Researched and drafted by Kuro, Geeky Inc's AI teammate. Checked by two separate AI review passes before publishing. How we make our guides
Monster Hunter Wilds (MH Wilds) lands on Nintendo Switch 2 on December 4, 2026, and it ships with every free title update already included. If you only want the answer: Long Sword, Great Sword, Bow and Charge Blade are the S-tier weapons for new and returning hunters on Switch 2. Sword & Shield is the easiest weapon to learn, and Hunting Horn is the best co-op support pick. All 14 weapon types are ranked below, with a note on how each one feels at Switch 2's 30fps.
Launch-window tier list: Capcom hasn't changed weapon balance since Title Update 4. Ver. 1.041 (February 2026) and the Ver. 1.042 patches were content and bug-fix updates (Capcom update notes). These rankings are built on the same weapon kit that PS5, Xbox and PC players have had for most of a year. We'll re-check them in launch week and again a month in, and if the Switch 2 build plays differently, this page will say so.
MH Wilds Weapon Tier List at a Glance
S tier means the weapon has a high damage ceiling, a forgiving way to stay safe, and works solo and in co-op. The "30fps feel" column is our read on how timing-heavy each weapon is. On a 30fps console, a counter window shows you fewer frames of the monster's tell, so precise counter weapons ask a bit more of you on Switch 2 than they do on PS5 or PC at 60.
| Tier | Weapon | Best for | Learning curve | 30fps feel on Switch 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Long Sword | Solo damage, stylish counters | Medium | Counter-heavy: practise Foresight Slash timing |
| S | Great Sword | Huge single hits, wound bursting | Medium | Comfortable: charges are read-and-commit, not twitch |
| S | Bow | Safe ranged damage, mobility | Medium | Comfortable: dodges are generous and aiming isn't frame-tight |
| S | Charge Blade | Burst damage, guard points | Hard | Demanding: guard-point timing is the skill check |
| A | Insect Glaive | Aerial play, mounting | Medium | Comfortable: mobility covers mistakes |
| A | Dual Blades | Elemental damage, fast combos | Easy | Comfortable |
| A | Gunlance | Guarding plus fixed shell damage | Medium | Comfortable: guard first, punish after |
| A | Heavy Bowgun | Ranged burst, shielded play | Medium | Comfortable |
| A | Hammer | Knockouts, head play | Medium | Comfortable |
| B | Sword & Shield | First-time hunters, item use | Easy | Comfortable |
| B | Switch Axe | Long combos, big finishers | Medium | Comfortable |
| B | Lance | Pure defence, never running | Medium | Counter-heavy: guards forgive more than dodges |
| B | Light Bowgun | Mobile ranged, status ammo | Easy | Comfortable |
| C | Hunting Horn | Co-op buffs, KO support | Medium | Comfortable |
A C-tier weapon will still clear every hunt in the game. Monster Hunter has never had a bad weapon, only weapons that ask for more of you before they pay off.
What's Different About MH Wilds on Switch 2?
The weapons are the same; the frame rate is not. Capcom's official targets put the Switch 2 version at 30fps in every mode, with two TV-mode presets and one handheld preset (Nintendo Life, citing Capcom).
| Mode | Output resolution | Frame rate |
|---|---|---|
| TV mode: Prioritise Resolution | 2240 × 1260 | 30fps |
| TV mode: Prioritise Frame Rate | 1920 × 1080 | 30fps |
| Handheld | 1536 × 864 | 30fps |
Capcom also warns that the frame rate can dip in heavy scenes. That's why we'd start in Prioritise Frame Rate for hunts and switch to the resolution preset for exploring.
- Every free update is included. That means Title Updates 1–4: Mizutsune, Lagiacrus, Seregios, Omega Planetes, Gogmazios and the Arch-Tempered fights, plus the Grand Hub and the Final Fantasy XIV collaboration (Gematsu).
- Multiplayer: local wireless co-op with other Switch 2 players, plus online cross-play (Capcom's Switch 2 page). Capcom hasn't announced cross-save with PS5 or PC, so plan on starting a fresh hunter.
- Price: $39.99 for the digital Standard Edition, $79.99 for the digital Gold Edition, and $39.99 for the physical Deluxe Edition game-key card (base game plus the Deluxe Pack cosmetics), per Gematsu's launch report.
