All Monster Hunter World Weapons Ranked by Difficulty (2024)

Besides choosing a good-looking or skimpy outfit in Monster Hunter World, the other challenging part of the game is picking a weapon that isn’t too difficult to use. This is a bit ironic, given how it is something you have to do before a hunt and might even take you longer than the actual activity. Some people like to bonk, others to slash, and a few others just like to fly around the battlefield like an acrobat. Thankfully, you can do all of these things, provided you find the right armament for you.

All MHW Weapons Ranked by Difficulty (& Their Fun Factor)

Before we begin, this is not a tier list, something for devoted meta-players, or something controversial. After hundreds of hours, we decided to make a list talking about how difficult it was to use all weapons, ranking them from easiest to difficult. Also, we’re not talking about the mastery of one armament because that’s a whole different thing. It’s just about picking up, playing, and keeping hunting with it. Hopefully, it’ll give you an idea of where to start your adventure as one of the hunters of the Fifth Fleet.

14. Sword and Shield

Starting with our favorite and the one weapon in Monster Hunter World, we recommend the easiest in terms of difficulty, the Sword and Shield. This is one that is, for us, the most fun to use, one of the most versatile, and a pretty destructive one. It has blunt and stun damage with its shield and some cool slash attacks if you manage to learn the Perfect Rush combo. It’ll be challenging to use against some monsters that aren’t too great at close range, but it is pretty fun to use. You have a drop attack that bashes a creature with a shield or a flurry of cuts that is pretty easy to remember and devastating.

13. Dual Blades

People will tell you this is a hard one to master, and we agree. However, it is pretty easy to pick up and slash your way through any map of the game. The most fun mechanic here is the Demon and Archdemon forms. The first one consumes stamina and changes your moves, and the latter kicks in once you fill your bar and also changes your move. We loved using this to take down enemies while twirling. It is as stylish as deadly, and once you reach higher ranks, you can imbue it with elements and take down enemies much faster. Just manage your stamina right, and no monster will be a match for you.

12. Longsword

Chances are you’ve watched Demon Slayer and want to feel like a cool Samurai cutting down enemies with some anime-like attacks. You have those slick moves where you sheathe your sword and wait for the enemy to come to you to slash it. Besides, timing it right activates a counter for more damage. If that wasn’t enough, one of the best moves this weapon has is a leaping attack that can slash an enemy’s tail or other parts clean, making it great for gaming certain materials. Yes, it might take a bit of practice to get those counters right, but even if you don’t get them, you’ll feel like Kill Bill versus giant creatures.

11. Bow

Now, when it comes to ranking the difficulty or ranged weapons in Monster Hunter World, this should be a challenging one. It has more moves, combos, and other mechanics. However, it is here because it is easy to pick up and one of the most fun and dynamic. When we did our first hunt, we felt like Hawkeye in the forest. Shooting all sorts of arrows that explode, stun, and even paralyze. Managing ammo can be a bit of a hassle for some, but even with the normal one, you can do a lot of damage. Plus, we haven’t found a single bow we consider ugly, so it goes well with any armor set in the game.

10. Hammer

Bonk, bonk, and more bonk. Truly, if Capcom named the attacks like that, it would make more sense. Yes, it has some skill ceiling, but it is essentially a weapon you can grab, smack an enemy’s head with it, and watch them fall down like a 90s cartoon. It is so fun to grab and so rewarding to use due to how devastating every hit becomes if timed right. Be mindful that this weapon is a bit heavy, and its moveset might seem a bit limited, but it is super fun to use, and you’ll be stunning enemies left and right that you’ll be feeling like playing whack-a-mole with Diablos.

9. Lance

We call this the chivalrous weapon because it just makes us feel like we’re jousting every time. You set down the shield, time the counter right, and see the creature plop down at your feet. This weapon is a bit challenging to use, but not so much that it’ll deter you from trying it. Besides, it does a lot of damage and has a good skill moveset that is great for those who prefer a defensive style. Don’t let it fool you, though; it pokes just as well as it blocks monsters’ attacks.

