Video Guide

At A Glance

Controls & Style Rundown

Hunter Arts

Shell Specifics

What GL To Use?

What Skills Should I Use?

Final Thoughts

Purpose

Guide Contents

How Do I Play Gunlance?

Hot Tips

Meta Stuff

Cool Stuff

Guild Style

Striker Style

Aerial Style

Adept Style

Valor Style

Alchemy Style

Dragon Blast

Blast Dash

Dragon Breath

AA Flare

Normal

Long

Wide

Wyvernsfire

Valor Shelling

Progression Recommendations

Endgame GL Recommendations

Progression Armor Sets

Skill Recommendations

The only weapon that can poke and boom at the same time, Gunlance! Build up heat by shelling, then lock your heat by Wyvernsfire! Use that heat to deal more damage with your thrusts! Use different shell types for different purposes, and blow down the monster with explosions!

Please do not attempt to request edit access. Your request will be ignored.

If you have feedback or comments on this guide, please contact Awesomeosity#2516 on Discord. By no means will contact result in changes to the guide.

Please don’t claim any of this guide’s contents as your own. Be nice. 🙂

This guide is meant for new players of Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (MHGU) or for players who haven’t played Blademaster in the old-school games, and wish to play as Gunlance. Note that this guide will not assume any prior knowledge, regardless of games played before in the Monster Hunter series.

This guide will contain a comprehensive guide on GL controls, commentary on GL styles and combinations, details on the various shell types, recommendations on progression GLs, and a final note on matchups against all monsters in the game.

https://youtu.be/WdqcdUdrnNc

Thrust with X, Shell with A. You can also perform an upswing attack with X + A, which is useful for extending combos. You can guard with R, from which you can also thrust or shell.

You must shell in order to increase the Heat Gauge, which you see in the top-left. Each color of the gauge corresponds to a different amount of raw boost, Yellow being none, Orange 15%, and Red 20%.

Making the Heat Gauge fill completely will completely empty the Heat Gauge and force you to overheat, preventing the Heat Gauge from moving.

Time and attacks with thrusts will reduce your Heat by small amounts.

To lock the Heat Gauge safely, perform Wyvernsfire with R + X + A. Performing this will lock your Heat Gauge while your Gunlance cools down, but it also reduces your heat by a small amount when performed.

To reload shells, either press A while Guarding, or A after a backstep. You may also reload a single shell after you shell by pressing A again.

Performing a Slam (in Guild, X, X, X) will let you follow up with a Full Burst with A, expending all of your shells at once.

You may charge your shells by pressing and holding R + A, increasing their damage and Heat gained.

Shelling also takes a little bit of Sharpness, making Razor Sharp more vital for Gunlance play.

Use shells to extend your combos when you’ve locked your Heat.

Like Lance, ending your Guard has a long animation. Backstep to quickly end the animation.

Also like Lance, you may move around while Guarding. Moving while Guarding lets you restore Stamina at a normal rate.

Each Shell type is good at different things, reflected in damage modifiers for specific actions.

Normal: Has a standard explosion radius as well as a standard Heat Gauge. Best at Full Bursts. Loads 5 shots.

Long: Has an increased range and the Red portion of the Gauge is extended. Good at both Full Bursts and Charged Shots, but deals more damage with WyvernsFire. Loads 3 shots.

Wide: Spreads out over a wider area and the Orange potion of the Gauge is extended. Good at Charged Shots, but is weak at Full Bursts. Loads 2 shots.

I’m obligated to say that Gunlance gets really slow times, even with the Heat Gauge, which was an overall nerf to Gunlance play.

The most common shell type used is Wide, as it provides more Heat than its cousins.

The Gunlances most commonly used feature a long amount of Sharpness, largely due to counter Gunlance’s increased Sharpness usage upon shelling.

Gunlance tends to favor raw over element, despite Gunlance shells themselves dealing Fire-type damage, regardless of the element of the Gunlance.

Adept Gunlance is most used, due to the uncharacteristically high damage of the counterattack.

Guild Gunlance has access to the Slam at all times, as well as the ability to Upswing, extending your normal combos slightly.

Striker Gunlance loses the ability to Slam, and thus Full Burst too, but could be nice if you use Long or Wide and like the ability to perform a 3rd thrust, as well as use the Gunlance HAs.

Aerial Gunlance lets you hop into the air and perform Full Bursts easily with the Aerial Slam, at the cost of not being able to perform Slams on the ground.

Valor Gunlance is all about shelling with the damage modifiers on shelling, but since shells don’t scale with raw...

Alchemy Gunlance lets you Wyvernsfire more often and doesn’t let you perform Upswing mid-combo in exchange for the Alchemy Barrel.

The Gunlance HAs are hit and miss. On the one hand you have Dragon’s Breath, which maxes your Heat Gauge and locks it there for a few minutes, and is fantastic, as well as Blast Dash which gives Gunlance some much-needed mobility.

On the other hand you have the mediocre Dragon Blast which deals fixed damage while you stay still as well as the sadly disappointing AA Flares, which is basically a shell combo.

Not only do shells deal fixed damage, but they also deal a little bit of Fire damage. For best results, use Gunlance against Fire-weak monsters.

Unlike what it seems like, Wyvernsfire is actually 4 separate hits, and so is not suitable for waking up monsters, despite what some people think.

After the 3rd X attack in certain styles, pressing X + A will let you Wyvernsfire instantly.

You can adjust the angle at which Wyvernfire hits by using the Control Stick.

Some attacks that reload shells while doing so have higher damage if you load shells successfully.

You can backstep further as with Lance by pressing Back on the Control Stick at the same time you hop back.

Like Lance, you can unsheathe into a guard by pressing R + X + A. Especially useful on Adept styles since you can gapclose by dashing in and immediately Adept Guard an attack.

