There are 14 weapon types in Monster Hunter Rise, and as any good hunter knows, you need to be familiar with your tools. If you’re not new to the franchise, you probably know many of these already, but the Switch game has a few surprises under its shiny exterior. The 14 classes each have their own strengths and weaknesses, so it’s good to learn them ahead of time.
Each weapon fights with a unique style and has unique combos as well. Attacks with one weapon will have a vastly different feel to another weapon. And there’s more, as the monsters you encounter may have weaknesses to certain attacks, weapons, or ammo types. You ned to mix and match things to find success on tougher hunts. With that in mind, here’s what to expect from the new Nintendo Switch game, due this March.
Melee Weapons
Great Sword: The iconic weapon in the franchise. Its bulky form can be used to block many incoming attacks while setting up long sweeping strikes. With tons of power, it can inflict plenty of damage. One of the best cutting weapons in the game if you learn to use it right. Charging attacks are key here, so learn your combos.
Long Sword: A longer and more attack-focused blade. This option uses a special mechanic called Spirit to unleash Spirit Blade attacks. You can consume the Spirit to also riposte enemy attacks and counter them. The Long Sword is heavily focused on dodging rather than blocking attacks most of the time though. A very elegant weapon for a more civilized age.
Sword & Shield: A shortsword type of weapon that has moderately faster attacks, and a bit of defense to boot. Won’t be able to tank as well as more defensive options like the Lance, but can survive some glancing blows. Can also be used to stun weakened monsters with a shield bash. Mobility is pretty good considering how fast it can deal out damage.
Charge Blade: The slower attacks of this weapon belie its true power. The charging up of the full combo attacks may take time, but are great for breaking parts and cutting off tails. A solid hunting party can always do with a competent Charge Blade user.
Dual Blades: Hack and slash your way to victory with the fastest raw attack speed. You consume stamina, so builds need to be centred around mitigating that to be balanced. Much less defensive than other builds. But, with Demon Mode up you can dish out tons of damage.
Hammer: All about that KO damage. This is the weapon of choice if you want to stun your quarry. The addition of elemental or sleep damage makes it a powerful offensive option. With decent mobility and a good knowledge of terrain, jump attacks can be made super-effective as well. Slower than most other options though.
Lance: A much more defense-focused option than other hard-hitting melee weapon types in Monster Hunter Rise. This is for those who want some added tankiness thanks to a shield and strong combos for offense.
Switch Axe: A faster weapon than most, with the ability to combo through both a sword and an axe mode. There’s a ton of versatility here. Expect to be a little more mobile with this than say a Great Sword or Hammer.
Specialty or Hybrid Weapons
Hunting Horn: The massive musical instrument that offers buffs and is an excellent support weapon. As an offensive tool it can play songs to inflict status effects to slow and sleep monsters.
Gunlance: A lance variant which includes explosive power. Can be comboed as both a ranged and melee weapon, with a slow but hard-hitting attack pattern. With enough patience, you can certainly master this seemingly cumbersome choice.
Insect Glaive: The fastest and most mobile weapon in the game according to many. There’s a reason the most talented speedrunners often use this weapon type. Using Kinsects to augment and alter attacks on the fly, the Insect Glaive gives a ton of status application as well. Great for any user looking for a challenge.
Ranged Weapons
Light Bowgun: All about ranged weapon, and best augmented as part of a group. You can hunt solo, but it takes practice. The best way to use the Light Bowgun is to combine it with specialty ammo types to inflict extra damage and status effects. By spamming out projectiles, you can wither away at your foes.
Heavy Bowgun: A much more powerful Bowgun with more stopping power. Has similar range, although much slower to fire. It’s still incredibly useful to have when dealing with larger monsters who can soak up a tun of damage, especially when you break out the Wyvernheart or Wyvernsnipe ammunition
Bow: This mid-range weapon sits between the other two options in versatility and power. The upside is that is the most mobile of the three ranged weapon types in Monster Hunter Rise, The game is going to force you to use special coatings on your shots to inflict status effects, so be prepared for plenty of prep crafting.
That’s it! That’s all 14 weapon types in Monster Hunter Rise and a short overview of what to expect.
