Best Elements To Prioritize In Monster Hunter World

Elements have been a major part of the Monster Hunter franchise since the very first generation of games. Since the second generation, there have been five Elements utilized by both monsters and hunters in the heat of battle: Fire, Water, Thunder, Dragon, and Ice. However, recent generations of the games have introduced even more variety.

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As of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, there are also status ailments that operate similarly to the Elements in weapons: Poison, Sleep, Paralysis, and Blast. All of these elements and status effects returned to Monster Hunter World, so for hunters who want to know which are the best, this is their definitive ranking.

Updated on September 20, 2024, by Blaise Santi: Creating the perfect hunter loadout can be a skill in itself in Monster Hunter World. With the next generation of the franchise on the horizon in 2025, players may be trying out Monster Hunter World for the first time and won't know where to turn when it comes to picking the perfect weapon for each fight. In preparation for Monster Hunter Wilds, here's a rundown of the staple elements and status effects in the series, with data on which monsters they're best used against. And for the hunters who may need a little guidance on which weapons to bring into battle against susceptible monsters, the best weapons of each element are also outlined below.

9 Ice

This Cool Element Struggles To Shine

Ice was first introduced into the Monster Hunter franchise in Monster Hunter Freedom 2, as the signature Element of monsters like Giadrome and Ukanlos. When hunters are inflicted with Iceblight, they suffer from rapid Stamina depletion, but this effect, unfortunately, does not carry over to weapons imbued with the Ice Element.

Nevertheless, Ice can be a useful counter-Element for many monsters in Monster Hunter World, such as Odogaron, Diablos, and Teostra. However, many Ice weapons throughout the franchise, especially in World and its DLC expansion Iceborne, are notably dull in terms of Sharpness, so it might be hard for some hunters to find the right Ice weapon.

• Best Ice weapons: Snowfletcher Bow, Glacial Grace, Legiana Halberd, Kjarr Strongarm "Ice," Elder Wolf Fang

8 Sleep

For When Hunters Need A Break

Out of all the Status Effects that can be utilized as Elements on weapons in the Monster Hunter series, Sleep is perhaps the most practical. When a monster is attacked enough times with a Sleep-coated weapon, they will eventually fall asleep for a brief period of time until they are once again attacked, which can be a huge help for certain capture quests in World.

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While this usefulness makes Sleep an effective Status Effect on any kind of monster, monsters will also regain health while sleeping, which can have the reverse effect from what players want. Though there's always the benefit of dealing massive damage with the use of Barrel Bombs, Sleep as an Element may only come in handy during certain rare circumstances.

• Best Sleep weapons: Accursed Chain (w/ Free Element), Baan Horn, Nyx Tabar, Accursed Rod, Flamebite

7 Thunder

Its Rarity Is Shockingly Its Biggest Downside

For what it's worth, Thunder is a fairly rare Element in the franchise, only inflicted by a certain number of monsters in each game. Some of the most notable Thunder monsters in Monster Hunter World include the Tobi-Kadachi and Kirin. In that game specifically, Thunder can prove quite difficult to obtain weapons for, though it makes for a useful Element in the heat of battle.

Thunder is also not the immediate choice for many hunters wanting to gain an advantage against monsters like Rathian or Rathalos, who are far weaker to Ice or Water Elements. Still, weapons like the Thunderlance make for some of the most beloved instruments for the most experienced hunters throughout the franchise.

• Best Thunder weapons: Kirin Bolts, Despot's Thunderclap, Despot's Earlybolt, Kadachi Soul, Ephemeral Fulminator

6 Dragon

There's No Fairy Element To Nerf This

Dragon is one of the more unique Elements in the Monster Hunter franchise, and in Monster Hunter World, it functions differently than before. As the only Element weak to itself, some Dragon Element weapons in World have another property known as Elderseal, which will be incredibly effective against Elder Dragons like Kirin, Teostra, or Vaal Hazak.

This can make Dragon a pretty handy Element for players to have at their disposal against some of the more difficult monsters in the game. However, when it comes to fighting monsters who aren't associated with Dragons, it might not be the best choice. Still, it might be the best bet when it comes to incredibly difficult fights, such as the iconic Deviljho.