8. Switch Axe

To this day, it is baffling to see the Meowscular Chef with a kind of old oven, but somehow, the people of the New World found a way to make a weapon that morphs. If you want your weapon to feel like a Transformer or any of Iron Man’s gadgets, that’s what you’ll get with this one. Using it isn’t hard at all, either. You have some crazy, powerful Axe attacks, and when you want to hit fast, you switch to your Sword and slash anything in front of you. It’ll need some good positioning, but once you have that right, you’re good to go.

7. Light Bowgun

If you ever hear the expression, “Light Bowgun goes brrr,” yeah, that’s accurate. We don’t think it is hard to use, but after a while, it gets old. You have your machine-gun-like weapon that fires fast and can apply a lot of elemental statuses, making it great against certain monsters. However, we didn’t see ourselves challenged too much by it, and it got old pretty quickly. Call us classic, but we prefer to fight a monster up close.

6. Greatsword

Sapphire Star knows why the Team Leader has this thing on its back all day. Yes, it is one of the highest DPS weapons in the game, but carrying it is a slog. It is pretty challenging to time the charged attacks, and for a new player, it might be frustrating to use. It was for us. Yes, you can feel like Cloud Strife in Monster Hunter World and feel great by using a weapon with great difficulty, but it wasn’t for us. No one can deny it looks cool, though. Just pray your back can hold its weight.

5. Heavy Bowgun

Of all the ranged weapons, this one was one of the most boring ones for us. We are not saying it is bad or that you shouldn’t try it. By all means, shoot as many monsters in the face with this one. However, it gets a bit old. It wasn’t too fun to use, and despite how devastating it is, we still think there are others out there that need more skill and do more damage in flashy ways. It can be great for co-op play, but solo play isn’t as engaging as other armaments.

4. Gunlance

It’s a bit sad to see this one as one of the most difficult ones because it looks so slick, but it takes a while to use it right. The shell mechanic and some of its attacks require a lot of timing and precision that will frustrate many hunters. Besides, we feel it has a bit of micromanagement involved, which isn’t so great during some of the game’s challenging fights. Yet, if you like a bit of a challenge while wreaking havoc, go for this one. Who doesn’t want to have an extremely big gun inside a lance-like weapon?

3. Insect Glaive

It hurts us to see this one so low because it is essentially a Dragoon. You have leaping attacks that make anyone look like Yoda when fighting. Heck, you can even avoid some floor hazards, like when you’re facing Fatalis or Teostra. However, you need to manage your Kinsects, and that takes a bit of time to learn. Furthermore, aiming those jumps right, you’ll first find yourself falling off a cliff rather than sticking it to a monster.

2. Hunting Horn

We’re all up for buffing people with melodies, and we are avid believers that Bards are people, too. Still, managing a melody with a Pink Rathian and a normal Rathian coming toward you can be hectic. Just because of the melodies, we had to put this one so low. It is fun to play in co-op, that’s a fact, but as solo players, we didn’t see the appeal. Yes, buffs are great, but when you have to decide between bonking, playing a tune, or dodging, there’s just time to pick one, and we prefer to go acapella when fighting.

1. Charge Blade

Last but not least, we have the Charge Blade. Similar to previous weapons, while it looks slick, we feel managing its resources is a bit difficult. You have vials you can unleash when fighting that do a lot of damage, but as the name implies, you need to perform a few charged attacks and then pray you know the monster’s patterns to hit it. It is a great armament for a defensive player, but for the offense, it’ll take a lot of practice and a lot of patience.

Overall, the difficulty of weapons in Monster Hunter World shouldn’t deter you from grabbing the one that looks more fun to you. Ultimately, fun is subjective, and while we don’t like Charge Blades, you can be the master of it and have a literal blast with this weapon. This game is all about practice, grinding, and devastating monsters with ridiculously huge weapons we all love to carry around.