monster Hunter Wilds has attracted a lot of attention with its seamless exploration and spectacular fights representing the visual peak of the series to date. Mechanically, the game retains depth and variety between its weapon types, while also streamlining some elements of skills and crafting.
Best Gunlance Weapons In Monster Hunter Wilds, Ranked
Hunters who rely on the Gunlance in Monster Hunter Wilds will want to focus on acquiring the following versions of the weapon.
The variety on offer in Monster Hunter Wilds means that there are plenty of play styles for players to try. Some weapons are nimble, others are hard-hitting; some are better on all-out-offense, and others are better at solid defense. For players who want to be able to take a hit, or keep aggro while their group handles damage, tanking is a solid option in MH Wilds.
There are three weapon types that are suitable for tanking: Lance, Gunlance, and Sword and Shield. Lance is the most defensive of the three, while Sword and Shield offers more mobility but relies on perfect blocks to negate damage. Focusing on endgame builds, for both solo and group play, these are the best tank builds to try in Monster Hunter Wilds.
1 Sword And Shield Group Build
Defense And Utility
Armor Pieces:
- Arkvulcan Helm (beta)
- Numinous Shroud (beta)
- Arkvulcan Vambraces (beta)
- Arkvulcan Coil (beta)
- Numinous Greaves (beta)
Weapon:
- Verdoloto
Charm/Decorations:
- Challenger Charm II
- Tenderizer Jewel
- Chain Jewel
- Phoenix Jewel
- Physique Jewel
- Recovery Jewel
This Sword and Shield build is designed to maintain monster aggro, while providing boosts to health recovery, affinity, and elemental damage. The main skill for players who want to be the main tank of a group for co-op play in MH Wilds is Diversion. This group skill is shared by a few armor sets and is provided here by the Arkvulcan pieces. This makes monsters more likely to attack players with the Diversion skill.
That means, in a group, players can hold the monster's attention and let others focus on damage. Players can also use lure pods to refocus the monster's attention and keep it locked down. Sword and Shield players will need to have some skill with their perfect blocks to play this way, but this build offers enough damage with Agitator, Burst, and Weakness Exploit to mix in a little offense too.
2 Gunlance Group Build
Burst Damage Defender
Armor Pieces:
- Numinous Crown (beta)
- Numinous Shroud (beta)
- Blango Vambraces (beta)
- Mizutsune Coil (beta)
- Mizutsune Greaves (beta)
Weapon:
- G. Lawful Bors
Charm/Decorations:
- Chain Charm II
- Counter Jewel
- Challenger Jewel
- Guardian Jewel
- Earplugs Jewel
This Gunlance build focuses on holding monster aggro and shield-tanking, while being able to pull off hard-hitting counterattacks. Since this build is designed for holding aggro while playing in a group, the Diversion group skill is the most important part. That comes from the Mizutsune and Blango pieces in this set. The Zoh Shia set bonus Super Recovery will help take care of any chip damage that players sustain while defending.
Monster Hunter Wilds: Best Status Effects To Prioritize In Battles
Using these status effects to their fullest capabilities will make players even better in Monster Hunter Wilds.
With skills like Offensive Guard and Counterstrike also built in with decorations, players can effectively strike back after absorbing big hits. Players are also getting ranks in Agitator and Burst from these pieces, which will be highly beneficial if Gunlance players are aiming for big counterattacks and focus strikes while playing on the defensive.
3 Lance Group Build
Perfect Defense
Armor Pieces:
- Numinous Crown (beta)
- Numinous Shroud (beta)
- Blango Vambraces (beta)
- Mizutsune Coil (beta)
- Mizutsune Greaves (beta)
Weapon:
- Skyscraper
Charm/Decorations:
- Challenger Charm II
- Chain Jewel
- Tenderizer Jewel
- Mighty Jewel
- Physique Jewel
- Protection Jewel
This Lance build offers an almost impenetrable defense and is perfect for holding a monster's aggro while the player's group deals damage. The Diversion group skill is used again, combining two pieces of Mizutsune's set with the Blango Vambraces to benefit from the ranks in Constitution, Burst, and Counterstrike. The optimal defense of the Lance's shield makes this the best weapon for pure tanking, or at least the easiest to take minimal damage from any monster attack.