Two Hunter Art slots (1 SP Art). Easy access to some of Gunlance’s stronger and more useful moves.

X - Thrust

21% damage

After Thrust, X - Thrust II

21% damage

Forward + X - Forward Lunge

28% damage

While Lunging forward from Forward Lunge, A or Forward + R + A - Forward Shell
X + A - Upswing

25% damage

A - Fire Shell
After any attack, R + A (hold) - Charged Shot
After Upswing, A - Upwards Shot

Can be charged.

After Fire Shell or Charged Shot, A - Quick Load

Reloads a single shell.

After Thrust II or Quick Load or Upswing as the 2nd or 3rd attack, X - Slam

36% damage

After Slam, A - Full Burst

Fires all shells currently loaded at once.

R (hold) - Guard
While Guarding or after Upswing as the 1st attack or Upwards Shot, X - Guard Thrust

16% damage
Can be performed up to three times consecutively.

R + X + A, or after Slam or after the 3rd Guard Thrust, X + A - Wyvernsfire
B - Backstep
After Backstep or while Guarding, A - Reload
While in midair, X - Jumping Thrust

22% damage

Forward Lunge off of a ledge or while in midair, X + A - Jumping Slam

36% damage
If reloading - 40% damage
Reloads one shot and can go into Full Burst as in a normal Slam.

Guild Style allows easy access to the slam, allowing you to Full Burst anytime normally, as well as perform Upswing to slightly extend your combos. Remember to use shells to extend your thrust combos, once your Heat is high.

Recommended Hunter Arts:

Absolute Evasion
Absolute Readiness

Turn Up The Heat

X + A, (loop) A, X (end loop)

Upswing -> (loop) Fire Shell -> Guard Thrust (end loop).

A fast way to quickly rank up Heat.

It’s Getting Hot In Here

A, A, X, A

Fire Shell -> Quick Load -> Slam -> Full Burst.

After a single-shell reload, you can perform a Slam, after which you perform a Full Burst. This combo’s effectiveness at increasing your Heat will mostly depend on the shell type.

Now We’re Cooking

Forward + R + A, (loop) A (end loop)

Forward Shell -> (loop) Fire Shell -> Quick Load (end loop).

A shell-only way to boost your Heat. It’s a bit slow, but you don’t have to fully reload.

Full Heat Locker

Forward + X, X, X, X, X + A

Forward Lunge -> Thrust I -> Thrust II -> Slam -> Wyvernsfire.

A thrust combo which ends in a Wyvernsfire. Useful if you’re near maximum Heat.

Thrust Extension

Forward + X, X, X, X + A, A, (repeat) X, X, X, A

Forward Lunge -> Thrust I -> Thrust II -> Upswing -> Fire Shell -> (loop) Guard Thrust -> Guard Thrust -> Guard Thrust -> Fire Shell (end loop)

This combo provides gapclosing with the initial lunging thrust, as well as an infinite combo. For best results, use while Heat is locked.

Out-of-Guard Thrusts

While Guarding: X, X + A, X

Guard Thrust -> Upswing -> Slam.

A way to immediately transition from a guard into attacking.

Full Burst Reload

X, X, X, A, B, A

Thrust I -> Thrust II -> Slam -> Full Burst -> Back Hop -> Reload.

A simple way to perform a Full Burst and immediately reload afterwards.

3 Hunter Art slots (1 SP Art). Can’t perform Slam, but gives you a 3rd Thrust instead as well as a 3rd HA slot to use Gunlance’s cool HAs.

Cannot perform Slam or Jumping Slam.
After Thrust II, X - Striker Thrust III

24% damage

Mid-combo Upswings no longer go into Slam. This makes your combo a three-stage one, similar to Lance’s.
After Striker Thrust III, X + A - Wyvernsfire

Striker Style is perfectly okay for basic play, only losing the slam as compared to other styles. This makes Full Bursting difficult, but if you run Blast Dash you can still Full Burst that way. Striker is useful for long combo strings interspersed with occasional shelling, as well as using the two Absolute HAs for enhanced mobility, letting Striker be significantly more mobile than other GL styles.

Recommended Hunter Arts:

Absolute Evasion / Blast Dash III
Absolute Readiness
Dragon’s Breath III / Blast Dash III

Super Thrust Extension

Forward + X, (loop) X, X, X, A (end loop)

Forward Lunge -> (loop) Thrust I -> Thrust II -> Striker Thrust III -> Fire Shell (end loop).

After shelling once, you can repeat the basic three thrust combo, like Lance. Most effective while at maximum Heat.

Guarded Thrust Extension

While Guarding: (loop) X, X, X, A (end loop)

(loop) Guard Thrust -> Thrust II -> Striker Thrust III -> Fire Shell (end loop).

Similar to the above combo, but transitions out of Guard.

Super Heat Charger

Forward + R + A, (loop) A, A, R + A (end loop)

Forward Shell -> (loop) Fire Shell -> Fire Shell -> Reload (end loop).

Uses shells to build up Heat fairly quickly. You might have to reload before doing this, though.

1 Hunter Art slot (1 SP Art). Lets you hop off of the monster and easily perform Aerial Slams, which can lead into Full Bursts.

Cannot perform Backstep.
Cannot perform Slam.
After Thrust II, X - Aerial Thrust III

24% damage

Mid-combo Upswings no longer go into Slam. This makes your combo a three-stage one, similar to Lance’s.
B - Aerial Hop
Boost Jump, A - Aerial Shell

Performable only once per jump.

Boost Jump or after Aerial Shell, X - Aerial Slam

36% damage
If reloading - 40% damage
Loads one shell if performed by itself.
If performed after Aerial Shell, does not load one shell.
Can lead into Full Burst as in a normal Slam.

