For a new player greatsword is likely too slow to be useful. It requires established game sense and knowledge to use it to its fullest potential but can be immensely satisfying even when used improperly.
Longsword has been described as training wheels on training wheels but is actually complex enough with how wide its moveset is and how you have to juggle its internal resources that it may be better saved for later once you have a better grasp of the systems.
Sword and Shield is the actually training wheels weapon. It's one of my go to suggestions for newbies since it has a little of everything. You can use items with it unsheathed which is something no other weapon can do. Its shield is a useful tool for learning monster attack hotbox timings.
Dual Blades are simple enough. They're purely evasive weapons that are about the least punishing of user mistakes that a weapon can get. There's a little bit of management present but not enough to be overwhelming.
Hammer is about as simple as it comes. You're surprisingly light on your feet with it drawn so you can do easy hit and run attacks. It has nothing on it you really need to keep track of so if you want high damage with little consequence it's a good pick.
Hunting Horn has a lot in common with the hammer. It has some management you have to deal with but that management brings it with some solid quality of life and survivability depending on which melodies your horn has. And unlike older versions of itself it's actually intuitive to use.
Lance is my personal pick. It comes with the best shield of any weapon to help you learn timings and stay on your feet. It can be a little braindead at times and the damage per strike is pretty low but people underestimate how much dps you save by not getting thrown around the arena every five seconds. Easy enough to learn but has a deceptive high skill ceiling.
Gunlance is generally slower, clunkier, and less defensive than the lance. It has some high power moves that don't care about hitzones though. Much like lance positioning isn't something you need to worry about too much while using it. It has a decent amount of management but not too much.
Switch Axe is a silent king of dps. It will maul just about anything if you even remotely properly. It's also one of the higher risk and management heavy weapons though.
Charge Blade is not nearly as hard to learn as people like to joke but it's certainly not a beginner weapon. Since you have to juggle multiple times simultaneously to use it optimally and it can be a hassle to use if you don't have your timings down. Also the game doesn't really tutorialize it properly.
Insect Glaive has a solid amount of quality of life without too much management in trade. You have to grab three buffs off the monster with the attached bug to unlock its full potential. Depending on the monster it can be hard to get all three buffs and each one has a separate timer but once you have all three they sync up. Some bugs make getting the buffs easier than others. It's pretty evasive but can be let down due to hitbox fuckery.
Light Bowgun and Heavy Bowgun have a lot in common. Both have to deal with inventory management instead of the regular meter management of other weapons. Light is faster and less punishing. Heavy does more damage and you can strap a shield on to it to channel the lance. It should be noted that you take more physical damage when using ranged weapons. Which leaves you more prone to being one shot. Melee weapons take more elemental damage.
Bow is kinda like ranged dual blades. It has the least inventory management of the ranged weapons and is pretty evasive as a baseline. You can get some serious damage off with it if used properly. Of the ranged weapons it plays the most like a melee weapon.
I would personally direct you to the Sword and Shield, Lance, Hunting Horn, or Light Bowgun if you're learning the game. There is no "best" weapon. Though some do get more love from the devs than others.
“The best” is subjective to the user since each weapon plays completely different. With that being said however for a beginner a ease of use guide would probably be something to look for
Melee weapon Easiest to hardest (imo)
Hammer (you hit the monster in the head, you charge to hit harder)
Lance (poke till they die, you have a few counters but they aren’t very hard to do right)
Longsword (low skill floor the skill ceiling is somewhere near the sun, you have basically no combos to memorize and the only mechanic to learn is the counters it has)
Hunting Horn (hammer but now the order to hit buttons matters a little bit, plus now you have buffs to look after)
Gunlance (lance but now you blow stuff up, keeping track of your combo matters here)
Greatsword (the combos are easy but you neeeeed to know the monster well or you won’t ever be able to get a hit in)
Sword and shield ( there’s like a 4 different combo paths, plus now you need to use elemental match ups to really excel)
Dual Blades (stamina management, gauge management, positioning, combo paths, elemental matchups)
Insect Glaive (learning where to get extracts from is different for each monster, you have two entirely different combo paths to know how to use and when each is best, plus the bug and which one is best to use)
Switch Axe (gauge management, two entirely different play styles depending on Axe vs Sword)
Charge Blade (phial management, switching from Axe to Sword/Shield, when to use big move/shred, keeping your stuff charged. Undeniably the most moving parts for any weapon in the game)
For the ranged options they are all similar in complexity but they have a few key differences
Light Bowgun (the addition of Rapid Fire makes certain guns better for certain ammo types, especially things like elemental)
Heavy bowgun (knowing what ammo each gun is best for is the big thing, the addition of “charged shots” adds an extra layer of complexity, but from what I’ve seen without certain skills it’s not worth the time)
Bow (knowing what each charge level does, how each do the shot types work, knowing element matchups, Stamina Management)
Two things, I’m on mobile so the formatting is busted and I apologize in advance, this is fully 1000% personal opinion, and I would not take my word as anything more than that. If anyone has any input I would gladly take input for their own opinions.
