Monster Hunter Rise Weapons Tier List

The Monster Hunter World is expanding with its latest Switch exclusive release, Monster Hunter Rise. The game boasts a plethora of weapons, fourteen to be precise. But which ones are the best and which ones can be avoided. Here is our Monster Hunter Rise weapons Tier List

Monster Hunter Rise Weapons Tier List

Of course, all tier lists are subject to personal opinion and bias. There is no “best” weapon. A weapons proficiency is different based on the player and their level of mastery. Our criteria for this list if largely based on skill ceilings, learning curves, damage output, and if the weapon fun to use overall. 

S Tier (Best)

Hunting Horn

While other weapon positions on this list are debatable, the Hunting Horn is almost universally considered an S Tier weapon. The horn is a unique weapon and is much easier to use now in Rise. The true power of the weapon is in its buffs and will take some time to master. But once understood, it is pivotal for any team fight.

Long Sword

The Long Sword is our second S Tier weapon. This weapon is packed with tons of combos and powerful heavy attacks. The combos are relatively simple to pull off, and the strength to skill ratio on this one is pretty high, making it one of our top picks.

A Tier Weapons

Switch Axe

This Switch Axe makes it onto our A Tier list. There is no doubt that the Switch Axe is a powerful weapon, but it’s not very noob-friendly. It has two forms and also utilizes phials. Master it, and you can easily stick this weapon into S Tier.

Heavy Bowgun

The Heavy Bowgun or HBG is a solid A Tier pick. The thing packs a punch, it’s easy to use, and its charge attack devastates. Add up some special ammo, and you got an absolute beast on your hands. You will need to learn what monsters are weak to what ammo, however, and get used to switching it for max effectiveness.

Dual Blades

The Dual Blades are one of the most difficult weapons to use, but also one of the most rewarding. This weapon specializes in quick attacks and combos. The offensive style of play, combined with some unique combos and a nice skill ceiling, makes this weapon a solid A-tier pick.

B Tier Weapons

Hammer

The Hammer is another solid weapon, only barely missing our A Tier list. It has slightly higher mobility than the great sword but gets a bit repetitive and boring to play pretty quickly. 

Light Bowgun

The Light Bowgun is in a similar boat as the Heavy Bowgun, except it’s more mobile and deals less damage. It’s a little easier to use, but it’s also not quite as good due to the damage and defensive issues.

Gunlance

The Gunlance is an all-around solid weapon. It has a good charge attack but takes a bit of getting used to. One of its nicest attributes is the ability to ignore monster armor or resistances to inflict more damage. This one definitely has a bit of a learning curve however and feels very awkward to use out the gate.  

Great Sword

The Great Sword is a slow but high damage weapon. Typical of flagship weapons, this one simply gets boring quickly and makes you want to move on to other weapons. 

C Tier

Lance

Not a completely terrible weapon but the slow mobility and lack of fun gameplay drops the Lance down to C Tier. If you need something super easy to use you might want to try it out but otherwise there are more fun weapons to use.

Insect Glaive

The Insect Glaive probably has one of the more steep learning curves of all the weapons. Master it and you can stick it into A tier no problem. It plays so different than the other weapons it’s tough to wrap your head around and the frustration of initially picking it up puts it into C Tier for us.

Charge Blade

Similar to the Switch Axe the Charge Blade is a tough one to learn. If you wanna put the time into it, mastering it will probably make it more fun and move it up the tiers. However, we didn’t get there with it. 

Sword & Shield

The Sword & Shield is a nice entry-level weapon. You get good mobility with decent damage and a nice skill ceiling. Simply put however there are just more fun weapons to use out there. This could easily be a mid or top-tier weapon depending on your playstyle preference. 

D Tier (Pass)

Bow

Let me ask you this. Why use a bow when you can use a Bowgun? If the Hunting Horn is almost universally rated as an S-tier weapon, pretty much everyone hates the Bow. You simply don’t get enough consistent damage for its difficulty of use. 

There you have it! Our Monster Hunter Rise Weapons tier list. Do a few hunts with each weapon and let us know what your tier list is!