Aerial Style can easily let you spam Full Bursts, and even lets you perform a mid-air shelling to slam combo. Favors Normal shelling types above others. Oh, and shelling doesn’t deal mounting damage.

Recommended Hunter Arts:

Absolute Readiness

Jump ‘n Shell ‘n Slam

Boost Jump, A, X, A

A basic combo performed after any Aerial Hop. Remember to have your shells loaded.

Aerial Full Combo

Forward + X, X, X, X, B, then Post-Aerial Hop, A, X, A

A combo mostly performed on downed monsters.

1 Hunter Art slot (1 SP Art). Perform an Adept Guard to pivot and perform two highly-damaging attacks in a row, which can be followed up by a Full Burst.

Cannot perform Quick Load.
Jumping Slam does not load shells.
R - Adept Guard
Adept Guard, X - Adept Reload Swing

40% damage
Fully reloads shells.
Performable in any direction, as long as you hold the Control Stick in that direction.

After Adept Reload Swing, X - Adept Slam

50% damage

Adept Style has one of the strongest moves Gunlance has at the cost of not being able to quickly reload shells normally, which isn’t bad at all. Remember that you can change the direction with which you counter attack by pressing on that direction with the Control Stick, and this goes for both the Reload Swing and the Slam.

Recommended Hunter Arts:

Absolute Readiness

Super Charged

(loop) X, R + A (end loop)

(loop) Thrust I -> Charged Shell (end loop).

A simple thrust into charged shell loop.

True Combo

Adept Guard, X, X, A

Adept Guard -> Adept Reload Swing -> Adept Slam -> Full Burst.

A standard Adept Guard combo. Omit the Full Burst as necessary.

Adept Guard Wyvernsfire

Adept Guard, X, X, X + A

Adept Guard -> Adept Reload Swing -> Adept Slam -> Wyvernsfire.

Instead of using a Full Burst at the end of your combo, you can use Wyvernsfire instead if you run the risk of maxing out on Heat.

1 Hunter Art slot (1 SP Art). Charge the Valor Gauge with shells in order to enter Valor State and improve your overall shelling power!

In any state:

Cannot Reload.
Cannot Quick Reload.
Cannot Charged Shot.
Y - Valor Sheathe
Valor Sheathe, A - Valor Shot
Valor Sheathe, X + A - Valor Wyvernsfire

Has the same effects as normal Wyvernsfire.

Valor Sheathe, R + A - Reload

Outside of Valor State:

Cannot Wyvernsfire.
R + A - Valor Single Load

Loads one shell, has a Guard Point at the beginning of the loading animation.
Performable even if you’re already fully loaded.

Valor Sheathe, X - Valor Reload Swing

40% damage
If loading - 36% damage
Reloads one shell.
Performable even if you’re already fully loaded.

In Valor State:

Wyvernsfire takes 33% of the time to start if not performed from Valor Sheathe.
All shelling’s sharpness consumption is reduced by one.
Valor Sheathe, X - Valor Super Swing

Loads multiple shells at once, depending on shell type.

R + A - Valor Super Load

Loads multiple shells at once, depending on shell type.
Has a Guard Point at the beginning of the loading animation.
The Guard Point is stronger, and consumes no Stamina if you Guard attacks without receiving knockback from them.

After Valor Super Load or Valor Super Swing, X - Slam
After Valor Super Swing, X+A - Draw Lunge
After Slam, X - Thrust I
After any attack, A (repeat), or after Valor Shot, A (repeat) - Valor Rapid Shelling

Damage increases with each shell fired.

1 - +0%
2 - +20%
3 - +50%
4 - +100%
5 & 6 - +160%

After Slam, A - Valor Full Burst

Damage increases with each shell consumed.

1 - -20%
2 - -10%
3 - +0%
4 - +40%
5 - +50%
6 - +60%
This modifier is applied to all shells. E.g. you fire a Full Burst with 2 shells loaded, then both shells would receive a -10% damage penalty, not a -20%, then a -10% penalty.

Valor Style focuses on shell damage, which is certainly unique, but doesn’t translate well in practice, and certainly does not make Gunlance good. It is really fun though, and the Valor Gauge charges quickly from shelling and Wyvernsfire.

Recommended Hunter Arts:

Absolute Readiness

Valor Shelling Charge

(loop) Y, then A, (end loop)

(loop) Valor Sheathe -> Valor Shot (end loop)

A simple way to quickly charge both Heat and Valor Gauge.

Valor Loading Swing

Y, then X, X, A

Valor Sheathe -> Valor Reload Swing -> Thrust -> Fire Shell.

Provides a way to reload shells, attack, and charge the Valor Gauge all at the same time.

Valor Infinite

In Valor State: (loop) X, X, X, (end loop)

(loop) Thrust I -> Thrust II -> Slam (end loop)

This is a great combo that doesn’t involve shells at all. Using this combo will let you perform a good amount of damage while relying on the quick Valor State provided by shelling.

Valor Simple Rapid Shelling

In Valor State: (loop) Y, then A (end loop)

Valor Sheathe -> (loop) Valor Rapid Shelling (end loop)

An easy way to immediately start Rapid Shelling.

Valor Upwards Rapid Shelling

In Valor State: X + A, (loop) A (end loop)

Upswing -> (loop) Valor Rapid Shelling (end loop)

If you wanted to ever blast a monster out of the sky easily, then use this combo.

Valor Quick Full Burst

In Valor State: R + A, X, A

Valor Super Load -> Slam -> Full Burst.

This combo is useful when you want to rack up Heat and you need to reload.

Valor Load Up ‘n Burst

In Valor State: Y, then X, X, A

Valor Sheathe -> Valor Super Swing -> Slam -> Full Burst.

