Wilds HBG Guide

Monster Hunter: Wilds Heavy Bowgun Guide

Version 1.3: Updated for TU3

By Cylon, Dingus, Damo, UnkemptHerald, Scrub, Kat, and Frosty

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Contact info:

Discord:

Cylon - cylon_

Damo - damo3124

Dingus - dingusassley

UnkemptHerald - unkemptherald

Scrub - Scrubadumb
Kat - kat_wastaken
Frosty - cryosaurus

You can find us all in the #heavy-bowgun channel in the MHGH discord server:

https://discord.gg/monsterhunter

Special thanks to:

Damo, Dingus, UnkemptHerald, AngBata, eichigo, kittibyou, kat, Scrub, Laskyy, Jonboy and the rest of the MHGH Bowgun community.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Weapon Guide

1. About the Authors

2. Introduction to the Weapon

3. Inputs and Basics

4. Mechanics

4.1 Bowgun Mods

4.2 Ammo

4.3 Ignition Mode

4.3.1  Wyvernheart

4.3.2 Wyvernpiercer

4.3.3 Wyvernblast

4.3.4 Wyverncounter

4.4 Critical Distance

4.5 Mounted Combat

5. Moveset Breakdown/Tech

5.1 Standard Moveset

5.1.1 Firing

5.1.2 Reloading

5.1.4 Sidestep

5.1.4 Focus Blast: Wyvern Howl

5.1.5 Guarding

6. Playstyles/Gameplay Loop

6.1 Raw

6.2 Elemental

7. Hunting Preparation

7.1 Item Pouch

7.2 Ammo Pouch

7.3 Radials and Shortcuts

8. Advanced Player Tips

9. Closing Thoughts

Chapter 2: Build Progression

1. When to Use Progression Builds

2. Story Progression Guide

2.1 Early LR Build

2.2.1 Congalala Bowgun

2.4 Late LR Build (Optional)

2.5 Early HR Build

2.6 Alternate Early HR Build

3. Early Post-Game Progression Guide (HR21+)

3.1 HR21 Second Wind Build

4. Late Post-Game Progression Guide (HR41+)

4.1 FulGore Build

Chapter 3: Endgame Build Guide

1. Build Guide Assumptions

1.1 Skill Priority

1.1.1 Elemental Skill Priority

1.1.2 Raw Skill Priority

2. Elemental Bowguns

2.1 Craftable Bowguns

2.1.1 Fire

2.1.2 Water

2.1.3 Thunder

2.1.4 Ice

2.2 Artian Weapons

2.2.1 Forging Artian Weapons

2.2.2 Reinforcing Artian Weapons

2.2.3 “Savescumming” Artian Reinforcements

2.2.4 Artian Decos

3. Meta Build Guide

3.1 Gear Requirements

3.2 Elemental Builds

3.2.1 Standard Elemental Build

3.2.2 Budget Elemental Build

3.3 Raw Builds

3.3.1 Standard Raw aka Spread Build

3.3.2 Hybrid Raw Build

4. Meta Matchup Chart

5. Alternative Builds

5.1 Normal + Heart Build

5.2 Pure Pierce Build

6. Meme Builds

6.1 Explosives Build

7. Mantles

8. FAQs

9. Resources

10. Acknowledgements

10.1: Primary Contributors

10.2: YouTubers

10.3: Discord Servers

10.4: Wiggler Team

11. Changelog

I’ve Been Away. What’s Changed?

The true king of raw takes back its rightful place on its throne. You heard that right Spread is the king of Raw again. This Title update introduces to us, Seregios’ HBG and with it the best Raw gun in the game now with the oh so popular spread ammo as its main bullet. However this was the only thing that was added that we would be using from this point on. Rejoice that the king is back.

Weapon Guide

Chapter 1: Weapon Guide

1. About the Authors

Cylon is a Monster Hunter veteran. He has many years of Bowgun experience, starting with the original Monster Hunter on PS2. Creator and writer of the Light Bowgun guide that we copied for all the shared information between HBG and LBG

Damo is an avid Bowgunner and spreadsheet enjoyer. Without his time spent coding simulations and various damage calculations, a large part of this guide would have been impossible.

Dingus is a long-time member of the MHGH community and veteran of the series, as well as the author of the original version of the Light Bowgun guide. Without his work, this guide would not exist as it does today.

UnkemptHerald is another long-time MHGH community member and Bowgun veteran whose datamining work, testing and input have been invaluable for the research of this guide.

Kat is a long-time member of the MHGH community and veteran of the series. He was the author of the original meta guide for Heavybowgun.

Frosty is a long-time veteran of the series and is the tester for the builds that TCers and Builders come up with. Also the writer of the HBG specifics of the guide.

Scrub is an active wilds hunter who makes build and playstyle optimizations. He has edited much of the written guide and provides speedrunning insights.

2. Introduction to the Weapon

Heavy Bowgun (HBG) is a slow but versatile weapon. It can output consistent damage and stand its ground against any monster attacks, going head to head with them and locking them down.  While it may not boast the high damage numbers of other weapons, it is able to output chart-topping damage-per-second while still bringing plenty of utility to a hunt, whether it be multiplayer or solo. Compared to previous games, HBG has seen major changes in Wilds.

3. Inputs and Basics

Bowguns rely on ammo, most of which has to be purchased or crafted. This will be detailed further in Section 4 of the guide.

