Unlock a new dimension of hunting mastery in Monster Hunter Wilds with the game’s innovative dual-weapon system, letting you seamlessly switch between a primary and secondary weapon mid-hunt. Whether you prefer the swift agility of a Long Sword paired with the versatile Light Bowgun or the raw power of a Great Sword combined with the supportive Hunting Horn, mastering the best secondary weapon combos can elevate your strategy and dominate every monster encounter across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. Dive into the top combos that balance offense, defense, and tactical flexibility to transform your hunting experience.
While you’re free to mix and match from the 14 different weapon types – once you’ve got your head around the best beginner weapon, of course – getting the most out of this feature is to try and pair armaments which offer different benefits and playstyles, such as switching from melee to ranged attacks.
In this Monster Hunter Wilds guide, we’ve selected what we think are some of the best secondary weapon combos for you to try out.
How primary and secondary weapons work
In Monster Hunter Wilds, players equip both a primary and a secondary weapon, allowing for dynamic combat strategies. The primary weapon is the one currently in use, while the secondary weapon is carried by your mount, Seikret. You can switch between these weapons on the fly, even while riding, making it easy to adapt your playstyle mid-hunt without returning to camp. This system enables hunters to diversify tactics, such as pairing a melee weapon with a ranged one or using two weapons of the same type but with different attributes. Switching weapons seamlessly enhances versatility and strategic depth during hunts.
While they are referred to as primary and secondary weapons in equipment info, don’t let the terms confuse you. The primary weapon is simply the weapon you are currently wielding while the secondary weapon is carried by your Seikret, and you can change weapons while riding, in which that then becomes your primary weapon.
It’s a great way to diversify your playstyle if you had largely focused on just using one weapon. However, know you can also choose to double down by having two of the same weapon types, such as two great swords, one with high raw attack power while the other specialises in dealing bonus elemental damage.
Best secondary weapon combos in Monster Hunter Wilds
In Monster Hunter Wilds, the best secondary weapon combos enhance versatility and strategic depth by allowing hunters to switch between complementary playstyles mid-hunt. Notable pairings include Long Sword with Light Bowgun, which combines agile melee with ranged status infliction, enabling hunters to soften targets from a distance before closing in for powerful strikes. Another top combo is Great Sword paired with Hunting Horn, blending devastating charged slashes with team-wide buffs and monster stuns, ideal for both solo and multiplayer hunts. Additionally, combinations like Switch Axe with Light Bowgun or Sword and Shield with Hunting Horn provide balanced offense and utility, catering to diverse combat scenarios and player preferences. These combos maximize adaptability, crowd control, and damage output, making them some of the most effective setups in the game.
We’ve selected three weapon pairings that compliment one another in Monster Hunter Wilds:
Long Sword Light Bowgun
Why it’s recommended:
- Agile melee and ranged attack options
- Craft special ammo to inflict status effects from afar then close into attack
Having a weapon combo so that you can switch between close-up melee and ranged attacks is fairly straightforward, but the Long sword and light Bowgun are also both weapon types that allow for mobile movement. While you could also opt for even more agile weapons such as Dual Blades, you ideally want a melee weapon with high damage to compensate for the light bowgun’s low attack output.
If you have a Light Bowgun that can use ammo that inflicts status effects such as poison or paralysis, you can fire at a monster while riding the Seikret, and once the ailments take effect, immediately swap to the Long Sword and leap off to focus on melee strikes.
Be warned that if you have charged up your Long Sword’s spirit gauge, that gauge will still gradually run down while you have swapped weapons.
While you’ll naturally want to forge Long Swords with increased attack power and / or ones with elemental bonuses depending on the target monster’s weaknesses, if you want to take advantage of using the Light Bowgun for inflicting status effects, then the starting Hope Rifle in the Expedition Tree will let you use poison ammo as well as recover ammo if you also want the option to heal yourself or other hunters in a group hunt.
If you want to use paralysis ammo, then you can forge Chain Blitz in the Ore Tree, Assault Conga in the Congala Tree or Rey Szelayta in the Rey Dau Tree.
Insect Glaive Sword and Shield
Why it’s recommended:
- Covers both ground and aerial attacks
- Defensive on the ground and evasive in the air
Essentially, the Insect Glaive is well paired with any melee weapon, so you can also opt for a Great Sword or Lance for more power while sacrificing agility on the ground, but Sword and Shield will give you a balance of offense, defense and speed. This pairing means you can switch from ground-based to aerial attacks pretty easily depending on the situation.
While you can use your shield to guard from attacks on the ground, you’re not vulnerable in the air, since the Insect Glaive ability to vault your hunter in the air means it’s easy to evade ground-based area-of-effect (AoE) attacks, and you can potentially use attacks to continue bouncing the air multiple times to stay out of danger.
The aerial attacks are further enhanced when you have all three colored extracts, but be warned, this effect has a limited duration, and you may lose it if you switch to another weapon for too long.
With the Glaive’s aerial abilities, you’ll more likely be able to mount your target monster and then once you perform a mounting finisher to bring the monster down, immediately switch weapons that can exploit this for maximum damage. In that case, you might opt to not bring a Sword and Shield as your secondary, but something much more powerful like the Hammer – in which case, the Chata Clobberer can be forged after your first hunt.
Early on, upgrading the Hope Glaive is ideal just for increased raw attack as well as increasing your kinsect level, but after fighting Ajarakan in the story, it’s worth crafting Ajara Trident in the Ajarakan Tree for bonus blast damage, while also offering the Power Prolonger level 2 skill that keeps your extract power buffs lasting for longer.
