Best starter Bow build in Monster Hunter Wilds

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If you’re on the hunt for the top-tier Bow build in Monster Hunter Worlds, it’s likely that:

1. You’re keen on dishing out damage without getting too close for uncomfortable encounters.
2. You may have found bowguns a bit overwhelming when considering their ammo requirements.

Enter the Bow, often referred to as the balanced ranged weapon that strikes the perfect balance!

(It’s still a lot.)

In the realm of Monster Hunter, The Bow stands out as a potent mid-level weapon, dishing out consistent damage through continuous attacks, while special moves like Dragon Piercer offer occasional intense bursts of power. What’s more, this weapon is quite agile, with expert players often relying on strategic dodging to boost their arrow strength rather than the traditional method of charging by holding a button down.

Here, I’ll guide you on the fundamentals of Bow techniques and gameplay in Monster Hunter Worlds, followed by a selection of armor and weapon recommendations to ensure your Low Rank journey is enjoyable.

How to play Bow in Monster Hunter Wilds

To get the best performance out of the Bow, it’s crucial to grasp its optimal range. Similar to Bowguns, the Bow performs exceptionally well when you’re neither too far nor too close to the monster you’re targeting. You can tell that you’re within your Bow’s effective range because the targeting reticle will change to orange when you aim using LT on a controller.

To get the maximum impact, it’s crucial that you aim to shoot at the optimal distance as frequently as you can. Failing to do so means you’re dealing significantly less damage than what you’re capable of.

Now, let’s talk about basic mechanics and controls.

Basic Bow attacks and comboing

On the controller, point your bow using the Left Trigger (LT). This action brings up your aiming crosshair and marks vulnerable spots on monsters for Focus Strikes destruction. To build up power for your shots, keep pressing the Right Trigger (RT) and release to fire. The power level is indicated by dots on either side of your crosshair as you charge. The more charged your shot, the greater the damage it inflicts.

Instead of manually charging each shot, try evading just as you fire or during a dash, which will trigger a Charging Sidestep, boosting your charge level. This means that you’ll deal more damage over time if you keep dodging and firing while maintaining the maximum charge level.

  • Successfully dodging a monster’s attack with a Charging Sidestep will perform a Discerning Dodge, which restores your stamina and fills some of your Trick Arrow Gauge. More on that below.
  • Press B during a shot combo to perform a Power Shot, immediately firing a spread of arrows at your current charge level. Immediately press B again for a Power Volley, firing another spread. This is a good way to finish off a sequence of shots once you’re running low on stamina.

To execute a Dragon Piercer, a strong special move that pierces through monsters and deals continuous damage, press B+Y when you’re not preparing a charged shot. Using Dragon Piercer during a combo significantly accelerates its animation. If the monster falls over while you’re attacking it, this is an excellent opportunity to perform a Dragon Piercer.

The Trick Arrow Gauge, Tracer Arrows, and Coatings

In Monster Hunter Wilds, a new feature called the Trick Arrow Meter has been introduced. You’ll find it on the right side of your screen, above your consumables. It builds up as you hit your target, and you can use it to acquire Coatings and Tracer Arrows.

  • Press X while charging a shot to spend Trick Arrow Gauge by readying a Tracer Arrow. The Tracer Arrow will embed itself where it hits a monster, and every shot you fire while it’s active will home in on the tracer arrow. Eventually, the Tracer Arrow will detonate, dealing additional damage.
  • Press B while charging a shot to start aiming an Arc Shot. This will place a reticle on the ground, and firing the shot will rain arrows from the sky. Some of those arrows will be Fuse Arrows, which embed themselves and eventually detonate like Tracer Arrows.
  • Holding LB will let you select a Coating by pushing A and Y. Press Y without holding LB or charging a shot to apply a Coating. I’ll run through the Coating types below.

To launch Thousand Dragons while charging a shot, press the B and Y buttons simultaneously. This move releases a spread of arrows with a limited range initially, but if you have Tracer or Fuse Arrows activated, their shots will extend in range and instantly explode the Tracers. Additionally, Dragon Piercer can trigger both Fuse Arrows and Tracers.

While targeting with the left trigger, simultaneously press and hold the right button (RB) to initiate Precision Shot, the Bow’s special Focus Strike ability. This action enlarges your targeting crosshair, enabling you to lock on to both vulnerable monster openings and active tracking arrows. The longer you maintain aim at these targets, the more arrows will be released.

Coating Types

For each bow, there’s a restricted set of Coating Types you can initially apply. However, by using Decorations, you can unlock additional Coatings for that specific bow. The Power Coating amplifies arrow damage, while the Close-Range Coating decreases your effective arrow range, but boosts damage. On the other hand, the Piercing Coating allows arrows to pass through monsters and inflict multiple instances of damage, similar to miniature Dragon Piercers.

Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, Blast, and Exhaust coatings all apply their respective statuses.