Figure 3A, Basic Input List

4. Mechanics

Figure 4A, bowgun UI elements

Bowguns play very differently and have several unique mechanics to separate them from other weapons, all detailed individually in the subsections below.

4.1 Bowgun Mods

Figure 4.1A, the Customize Bowgun interface

        Bowguns uniquely have mods associated with them, which can be selected from the Customize Bowgun menu at camp. Mods in Wilds are fairly simple compared to previous games, mostly affecting only ammo level or capacity (both explained further below in Section 4.2). Which mods are available is determined by the bowgun being customized. Additionally, Special Ammo can be equipped in the Customize Bowgun menu, this is explained in Section 4.3.

Figure 4.1B, Bowgun Mod List

4.2 Ammo

Figure 4.2A, the Ammo Pouch interface

        Bowguns fire ammo, which have various effects based on the type and level of the ammo used. Most ammo has to be crafted, but “raw” varieties, Normal, Pierce and Spread, are infinite. Ammo is stored in the Ammo Pouch to be carried with you on hunts. Excluding raw ammo types, all ammo has a limited capacity that can be carried with you at one time. By carrying crafting materials with you, this capacity can effectively be extended; examples of this are included in Section 7.1 of the guide.

        Ammo can be refilled at camp either through the Item Pouch menu or through the Ammo Pouch menu. Make sure to build a habit of restocking non-raw ammo between every hunt when using it. Note that after TU2, restocking items also automatically restocks ammo.

Figure 4.2B, the Ammo Info for the Szelatya Clairgun (pretend it’s an HBG)

        Ammo types have a level and a magazine capacity that are both determined by the equipped gun; higher level ammo deals more damage or otherwise has increased effects. Raw ammo types have a maximum level of 3, while other ammo types have a maximum level of 1 or 2. The current magazine is shown in the bottom right of the screen (see Figure 4A) as well as beneath the crosshair while aiming.

Figure 4.2C, Bowgun Ammo List

4.3 Ignition Mode

Ignition mode is a separate mode in which changes the HBG into only being capable of firing its special ammos. Special Ammo uses the ignition gauge, it is the blue bar that can be found at the right side of the screen on top of the ammo selection. Each special ammo has its own gauge cost and will consume the gauge differently. If you attempt to fire a special ammo without satisfying the cost, you will enter an animation that will lock your hunter in place.

Figure 4.3A, selecting Primary Special Ammo

Figure 4.3B, selecting Secondary Special Ammo

Heavy Bowgun can choose between 4 Special Ammo options, 2 being primary and the other 2 being secondary. Wyvernheart or Wyvernpiercer Ammo are the primary Special ammo, While Wyvernblast and Wyverncounter are the secondary Special ammo. All 4 are detailed below,.

4.3.1 Wyvernheart

        Wyvernheart makes its return from world. This is the famous gatling gun that fires a total of 40 projectiles before switching you back into standard mode. Wyvernheart has a damage ramp that maxes out at the 9th shot. This damage ramp up falls off if even 1 bullet misses the monster or if you stop firing.

4.3.2 Wyvernpiercer

        Wyvernpiercer is a single projectile that continually does tick damage as it travels through the monster. It will continue to travel and or deal damage until it hits a wall. This ammo also has a damage ramp up and maxes out at the 8th tick but also a damage fall off at the 13th tick

4.3.2 Wyvernblast

        Wyvernblast fires two projectiles that after a short moment travelling in the air splits off into 3 more projectiles totalling to 6. These projectiles then explode when it hits a surface or monster. These explosions are hitzone-independent, meaning the damage does not change regardless of what part of the monster it hits.

4.3.3 Wyverncounter

        Wyverncounter is HBG’s offset attack. It has a lengthy starting animation and is able to be charged for higher damage. If the attack connects with the monster’s attack it will trigger an offset.

4.4 Critical Distance

Figure 4.4A, the orange crosshair indicates being within Critical Distance

        Bowguns are affected by Critical Distance, which is the range at which your ammo will deal optimal damage. This is indicated by the crosshair turning orange (see Figure 4.4A above). Staying within Critical Distance is an absolute necessity, as firing ammo from outside of it will do significantly reduced damage depending on the ammo fired.. The range of Critical Distance varies based on the ammo type being fired and can be increased by the Ballistics weapon skill.

Figure 4.4B, penalties for being outside of Critical Distance by ammo type.

4.5 Mounted Combat

Figure 4.6A, this target dummy is really gonna get it this time

Another new addition to Wilds is the ability to draw and fire your weapon while mounted on your Seikret. While you are aiming a weapon, your Seikret is unable to sprint and will move significantly slower. You are unable to use Ignition Mode while mounted. Note that firing while mounted incurs a -60% damage penalty.

Overall, this has limited usefulness, but could be a fun way to get off a cheeky paralyze in a multiplayer hunt, or perhaps build some RF gauge against a particularly mobile monster that you’re having trouble dodging.

5. Moveset Breakdown/Tech

        While basic inputs were covered in Section 3, this section of the guide will provide a breakdown of what Heavy Bowgun can do, starting from the basics, along with providing explanations of some unique techniques and interactions.

5.1 Standard Moveset

This subsection covers the standard moveset in and out of Ignition Mode.