- What's next: the paid expansion Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance comes to Switch 2 in 2027 (Nintendo Life).
How We Ranked the 14 Weapons
We scored every weapon on four things: damage ceiling once you're geared, safety (how often a mistake gets you carted), solo versus co-op value, and Switch 2 comfort at 30fps. Wilds also lets you carry two weapons and swap between them on your Seikret, so each entry below names a sub-weapon that covers its weak spots.
The one rule that holds for every weapon: Focus Mode and Focus Strikes on wounds are the biggest damage upgrade in Wilds. A mid-tier weapon that pops wounds well will out-damage an S-tier weapon that ignores them.
S-Tier Weapons
Long Sword
Why S: it has the best mix of damage and style in the game. The Spirit Gauge rewards clean play, Foresight Slash turns a monster's attack into your opening, and Spirit Helm Breaker is still one of the biggest moments in any hunt.
Switch 2 note: this is the weapon where 30fps matters most. Foresight timing that feels automatic at 60fps needs a few hunts to recalibrate. Spend your first hour on the Chatacabra and Doshaguma fights before taking it into High Rank. Sub-weapon: Bow, so you can keep dealing damage when a monster is airborne.
Great Sword
Why S: no other weapon hits harder per swing, and Wilds' wound system suits it perfectly. A True Charged Slash into an open wound ends hunts quickly. Tackle carries you through attacks while you charge, so you're rarely forced to cancel.
Switch 2 note: very comfortable. Great Sword is about reading where the monster will be, not reacting frame by frame, so 30fps barely changes it. Sub-weapon: Dual Blades for elemental weaknesses and fast part breaks.
Bow
Why S: the Bow is the best ranged weapon in Wilds. It has strong sustained damage, the mobility of its charging sidestep, and it can play every elemental matchup. In co-op it shoots wounds your melee friends can't reach.
Switch 2 note: comfortable. Aiming in Focus Mode is forgiving and your dodges aren't frame-tight. Your bigger problem is stamina, so put Constitution or Stamina Surge on it early. Sub-weapon: Long Sword or Great Sword for big openings.
Charge Blade
Why S: it has the highest burst damage once you understand it. You charge phials in sword mode, guard-point the monster's attacks, and cash it all in with axe-mode discharges. It can block, it can hit hard, and it's a weapon you'll still be learning 200 hours in.
Switch 2 note: demanding. Guard points are a timing check, and 30fps leaves you less to read. New players should take it to the training area before they take it to a hunt. Sub-weapon: Bow, so you aren't stuck when the monster flies.
Getting into Monster Hunter Wilds on Switch 2? Subscribe to Geeky Inc for free and we'll send you the launch-week refresh of this tier list and the build guides as soon as they're updated.
A-Tier Weapons
Insect Glaive
Why A: it's the most mobile weapon in the game. Your Kinsect pulls extracts that buff your attack, defence and speed, and the aerial game earns more mounts than any other weapon. It falls short of S because you have to keep refreshing those extracts every hunt.
Switch 2 note: comfortable, because vaulting away fixes most mistakes. Sub-weapon: Great Sword for the time a monster spends knocked down.
Dual Blades
Why A: it's the best elemental weapon. Demon Mode turns your stamina into damage, and the speed of every hit makes element and status skills shine. It's simple to pick up, though managing stamina is the real skill.
Switch 2 note: comfortable. Sub-weapon: Great Sword, and you'll see this exact pair again in our MH Wilds beginner builds.
Gunlance
Why A: shelling damage ignores how sharp your weapon is and where on the monster you hit. Pair that with a full shield and Wyvern's Fire, and you have the most reliable guard-and-punish weapon in Wilds. Rankings that weigh Gunlance by raw speedrun numbers put it lower. For a first hunter, it's one of the safest ways to put out real damage.
Switch 2 note: comfortable. Guarding doesn't depend on frames the way dodging does. Sub-weapon: Bow.
Heavy Bowgun
Why A: it has the biggest ranged burst. Its special ammo and its shield let you hold ground that a Bow user would have to dodge out of. It drops to A because you have to manage ammo, and that slows you down until your item pouch is sorted.
Switch 2 note: comfortable. Sub-weapon: Long Sword.