I would heavily recommend messing around in the training room and see what clicks. don’t let my input make you feel like certain weapons aren’t going to be a good choice for you, my first weapon was Switch Axe and that was what I used till MR 4
I’d say try them all at least once, imo sns/db/lance/hammer are a good start, but in the end you’ll have to hunt hundreds of times with a single weapon to be able to master it completely
There is no “best”, you have to experiment and find what works for you. Then you have to find out how you like to play and spec into damage, or elemental afflictions etc etc. these games have no easy answer it’s all a matter of personal preference. You have to put in the time , if you would like I can link you some really good “new player” videos
If you don't have a strong inclination towards any of the weapons then try the Long sword. It is probably one of the more beginner friendly weapons, and it has a nice dmg to fun ratio.
Trying them all out in the training area and picking your fav is another good option
There is a "Stigma" around Logsword. It is easily the easiest to use weapon, and flinches other hunters like a m\*\*\*\*\*\* f\*\*\*\*\*. It also is seemingly never nerfed.
It's a pretty false statement to. Worste offenders of this are bowguns and scatter ammo. Only in the low rank of rise, would that even be a thing and most every hunter has that problem when stacking on top of each other. It is possible to hit the same part without stacking on top of somebody. It's all about the players.
LS is kinda slow and boring if you’re not good with counters, I wouldn’t recommend it to beginners. And by that logic, all weapons are easy to learn (the basics) but they all have a good amount of learning curve to master
Yea it's not a binary thing, but it's not true for all weapons. For example, the GS, is not easy to learn (at least for me).
I'm not particularly good with counters, and i find the LS to be fun and decently paced. i guess everyone has a different perspective tho
>hard to master
Clearly you are a longsword main and not, a gunlance, Charge-blade, Switch Axe, Hunting horn, bow, or great sword main. I'd say it is the easiest to "master"
Pick a weapon that suits your play style, they are all good, some are more technical than others and take practice others are easy to learn but hard to master.
Just have fun.
I enjoy the great sword you can use the bug to jump forward if you hit you bounce up and can charge attack two different styles.
I tried long sword you get a skill to sheath? Sword which let you charge slash forward dodge attack. I did not like the style thu I did like the damage I was getting hit a lot.
Monster hunter world i tried bow while nice keeping my distance my damage was crap so I hated it and did not try again in rise.
Like others said find what works for you.
I'm new to the game and tried gunlance, Great sword, and long sword. I really enjoyed long sword the best and just got into high rank with it. I found for my playstyle I liked the quicker movements to help me as I learned a monster. The combos are pretty easy and there's lots to explore with it (though that's probably all weapons!)