5.1.1 Firing

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Figure 5.1.1A, pew pew

The most basic action on a Bowgun is firing. Firing uses up one ammo from the magazine or Ignition gauge if inside Iginition mode, does damage, has recoil depending upon the ammo fired, and can be followed up with either a Sidestep (Section 5.1.3), or another shot.

5.1.2 Reloading

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Figure 5.1.2A, one sec, gotta feed my gun more bullets

Reloading is a big part of Bowgun gameplay and one that requires some practice with positioning and timing, as it leaves you vulnerable during the animation. Can be triggered by attempting to fire with an empty  magazine or manually with a reload input.

5.1.3 Sidestep

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Figure 5.1.3A, let me just get out of your way real quick

After firing a shot, it can be followed up by a quick sidestep to either the left or right, depending on the direction inputted. This has brief iframes.

5.1.4 Focus Blast: Wyvern Howl

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Figure 5.1.4A, don’t worry, I brought my grenade launcher

New to Wilds, Heavy Bowgun’s Focus Strike is called Focus Blast: Wyvern Howl, often referred to as just  Focus Strike. You have three charges, displayed in the bottom right of the screen above the Ignition Gauge (see Figure 4A), which take approximately 35 seconds to recharge after firing.

Can be useful for a quick topple from destroying wounds that can topple.

5.1.5 Guarding

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Figure 5.1.5A, IM THE WALL

Being able to guard has always been a thing with HBG so long as it has the shield mod in older games. Here new to wilds, our shield is now a permanent part of the weapon. You can Auto guard if you just look/aim at the direction where the attack is coming from and do nothing.

New to wilds is the ability to manually guard by pressing Y+B/check section 3 for other platforms. This new guard allows us access to the perfect guard. Perfect guard can be achieved by manually guarding at the last minute before getting hit. This massively lowers the chip damage, stamina use, and knockback when guarding. However unique to perfect guard is after a successful perfect guard, allows you to Roll, Fire, or Reload almost immediately.

6. Playstyles/Gameplay Loop

        This section of the guide details the two main playstyles of Heavy Bowgun, using Special Ammo Spam or Elemental Ammo.

6.1 Raw

6.1.1 Wyvernheart

        Wyvernheart is the main option for Raw, as all other Special ammos either need specific situations to be better or have lower damage overall. Wyvernheart builds can be used against any monster but typically Elemental builds are preferred for all matchups besides Arkveld and Phase 1 Zoh Shia.

The basic game plan for Wyvernheart is as follows:

• While in Ignition Mode, hold the Fire button and do not let go unless absolutely necessary.
• When Ignition Mode falls off, use standard shots to recharge the gauge.
• Use any type of crowd control available to keep the monster in place for uninterrupted shooting
• Use Corrupted Mantle after or during the first Ignition Gauge to boost affinity, raw and gauge charge rate.
• Flash pods are recommended to stun monsters before shooting for uninterrupted firing.

6.1.2 Wyvernpiercer

        Wyvernpiercer is a special ammo that has the potential to out-dps Wyvernheart IF the ticks stay inside the weak point of the monster or if the monster is large enough for the ammo to continuously tick to beat wyvernheart. Example of such a monster is Arkveld and his chains when he is downed.

The basic game plan for Wyvernpiercer is:

• Fire when safe as this ammo locks you in place momentarily for each shot
• Find and fire at an angle for optimal pierce ticks
• When Ignition Mode falls off, use standard shots to recharge the gauge.
• Use Corrupted Mantle after or during the first Ignition Gauge to boost affinity, raw and gauge charge rate.
• Flash pods are recommended before shooting for uninterrupted firing.

6.1.3 Wyvernblast

        Wyvernblast is a niche special ammo that cannot out-dps either of the primary special ammo. Even Wyvernpiercer with bad ticks can out-dps it. However it makes its place in the use case where you cannot aim at the right body part of the monster,  if the monster does not have any good hitzone to use, or if there isn't a good angle to shoot from. It is also used if you do not wish to aim at all as the ammo is hitzone independent.

The basic game plan for Wyvernpiercer is:

• Fire when safe as this ammo locks you in place for each shot
• Make sure to fire at a distance to give the projectiles a chance to split before landing on the monster
• When Ignition Mode falls off, use standard shots to recharge the gauge.
• Flash pods are recommended before shooting for uninterrupted firing.

6.1.4 Pierce

        When not in Ignition mode, Pierce is our preferred Standard ammo to fire. It has the highest recovery gauge modifier and deals marginally better damage than Normal ammo.

      The basic game plan for Pierce is:

• Shoot at an angle to apply as much of the damage ticks on the monster’s weak point/s
• Continuously move away from the monster as it moves to you to maintain critical distance as it has the longest minimum critical distance out of all the ammos.
• When ignition gauge is full, switch to ignition mode and fire your special ammos.

6.1.5 Normal:

        When not in Ignition mode, Normal is our second preferred Standard ammo to fire. It deals marginally less damage than pierce but it has a much more lenient critical distance and is a lot comfier due its faster reload. It also charges the ignition gauge slower than pierce, only by a few seconds.

       The basic game plan for Normal is:

• Constantly shoot at the optimal weak point for massive damage.
• Continuously move away from the monster as it moves to you to maintain critical distance, keeping only a 1 roll distance.
• When Ignition gauge is full, switch to ignition mode and fire your special ammos.