A variant of the above combo, this fully reloads your shells.

3 Hunter Art slots (3 SP Arts). Simplifies and shortens your combos, as well as removes Charged Shot in exchange for the Alchemy Barrel!

Cannot perform Upswing mid-combo.
Cannot perform Charged Shot.
Wyvernsfire deals -50% damage, but also cools down in 60s.
After Guard Thrust II, X - Slam
After a step, R + Y - Alchemy Barrel
Slam charges the Alchemy Gauge more quickly.

Alchemy Style is alright, since it removes the Charged Shots, which were already slow, and the upswing mid-combo, which is disappointing but okay. The faster Wyvernsfire both is good and bad, good if you want to spam it for “damage” but bad if you want to maintain and lock high heat on your Gunlance.

Recommended Hunter Arts:

Absolute Evasion (SP) / Dragon’s Breath III
Absolute Readiness (SP)
Blast Dash III (SP) / Dragon’s Breath III

Out-Of-Guard Slam

While Guarding: X, X, X, A

Guard Thrust I -> Guard Thrust II -> Slam -> Full Burst.

Like Alchemy Lance, this combo provides a way to immediately transition out of Guards.

Super Full Wyvernsfire Burst

Forward + X, X, X, X, A, X + A

Forward Lunge -> Thrust I -> Thrust II -> Slam -> Full Burst -> Wyverns Fire.

This extremely big shell energy combo is great on downed monsters for charging up Heat. Just make sure you aren’t gonna overdo it.

Adept > Striker/Guild/Valor/Alchemy > Aerial is the style hierarchy. Adept’s Post-Adept Guard attacks are very useful and highly damaging, while Striker and Guild are only slightly less effective. Aerial, Valor, and Alchemy all focus on shelling, which is a bad thing in G-Rank. But Aerial is still worse.

Charges, then, while guarding, unleashes a powerful blast in front that deals multiple hits of fixed damage.

HA Rank	To Charge	Initial Hit	Followup Hits	Charge Time (s)
I	830 (1196 SP)	33.6% Attack + 48	3 Hits of (2% Attack + 10)	3.1
II	1000 (1400 SP)	34.3% Attack + 49	6 Hits of (2% Attack + 10)	2.2
III	1250 (1700 SP)	34.3% Attack + 49	9 Hits of (2% Attack + 10)	1.5

Note that the damage dealt is fixed in its entirety, or in other words, ignores hitzones. Here’s a brief example of how to calculate this fixed damage:
Say you had a Gunlance with 300 raw. This HA ignores all multiplicative raw modifiers. So, for the opening hit of Dragon Blast III, you’d deal 49 * (1 + 300 * 0.7 / 100) => 49 * (1 + 210 / 100) => 49 * (1 + 2.1) => 49 * 3.1 = 151.9. MonHun floors damage, so you’d deal 151 with the initial blast. Do the same for the followup hits: 10 * (1 + 300 * 0.7 / 100) = 10 * 3.1 = 31. 31 * 9 = 279 for the followup hits.

Dragon Blast is… okay. It’s a lot of fixed damage in a short amount of time, but you can do without this art. The Guard Point associated with the entirety of the art is okay too… but if you’re actually trying to Guard Point with this HA you’re doing something wrong.

Aims your Gunlance behind you, then shoots, launching you forward a distance. After this art, you can perform a Slam, after which you can perform a Full Burst. This is doable regardless of Style.

HA Rank	To Charge
I	250 (500 SP)
II	290 (548 SP)
III	330 (596 SP)

Distance traveled increases with rank. The Slam deals 50% damage, while the shell fired deals 24 Fixed damage. Rank III allows you to perform the Slam midair, rather than after you land on the ground. This art can be done whether or not you have shells loaded, but the followup Full Burst you can perform requires that you have shells loaded before you execute the art.

Blast Dash gives Gunlance a form of mobility, which is greatly appreciated. It doesn’t really warrant use though because the generic arts of Absolute Evasion and Absolute Readiness are much better and more useful more often. You can consider using this in styles that have 3 HA Slots though.

Charge the Gunlance with heat during a short animation, after which you power up the Heat Gauge to the absolute maximum and locks it. Shells also deal an additional hit of damage in a Normal-shell-like radius.

HA Rank	To Charge	Duration
I	1080 (1496 SP)	60 seconds
II	1170 (1604 SP)	120
III	1250 (1700 SP)	180

Due to Dragon’s Breath locking the Heat Gauge, Wyvernsfire cannot be used for the duration that this art is active, no matter the style. The bonus explosion deals 10 fixed damage and 10 Fire damage. You may use this Hunter Art regardless of whether or not the Heat Gauge is locked.

Dragon’s Breath allows you to ignore the Heat Gauge, which is a godsend. The Heat Gauge was an overall nerf to the GL playstyle, forcing you to use the underwhelming shells in order to boost your thrust damage. Furthermore, with the Heat Gauge implemented, Capcom went their scaredy-cat ways with regards to Gunlance, and nerfed the Motion Values… again. I dunno either. Anyway, take this because it’s a not-insignificant boost to your damage, at least on styles with 3 HA slots.

Perform a Full Burst upwards, then if the Heat Gauge isn’t currently locked, fire a Wyvernsfire afterwards, locking the Heat Gauge. Then, perform a reload with a Guard Point. If you don’t have all shots loaded at the beginning of the art, you’ll perform a reload with a Guard Point beforehand.

HA Rank	To Charge	Damage Modifier	Wyvernsfire Heat Drain
I	400 (680 SP)	+0%	80
II	460 (752 SP)	+5%	60
III	520 (824 SP)	+10%	30

Damage Modifier is multiplied on top of the Full Burst Modifier for the Shell Type. Heat lost with the Wyvernsfire is reduced with each rank of the HA. The Full Burst adds Heat, but cannot Overheat your Gunlance. If hitting an airborne monster, deals 3x stagger damage.