With the Diversion skill and Zoh Shia's set bonus, players can literally sit behind their shield with this build and let the others do the work. They don't have to, though, as they have enough damage coming from Agitator and Weakness Exploit to get in some high damage hits at opportune moments.
4 Sword And Shield Solo Build
Balanced Offense And Defense
Armor Pieces:
- Numinous Crown (beta)
- Numinous Shroud (beta)
- G. Arkveld Vambraces (beta)
- Gore Coil (beta)
- Gore Greaves (beta)
Weapon:
- Verdoloto
Charm/Decorations:
- Challenger Charm II
- Tenderizer Jewel
- Chain Jewel
- Pheonix Jewel
- Physique Jewel
- Recovery Jewel
When playing solo in Monster Hunter Wilds, tanking works a little differently. Players can't rely on others to do damage, so they'll need a mix of offense and defense to survive. This build for the Sword and Shield combines the passive health recovery from Zoh Shia's set with the Black Eclipse bonus from Gore Magala's armor set to boost their damage.
8 Best Sword & Shield Weapons In Monster Hunter Wilds, Ranked
Sword & Shield is the default starter weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds, but veterans know that this weapon class's peak can handle the toughest hunts.
This build also has multiple ranks in Burst, Agitator, and Weakness Exploit, which will keep affinity and elemental damage high throughout high-level fights. This build can't sit back and just shield hits, but it has the option to negate damage with perfect guards, some evasive ability, and some excellent damage output for solo players who want a balance of offense and defense.
5 Gunlance Solo Build
Offensive Guard
Armor Pieces:
- Rey Sandhelm (gamma)
- Numinous Shroud (beta)
- Rey Sandbraces (gamma)
- Numinous Overlay (beta)
- Rey Sandgreaves (gamma)
Weapon:
- G. Lawful Bors
Charm/Decorations:
- Chain Charm II
- Chain Jewel
- Counter Jewel
- Challenger Jewel
- Guardian Jewel
- Earplugs Jewel
This Gunlance build combines high survivability and blocking potential with the ability to output huge damage with focus strikes and counterattacks. With ranks in Guard and Constitution, this build has the stamina to block most enemy attacks. The Zoh Shia set bonus provides health recovery, while the arch-tempered Rey Dau pieces provide a bonus that increases attack unless players take a lethal hit.
Since this build can block most damage, the attack bonus from Guts (Tenacity) will always be active in most cases, giving around +12 to attack. With the extra damage from Agitator and Burst, players can execute a Wyrmstake full blast focus strike combo for big damage, even more so if players can pull it off after a well-timed block.
6 Lance Solo Build
Recovery And Raw Damage
Armor Pieces:
- Numinous Crown (beta)
- Numinous Shroud (beta)
- G. Arkveld Vambraces (beta)
- Gore Coil (beta)
- Gore Greaves (beta)
Weapon:
- Skyscraper
Charm/Decorations:
- Challenger Charm II
- Chain Jewel
- Tenderizer Jewel
- Mighty Jewel
- Physique Jewel
- Protection Jewel
This Lance build provides excellent protection, even at endgame levels, while also allowing for consistent and hard-hitting critical strikes. Zoh Shia's Super Recovery set bonus provides passive healing for the chip damage players will take while guarding, while ranks in Guard provide extra stamina cost reductions. Agitator, Weakness Exploit, and the bonus from Black Eclipse from the Gore Magala set will keep players at high affinity, while Burst and Critical Boost will add damage to the player's critical hits.
The build is based on high raw damage, utilizing the Skyscraper Artian Lance with maximum attack infusions. Using a status like Paralysis for the weapon can make this build even safer, with more regular downtime for monsters. Offensive Guard can round out the build and make sure players can still make the most of their well-timed blocks. For a solo build, this offers the best mix of tanking with big counter-hitting potential.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 89 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
WHERE TO PLAY
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