6.2 Elemental

        Heavy Bowgun has extremely high elemental values, which makes it one of the perfect weapons to take advantage of elemental weaknesses. This playstyle is capable of delivering some of the highest damage-per-second possible in Wilds.

The basic game plan for Elemental is as follows:

• Shoot normally at its elemental weak point for massive damage (this MAY be different from its regular weak point)
• You can use Ignition mode sometimes with elemental if the most accessible elemental weak point is

<= 15 elem hitzone value. Otherwise just keep spamming elemental ammo

7. Hunting Preparation

        Bowguns are focused more on preparation before hunts than other weapons, and taking the time to optimize your item loadout, ammo pouch and radial menus can save a lot of time in your hunts. This section of the guide will give details and examples on how to make the most of these systems.

Remember to restock your items and ammo between hunts!

7.1 Item Pouch

Figure 7.1A, recommended endgame Item Pouch loadout

The Item Pouch holds the items you carry with you on hunts. As mentioned in Section 4.2, most Bowgun ammo must be crafted, and it is recommended to carry materials with you to do so, as this allows for a higher effective ammo capacity.

        By pressing LShift for KB+M or L3 for Controller/PS5 in the Item Pouch menu, you can access the Item Loadouts menu where you can save and restore your item pouch loadout. It is highly recommended to make

at least one general use item loadout to help with quickly restocking.

        Use of pods, particularly flash pods, is highly recommended as they can be used while your weapon is drawn in Wilds. Craft more pods when you have 1 left, otherwise you’ll have to re-equip them which requires sheathing. When using Elemental or Status ammo, it is very important that you clear dragonblight immediately by using a Nulberry.

Figure 7.2B, Recommended Item List

7.2 Ammo Pouch

Figure 7.2A, recommended Ammo Pouch setup

        The Ammo Pouch holds the ammo carried with you on hunts, as mentioned in Section 4.2. It also determines the order of ammo while cycling through it in hunts. It is recommended to set up your pouch as shown in Figure 7.2A above, this will ensure quick access to Tranq or Paralysis ammo when you need them. If you’re often running a Raw build, you may find it beneficial to move Tranq Ammo above Normal or Paralysis Ammo instead.

7.3 Radials and Shortcuts

Figure 7.3A, recommended Radial menus

Radial Menus (or shortcuts for KB+M players) allow for quick access to anything you may need to use during a hunt without having to spend time scrolling through the item pouch. Figure 7.3A above provides a simple recommended Radial setup for general use which can be tweaked to your personal preference.

Figure 7.3B, Elemental Radial Item List

Figure 7.4C, Buff Radial Item List

8. Advanced Player Tips

This section of the guide will cover a few tips and tricks for more advanced to expert level players.

• When carrying two Bowguns with you into a hunt, both start with a full Ignition gauge. This means you can bring two of the same gun and swap between them for a free Ignition charge. Your stowed gun’s Ignition gauge will also continue to slowly recharge while it is on your Seikret. This requires having duplicates of potentially hard to find decos, and for endgame raw setups and or requires crafting duplicate Artian weapons.
• Craft ammo during reload or downtime while building Ignition gauge on builds to minimize downtime.
• For multi-monster hunts, it is beneficial to set up equipment loadouts for each combination of elements: Fire/Water, Fire/Thunder, Fire/Ice, Water/Thunder, Ice/Water, and Thunder/Ice. This will give you full coverage of all element combos, as well as quick options to pick for single monster hunts, but requires having duplicates of decos.
• Additionally, for multi-monster Arkveld hunts, you may want to set up equipment loadouts for each: Raw/Fire, Raw/Water, Raw/Thunder, and Raw/Ice. Altogether with the above tip, this will cover one full page of equipment loadouts and give you a loadout option for every hunt in the game.

9. Closing Thoughts

        Heavy Bowgun is in a great place in Wilds, likely the most fun and interactive the weapon has ever been in any title, Although not much has changed from past iterations. The new changes are pretty satisfying when pulled off. Have you seen HBG’s Power clash?? Literally epic AF.

Progression Guide

Chapter 2: Build Progression

1. When to Use Progression Builds

These builds are intended to be used from the beginning of the story through to HR40+, where you are able to begin seriously working towards getting finished meta sets. These builds, for obvious reasons, won’t be as optimized or as high budget as the endgame builds, but should serve as stepping stones to get you to them.

2. Story Progression Guide

Throughout early Low Rank, you’ll just be upgrading your Bowgun a few times. Once you reach Chapter 3 of the story, you may optionally upgrade your armor set, or just continue powering through to early High Rank.

2.1 Early LR Build

Figure 2A, Early Low Rank Build (Builder Link)

2.2.1 Congalalalalalala

Figure 2B, Upgrade to Congalala Bowgun (Builder Link)

Get used to this gun as this is what you'll be using all the way till HR 21+.

2.4 Late LR Build (Optional)

Figure 2D, Optional Chapter 3 Upgrade (Builder Link)

This is an optional set upgrade available midway through Chapter 3 of the main story. This build can be skipped in favor of rushing to the Early HR build (Section 2.5) below, but it is recommended to craft if you have the materials available as it provides higher damage and similar defense to that set.