AA Flare is just a faster version of Dragon Blast, which is aimed upwards too. It’s kinda underwhelming due to how shelling works in this game and how it doesn’t scale with raw at all, but… if you use Normal it’s alright? It takes a while to perform too, and you’re likely not gonna knock down monsters with this HA either… unless they stand still in the air for a long time, which isn’t gonna happen much.

Let’s briefly talk about shells in this section.

Here’s a graphic that describes what the Heat Gauge does:

Has a regular-sized spherical hitbox which starts from the tip of the Gunlance.
Has a normal sized Heat Gauge, with each portion having about equal lengths.
+20 Heat per shell.
Load up to 5 normally, 6 with Load Up.
Deals slightly more damage with Full Bursts than other shell types.
Consumes 2 Sharpness per shot.
In Valor State, Valor Super Load and Valor Super Swing reload 4 at once.

Explosion extends slightly further than Normal or Wide shell types.
Red Heat is slightly extended compared to Normal shells, making it easier to maintain Red and lock it with Wyvernsfire.
+27 Heat per shell.
Load up to 3 normally, 4 with Load Up.
Deals slightly more damage with Wyvernsfire than other shell types.
Consumes 2 Sharpness per shot.
In Valor State, Valor Super Load and Valor Super Swing reloads 3 at once.

Explosion has a greater radius than other shell types.
Orange Heat is slightly extended compared to Normal shells.
+39 Heat per shell.
Load up to 2 normally, 3 with Load Up.
Deals slightly more damage with Charged Shots than other shell types.
Consumes 3 Sharpness per shot (reduced to 1 with Razor Sharp).
In Valor State, Valor Super Load and Valor Super Swing reloads 2 at once.

Charges briefly, then fires forward, dealing 4 hits of Fixed and Fire damage.
Reduces your heat, then locks your Heat Gauge while Wyvernsfire cools down.
If Overheated from other means, like maxing out the Heat Gauge or from Dragon’s Breath, then Wyvernsfire cannot be used.
Damage of Wyvernsfire is based off of the original shell level.
Cooldown of Wyvernsfire is 120 seconds at base. With Artillery Expert, this cooldown is reduced to 90 seconds. (Artillery Expert also reduces the time for normal overheats.)
In Valor State, cooldown and charge time are halved.
In Alchemy Style, damage, cooldown, and charge time are all halved.

Shot Lvl.	Fixed Damage	Fire Damage
1	30 * 4 = 120	10 * 4 = 40
2	35 * 4 = 140	11 * 4 = 44
3	40 * 4 = 160	12 * 4 = 48
4	45 * 4 = 180	13 * 4 = 52
5	50 * 4 = 200	14 * 4 = 56

Rapid Shelling:		Full Burst:
Shell Number	Damage Modifier	Shells Loaded	Damage Modifier (applies to all shells)
1	+0%	1	-20%
2	+20%	2	-10%
3	+50%	3	+0%
4	+100%	4	+40%
5 + 6	+160%	5	+50%
		6	+60%

Note: Valor Full Burst’s modifiers applies to all shells equally, e.g. consuming 4 shells in a Full Burst means you’ll get the +40% modifier applied to all shells.

Usually the shot type of the Gunlance doesn’t particularly matter during progression, but Wide shots are generally recommended for endgame stuff. Though, it doesn’t really matter even when it’s endgame either. Focus on GLs with a long amount of Sharpness rather than a thin amount, and go for raw Gunlances, though elemental GL… exists. It’s not as great as raw GL but it’s serviceable.

Low Rank (Village 1-6*, Hub 1-3*)

Petrified Gunlance (Normal Lv. 1)

The starting Gunlance is useful for both starting out at the very beginning of the game and when you level it up to level 4, which is when it gets Green Sharpness.

Iron Gunlance (Normal Lv. 1)

Gains Green Sharpness when you get into Village 2 and has Normal shells rather than Wide, making it less Sharpness-intensive early on compared to the Rogue Gunlance. In Village 4, it also gains Normal Lv. 2 shells, making it good for shelling.

Rogue Gunlance (Wide Lv. 1)

Somewhat oddly, unlike the other Great Maccao weapons, this needs Disc Stones in order to create it, or you can upgrade it from the Iron Gunlance. This features Wide shots instead, so it’s easier to build heat with.

Fiore Nulo (R) (Normal Lv. 1)
Type 62 Stormlance (Wide Lv. 1)
Full Voltage (Long Lv. 1)
Lagomberator (Wide Lv. 1)

Collection of elemental tech Gunlances all available at around this rank. Make ‘em if you feel like you need an elemental edge over certain matchups.

Hidden Gunlance (Long Lv. 2)

The Nargacuga Gunlance is solid due to the large amount of Green Sharpness, as well as the high amount of Affinity it naturally has. Note that Affinity cannot affect shelling damage.

Striker’s Gunlance (Normal Lv. 1)

Bog-standard raw Attack option if you need a modern option for taking on the Fated Four.

Ukiyo no Yamiwo (Long Lv. 2)

Verdant Rook (Wide Lv. 2)
Giant’s Artillery (Normal Lv. 2)

The Fated Four Gunlances are all solid, and double as elemental tech options around this point in time. Of particular note is the Giant’s Artillery, packing Normal Lv. 2, meaning it can replace the Iron Gunlance for shelling play.

Lagia Burst (Long Lv. 1)

An alternative Thunder option which cuts close to Verdant Rook, as you should have the Rathalos mixset around this point in time to offset the no natural Affinity.

