Monster Hunter World: Best Weapon Tier List | 2024

Monster Hunter: World is still getting new patches even in 2024, years after its release, so every weapon shifts a bit in its placement on any tier list even now.

Whether you’re a veteran who wants to see the current stage of the game or a newbie eager to try World before Monster Hunter Wilds launches, it’s important to know how strong every weapon type is.

In this article, we give you a complete tier list of every weapon category in the game and explain our reasoning for their position!

Best Weapon Tier List

S Tier

Hammer – Surprisingly versatile and quick, the Hammer is capable of bringing on the pain with almost no sweat. A bit tricky to use due to its short range, but incredibly devastating in the right hands.

It’s also capable of stunning enemies with much more ease than every other weapon type, which makes it a standout for giving yourself and your allies more openings to attack.

Light Bowgun – The most mobile of the ranged weapons, it almost turns Monster Hunter into Monster Shooter.

Its biggest strength is that you can stay mobile while peppering enemies with shots from a distance.

You’ll need to keep your eye on your ammo reserves, though, but the different ammo types add great versatility.

Sword & Shield – The very definition of a “jack-of-all-trades”: This weapon is capable of quick combos while still maintaining great mobility.

On top of that, the shield is extremely useful and capable of blocking most attacks despite its unassuming looks!

Bow – The middle point between the Light Bowgun and Heavy Bowgun. Slower fire rate and higher damage than the Light Bowgun, but without the mobility impairment of the Heavy Bowgun.

You can perform quick shots while not aiming, which allows you to attack while dodging. Combined with the different arrow types, it’s the best all-rounder of the ranged weapons!

Long Sword – Quick, capable of high damage, and gives you a long-range advantage. The Long Sword is one of the best offense-focused weapons in the game, thanks to its ability to string together combos with ease.

It’s easy to use due to its ability to dodge during combos, allowing you to reposition yourself with no effort while keeping up the offensive. All in all, a fantastic choice!

A Tier

Dual Blades – The fastest weapon in the game, allowing you to easily weave in and out of attacking at a moment’s notice.

Its damage is low and its range is somewhat short, but it makes up for it by allowing you to capitalize on every single opening afforded by a monster. Its speed earns it a spot on the High Tier without a doubt!

Charge Blade – A notably versatile weapon that can switch between a gigantic axe and also a sword and shield form. Despite its size, it’s surprisingly speedy, too!

The sword and shield mode allows you to block attacks while performing quick sword slashes. It also stores energy, which you can spend to deal devastating damage in axe mode! Fun, easy to use, and versatile.

Lance – A defense-oriented weapon capable of strong long-range pokes. Its large shield can be used to block nearly everything and counter, making it ideal for players seeking a defensive playstyle.

Despite its bulky size, your attacks are surprisingly fast with the Lance, as well. That said, your movement is impaired with the weapon drawn.

B Tier

Switch Axe – Another versatile weapon that can switch between the powerful Axe mode and the speedier Sword mode. It’s capable of quick and high damage by switching between both modes during combos!

However, this same versatility does make it harder to use. You effectively have to learn two different movesets if you wish to make the most of this weapon, and it’s also relatively slow. Strong, but hard to use!

If you’re looking for a guide on how to effectively use the Switch Axe, we have one that you might want to check out!

Great Sword – A slow and methodical weapon. It can be very hard to use due to how much it impairs your mobility, and using it efficiently requires extremely good timing.

However, it makes up for its glaring flaws by being capable of dealing insanely high damage with every single hit. It’s a perfect fit for the middle tier, all things considered.

Insect Glaive – A Glaive that allows you to perform a lot of vaulting moves and aerial attacks. Solid damage, good speed, and the best mobility in the game!

However, the “Insect” part of the glaive is relatively hard to use and somewhat inconsistent. The Insect Glaive allows you to use “Kinsects”, which can be used to aid you in battle.

The Kinsects’ effects vary based on your setup, which adds an extra layer of complexity that most players get overwhelmed by. Yet, it’s also important to master Kinsects to truly make the most of this weapon!

C Tier

Gunlance – A “spicier” version of the Lance, with a similar defense-oriented playstyle. It has an included gun mechanism that allows you to perform devastating short-range blasts during combos.

However, it’s slower and much harder to use effectively than the Lance is. If you’re willing to invest your time into mastering it, it’ll be a fun and extremely devastating weapon!

Otherwise, this weapon feels a tad too complex for its own good. You’ll feel like you’re working harder for less reward until all of its intricacies become second nature to you.

Hunting Horn – The Hunting Horn is the only weapon that can match the Hammer when it comes to stunning power, but it suffers from bad mobility and slow attacks.

Mind you, though, don’t take its placement this low on our tier list to mean that it’s a bad weapon.

Effectively using the songs can be very overwhelming for most players as well, although they provide a nice buff. The buffs are also somewhat weak for solo Hunters, making this weapon ideal for Multiplayer.

Far from it, it’s an extremely powerful weapon! But it’s just very overwhelming and hard to use effectively for most players.

D Tier

Heavy Bowgun – As the name implies, this is a bowgun but heavier. Your mobility is greatly impaired, but you also get access to much more damaging ammo. It can also turn into a quick-firing special weapon!

However, the huge impairment to your mobility makes this weapon much less desirable than the standard Light Bowgun. This is doubly true if you’re playing solo!

We recommend avoiding this weapon unless you have intimate knowledge of monsters’ attack patterns or are playing in multiplayer.

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