2.5 Early HR Build

Figure 2E, Early HR (Builder Link)

Upon reaching High Rank, you should craft the Hope α set above only if you did not choose to upgrade to Late LR armor (Section 2.4) so that you can maintain enough defense through early HR. The Chatta III/Iron Assult III and Challenger Charm I

2.6 Alternate Early HR Build

Figure 2.6A, Alternate Early HR Build (Builder Link)

        This build is an alternate to the build found in Section 2.5, to be used if you chose to make the Late LR Build (Section 2.4). This build has slightly more damage, while the other option is a bit more comfy.

3. Early Post-Game Progression Guide (HR21+)

3.1 HR21 Agitator Build

Figure 3A, HR21+ Second Wind Mizu Build, “based” - Damo (Builder Link)

After reaching HR21, you have access to HR Guardian monsters, which unlocks several new skills AND grants us the Meta Raw weapon. Mizutsune is part of Title update 1 and unlocked at HR 21, giving us a new Raw gun. This build leverages Second Wind 1 and Constitution 5 to maintain Maximum Might uptime while Perfect Guarding(see Weapon Guide Section 5.1.5 for an explanation on this mechanic), with Agitator 5, Burst 1 and Ambush 3 for added raw damage.

4. Late Post-Game Progression Guide (HR41+)

4.1 FulGore Build

Figure 4A, FulGore Build (Builder Link)

After reaching HR41 and completing Chapter 6, you unlock endgame equipment. The build above is a middle ground between the HR21 Second Wind build and the endgame meta builds, to be used while working towards making meta sets.

Endgame Guide

Chapter 3: Endgame Build Guide

1. Build Guide Assumptions

This chapter of the guide assumes that you have, at a minimum, made it to HR50+ and completed the builds in Chapter 2. By this point, you should have at least a basic understanding of HBG’s mechanics and kit, and the ability to grind for any gear pieces or decos you may be missing.

All builds in this guide will assume the use of the Village food buff (+5 raw), as well as the Powercharm (+6 raw, acquired by completing the “As Gatekeepers” Optional Quest from Rex in Suja.) Builds also assume the use of Mega Demondrug (+7 raw), Might Seed (+10 raw), and Demon Powder (+10 raw). Despite this assumption, builds will function without these buffs unless specifically stated. All builds assume the use of Corrupted Mantle when available.

1.1 Skill Priority

1.1.1 Elemental Skill Priority

        Armor Skills:

Figure 1.1.1A, Elemental Skill Priority Table

1.1.2 Raw Skill Priority

Armor Skills:

Figure 1.1.2A, Raw Skill Priority Table

2. Elemental Bowguns

        In Wilds, armor and weapon skills have been split. This means that armor sets for each element are no longer needed, and you will instead only need to switch your weapon and weapon deco setups. This section will detail the best craftable options for Bowguns of each element as well as explain the mechanics of crafting Artian weapons, which are the strongest elemental guns currently in the game.

2.1 Craftable Bowguns

The subsections in this section cover the best craftable Bowgun options for each element. Each of the guns are all well within 1-2% damage to each other so just use What looks best to you or If you prefer the other ammo the each gun has to offer. Decos are somewhat negotiable, but you should at a minimum be prioritizing:

• Element Attack 3
• Critical Element 3
• Opening Shot 3 (if possible)

2.1.1 Fire

Figure 2.1.1A, Zoh Shia Bowgun

Bowgun Mods: Elemental Boost Magazine and Ignition Mode Upgrade

The Best Craftable Fire HBG

Figure 2.1.1B, Yian Kut-ku Bowgun

Bowguns Mods: Elemental Boost Magazine and Ignition Mod

The CC option as this has access to Para ammo

2.1.2 Water

Figure 2.1.2A, Uth Duna Bowgun

Bowgun Mods: Elemental Boost Magazine and Elemental Boost Magazine

Best Craftable Water HBG

Figure 2.1.2B, Mizutsune Bowgun

Bowgun Mods: Elemental Boost Magazine and Elemental Boost Magazine

The CC option as this has access to Sleep ammo

2.1.3 Thunder

Figure 2.1.3A, Guardian Fulgur Anjantah Bowgun

Bowgun Mods: Elemental Ammo Powder and Elemental Boost Magazine

Both CC and Best craftable HBG

2.1.4 Ice

Figure 2.1.4A, Ore Bowgun

Bowgun Mods: Elemental Ammo Powder and Ignition Mod

Best Craftable Ice HBG

Figure 2.1.4B, Jin Daahad Bowgun

Bowgun Mods: Elemental Ammo Powder and Elemental Boost Magazine

The CC craftable option as this has access to Sleep ammo

2.2 Artian Weapons

Artian weapons are the strongest option currently available for elemental builds in Wilds due to their potential for high stats combined with unrivaled slot economy. Artian weapons have to be forged using special parts, and have an RNG element in the form of reinforcement. While this may seem daunting at first, there are strategies that can be applied to make this a fairly simple process. This section will explain how to gather the materials and efficiently craft optimal Artian HBGs for each element.

