There are three ranged weapons inMonster Hunter Wildsyou can learn to use, including the Bow, a simple but powerful tool with unique combos to take down monsters. The Bow offers high mobility alongside strong arrows you can charge to fire at monsters in fast-paced mid-range combat. With additional tracing shots targeting monster weak spots, the Bow is a precise weapon with tons of versatile moves.
One of the biggestchanges to weapons inMonster Hunter Wildsis the universal mechanic called Focus Mode. By pressing L2 on a controller, you can enter a state where your character has better aim with their attacks. During Focus Mode, you can alsosee Open Wounds on monsters as glowing red spots, which the Bow can easily target to deal more damage and possibly stagger a hostile monster.
All Bow Moves & How They Work
Charge Arrows To Build Up Tracer Shots
The basic attack of the Bow is performed using R2, assuming you are using a controller.Basic arrows fired from the Bow consume Stamina, unlike many other weapons in the game. This makes the Bow one of the only tools where you have to balance mobility and attacks using the same resource.
How To Use The Insect Glaive In Monster Hunter Wilds
The Insect Glaive is a twinblade weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds you can use to control Kinsect creatures who grant you powerful and mobile attacks.
You cancharge basic shots with the Bow to deal higher damage, but doing this costs more Stamina. Stronger attacks with the Bow often cost more Stamina to perform, but you can release an arrow earlier to reduce its cost. There are other attacks you can do that cost far less Stamina, including the Quick Shot, a move where you fire a spread of short-range arrows in front of your character.
The attacks that cost the most Stamina for the Bow are the Dragon Piercer and Thousand Dragons attacks, so make sure a monster is vulnerable or you are in a safe position before using either of these maneuvers.
The table below outlines many moves available to the Bow, includingFocus Mode attacks inMonster Hunter Wildsand the right inputs for each technique:
Charge -> Release
R2 (Hold) -> Release R2
The Bow loads a single arrow that you can charge up before releasing. It travels where you aim, dealing more damage and costing more Stamina depending on how long it was charged.
Aim/Focus Mode
L2 (Hold)
A way to steady and aim your arrow before shooting it. Also displays Open Wounds on monsters.
Quick Shot
Circle
A quick spread of three arrows fired at once to hit targets at close range.
Arc Shot
(Hold) L2 -> (Hold) R2 + Circle
Fire a loaded arrow into the air, which comes back down as a hailstorm of smaller arrows that rain down a short distance from where you fired. you’re able to aim where arrows land by holding this attack and moving its AoE.
Charging Sidestep
L2 + X
Perform a quick dodge to move out of the way of attacks. This move automatically charges your next shot and charges your Trick Arrow Gauge.
Flying Swallow Shot
(In Air) Triangle
A quick shot fired when you are in the air or after a Charging Sidestep.
Dragon Piercer
Triangle + Circle
Going on one knee, you take extra time to load a massive arrow into your Bow before firing it as a piercing shot that deals big damage to a target.
Thousand Dragons
R2 + Triangle + Circle
You load multiple arrows into your Bow for a time before firing a stronger version of Quick Shot at close range.
Another attack often used with the Bow is theFocus Strike: Hailstormtechnique, which you can activate by pressing L2 + R1. During Focus Mode, this attack creates a large, circular reticle that locks onto Open Wounds created on the monster you’re fighting. When you release R1, this attacklaunches a volley of homing arrows that target weak points, firing more shots if you charge the attack beforehand.
How To Use The Trick Arrow Gauge & Tracers
Build Meter To Swap Out Coatings And Apply Homing Arrows
As you hit your target with multiple arrows using the Bow, you’ll build up a special meter called theTrick Arrow Gaugeseen in the bottom right corner of your screen. This Gauge is seen on everyweapon upgrade inMonster Hunter Wildsfor the Bow, representing a resource you can expend to perform new actions.
You canuse one bar of the Trick Arrow Gauge to load Coatings and Tracersto your Bow, giving your next arrows new properties. When loading a Tracer by pressing R2 + Square, your next shot fires a sparking arrow that lodges itself into a target. While this Tracer is embedded into a monster, all your following shots will home into the tracer, allowing you to target specific weak points of your foe.
Tracer arrows explode after a short time within a monster, dealing stun damage. The most effective place to shoot a Tracer arrow is at a spot where a monster is vulnerable, such as its breakable tail or head areas.
By using the L1 + Triangle/X input, you select a Coating to apply to your next arrows.Using Triangle to confirm your Coating will apply new effects to the next shots you fire, up to a certain number of shots. Different Bows from different upgrade paths have limited numbers of possible coatings, but here are all the coatings in the game that a Bow may have:
UnlikepreviousMonster Huntergames, youdo not need to craft specific Coatingsin the same way that Bowguns must craft Ammo types. Now, the specific Bow you wield comes with one or more Coatings automatically ingrained into the weapon itself. Different weapon builds revolve around what Coatings are available, so try to investigate what each Bow offers.
Best Bow Combos
Dash Frequently And Follow-Up Tracer Arrows
An advanced technique to the Bow returns toMonster Hunter Wildsin the form ofDash Dancing, a powerful combo that utilizes your Charging Sidestep move. You cancancel the animation of nearly any Bow attack with the Sidestep, giving you ways to avoid attacks and set up new shots. For example, you may shoot a Tracer arrow, Sidestep, and then use Quick Shot to shoot a volley of homing arrows to the Tracer you planted in a fast combo.
Monster Hunter Wilds Review: Heading In A Bold New Direction, With One Or Two Missteps
Monster Hunter Wilds is a lushly beautiful and ceaselessly thrilling entry in the series, but its performance and on-rails story can be distracting.
Here are some example combos that will help you learn how to use the Bow effectively:
Canceling the Arc Shot into your Sidestep will also lead to a great combo, as you can do a Charged Shot or Quick Shot afterward. You should try toend most combos with your Focus Strike: Hailstorm attack to deal the most damagepossible to a monster. If you have low Stamina from using too many attacks, attempt to at least apply a Tracer and sit back with Charged Shots until your endurance recharges.
How To Play A Bow Build
Keep Stamina Healthy And Recognize Distance Limitations
To truly master the Bow, you have to be aware ofCritical Distance, the effective range from your target where you deal the most damage.Every Coating type you apply to your Bow has a different Critical Distancewhere you deal the most damage possible with your shots. When your reticle glows orange, it means you are within range to get the most out of the shots you fire.
Do not forget that the Bow can still do melee attacks from when you jump or dismount your Seikret. Use these attacks to try andmount a monster inMonster Hunter Wildsto stagger it and create new injuries.
Some attacks, like Dragon Piercer or Thousand Dragons, have their own effective ranges where they work best. No matter what attacks you unleash, you need tocontrol how much Stamina you expendon every Bow attack you do. It can be easy to exhaust your character by doing too many attacks at once, leaving you no Stamina to dodge incoming strikes from a monster.
Keep in mind thatperforming a Perfect Dodge will charge your next arrow and give you a charge of the Trick Arrow Gauge. This gives you the resources to inflict more damage on your next shot and have the means to load a Tracer or apply a Coating. Doing a dodge at the right time is the fastest way of filling the Trick Arrow Gauge, so try to study monster movements to make this easier.
Finding a balance between Tracers, Coatings, charging shots, and maintaining Stamina can seem overwhelming when you first pick up the Bow. However, those who find the right flow of combat with this weapon inMonster HunterWildswill find it easy to land combos and utilize their strongest moves to take down even the most threatening creatures.