Jaya Gunlance (Long Lv. 2)

The Seregios Gunlance, as in 4U, never loses its luster, especially here, where it has natural Blue Sharpness to start, as well as higher-than-average raw, as well as a 10% Affinity buff. As Gunlance, you should be backhopping out of your Full Bursts, or at least hopping out of your more lengthy moves with higher recovery time.

Burning Kabeira (Wide Lv. 2)

The Glavenus Gunlance has the same amount of raw as Mizutsune’s, as well as element, but it also has the advantage of being upgradeable early on into High Rank as well. Wide shells also help.

Usurper’s Roar (Normal Lv. 2)

Also a competitive Thunder option that first becomes available around this point in time. Also potentially worth making as a prelude to a later shelling option.

High Rank (Village 7-10*, Hub 4-7*)

Jaya Gunlance (Long Lv. 2)

The Jaya Gunlance doubles its Blue Sharpness when you get into this rank, making it easier to manage. If you haven’t already, I highly suggest you go into Hub 3* and get Absolute Readiness from Wyvern Sand Runners in order to maintain the Sharpness more easily.

Burning Kabeira (Wide Lv. 2)
Ukiyo no Yamiwo (Long Lv. 2)

Verdant Rook (Wide Lv. 2)
Giant’s Artillery (Normal Lv. 2)

All of the Fated Four options get upgraded fairly early on in High Rank, making them solid elemental options.

Bone Gunlance (Normal Lv. 3)

The main shelling option when breaking into High Rank. It’s got a good amount of Green Sharpness and decent Attack to back it up.

Obsidian Gunlance (Long Lv. 2)

Crests at around Village 8 if you’re going through progression in-depth. Still a great all-around choice.

Seadiver (Wide Lv. 2)
Hellsting (Long Lv. 3)

Elemental tech options for Village 8 if you’re feeling spicy. These hit slightly harder than Mizutsune and Gammoth, so if you’re obsessive about squeezing out every bit of damage you can, go for it.

Tiger Blast (Wide Lv. 2)

Packs a heckuva punch when going into Village 9 with 200 Attack power. The negative Affinity should be of little concern, especially if you have Weakness Exploit at this point. Has decent Sharpness and Wide-type shells as well.

Flamethrower (Long Lv. 3)
Marine Fisher (Long Lv. 2)
Verdant Rook (Wide Lv. 2)
Giant’s Artillery (Normal Lv. 2)

Village 9’s elemental tech options. Make ‘em if you want, or don’t. I’m just text. I can’t tell you what to do.

Hellstinger (Long Lv. 3)

Slightly better Ice tech option if you have Hyper Blangonga parts from Hub.

Arya Gadda (Normal Lv. 3)

Kecha Wacha’s GL is nice for shelling at this point with Normal Lv. 3 shelling with a decent length of Sharpness to support it.

Riotous Gunlance (Long Lv. 3)

The base Seregios Gunlance is useful with its (practically) final upgrade in High Rank. Still has the Bladescale Hone gimmick, but with White Sharpness this time! Cool.

Honorable Mention: Powderkeg Brewer (Normal Lv. 3)

The best Gunlance in Gen, and it remains a potent option if you’re willing to farm him by this point and stay in High Rank for whatever reason. GL does eat up Sharpness a bit, making the thin White an issue sometimes, but that’s what Razor Sharp and Readiness are for.

Honorable Mention: Tigrex Gunlance (Wide Lv. 3)

A great Gunlance to get to Hellblade Glavenus in the first place. Hits hard with 220 Attack and White Sharpness.

Honorable Mention: Grimclaw Burst (Wide Lv. 3)

Main alternative choice for when the Powderkeg Brewer’s thin White gets ya down. Longer White Sharpness means it’ll upkeep for longer.

Honorable Mention: Snowbaron Gunlance (Normal Lv. 4)

Main shelling Gunlance of choice if you really want to go out of your way for this. Or if you’re playing base Generations. Get a Switch already.

G-Rank (Hub G1-G4*)

Elder Gunlance (Wide Lv. 3)

High raw, White Sharpness, and Wide-type shot. Easily the best thing you can make for early G-Rank Progression.

Discovery Gunlance (Long Lv. 4)

An alternative for the Elder Gunlance if the thin White Sharpness is cringe to you. Trades in a bunch of Attack for longer White Sharpness.

Lagomberatrix (Wide Lv. 3)

Ice elemental tech option for specifically Nibelsnarf at this point in time.

Scissor Cannon (Normal Lv. 4)

The main shelling option at this point in time. White Sharpness and high base Attack power combines with high shelling level to make a decent Gunlance if you’re… still into Shelling at this point.

Deus Obelisk (Wide Lv. 3)

I really hope you didn’t sell off your Worn Gunlances, since this is a potent anti-Lao option. This pokes hard with high Dragon damage, so while you might be Gunlance, you can at least be Gunlance with 60 Dragon damage.

Dragonstar Benet (Long Lv. 3)

Alternative Lao option if you didn’t get lucky and don’t want to form Worn Gunlances, or if you don’t want to grind up the Earth Crystals/Monster Broth for Deus Obelisk. At least this has long White Sharpness.

Fiore Unu (Normal Lv. 3)

A surprising option for outright damage at G3. Hits hard with 300 Attack and thin Purple.

Fading Night (Long Lv. 3)

Alternative to Fiore Unu if you don’t like using Normal shells. Beware of overcapping Affinity if you’re using Ceanataur X with this Gunlance.

Abyssal Fisher (Long Lv. 4)
Lagombergeddon (Wide Lv. 4)

Small selection of elemental tech options if you feel like you need them for G3 and G4.

Buccaneer Gunlance J (Normal Lv. 4)

Strong shelling Gunlance option for G3, hitting hard with both high Attack and White Sharpness. Only comes from an event quest however.