2.2.1 Forging Artian Weapons

Figure 2.2.1A, the Artian Forging Interface

 Artian weapons are forged at Gemma using parts obtained from hunting Tempered Monsters, of which there are four types:

• Tubes
• Devices
• Blades
• Discs

Artian HBGs are forged with one Disc, one Tube, and one Device, and so Blades can be safely disregarded if you do not plan on forging Artian weapons of other weapon types. Each Artian part consists of three properties:

• Rarity - 6, 7 or 8
• Element Type - Fire, Water, Thunder, Ice, Dragon, Paralysis, Poison, Sleep, or Blast
• Artian Bonus - Attack Infusion or Affinity Infusion

For the purposes of this guide, only rarity 8 Artian weapons will be considered. These can be forged only with Artian parts obtained melding or from investigations of the following monsters:

• Tempered Arkveld
• Tempered Gore Magala
• Tempered Rey Dau
• Tempered Uth Duna
• Tempered Nu Udra
• Tempered Jin Dahaad
• Tempered Mizutsune
• Tempered Lagiacrus
• Tempered Seregios
• Zoh Shia

When forging with two or more parts of the same element type, the resulting Artian HBG will be able to fire the corresponding elemental or status ammo. When three of the same type are used, the magazine capacity is increased. While using status parts does allow for use of the corresponding elemental ammo as well, Artian HBGs forged with elemental parts have a higher magazine capacity. However the trade of one bullet for being able to CC the monster is sometimes preferred. These are the results of the combinations assuming perfect reinforcements:

Any other combination is inefficient and ineffective so it is ignored. These 2 combinations are the only ones that matter.

The choice of choosing a Status Artian over an Elemental Artian is dependent on what Status ammo it gives us,  as not all status ailments are equal. Paralysis and Sleep ammos are better than both Sticky and Poison ammo respectively and thus are chosen over Elemental Artian.

Crafting using parts with the Attack Infusion gives the resulting weapon +5 Raw, and parts with the Affinity Infusion give the resulting weapon +5% Affinity. For HBGs, and most other weapon types, only Attack Infusion parts are used. In summary, when forging an Artian HBG for use, you should use three parts of the same desired element or status, all with the Attack Infusion, and all rarity 8.

Regarding what Artian to craft, as elemental HBG uses both status Artian and elemental Artian:

• Fire = Fire Artian
• Water = Water Artian
• Thunder = Paralysis Artian
• Ice = Sleep Artian

We do not use Dragon as we do not have enough capacity to use it as a main ammo, as shown in Weapon Guide Section 4.2

2.2.2 Reinforcing Artian Weapons

Figure 2.2.2A, the Artian Reinforcement Interface

        Forging an Artian weapon is only the first step of the process, after being forged the weapon needs to be reinforced. Reinforcing an Artian weapon raises its level up to a maximum of 5, adding a new bonus with each level. These bonuses are determined by random seed when the weapon is forged, and can be one of the following for each level:

• Attack Boost - +5 Raw
• Affinity Boost - +5% Affinity
• Capacity Boost - +1 Ammo Capacity

The ideal rolls for an Artian HBG are 3 Attack Boosts and 2 Capacity Boosts, with the priority being Capacity Boost. Each Affinity Boost is just over a 1% damage loss compared to an Attack Boost, having one or two Affinity Boosts on an Artian will still outperform craftable elemental Bowguns.

Artian weapons are reinforced using materials obtained from Festival Shares through Nata or the Smelting Foundry in Azuz, or by converting monster materials into Oricalcite at the Smelting Foundry. Each Artian will require a total of 50 Oricalcite to fully reinforce. If the reinforcement bonuses aren’t desirable, the weapon can be Dismantled to return all materials used in reinforcing it.

2.2.3 “Savescumming” Artian Reinforcements

Figure 2.2.3A, “God Roll” Artian HBG

        Because Artian reinforcements are determined when the weapon is forged and not when the weapon is reinforced, this allows for a simple strategy to maximize return of your time, Artian parts and reinforcement materials:

1. Save the game.
2. Forge an Artian HBG using useless parts, these include status, Affinity infusion, or dragon parts.
3. Reinforce the Artian you crafted.

1. If the reinforcement bonuses rolled aren’t usable, dismantle the weapon and repeat from Step 1.
2. If the reinforcement bonuses rolled are usable for a build, return to the title menu without saving and then craft an Artian HBG using 3 parts with the desired element and Attack infusions, and then reinforce it.

By repeating this process, you can quickly craft Artian weapons for each element.

2.2.4 Artian Decos

Because they have 3-3-3 deco slots, Artian weapons have better skill economy than any currently craftable Bowguns. This subsection offers a few different deco setups that can be employed depending on which decos you have available.

Figure 2.2.4A, Budget deco setup

Figure 2.2.4B, Meta deco setup

Figure 2.2.4C, Tetrad 3 setup

3. Meta Build Guide

3.1 Gear Requirements

        This section briefly lists equipment requirements for all builds, note that this covers both Agitator and Weakness Exploit builds as well as some more niche options.

Figure 3.1A, Armor/Charm Requirements

Figure 3.2A, Bowguns by Ammo Type

3.2 Raw Builds

3.2.1 Pure Spread Build

Figure 3.2.1A, Craftable Spread Build

Figure 3.2.1B, God Charm Spread Build

Bowgun Mods: Any and Standard Mode Upgrade

Spread is back and with a vengeance. Spread ammo has returned to take its place on the top of the most damaging, Raw build this gun has to offer. Although it still cannot beat Elemental in the right matchups, it is still worth noting that this can keep up with Elemental, only losing to Elemental by a couple percentages.

This build plays a lot differently from other ammos as it is a very mobile playstyle that tries to mimic LBG burst step. You would shoot > hop to effectively gain infinite ammo due to the Gun’s innate skill of Evade reload. This is also the only ammo and playstyle that loves the Evasion mantle compared to the other ammos.

