TheMonster Hunter Risedemo is here and players have already excitedly started jumping into the tutorials and two hunts available for players to participate with. Considering thestrain the demo caused the Nintendo E-Shop, there’s clearly a high demand for the Switch exclusive, but newer players might soon be overwhelmed by the massive list of weapons available.
Ranking the weapons into tiers inMonster Hunter Rise, similar to previous titles, will naturally be affected by a subjective perception of these weapons based on each players' favorites. However, the below list will follow an objective view that factors in each weapon’s DPS capabilities, ease of use, and overall utility, especially with a leaning towards what’s best for new players. It should also be noted that there really are no bad weapons, as even the bottom tier are still capable of hunting any monster the player might come up against.
D-Tier: Sword and Shield
So, even being considered the “worst” weapon inMonster Hunter Rise, the Sword and Shield is still a viable option that really mostly gets knocked down to this position due to a feature thatdidn’t carry over fromMonster Hunter World. This would be the ability to use items while the weapon is drawn that in past games would give the low DPS weapon a ton of added utility. The ability to block does somewhat make up for the decrease in damage, especially lending itself to new players, but they’ll be hard pressed to succeed in later fights with this.
C-Tier: Bow
The Bow is a support weapon above all else, being able to deliver consistent damage from a distance, though that damage is pretty minimal unless the player gets up close and personal. However, this weapon does come with the added benefit of being able to poison, stun, and sleep enemies with special arrow coatings that increases the potential for support. Players may be hard pressed to solo with this weapon, but it certainly is possible for those that can pass the relatively high skill window to utilize the weapon properly and consistently.
C-Tier: Hammer
Hammers are heavy hitters that can rack up tons of DPS if used properly, but also suffers from a severe lack of range and a high likelihood of attacks leaving the player open. This is another weapon like the bow, that in the hands of an expert would normally place high in otherMonster Huntertier lists. In the case of its ranking here, it really comes down to the way that newer players will likely find themselves vulnerable in a number of situations if using the heavy swings and charges recklessly.
C-Tier: Dual Blades
There are tons of players who will mark these as their personal favorites, as they are quite fun toplay with inMonster Hunter. Of course, being fun isn’t quite the same as having great utility, and the Dual Blades go even further into recklessness than the Hammer in the previous entry. However, this weapon comes out on top because most attacks can be dodge canceled out of and don’t leave the player as vulnerable, making them a much safer choice, especially for new players.
B-Tier: Insect Glaive
This is an odd one, because the insect that comes attached can easily be considered support similar to the bow. However, the Insect Glaive itself has some of the best mobility of any weapon, being able to chase down and jump over monsters. It’s another weapon that doesn’t quite match up DPS wise as others, but the added utility of the insect and mobility boosts it way above some other choices.
B-Tier: Lance
The Lance stands out as one of the best shielded weapons available, thanks to the ability to poke from behind the giant barrier. Additionally, the moveset is varied and can be adapted to most situations as long as the player doesn’t make a habit of always hiding behind the shield. Some of the fastermonsters inMonster Hunter Risecan cause trouble for this weapon due to the slow walking speed while drawn, but it can be easily counteracted with proper placement and timing on attacks.
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A-Tier: Hunting Horn
During the weapon’slifespan inMonster Hunter World, it went relatively underutilized due to most players writing it off as a support weapon with little more effect than to add buffs to the party. However, now that players are starting to run through the end ofIceborne’s content, many are playing around with new weapons and finding the Hunting Horn to be incredibly powerful on its own. So, as far as support weapons go, this is one of the best that players can choose from, since it doesn’t sacrifice DPS for the sake of utility.
A-Tier: Charge Blade
The previous entry has taken us into the fully top-tier weapons with the best movesets and utility for all players, and few stand out quite as strangely as the Charge Blade. This is essentially a Sword and Shield, but each attack fills a meter that can be unleashed in a massive attack by transforming the two weapons into one giant battle axe. Additionally, the version of the weapon in theMonster Hunter Risedemolooks like a Keyblade, as an added bonus forKingdom Heartsfans picking up the early preview.
A-Tier: Switch Axe
Much like the Charge Blade, the Switch Axe is another weapon with a dual utility, being able to transform between a giant axe and a giant sword. While the sword mode is temporary, needing to be recharged after being used for too long, it can be manually recharged by pressing the transform button again, and it can penetrate armor that normally deflects attacks. Additionally, the Zero Sum Discharge is arguably one of the strongest attacks in the game if players can pull it off correctly and gives players a second way toride wyverns inMonster Hunter Rise.
A-Tier: Gunlance
If the Zero Sum Discharge is up there among thestrongest single attacks inMonster Hunter, the Gunlance’s Wyvern’s Fire may be the heaviest competition for the top spot. This weapon behaves a bit like the Lance, but takes a much higher position on the list due to the Shelling that increases the DPS of the weapon by a considerable amount. However, that high DPS also comes with the Lance’s issues of low mobility, making the skill gap between new players and veterans too high to suggest as a starting weapon.
S-Tier: Long Sword
Many players would put this weapon as the top tier, at least for Blademasters, thanks to its high DPS, a funMonster Hunter Risespecific Wirebug counter, and the Spirit Combo. This allows players to land multiple hits at a time in order to build up increased strength over time and unlocking special attacks at the highest form. The best part is that the Long Sword lends itself to newer players as well, so even if someone is struggling to maximize on Spirit Combos, the standard attacks are still incredibly powerful.
S-Tier: Great Sword
This is arguably the most iconic weapon in the franchise, appearing on almost every piece of promotional material, including those made for theMonster Huntermovie. Fortunately, it’s more than just a cool looking weapon as well, as it comes with incredibly versatility, being able to block and attack at two different speeds. The slower, riskier attacks can deal massive damage, but players can stick to medium speed to keep the pressure on the monster, making it one of the best choices for new players and competent enough for veterans.
S+Tier: Bowgun
So, this will be throwing out the entire notion of what is best for new players, as both the Light and Heavy Bowguns require a massive time and resource investment in order to take into fights regularly. However, there is nothing that outpaces these weapons for DPS when used properly. While the skill gap between new players and veterans is massive for these weapons, it is absolutely worth it to get familiar with them, as they can turn the tables in some ofMonster Hunter Rise’s toughest fights.
Monster Hunter Riseis set to release on June 08, 2025 for Switch.