Despot’s Phlogiston (Normal Lv. 4)

The Zinogre Gunlance is a good alternative shelling choice if you don’t have access to the One Piece event quest required for Buccaneer Gunlance J.

Cultured Bandit (Wide Lv. 3)

Great Maccao’s Gunlance comes in one final time as the highest Attack option for G4. Versatile and has decent White Sharpness to back it up.

Sophos Gunlance (Normal Lv. 4)

The best shelling Gunlance in G4. If you’re still into Shelling at this point… congrats? No brownie points for you though.

Was-Ankh (Wide Lv. 4)

The Ahtal-Ka Gunlance is incredibly solid as far as Gunlances go. 330 raw, triple slots, additional Defense if you’re into that kinda stuff, but the largest draw is the natural Purple Sharpness. Compared to other Ahtal-Ka weapons, the Gunlance has more Purple Sharpness naturally due to the whole shelling business being a thing. You won’t need Sharpness +2 with this one, though having Sharpness +2 is nice.

Elderfrost Broadside (Wide Lv. 4)

Has a really high raw, at 380, a somewhat low 16 Ice, and Wide shots. Used mainly for hella damage, and you’ll also need to use Sharpness +2 to get the White Sharpness on this GL, but it’s really potent despite it.

Demonic Blizzard (Long Lv. 4)

Yes, the Blangonga Gunlance is a thing. Good god. Has a good 330 raw, a solid 38 Ice, some natural Affinity at 15%, two slots, and Long shells. Does require Sharpness +2 to get Purple Sharpness, and is a good general option if you don’t like dealing with the thin Sharpnesses of the first two options, particularly if you’re not running Adept Gunlance.

Grimclaw Gunlance (Wide Lv. 4)

A good non-Sharpness & non-Absolute Readiness option Gunlance. You’re still gonna have to run Razor Sharp, but this thing has naturally-long and maxed Purple and White Sharpness, so it’s a fine option, even if a bit weaker.

Off-Meta Recommendations - Don’t Use Unless You Really Want To!

Elemental GL Recommendations

GL can’t shoot elemental shells, so the choice of Elemental GL is based purely on the thrusting damage… which it always should.

Burnt Chariot (Long Lv. 4)

The Rathalos Gunlance requires Sharpness +2 to access its longer Purple, but packs high Attack and Fire to make up for it.

Ajimura Chinju (Normal Lv. 4)

Sadly, Deviant Boost doesn’t really help Gunlance… unless you’re playing Striker Gunlance, which I respect. The decent amount of Water damage, solid raw, and good natural Affinity really helps this Gunlance out, as well as the great length of Purple Sharpness with Sharpness +2.

Electrolagia Gunlance (Long Lv. 5)

The variety of Thunder Gunlances in GU are kinda sad. So this is the choice for Thunder. It definitely has some! Oh and it also has Long Lv. 5.

World’s Demise (Long Lv. 5)

Silver Rathalos’s Gunlance is a fine general option for Dragon matchups. Many matchups appreciate the high Dragon it has while not gutting its own Attack power for it.

Status GL Recommendations

GL doesn’t really hit fast enough to justify these, rather than normal Lance which has its normal thrusts which can hit multiple times.

Rathian Burst (Wide Lv. 4)

High Poison and natural Purple makes this stand out amongst its peers. Something something in certain situations Poison can deal more damage, yadda yadda, anyway that speedrun was beaten a while ago by normal setups, so purity has been restored to the earth.

Shattercannon (Long Lv. 4)

cursed_volvi.gl has a usable amount of Purple Sharpness without sacrificing all of its raw. The slight negative Affinity is disappointing, but doesn’t make it unplayable, and the Long type shell means you won’t be spending forever to build up the Heat.

Sleeper Archduke (Normal Lv. 4)

Malfestio’s Gunlance has a really high amount of Sleep at 42. While it also has Normal shells, that 42 Sleep is really tempting…

Shadow Nercusp (Long Lv. 4)

The more conventional Sleep option for solo play. Long White Sharpnesss and some natural Affinity means it’ll hit more consistently more often.

Zvolta Annihilator (Wide Lv. 4)

The Hyper Brachy Gunlance is a solid Gunlance with a usable amount of Purple, and a decent 320 raw as well as a decent 35 Blast. Wide-type shells really help build the Heat too.

Shelling-Focused Gunlances

Star-Crossed Centaurus (Normal Lv. 5)

Cosmic Nakarkos’s Gunlance is the shelling Gunlance of choice, mainly for its long length of Blue Sharpness. Try to Full Burst as often as you can, otherwise the Blue Sharpness will not feel good when you Slam.

Blackhare Cannon (Normal Lv. 5)

The Snowbaron Gunlance has 310 raw, 30 Ice, and 15% natural Affinity. Its Deviant Boost helps charge up Dragon Breath more quickly, so while this does need Sharpness +2 over the Star-Crossed Centaurus, you’ll get to booming more quickly more often.

Imperial Cataclysm (Long Lv. 5)

A decent alternative Poison Gunlance that loses a bit of raw damage for more Poison and some Affinity. You can even opt to drop Sharpness +2 and just use the long amount of White Sharpness on this GL.

Diamante Burst (Wide Lv. 5)

The Crystalbeard Gunlance’s long base Green is perfect for shells to eat into. It also has the same Deviant Boost as the Blackhare Cannon does, so it’ll also help boost Dragon Breath up more quickly.

Demonlord Bombardier (Wide Lv. 5)

Furious Rajang’s GL has a decent 310 raw and a good 34 Thunder damage. If you don’t want to fiddle with Full Bursts, this is a good Thunder GL option.