3.3 Elemental Builds

3.3.1 Standard Elemental Build

Figure 3.3.1A, Craftable Elemental Build

Figure 3.3.1B, God Charm Elemental Build

Bowgun Mods: Elemental Ammo Powder and Ignition Mode Upgrade

This is the most common elemental set, using Agitator for Raw and Max Might with Black Eclipse 1 to produce affinity for Critical Element. Works well for all elemental matchups.

For the god charm version, there is a variation with an Attack Boost 2 + Tetrad Shot 1 + Agitator/Burst 1 + lvl 1 weapon slot that can run Attack Boost 5 instead of Offensive Guard. Gun decos are Attack Boost 3 + Opener/Ele Attack + Crit Ele/Ele Attack. Run the remaining point of Ele Attack in the talisman’s 1-slot. This will outperform the Offensive Guard setup if you get less than 1 perfect guard per minute.

4. Meta Matchup Chart

Figure 4A, Matchup Infographic

Figure 4B, Matchup Table

        If using Fire Ammo against Jin Dahaad be sure to use as much Ignition gauge and Wyvernheart as possible, especially if you are not at the right angle to shoot his head. This will allow you to conserve ammo and reduce the need to restock for Fire ammo. Zoh Shia is only weak to Fire when fully exposed, i.e parts of it that are black. Using raw for the entire fight is a viable option as well.

5. Alternative Builds

5.1 Pierce Heart

Figure 5.1A, Craftable Pierce Heart Build

Figure 5.1B, God Charm Pierce Heart Build

Bowgun Mods: Pierce Ammo Magazine and Ignition Mode Upgrade

        Due to Spread completely overtaking this build by about 50% we have now moved the Pierce Heart build under Alternative builds. However this is still the next-”best” build for Raw if you do not want to play with the Spread hopping playstyle. (Although funnily enough, running Spread instead of Pierce to recharge Wyvernheart gauge is like 30% stronger, yet still significantly weaker than exclusively using Spread…)

5.3 Spread Heart Build

Figure 5.1A, Spread Ammo Build (Builder Link)

Bowgun Mods: Spread Ammo Powder and Ignition Mode Upgrade

OUTDATED. PENDING REMOVAL.

Spread makes its return with the new patch’s updates. Spread gets its damage and gauge recharge rate buffed. Though its horrible recoil is still present, which makes this ammo very uncomfortable to use until you get used to it. However, despite the horrible recoil, its buff to damage and recharge rate, was enough for it to beat out the Normal Heart build and get close to the standard Pierce Heart build. I would recommend this build if you want to play with something a bit different than the other Ammo types as the recoil presents a very unique challenge to overcome.

5.4 Normal Heart Build

Figure 5.1A, Normal Ammo Build (Builder Link)

Bowgun Mods: Normal Ammo Powder and Ignition Mode Upgrade

OUTDATED.

Self explanatory it's the same as Pierce Heart but instead of using Pierce to recharge gauge you use Normal. However with  the new update, Normal despite it  getting a buff it lost its place as a close second to Pierce, to Spread. It is now the slowest charging ammo between the three raw ammo and deals the least amount of damage. However it is still a good third place, and a choice if you do not want to play with the uncomfiness of Pierce’s critical distance and Spread’s recoil.

5.5 Pure Pierce Build

Figure 5.2A, Pure Pierce Build (Builder Link)

Bowgun Mods: Pierce Ammo Magazine and Standard Mode Upgrade

OUTDATED.

A build that focuses solely on firing pierce, it has considerably lower DPS than Pierce Heart but it's an option if you really do not want to interact with the new Ignition mode stuff. Evade extender is almost needed for this playstyle to easily roll back to Crit Distance, when the monster attacks you.

6. Meme Builds

6.1 Explosives build

Figure 6.1A, Explosion Build (Builder Link)

Bowgun Mods: First slot does not matter whatsoever and Ignition Mode Upgrade

OUTDATED.

Welp explosives somehow still find their way back into meme viability but not with Stickies anymore. This is a build that revolves around Clusters and Wyvernblast. Wyvernblast in particular is the one carrying the build and not clusters. If you REALLY want to use Stickies and not Cluster with this go use a Blast Artian with 2 Cap and 3 attack reinforcements, Weapon Decos for Sticky variant are: Artillery 3, Trueshot 2, Opener 3

7. Mantles

Due to Title Update 1 nerfing Corrupt Mantle and buffing the other mantles we now have options in choosing  what mantle to bring and not just Corrupted Mantle.

Raw

Evasion Mantle - With the introduction of Seregios’ HBG and the new Spread playstyle. Evasion mantle is now our preferred Mantle for raw specifically for that playstyle. Evasion Mantle will be able to trigger off of your hops which you would be doing with the entire playstyle. Add that it can help you proc the other skill of the gun, it makes a match made in heaven.

Corrupted Mantle - Although it has been nerfed it is still our preferred mantle on Raw as it still has gauge boosting capabilities which Raw HBG heavily prefers to have, to be able to spam as much special ammo as possible. This is now our second preferred mantle since only Spread wants an Evasion mantle.

Rocksteady Mantle - This has now risen to our second preferred mantle on raw for specifically one thing. To be able to continuously fire Wyvernheart, our most preferred special ammo, uninterrupted. Meaning that unless you miss a bullet or purposely stop, its damage ramp will not fall off. If you’re using this you can drop Earplugs for other skills.

