The pinnacle of support weapons, the Hunting Horn in Monster Hunter Wilds, has been significantly improved both mechanically and visually. With new mechanics such as Echo Bubbles and Offset Melody, the Hunting Horn is now deadlier and an even greater support weapon. However, you need the best build to maximize its potential. In this guide, I will provide you with the best Hunting Horn builds and progression in Wilds.
This guide will be updated regularly along with future content!
Hunting Horn Gameplay and Combo in MH Wilds
As always, the Hunting Horn's main goal is to store notes and unleash melodies to hit the monster while providing buffs for yourself and your team simultaneously. While the core gameplay remains largely unchanged, new moves have been introduced.
Before the hunt, it's essential to pre-buff before initiating the fight, which you can now do while riding your Seikret. This will significantly enhance your party's performance for the initial encounter.
During combat, always aim for the monster’s head first, as this can trigger a KO. After all, your primary job is to destroy the head. The first thing to do is to place the initial Echo Bubble immediately, then start storing notes for a performance combo when an opportunity arises.
The combo sequence depends on the weapon and its notes. Depending on the Hunting Horn, you may start with either Triangle or Circle, as it all depends on the notes you're aiming for. However, positioning and timing are what truly matter.
Generally, the best flow for the Hunting Horn is to first pre-buff, place the initial Echo Bubble, and then focus on the head. After that, store buff notes and, when the opportunity arises, execute a performance combo that ends with an Encore. Be sure to place multiple Echo Bubbles when the monster is down so that you and your teammates can fully benefit from the buffs.
Lastly, mastering Offset Attack is crucial for playing aggressively with the Hunting Horn.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the best builds and progression.
Hunting Horn Low Rank Build and Progression
Starting your journey in Wilds, you begin with the default Hope armor set, which grants you 3 Divine Blessing. You shouldn't change that until you have defeated Guardian Doshaguma and Guardian Rathalos, at which point it's best to craft their armor for higher defense and better skills.
G. Rathalos grants you Weakness Exploit, while the G. Doshaguma armor set provides Powerhouse, which boosts your damage after a Power Clash or Offset Attack.
For the weapon, Ajara Reverberator I is the perfect HH with the Slugger skill to progress through Low Rank.
Best Hunting Horns for Low Rank
- Ajara Reverberator I
- Metal Bagpipe II
- War Bongo I
Hunting Horn High Rank Build and Progression
Once you reach High Rank, it's advisable to immediately craft Yian Kut-Ku's Mail and Coil, as they further enhance your defense and grant you the Agitator skill, which is highly beneficial.
Upgrading your weapon to Ajara Reverberator II is the best choice when you have the opportunity. This will help you progress through mid to High Rank missions.
Mid High Rank Build
Once you have progressed further and defeated Guardian Fulgur Anjanath and Guardian Rathalos in High Rank, you can craft their armor sets to greatly enhance your damage and defense.
You should also start upgrading your weapon to War Bongo II, as it grants Horn Maestro and Attack + Affinity Echo Bubbles, which can significantly aid your hunts, whether solo or multiplayer. However, if you prefer playing as a support, you can try using the Valkyrie Chordmaker.
At this stage, immediately craft the Exploiter Charm, as it will be crucial for your endgame build.
Best Hunting Horns for High Rank
- War Bongo II
- Valkyrie Chordmaker II
- Ajara Reverberator II
- G. Veldian Sibilus I
Best Hunting Horn Endgame Builds
After reaching HR 40+, it's time to grind endgame materials and craft the best Hunting Horn builds. The optimal build depends on your playstyle, but these are the current meta builds:
HH Endgame 4-Gore Attack Boost Build
The first and highest damage-dealing Hunting Horn build is the 4-Gore Attack Boost build. This build includes 5 Attack Boost, 5 Agitator, 3 Antivirus, Black Eclipse II, and 3 Max Might, all designed to maximize raw damage.
Why Raw Damage Instead of Critical Boost? Because Echo Bubbles don’t proc critical hits but gain higher damage from raw attack instead.
Counterstrike, 1 WEX, and 1 Burst are QoL skills that further enhance your damage. If you can get them, they are advisable.
For the Artian weapon, Omiltika, the optimal option is to get all Attack infusion, with 4 Attack + 1 Sharpness reinforcement. This will greatly increase raw damage, which this build is designed for.
Attack Jewels are crucial for this build, so if you don’t have them, it’s better to go for the next build while you farm the jewels.
HH Endgame 2-Gore 2-Fulgur Crit Build
This is one of the current meta sets in Wilds, featuring 2-piece Fulgur and 2-piece Gore, which grant Second Wind and Black Eclipse. Both are crucial for boosting Affinity and damage.
Weakness Exploit, Max Might, Antivirus, and Agitator ensure that this build procs critical hits consistently. With all of these active, you achieve 95+% Affinity, making it the core mechanic of this setup. Critical Boost 5 is a must to maximize this build’s potential.
Counterstrike and Burst are also important, as activating both provides an extra damage boost, leading to higher critical hits.
HH Endgame Support Build
In Wilds, Hunting Horn no longer requires a separate support-focused armor build. In previous entries, support skills like Wide Range and Recovery Up were necessary to heal your party. Now, you can achieve this simply by placing Echo Bubbles on the ground.
This can be done using Rathian’s weapon variant, Queen Chordmaker. With your Echo Bubbles constantly healing teammates while still dealing high damage, Hunting Horn has become an incredibly versatile and valuable weapon.
You do lose the jewel slots on the weapon, but you can still make use of it to get 3 Critical Boost.
HH Endgame Comfy Build
This last build is the more comfortable side of Hunting Horn. You still get Weakness Exploit and Agitator, but you lose the Black Eclipse skill. In return, you gain Hasten Recovery and higher defense, making it a great choice for relaxed hunts.
War Conga or Queen Chordmaker are perfect for this build, depending on whether you prioritize higher damage or higher survivability.
Best Hunting Horns for Endgame
- Omiltika Raw/Para/Sleep (all Attack infusion & 4 Attack + 1 Sharpness reinforcement)
- Queen Chordmaker
- War Conga
- Grudgesounder Urga
- G. Resounding Galahad
- Resounding Galahad
Those are the best Hunting Horn builds in Monster Hunter Wilds. Whether you prefer overwhelming raw damage, high critical hits, or taking on the role of a team healer, the Hunting Horn has become a fantastic addition to any party, thanks to its new movements and skills.