Putting it all together

To inflict the greatest damage with a Bow, employ the Charging Sidestep maneuver to dodge up to the maximum charge level. Then, intersperse shots and dodges to maintain the highest level of arrows while your stamina lasts. Continue this pattern until you conclude the combo with a few Power Shots or a Dragon Piercer.

  • If you land Tracer Arrows and Fuse arrows before your combo, you can add an extra layer of damage by eventually triggering their detonations with a Dragon Piercer or Thousand Dragons.

Best Bow build in Low Rank

In Monster Hunter, The Bow is a weapon that heavily depends on endurance. Regrettably, the top stamina-enhancing abilities – Constitution and Stamina Surge – are not readily available until higher levels in the Beginner mode. For now, we’ll concentrate on armor skills that improve our overall gameplay experience to make it as seamless as possible.

  • First weapon: Wild Power Bow I

In this tutorial, I will recommend bows similar to the Wild Power Bow I, which enables the application of the Power Coating, boosting arrow damage when activated. The Wild Power Bow also includes a few status coatings as an added advantage, so you can experiment with these and tailor your preferences for future bow configurations if desired.

Considering the creation of a Dragon Perforator I might be beneficial due to its ability to apply the Pierce Coating. This coating ensures your arrows penetrate monsters deeply, dealing damage to every vulnerable area they pass through. If you find this experience more appealing than the Power Coating, I’d advise crafting a Rey Perkonis I once the corresponding tier in the Smithy becomes accessible, and using it throughout Low Rank.

  • First armor set: Bone Helm, Bone Mail, Balahara Vambraces, Balahara Coil, Balahara Greaves

In Low Rank, our top endurance management techniques are yet to become accessible, so we’ll have to make do with what we currently possess. The Bone pieces grant the ability called Marathon Runner, which reduces stamina consumption for continuous actions such as charging arrow shots. At this stage, it’s not practical to dodge and shoot frequently, but Marathon Runner will enable us to fire more shots until our armor can support it.

Discussing evasion, the Balahara equipment offers an Extended Evasion, which increases the distance we can dodge. It’s generally beneficial to have this item in your inventory if you have the room, not just for combat efficiency but also for overall comfort.

  • Second weapon: Windbrace Bow I

We move on to examining the Windbrace Bow, a Hirabami Bow featuring ice damage, at the expense of other coatings. This bow also boasts some inherent Focus points, which expedite attack charge-up. Given that we aren’t fully optimized for the dodge-and-shoot gameplay just yet, it makes sense to quicken our charging instead, reducing the amount of stamina spent on it.

  • Second armor set: Hirabami Headdress, Hirabami Mail, Balahara Vambraces, Balahara Coil, Balahara Greaves, Fitness Charm I

You could continue using the initial armor set and add some armor spheres for additional protection if you prefer, but should you desire a switch, consider acquiring Hirabami pieces as you work on constructing your Windbrace Bow. These items will grant a few points in the Evade Window skill, enhancing the invincibility duration when you dodge an enemy attack. Consequently, it will become easier to perform the Discerning Dodge, which automatically replenishes your stamina upon successful evasion of a monster’s assault.

A key priority involves crafting the initial amulet, titled “Fitness Charm I.” This amulet is significant because it awards our first Constitution skill point. This point will result in a reduction on every dodge and arrow shot, thereby enhancing the bow’s agile playstyle known as shoot-and-scoot, making it more feasible to handle.

  • Third weapon: Albirath Bow I

Instead of using ice, we’re opting for fire with the Albirath Bow. This weapon enhances our physical and elemental damage, boosts critical hit chances, and provides Blast Coating. Additionally, it grants a point in Ballistics, expanding the effective range of our arrows slightly. Furthermore, it complements some armor pieces from our third armor collection.

  • Third armor set: G. Rathalos Helm, Rey Sandmail, G. Rathalos Vambraces, Xu Wu Coil, Xu Wu Greaves, Fitness Charm I

There have been numerous improvements here, all for the better! We’ve reached a stage where endurance abilities are easier to obtain. We plan to boost our Constitution skill using the Rey Sandmail chest armor, and we’ll also acquire Xu Wu waist and leg armor, earning us two points in Stamina Surge. This will ultimately enhance our stamina regeneration rate.

Equipped with the G. Rathalos Helm and G. Rathalos Vambraces, we can infuse our armor with a bit of attack power due to the two points in the Weakness Exploit skill. This feature boosts the damage when we strike vulnerable areas on monsters and hit Focus Strikes on wounds (which we frequently achieve using the Bow). With these items, we also activate the Scorcher I set bonus, increasing the likelihood of additional fire damage on our attacks – a fitting enhancement to our Albirath Bow.

As an enthusiast, I can’t wait to keep expanding this comprehensive guide for high-rank and endgame builds. Keep your eyes peeled for updates!

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2025-02-28 01:33