Great Sword Hunting Horn
Why it’s recommended:
- Slow but powerful pairing with sharp and blunt damage
- Offense and defense paired with support buffs
For hunters who prefer to take things a bit slower while packing a punch, the Great Sword and Hunting Horn is a mighty weapon combination.
The Great Sword offers power but still allows for defense and countering with offset attacks. The Hunting Horn can use offset attacks too, though requires a more complex melody combo first – but it also has other melodies you can play, with each attack playing a note with set sequences that will offer buffs such as increased attack or increased elemental resistances, which you’ll then retain when swapping back to Great Sword (there are exceptions, such as self-improvement, which is exclusive to when using the hunting horn).
While both are powerful weapons, they’re also different in that the Hunting Horn deals blunt damage, whereas the Great Sword relies on charged attacks, but its sharp attacks mean it can also cut monster tails. If you prefer to have a sharp weapon with more mobility, the Long Sword is also a good weapon to pair with Hunting Horn, and you’ll be able to get buffs to further enhance your spirit gauge.
Conversely, if you’re not bothered by buffs and just want high raw damage from sharp and blunt weapons, then a Great Sword and Hammer is perhaps a more ideal weapon combo for you.
For Great Sword in the early part of the game, you can focus on upgrading the Hope Blade or forging the Quematrice Espada in the Quematrice Tree, which has similar raw attack power as well as bonus fire damage.
For Hunting Horn, you’re not just looking at attack power but the useful buffs each weapon has. Although its sharpness is lower, the Bone Horn in the Bone Tree has high attack power to start with, and has melodies that can provide attack and defense buffs. For more recovery focus however, forging the War Bongo in the Conalala Tree has melodies for increasing defense and health recovery, and even one that recovers health while curing you of poison.
What secret weapon combos can turn the tide of a tough hunt in Wilds
Several secret weapon combos in Monster Hunter Wilds can decisively turn the tide of tough hunts by blending complementary strengths and covering each other’s weaknesses:
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Heavy Bowgun + Dual Blades: This combo balances long-range suppression with close-range offense. The Heavy Bowgun lays down powerful ranged fire to stagger monsters or create openings, while the Dual Blades capitalize on those openings with rapid, high-damage melee attacks. It requires good stamina and ammo management but offers unmatched versatility and momentum control.
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Switch Axe + Light Bowgun: This pairing excels in maintaining fluid momentum. The Switch Axe delivers strong elemental bursts and wide swings up close, while the Light Bowgun provides ranged status infliction and crowd control. Switching between the two minimizes downtime caused by weapon energy recharge, keeping pressure on aggressive monsters.
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Great Sword + Hunting Horn: Combining brute force with smart support, the Great Sword deals massive charged slashes targeting weak spots, while the Hunting Horn provides team-wide buffs, stamina recovery, and elemental resistances. The Horn’s blunt damage can stun monsters, creating openings for the Great Sword’s devastating attacks, making this ideal for both solo and multiplayer hunts.
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Long Sword + Light Bowgun: This agile combo offers sustained melee pressure with the Long Sword’s counters and space control, alongside the Light Bowgun’s ranged utility for applying status effects and exploiting elemental weaknesses. It allows hunters to adapt dynamically to monster behavior and terrain.
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Insect Glaive + Sword & Shield: This versatile combo leverages aerial dominance and mobility from the Insect Glaive with the Sword & Shield’s quick attacks, solid guarding, and ability to use items without sheathing. It’s excellent for monsters that alternate between ground and aerial phases, enabling rapid shifts between evasion and offense.
These combos stand out for their synergy in managing monster aggression, maximizing damage windows, and offering tactical flexibility that can decisively influence difficult hunts in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Which weapon combos are most effective for quick monster staggers in Wilds
For quick monster staggers in Monster Hunter Wilds, the most effective weapon combos are those that combine fast-hitting melee weapons with blunt or status-inflicting secondary weapons to maximize stagger potential:
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Hammer + Great Sword: The Hammer specializes in stunning monsters with charged blunt attacks to the head, causing staggers and knockdowns. Once the monster is staggered, switching to the Great Sword allows you to unleash devastating charged slashes on vulnerable spots. This combo excels in controlling the monster’s movements and creating large openings for damage.
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Heavy Bowgun + Dual Blades: The Heavy Bowgun can deliver powerful knockdowns and stagger effects from a distance using high-impact ammo like cluster bombs and pierce rounds. When the monster is staggered or vulnerable, switching to the Dual Blades lets you rapidly shred weak points with fast melee attacks. This pairing balances ranged control and close-range burst damage for effective stagger chains.
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Great Sword + Hunting Horn: The Hunting Horn’s blunt damage can stun and stagger monsters, creating windows for the Great Sword’s massive charged attacks. This combo is especially strong in multiplayer but also effective solo, combining support buffs with stagger control.
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Long Sword + Sword & Shield: The Sword & Shield secondary weapon can rapidly build up status effects like paralysis, immobilizing monsters temporarily. During these staggers, the Long Sword’s relentless strikes and Spirit Gauge combos deal sustained damage, making this pairing effective for quick staggers and follow-up damage.
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Bow + Dual Blades: The Bow applies status effects and elemental damage from range to weaken and stagger monsters, while the Dual Blades provide relentless melee pressure to capitalize on those openings quickly.
Overall, combos involving blunt weapons (Hammer, Hunting Horn), fast melee attackers (Dual Blades, Long Sword), and ranged stagger tools (Heavy Bowgun, Bow) are most effective for quick monster staggers in Monster Hunter Wilds.
