The Light Bowgun in Monster Hunter Wilds is perfect for those who love fast-paced, mobile combat with a ranged weapon. It is ideal for hunters who enjoy a run-and-gun playstyle while staying nimble on the battlefield. However, you need the best build to maximize this Tommy Gun-like weapon. In this guide, I will provide you with the best LBG builds and progression.
This guide will be updated regularly along with future content!
Light Bowgun Gameplay and Combo in MH Wilds
The Light Bowgun comes with two mod slots and one Special Ammo slot. Depending on your specific bowgun, you'll have access to different magazine options that can boost ammo capacity or effectiveness. For Special Ammo, you can choose between:
- Wyvern Blast: A mine that explodes after a short time
- Adhesive Ammo: Sticks to monsters and detonates after a delay
In Wilds, a new mechanic and is currently the bread and butter of LBG is the Rapid Fire mode. Activate this by pressing Circle to attach an ammo drum to your weapon. This increases your fire rate significantly but only works with certain ammo types depending on your specific bowgun. Pierce is really good in the current state of Wilds.
For maximum damage output, you can do this combo:
- Use Pierce or Elemental ammo (match elements to monster weaknesses when possible)
- Activate Rapid Fire mode
- Fire a burst of shots
- Immediately Burst Step (press dodge at the right time) after firing
- Fire again while dodging
- Repeat this burst-step combo twice
- Reload when necessary
- Get back to firing!
Watch for when your barrel rises and starts coming back down after firing - that's your cue to press dodge for the perfect burst step. When done correctly, you'll maintain constant damage while staying mobile.
The best mantle to use is the Corruption Mantle. Using it will charge your Rapid Fire gauge while increasing the speed and damage of your shots.
This combo not only maximizes your damage output but keeps you safe by constantly repositioning. With practice, you'll be dancing around monsters while pelting them with a constant barrage of shots!
With that in mind, let's take a look at the builds and progression.
Light Bowgun Low Rank Build and Progression
Early in the game, use the default Hope armor set for the Divine Blessing skill. Once you have defeated Guardian Rathalos and Guardian Ebony, you can craft their armor for higher defense, along with the Weakness Exploit and Burst skills to increase your damage.
What matters most is the weapon choice. Rey Szelatya is an excellent LBG from early to endgame, thanks to its Pierce Level 2 ammo. Before you can craft Rey Dau's weapon, you can use the Chain Blitz, which is also a solid LBG for the early game.
Make sure to mod your LBG to maximize Pierce damage and ammo capacity.
Best LBGs for Low Rank
- Rey Szelatya I
- Chain Blitz II
Light Bowgun High Rank Build and Progression
Getting into High Rank, you will face Yian Kut-Ku. After defeating it, you can craft its Mail and Coil for extra defense and the Agitator skill, which will greatly aid your progress.
For the weapon, continue upgrading the Rey Szelatya as soon as its upgrades become available.
Late High Rank Build
Getting into mid and late High Rank progression, it is advisable to craft the Guardian Fulgur, Rathalos, and Blango armor sets. These will grant you Weakness Exploit, Agitator, and Max Might, along with the Second Wind set skill.
With this High Rank build, you can deal even higher damage thanks to critical attacks from these skills. Second Wind allows you to keep Maximum Might active even after performing Burst Steps.
For the charm, it's best to start crafting the Exploiter and Agitator charms, as both will be crucial for endgame builds.
Best LBGs for High Rank
- Rey Szelatya III
- Valkyrie Flame
- High Chain Blitz
Best Light Bowgun Endgame Builds
The best endgame LBG builds still revolve around Pierce Ammo, which is currently the strongest in the game. However, there are various builds that can further enhance your damage output based on your playstyle.
LBG Endgame 4-Gore Agitator Build
Agitator is better than Weakness Exploit for LBG because the raw damage boost is exactly what LBG ammo needs. In this build, Agitator and Black Eclipse II are the crucial skills.
You can swap Earplugs for Evade Extender, depending on your playstyle.
For the weapon, it's best to equip Pierce Ammo Magazine and Rapid Fire modifications to maximize Pierce burst damage.
LBG Endgame Second Wind Crit Build
The second build revolves around Second Wind and Max Might. When combined with Agitator and Antivirus, this setup grants high Affinity, leading to more critical attacks, making Critical Boost essential in the weapon's jewel slot.
This build heavily relies on stamina management to keep Max Might active. Constitution 5 helps maintain stamina even when performing Burst Steps. You can swap Evade Extender for Surge to gain Stamina Surge Level 2.
If you prefer close-range combat over long-range, you can replace Ballistics with Critical Boost II for increased critical damage.
LBG Endgame Elemental Ammo Build
For an Elemental build, the Artian weapon reigns supreme due to its three Level 3 slots and its high base status. The best setup is full Attack infusion, reinforced with 3 Attack + 2 Capacity for optimal damage output.
Agitator, Max Might, and Antivirus remain the core skills for increasing Affinity. Coalescence is a perfect addition to boost elemental damage. However, since this build lacks Second Wind, Max Might won't always be active, so be mindful of your dodges and use them only when necessary.
Best LBGs for Endgame
- Animilater Elemental (all Attack infusion & 3 Attack + 2 Capacity reinforcement)
- Szelatya Clairgun
- Valkyrie Flame
- G. Expiating Caius
- Fulgursnipe Guardiana
- Windshear Uchibami
- Esperanza Rifle
- Kut-Ku Counterattack
Those are the best Light Bowgun builds from early to endgame in Monster Hunter Wilds. With these setups, you can maximize the LBG's potential, making it a dominant DPS and crowd-control weapon.