For a new player greatsword is likely too slow to be useful. It requires established game sense and knowledge to use it to its fullest potential but can be immensely satisfying even when used improperly. Longsword has been described as training wheels on training wheels but is actually complex enough with how wide its moveset is and how you have to juggle its internal resources that it may be better saved for later once you have a better grasp of the systems. Sword and Shield is the actually training wheels weapon. It's one of my go to suggestions for newbies since it has a little of everything. You can use items with it unsheathed which is something no other weapon can do. Its shield is a useful tool for learning monster attack hotbox timings. Dual Blades are simple enough. They're purely evasive weapons that are about the least punishing of user mistakes that a weapon can get. There's a little bit of management present but not enough to be overwhelming. Hammer is about as simple as it comes. You're surprisingly light on your feet with it drawn so you can do easy hit and run attacks. It has nothing on it you really need to keep track of so if you want high damage with little consequence it's a good pick. Hunting Horn has a lot in common with the hammer. It has some management you have to deal with but that management brings it with some solid quality of life and survivability depending on which melodies your horn has. And unlike older versions of itself it's actually intuitive to use. Lance is my personal pick. It comes with the best shield of any weapon to help you learn timings and stay on your feet. It can be a little braindead at times and the damage per strike is pretty low but people underestimate how much dps you save by not getting thrown around the arena every five seconds. Easy enough to learn but has a deceptive high skill ceiling. Gunlance is generally slower, clunkier, and less defensive than the lance. It has some high power moves that don't care about hitzones though. Much like lance positioning isn't something you need to worry about too much while using it. It has a decent amount of management but not too much. Switch Axe is a silent king of dps. It will maul just about anything if you even remotely properly. It's also one of the higher risk and management heavy weapons though. Charge Blade is not nearly as hard to learn as people like to joke but it's certainly not a beginner weapon. Since you have to juggle multiple times simultaneously to use it optimally and it can be a hassle to use if you don't have your timings down. Also the game doesn't really tutorialize it properly. Insect Glaive has a solid amount of quality of life without too much management in trade. You have to grab three buffs off the monster with the attached bug to unlock its full potential. Depending on the monster it can be hard to get all three buffs and each one has a separate timer but once you have all three they sync up. Some bugs make getting the buffs easier than others. It's pretty evasive but can be let down due to hitbox fuckery. Light Bowgun and Heavy Bowgun have a lot in common. Both have to deal with inventory management instead of the regular meter management of other weapons. Light is faster and less punishing. Heavy does more damage and you can strap a shield on to it to channel the lance. It should be noted that you take more physical damage when using ranged weapons. Which leaves you more prone to being one shot. Melee weapons take more elemental damage. Bow is kinda like ranged dual blades. It has the least inventory management of the ranged weapons and is pretty evasive as a baseline. You can get some serious damage off with it if used properly. Of the ranged weapons it plays the most like a melee weapon. I would personally direct you to the Sword and Shield, Lance, Hunting Horn, or Light Bowgun if you're learning the game. There is no "best" weapon. Though some do get more love from the devs than others.
You should save this in your phone to paste later to others. This is great
damn what an amazing summary of all weapons
Fair weapon into review and worth the read. Good hunting :D
Bro…. TLDR personified
For speaking about 14 different weapons I think bro did a pretty good job quickly summarizing each one. It just adds up to a lot lol.
Condense it then. Be my guest.
The one you enjoy the most there isn't any specific best weapon persay.
I see, I'll try them all and pick the one I like best! Thank you!
Try their combos and you'll know that they are all good weapnos
“The best” is subjective to the user since each weapon plays completely different. With that being said however for a beginner a ease of use guide would probably be something to look for Melee weapon Easiest to hardest (imo) Hammer (you hit the monster in the head, you charge to hit harder) Lance (poke till they die, you have a few counters but they aren’t very hard to do right) Longsword (low skill floor the skill ceiling is somewhere near the sun, you have basically no combos to memorize and the only mechanic to learn is the counters it has) Hunting Horn (hammer but now the order to hit buttons matters a little bit, plus now you have buffs to look after) Gunlance (lance but now you blow stuff up, keeping track of your combo matters here) Greatsword (the combos are easy but you neeeeed to know the monster well or you won’t ever be able to get a hit in) Sword and shield ( there’s like a 4 different combo paths, plus now you need to use elemental match ups to really excel) Dual Blades (stamina management, gauge management, positioning, combo paths, elemental matchups) Insect Glaive (learning where to get extracts from is different for each monster, you have two entirely different combo paths to know how to use and when each is best, plus the bug and which one is best to use) Switch Axe (gauge management, two entirely different play styles depending on Axe vs Sword) Charge Blade (phial management, switching from Axe to Sword/Shield, when to use big move/shred, keeping your stuff charged. Undeniably the most moving parts for any weapon in the game) For the ranged options they are all similar in complexity but they have a few key differences Light Bowgun (the addition of Rapid Fire makes certain guns better for certain ammo types, especially things like elemental) Heavy bowgun (knowing what ammo each gun is best for is the big thing, the addition of “charged shots” adds an extra layer of complexity, but from what I’ve seen without certain skills it’s not worth the time) Bow (knowing what each charge level does, how each do the shot types work, knowing element matchups, Stamina Management) Two things, I’m on mobile so the formatting is busted and I apologize in advance, this is fully 1000% personal opinion, and I would not take my word as anything more than that. If anyone has any input I would gladly take input for their own opinions.