• Best Dragon weapons: Xeno Mabura, Ruinous Extermination, Fatalis Zaggespanon, Fate's Thread, Ruinous Light

5 Poison

Give Monsters A Taste Of Their Own Medicine

When hunters themselves are inflicted with Poison as a blight, they'll notice their health rapidly decreases unless they cure themselves with an Antidote. This makes it one of the more difficult Status Effects to deal with, but luckily, the same can happen for monsters themselves if a hunter enters the battle with a Poison Element on their weapon.

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After a certain amount of buildup, monsters will be successfully poisoned, as indicated by poison bubbles around their heads. While every monster can be successfully poisoned, a good number of creatures in Monster Hunter World are especially susceptible to it, including some early-game monsters like Great Jagras, Barroth, and Tobi-Kadachi.

• Best Poison weapons: Datura Blossom, Luna Eostre, Lunatic Rose, Hidden Cane (with Free Element), Cry in the Night

4 Fire

A Large List Of Fire Weapons To Choose From

Fire is one of the more common Blights that hunters have to deal with during hunts, as it's utilized by many monsters in every single game of the Monster Hunter franchise. As an Element to be used on weapons, however, the pool of monsters weak to it in Monster Hunter World is fairly low, though not at all small, with it proving useful against Paolumu, Vaal Hazak, and Beotodus.

Nevertheless, given Fire's commonness in Monster Hunter World as an obtainable weapon Element, there are plenty of reliable weapons to choose from. The Rathalos line of weapons is a pretty standard choice for many hunters, as are the weapons players can craft from Glavenus materials and Lavasioth materials.

• Best Fire weapons: Animus, Platinum Dawn, Glavenus Blade, Uragaan Hammer, Blossomajesty

3 Paralysis

Turn A Heated Battle Into A Free-For-All

Paralysis has a strong place in Monster Hunter World given how few monsters can actually inflict it on hunters in the game. As for monsters who are particularly susceptible to Paralysis as a weapon's Status Effect, the list is larger, including the likes of Diablos, Pukei-Pukei, and the intimidating Savage Deviljho.

Unfortunately, many monsters in Monster Hunter World can resist Paralysis, though a vast majority of them are Elder Dragons. Nevertheless, Paralysis is still effective on most monsters and will be greatly appreciated by fellow players in online hunts, as it gives everybody a chance to wreak havoc on a monster with no counterattacks to worry about.

• Best Paralysis weapons: Barroth Slicer (with Free Element), Crimson Viperfang, The Grinding Mallet, Kadachi Vipertail, Barroth Bluff (with Free Element)

2 Water

Many Monsters Fear Its Wide Pool Of Victims

Unlike some of the other Elements on this list, there are a vast number of monsters throughout the franchise who are susceptible to Water as a weapon's Element. In Monster Hunter World, that list includes early-game monsters like Barroth, Anjanath, and Kulu-Ya-Ku, as well as higher-level monsters like Teostra, Glavenus, and Zorah Magdaros.

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Especially when one considers how many monsters utilize the Fire Element in their attacks, having a solid Water weapon handy will prove to be very useful. Although some monsters, like Pukei-Pukei and Nargacuga, are completely immune to Water Elemental damage, it's nevertheless one of the more effective Elements in the game.

• Best Water weapons: Laguna Golem, Saber's Gullet, Water Shot, Hunter's Proudbow (with Free Element), Black Tornaria

1 Blast

End Hunts With A Bang

This Status Effect was introduced back in Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, when it was known as the Slime Element due to its association with the Brachydios. It was retooled in the fourth generation onwards as Blast, utilized by monsters capable of creating explosive powder, and makes for a pretty useful weapon Element against most monsters in Monster Hunter World.

Hunters will have an easier time breaking monster parts by building up a certain amount of Blast damage in certain places. While some monsters, like Anjanath and Teostra, can resist Blast damage, most will be moderately to heavily affected by its damaging properties. It makes for one of the best weapon elements to have in Monster Hunter World and its DLC.

• Best Blast weapons: Magda Floga Reforged, Tsali Flier, Teostra's Emblem, Empress Sword "Styx," Empress Daggers "Blaze"

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Monster Hunter World

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10 /10

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Released

January 26, 2018

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Developer(s)

Capcom

Platform(s)

PS4, Xbox One, PC

Genre(s)

Action RPG

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