Hammer
Why A: it owns knockouts. Head hits stun monsters and set your whole group up for free damage. Charge levels are easy to learn, and the Hammer's mobility while charging keeps it safe. Its ceiling is close to S in co-op.
Switch 2 note: comfortable. Sub-weapon: Bow, for flying phases where you can't reach the head.
B-Tier Weapons
Sword & Shield
Why B, and why you should still start here: it doesn't top the damage charts, but it does everything. You can use items without sheathing, block, mount, and chain combos like Perfect Rush. It is our pick for the best weapon to learn Monster Hunter on.
Switch 2 note: comfortable. Sub-weapon: Bow or Great Sword once you've picked your direction.
Switch Axe
Why B: long, satisfying combos and a huge Zero Sum Discharge finisher. It sits a step behind the S-tier weapons on damage for the effort you put in, but it's one of the best weapons for wound work in co-op.
Switch 2 note: comfortable. Sub-weapon: Light Bowgun.
Lance
Why B: it has the best defence in the game and steady, honest damage. It never needs to run, and good Lance players almost never cart. It's B tier because its damage relies on counters, and counters take time to learn.
Switch 2 note: its counters are timing-based, but guarding forgives far more than dodging, so the Lance still feels safe at 30fps. Sub-weapon: Bow.
Light Bowgun
Why B: it's mobile, it has status and support ammo, and Rapid Fire makes the right ammo type melt monsters. Its damage depends more on your ammo choice than any other weapon's does, which makes it a strong second weapon and a harder main.
Switch 2 note: comfortable. Sub-weapon: Switch Axe or Long Sword.
C-Tier Weapons
Hunting Horn
Why C solo, and why you should take it into co-op: on your own, the Horn's songs and Echo Bubbles mostly buff you. In a four-player hunt it buffs everyone, knocks out monsters with head hits, and makes the whole group faster. It's the best weapon in the game for the person who makes a hunt go smoothly.
Switch 2 note: comfortable. Sub-weapon: Hammer, so you get the same head play with more damage.
What's the Best MH Wilds Weapon for Beginners on Switch 2?
Sword & Shield is the best first weapon, and Bow is the best first S-tier weapon. If you want one weapon to learn Monster Hunter with, pick Sword & Shield. If you want to learn one that stays top-tier all the way to the endgame, pick the Bow. Great Sword is the best first heavy weapon, because 30fps hardly affects it.
Best Main + Sub-Weapon Pairings in MH Wilds
Wilds lets you carry two weapons. These pairings cover each main weapon's weak spot: flying monsters, elemental weaknesses, or a mid-hunt need to play safer.
| Main weapon | Sub-weapon | What the sub-weapon fixes |
|---|---|---|
| Long Sword | Bow | Damage when the monster is airborne |
| Great Sword | Dual Blades | Elemental weaknesses, fast part breaks |
| Bow | Great Sword | Turning knockdowns into burst damage |
| Charge Blade | Bow | A safe ranged option while you relearn guard points |
| Insect Glaive | Great Sword | Burst damage on mounts and knockdowns |
| Hammer | Bow | Flying phases where you can't reach the head |
| Sword & Shield | Bow | Ranged practice once the basics click |
| Hunting Horn | Hammer | More damage from the same head play |
Is Monster Hunter Wilds Worth It on Switch 2?
If Switch 2 is your only console, or you want to hunt in handheld mode, yes. You get the full game and roughly a year of free updates for $39.99, along with local wireless co-op, which Capcom calls a feature unique to the Switch 2 version. If you already play at 60fps on PS5 or PC, the lack of cross-save makes it a second copy rather than an upgrade.
Picked your weapon? Our MH Wilds best beginner builds give you a complete loadout for it. If you'd rather play an RPG in December, start with the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Switch 2 builds and class tier list or browse every guide on our RPG tier lists and build guides hub.
Want the launch-week update before everyone else? Join the Geeky Inc newsletter for RPG tier lists, build guides and anime breakdowns, sent straight to your inbox.
Image credits: Capcom (Monster Hunter Wilds key art, weapon renders and Switch 2 illustrations), Nintendo (Switch 2 screenshots).
Geeky Inc Minis
Tiny dragons, kitsune and golems for your shelf.
Multi-color 3D-printed minis, printed, finished and shipped by us. $2.50 each, or 12 for $23.
Browse the minis →
Member discussion