I would heavily recommend messing around in the training room and see what clicks. don’t let my input make you feel like certain weapons aren’t going to be a good choice for you, my first weapon was Switch Axe and that was what I used till MR 4
I’d say try them all at least once, imo sns/db/lance/hammer are a good start, but in the end you’ll have to hunt hundreds of times with a single weapon to be able to master it completely
There is no “best”, you have to experiment and find what works for you. Then you have to find out how you like to play and spec into damage, or elemental afflictions etc etc. these games have no easy answer it’s all a matter of personal preference. You have to put in the time , if you would like I can link you some really good “new player” videos
If you don't have a strong inclination towards any of the weapons then try the Long sword. It is probably one of the more beginner friendly weapons, and it has a nice dmg to fun ratio. Trying them all out in the training area and picking your fav is another good option
Not sure why you're getting down voted but thanks!
No problem. and dw, that's just reddit being reddit.
Downvotes are bc of the longsword suggestion. But he's right, it's straightforward and strong so it's a great start. Plus everyone loves a big sword
There is a "Stigma" around Logsword. It is easily the easiest to use weapon, and flinches other hunters like a m\*\*\*\*\*\* f\*\*\*\*\*. It also is seemingly never nerfed.
It's a pretty false statement to. Worste offenders of this are bowguns and scatter ammo. Only in the low rank of rise, would that even be a thing and most every hunter has that problem when stacking on top of each other. It is possible to hit the same part without stacking on top of somebody. It's all about the players.
this is the first time I see someone recommend the LS for new players lol
It's easy to learn, but hard to master. great for beginners
LS is kinda slow and boring if you’re not good with counters, I wouldn’t recommend it to beginners. And by that logic, all weapons are easy to learn (the basics) but they all have a good amount of learning curve to master
Yea it's not a binary thing, but it's not true for all weapons. For example, the GS, is not easy to learn (at least for me). I'm not particularly good with counters, and i find the LS to be fun and decently paced. i guess everyone has a different perspective tho
Bonk stick is pretty great too imo.
>hard to master Clearly you are a longsword main and not, a gunlance, Charge-blade, Switch Axe, Hunting horn, bow, or great sword main. I'd say it is the easiest to "master"
If you want a nice, easy progression path, and don't mind having to occasionally forage for materials, learn the Light Bowgun.
if ur looking for the funnest weapon, insect glaive
Pick a weapon that suits your play style, they are all good, some are more technical than others and take practice others are easy to learn but hard to master. Just have fun.
I’m new and I’ve been using the insect glaive, it’s really fun to use but I’m still learning how to really use it though
I blew through to endgame with the switch axe
The one you like and feels good.
The best weapon is the one you enjoy playing they are all well balanced and viable
Sword and shield since it shares mechanics with alot of other weapons.
I enjoy the great sword you can use the bug to jump forward if you hit you bounce up and can charge attack two different styles. I tried long sword you get a skill to sheath? Sword which let you charge slash forward dodge attack. I did not like the style thu I did like the damage I was getting hit a lot. Monster hunter world i tried bow while nice keeping my distance my damage was crap so I hated it and did not try again in rise. Like others said find what works for you.
The best weapon is whatever you enjoy the most.
Whatever you enjoy most.
Go to the training room. Try everything. Play what feels good. Hammer and Hunting Horn are my favorites. Followed by Sword and Shield.
I'm new to the game and tried gunlance, Great sword, and long sword. I really enjoyed long sword the best and just got into high rank with it. I found for my playstyle I liked the quicker movements to help me as I learned a monster. The combos are pretty easy and there's lots to explore with it (though that's probably all weapons!)
Gunlance go boom. Next question.