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Gunlance is often deemed inferior to other weapons in Monster Hunter, but that’s not the case in Wilds. With the new movement mechanics, Gunlance is now a top-tier, high-damage-dealing weapon—but of course, with the right build. In this guide, I’ve compiled the best Gunlance builds and their progression until the endgame.
This guide will be updated regularly along with future content!
Gunlance Gameplay and Combo
Gunlance's highest damage comes from its blasts, and in Monster Hunter Wilds, a new movement mechanic lets you unleash all your firepower in a single combo—the Double Wyrmstake Full Blast Combo.
Basically, you need to always have both cannon and shell ammo fully charged. The combo starts with one basic shelling, followed by Moving Wide Sweep (front attack), then Wyrmstake Full Blast (Triangle + Circle), then Multi Wyrmstake Blast (Triangle + Circle), and finally, Wyvern's Fire.
This is the ultimate combo to maximize Gunlance’s damage output. Note that the best shelling type for this combo is Wide, which reigns supreme over Normal and Long in Wilds.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the best builds and progression:
Gunlance Early Builds and Progression
In early Low Rank, focus on upgrading your weapon as soon as possible and crafting Ajarakan Armor for the Partbreaker skill. Quematrice Gunlance is optimal for Low Rank hunts since it can be crafted early. While it features Normal shelling, it remains the best overall weapon until you unlock Arkveld weapons.
Late Low Rank to High Rank
After defeating Ebony Odogaron and Arkveld, switch your armor set to gain more offensive boosts. Also, craft Veldian Hasta as soon as it becomes available, as it will be your primary Wide shelling weapon for progressing through High Rank.
Early HR Burst Build
HR Offensive Guard Build
Once you defeat High Rank Ajarakan, you can craft Ajara Gunpike II, a solid Gunlance that provides Load Shells 2 and Offensive Guard 1. If you prefer a counter-attack playstyle, you should try this build.
Best Early Gunlances
- Quematrice Qulebrina
- G. Veldian Hasta
- Ajara Gunpike
Gunlance Best Endgame Builds
Once you reach late High Rank and progress into the endgame, the best Gunlance build still revolves around the Burst skill, meaning you’ll still need Ebony Armor for that. However, you can now start combining it with other skills, such as Earplugs for comfort or Agitator for extra offensive potential.
GL Endgame Burst Power Build
This build activates Ebony Odogaron’s Power, prolonging the Burst skill. However, you lose one level of Agitator, but it won’t have a significant impact since Burst compensates for the lost damage boost.
This is a build for speedrunning, which requires really good positioning and understanding of the monster you are hunting. Since Ebony Odogaron's armor doesn't have strong defense, you have to be really careful.
G. Lawful Bors remains the best Gunlance in the game for now.
GL Endgame Zoh Shia Comfy Build
After Zoh Shia was introduced as a regular monster you can hunt in Title Update 1, you can craft a new comfort build thanks to its armor set. Zoh Shia's armor set grants you Zoh Shia's Pulse, which provides constant passive healing.
The health regeneration is not that fast—it's not as fast as G. Arkveld's healing. However, Arkvulcan and G. Arkveld's set bonuses require you to constantly hit or destroy wounds to activate the healing bonus, whereas Zoh Shia's set bonus regenerates your health passively without any requirements.
In this build, you still get 5 Burst, 5 Agitator, 2 Max Might, and 2 Evade Extender. You will deal huge shelling damage while getting passive healing, which is always great.
Recovery Up and Recovery Speed jewels are recommended to boost the passive healing from Zoh's set bonus.
GL Endgame Agitator Build
This build maximizes the Agitator skill but loses the extra Burst from the Ebony Odogaron 4-set. While you sacrifice a bit of raw damage, this build compensates with better adaptability and survivability. It’s a more comfortable setup that remains deadly in the endgame against any type of monster.
GL Endgame Offensive Guard Build
If you prefer a counter-attacking approach, this build is perfect for you. With maximum-level Offensive Guard, your damage gets a significant boost with every perfectly timed shield counter. You do lose 1 level of Maximum Might, but it’s not a major drawback.
For the weapon, Ajara-Kalika is the best choice, as it provides +2 Load Shells and +1 Offensive Guard, making it crucial for this build. Its damage and Blast effect are also quite solid.
Best Gunlances for Endgame
- G. Lawful Bors
- Ajara-Kalika
Gunlance users can truly enjoy playing in Monster Hunter Wilds thanks to the new Wyrmstake Combo meta. With these builds, you can maximize heavy burst damage while maintaining safety and comfort. Hopefully, these builds help you become a ferocious hunter!