Fatalis Gunlance (Wide Lv. 5)

Has a high 330 raw, a solid 38 Dragon, and two slots. You’ll need to deal with the slight negative Affinity and the low Sharpness, but once you get past those issues, this is a solid Dragon GL with Purple Sharpness.

In general, Gunlance takes mostly the same thing as conventional weapons do… at least if you’re playing Adept. Otherwise, I’d suggest Guard in certain matchups. Also, never take Artillery Novice/Expert in conventional play, nor Guard Up, the former for not being worth much conventionally, and the latter for being actually fucking useless.

Low Rank (Village 1-6*, Hub 1-3*)

BuJaBu

The classic progression set. Bulldrome Cap/Jaggi Mail/Bulldrome Vambraces/Jaggi Faulds/Bulldrome Greaves and a few Attack jewels can get you AuL early in the game.

Ceanataur

Ceanataur’s set provides Razor Sharp and a few points in Expert, increasing your Affinity. As a Gunlance user, Razor Sharp is core to your playstyle, since shelling eats Sharpness up, and quickly too. Get this.

Rathalos

Rathalos’s set provides Attack and Weakness Exploit, which is great for maximizing your damage output. If you just want to build a full set, then this is the way to do it.

Rathalos Mixset

The Rathalos Mixset, made up of Rathalos Cap/Rathalos Mail/Ceanataur Vambraces/Rathalos Faulds/Bnahabra Boots and a few gems can get you Razor Sharp and Weakness Exploit, as well as, if you’re lucky, Attack Up (S). Infinitely more useful than vanilla Rathalos, since the Razor Sharp here is great for GL play.

High Rank (Village 7-10*, Hub 4-7*)

Ceanataur S

The HR Ceanataur set simply provides more Expert points than LR Ceanataur, and still provides Razor Sharp. Not much else to say.

Seltas

Tailor-made for Artillery Gunlance, this is an option for that kind of play. Doesn’t need anything extra… but only because you can’t get anything else due to the lack of slots. :T

Rathalos S

The Rathalos set provides more Attack than its LR predecessor. Good for getting through the initial parts of G-Rank.

Rathalos Mixset S

Even better for going through G-Rank since it packs Razor Sharp too. Just replace the parts from the Low Rank version and put in the High Rank parts.

G-Rank (Hub G1-G4*)

Ceanataur X

Ceanataur’s G-Rank set, of which I recommend the X version for GL, is just more Expert points as compared to the High and Low rank versions. ‘s pretty standard.

Zamtrios X

Zamtrios’s set comes in as an early G-Rank option for shelling Gunlance. It’s lacking Razor Sharp, but you can totally gem that in if you have the slots. Just be aware that you can also mix for a better one at this point in the game, though.

Rathalos X

Rathalos X should be able to take you through HR Break, but you can also ignore the Earplugs to be honest. You have a shield, use it.

Rathalos Mixset X

The Rathalos Mixset can be just as potent in G-Rank, but it has a slight variation on the parts you need to make it. Use Rathalos X/Rathalos X/Rathalos X/Vaik X/Bnahabra X.

Seltas X

The G-Rank iteration of the mixed set packs even more Artillery Gunlance goodness into a single package. If you’re… still somehow into shelling at this point, that is.

Mixed Sets

For maximum effectiveness, you’ll generally want to tailor your set to the appropriate weapon, and sometimes even the specific monster you’re gonna be tackling. In general, the priorities for Blademasters goes Sharpness-related skills (Sharpness +1 or 2, Razor Sharp), then weapon-specific core skills, then skills that boost Attack as appropriate. Take a look at the following section to get a good idea of what you’ll want.

Razor Sharp

Razor Sharp lets you conserve more sharpness, which when it comes to shelling on Gunlance, is vital for effective play, especially when managing the Heat Gauge.

Weakness Exploit

Even though shells can’t crit, Weakness Exploit still is a large amount of your damage which is boosted by it. Your thrusts tend to do more damage than shelling anyway.

Repeat Offender

Shells should contribute to the RO Modifier, letting you build up the Affinity bonus easily. Take if you can’t hit the weakspot of the monster easily.

Critical Boost

If you have lots of natural Affinity or if you can stack a bunch of Affinity, you’re obligated to take this. It amplifies your damage, so there’s no reason not to take this, really.

Critical Eye

A simple Affinity booster. You can use this to round out sets.

Challenger

Challenger, either variants, work well in G-Rank due to the frequency with which the monster enrages. Useful if you can’t get much points in Critical Eye.

Sharpness +2

Situationally useful depending on the Gunlance. In general you should only take Sharpness +2 if you cannot get a higher Sharpness grade than what you have naturally.

Artillery Expert

Only if you really like to spam shells all the time, which is unrecommended, but if you really want to, here you go. Its Heat management can really help for Artillery Gunlance, making you Wyvernsfire when you want to instead of Overheating.

Full Burst

Charged Shot

Wyvernsfire

Fixed Damage

Fire Damage

Oh Gunlance, why do you get screwed every iteration of MonHun? It’s like the devs are somehow afraid of Fixed damage, yet Charge Blade is running around out there without a care in the world. Or maybe Capcom is actually made up of a bunch of Gunlance mains, and they fear that what they’ve made is too powerful for the world at large. Who knows? All we know is that Gunlance is pretty slooooow, and that what they did to it in Gen with the Heat Gauge didn’t help much. Gunlance styles patch up its issues somewhat, though no style will truly fix the Gunlance’s low MVs and lack of mobility. The HAs are decent, but they’re stuck on Gunlance, so that’s not doing them any favors. Gunlance is hella fun though, so there’s that.

Looking for more guides?

Beginner’s Guide To MHGU

Great Sword

Long Sword
Sword and Shield