Elemental

Rockstead Mantle - Rocksteady has now become our preferred mantle on Elemental. We do not fire as much special ammo in this playstyle and so the gauge regen that we want from Corrupt Mantle isn’t entirely needed.

Corrupted Mantle - Corrupted mantle is our second preferred Mantle on Elementle. However we are not after the gauge recharge capabilities of the mantle and more so the 10% raw it provides us. If you wish to get faster times, but needing to be more skilled, use this instead.

8. FAQs

Q: Why exactly is Agitator prioritised over Weakness Exploit?

A: Due to this being the first installment of the game, guns have relatively low attack values. As updates come out and guns get higher raw, Wex will take a higher priority. Think of Wex as a percentage based skill. At level 5 it is a 30% chance to do 25% more damage. This equates to a 7.5% damage boost on weak spots. If a gun has 200 raw, then Agi’s 20 raw alone is already a 10% damage boost. Couple this with its affinity boost and it really takes the cake. Yeah the uptime of Agi isn’t perfect, but neither is Wex.

Q: Why do you recommend 2x capacity boosts and the rest attack boost for Artian weapons?

A: at the end game, 6/7/8 ammo capacity of elemental ammo all have relatively the same dps, however that is on paper. There are certain situations where you do not want to be caught off reloading and so minimizing the amount of time you need to reload is preferred

Q: How much stronger are Artian elemental weapons compared to their craftable counterparts?

A: It depends on the element. On paper the DPS gap ranges from 1-5%. The Uth Duna gun is the closest on paper to the Artian guns (only 2% worse),

Q: How much damage do I lose if I get affinity rolls instead of attack rolls on my Artian weapons?

A: For each time you get an affinity roll instead of an attack roll, you lose just over 1% damage. This means if you were to use affinity parts to create the gun and get 2x capacity and 3x affinity rolls, you lose a total of 7% damage. However, you also get less value from the corrupted mantle since you overcap affinity. You could remove max might to free up slots on the build, but at this point in time there isn’t much else to make up that 7% damage difference.

Q: Why do you not recommend dragon ammo?

A: Despite being powerful per shot, dragon ammo is mostly for speed runners or memes. This is because you can only shoot a maximum of 14 shots before needing to go back to camp.

Q: How good is Flayer?

A: The biggest placebo of all time. Flayer does next to nothing for bowguns. It has been removed from the raw pierce build and it opens up many other options.

Q: Why is Blindsider on all your sets?

A: Most sets have a free level 1 slot. Flashes are broken given that you can use them without sheathing your weapon. Blindsider allows us to abuse this mechanic to the fullest extent.

Q: How did you calculate all this stuff?

A: Damo has a matlab code. He is happy to run through it with anyone, just add his discord: damo3124. Warning, it is quite thorough and takes a while to explain it all. This is typically done in voice chat with screen sharing. This code will be transferred to a spreadsheet soon.

9. Resources

1. MH Wilds Hub Builder
2. MH Wilds Set Searcher
3. Bowgun MV Sheet
4. LBG Frame Data Sheet (Just ignore Chaser and RF everything is still the same)
5. Bowgun Datamined Stats
6. Kiranico

10. Acknowledgements

Possibly the most important section in this entire guide, as this would not have been possible without help from all of the names listed here.

11.1: Primary Contributors

• Kat - Creating the original guide and the primary contributor for building the past and current builds here.
• Dingus - Wrote the first edition of this guide and helped get everyone in touch so together a solid guide could be written. This guide would not be of such quality if Dingus had not put together a large team of theorycrafters. He also sat in VC for countless hours and gathered practical data that was used to test skills in calculations.
• Damo - His Matlab access and ability to streamline the calculations was invaluable in the process of writing this guide. Writing thousands of lines of code took days, but now allows us to compare different builds in a matter of seconds.
• UnkemptHerald - His access to information and data helped us get a massive head start on theorycrafting. He is consistently involved in conversations concerning all aspects of the meta. He was also involved in a large amount of testing and read over all the code that was written by Damo.
• Cylon_ - He Created the LBG guide, from which this guide copied all of the shared mechanics between the bowguns.
• Scrub - Helped to optimize the many iterations of the sets that preceded those in this document. Helped debug code, improved calculations. Gathered frame data. Edited written document.
• Laskyy and Jonboy - Helped and tested to optimize the many iterations of the sets that preceded those in this document and the current sets.

11.2: YouTubers

• Angbata11 - Sharing ideas and helping the team to keep from being tunnel-visioned.
• Phemeto - Doing public testing of skills and sharing information.
• LordVietter - Spreading knowledge to a wider audience.

11.3: Discord Servers

• MH Gathering Hall - Where the majority of the ideas were shared and tested.
• MH Hub - Where the ideas were shared for testing to a wider audience.
• Demon Tribe - Where the builds were tested with immediate feedback from close friends.

11.4: Wiggler Team

• Thank you to Upgreid for providing the format to ensure all guides have the best presentation.

11. Changelog

4/6/2025 - Birth of the HBG Guide (Copied most of it from Cylon’s LBG guide)

5/6/2025- AT Rey Release

7/5/2025 - TU2 Release

29/8/2025 - TU2.5 Release

8/9/2025 - Removed some obsolete builds. Added matchup resources.

24/10/2025 -Updated sets for AT Nu Udra.

Link to draft