Ultimate Guide to Heavy Bowgun Builds, Skills, and Combos in Monster Hunter Wilds

The Heavy Bowgun serves as a formidable choice for players in Monster Hunter Wilds who prioritize delivering incredible damage while sacrificing some agility. This weapon functions as a powerful artillery platform, enabling hunters to unleash devastating volleys of various ammo types, including Pierce, Spread, and Cluster shots. While this sheer firepower comes with specific trade-offs—namely reduced mobility and dodging potential—mastering the Heavy Bowgun can be immensely rewarding. Players must adopt strategic gameplay, learning when to block, retreat, or fully commit to a relentless offensive using skills like Ignition Mode and shots such as Wyvernheart or Wyverncounter.

If you’re eager to wield one of the most powerful ranged weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds, here’s a comprehensive guide to the best Heavy Bowgun builds tailored for different phases of the game.

Top Heavy Bowgun Builds in Monster Hunter Wilds

Best Builds for Early Game

1) G. Veldian Tormentum I Build

Weapon:

• G. Veldian Tormentum I

Armor:

• G. Ebony Helm
• G. Arkveld Mail
• G. Ebony Braces
• G. Ebony Coil
• G. Arkveld Greaves

Charm:

• Chainblade Charm I

This build emphasizes sustained damage output through skill stacking with Burst, Flayer for damage over time, and Decimator for improved survivability.

2) Bone Shooter II Build

Weapon:

• Bone Shooter II

Armor:

• Nerscylla Helm
• Ajarakan Mail
• Nerscylla Vambraces
• Balahara Coil
• Ajarakan Greaves

Charm:

• Fitness Charm I

This setup excels in breaking monster parts thanks to the Partbreaker skill while balancing offense and defense with Ambush for burst damage.

3) Alternative Bone Shooter II Build

Weapon:

• Bone Shooter II

Armor:

• Alloy Helm
• Balahara Mail
• Balahara Vambraces
• Balahara Coil
• Balahara Greaves

This build focuses on mobility, allowing you to reposition quickly while employing Spread Ammo effectively.

Top Mid-Game Builds

1) Tankmage I Build

Weapon:

• Tankmage I

Armor:

• Bulaqchi Specs a
• Conga Mail a
• Talioth Vambraces a
• Balahara Coil a
• Chatacabra Greaves b

Charm:

• Chainblade Charm I

This build focuses on burst damage through a synergy of Weakness Exploit, Flayer, and Burst skills to maximize Affinity-based damage potential.

2) Artian Sheller I Build

Weapon:

• Artian Sheller I

Armor:

• G. Ebony Helm b
• Blango Mail b
• G. Rathalos Vambraces b
• G. Ebony Coil b
• G. Rathalos Greaves b

Charm:

• Chain Charm I

This build capitalizes on Maximum Might, Weakness Exploit, and Agitator to ensure a consistent output of critical hits against aggressive foes.

Best Late-Game Build

1) Greifen Build

Weapon:

• Greifen

Armor:

• Dahaad Shardhelm a
• Arkvulcan Mail b
• Dahaad Shardbraces b
• Arkvulcan Coil b
• Dahaad Shardgreaves b

Charm:

• Chain Charm II

Stats:

• Attack: 300
• Affinity: 10
• Defense: 313

Skills:

• Agitator Lv.5
• Weakness Exploit Lv.5
• Constitution Lv.3
• Burst Lv.2
• Maximum Might Lv.2
• Adaptability Lv.1
• Recovery Speed Lv.1

This Greifen build is optimized for Affinity and leverages the strengths of Agitator while excelling in battles where monsters remain aggressive, adeptly exploiting weaknesses with Pierce and Spread ammo.

Essential Skills for the Heavy Bowgun

• Agitator: Boosts Affinity and attack power when monsters are enraged, a common scenario in challenging encounters.
• Ballistics: Increases critical distance, ensuring optimal damage output from safe ranges.
• Burst: Provides a stacking damage increase with consecutive hits, ideal for Pierce and Spread ammo setups.
• Constitution: Lowers stamina usage, perfect for maximizing stamina-intensive builds.
• Critical Boost: Amplifies the damage of critical hits, essential for Affinity-focused builds.
• Critical Element: Enhances elemental ammo damage when landing critical strikes, valuable for elemental builds.
• Divine Blessing: Reduces incoming damage for better survivability.
• Elemental Attack: Increases elemental damage, suitable for specific elemental setups.
• Evade Extender: Increases dodging distance, aiding in positioning with a slower weapon.
• Guard: Improves blocking capabilities, crucial for absorbing heavy hits.
• Maximum Might: Adds a significant Affinity boost, especially beneficial for heavy weapons with lower stamina demands.
• Opening Shot: Enhances the damage of the first shot after reloading—particularly useful for low-capacity ammo types.
• Special Ammo Boost: Directly enhances the damage of Wyvernheart and Wyverncounter, heightening their lethal potential.
• Stamina Surge: Augments stamina regeneration, beneficial for agility and repositioning.
• Tetrad Shot: Buffs the fourth shot, vital for builds that rely on heavy ammo usage.
• Weakness Exploit: Increases Affinity when targeting weak points, ensuring regular critical hits.

Effective Heavy Bowgun Combos

With this comprehensive guide, you’re now equipped with the necessary knowledge to dominate in Monster Hunter Wilds using the Heavy Bowgun. For more details, check out our Source & Images.