Monster Hunter Rising is full of great weapon types to choose from, each with its specific strengths and weaknesses. Unlike most weapon tier lists, there aren’t any obvious choices to make here. Monster Hunter Rise is remarkably well-balanced, though some weapons are better suited to certain situations than others.
Monster Hunter Rise Weapon Tier List
Gameplay in Monster Hunter Rise changes significantly between the single-player and multiplayer features. This tier list will focus on a balance between both game modes, though if a weapon has a specific use in either, we’ll let you know.
S Tier
Long Sword
The Long Sword is a well-balanced weapon that relies heavily on the player’s ability to pull off counters to deliver massive damage. Because of the high damage output of the Long Sword, it fits comfortably in both single-player and multiplayer gameplay. With a bit of practice and learning the attack pattern of monsters, it is one of the best options for players.
Related: Guide to Diablos in Monster Hunter Rise – Weakness, Drops, Weapons, and more
Bow
The bow is a weapon that favors players who plan ahead. It can put out high damage consistently, even without being able to focus on the monster’s weak spot. Changing up the specs of your bow ahead of time allows you to deal different elemental damage or damage type, giving players the chance to deal massive damage against specific monsters.
Dual Blades
Depending on the build you decide to use, the Dual Blades have the potential to be a great weapon for exploiting monsters’ weaknesses. With plenty of abilities to allow players to avoid damage and move around the battleground, this is one of the easiest weapons in Monster Hunter Rise to master but it remains one of the best options for multiplayer when you’ve got a tank to draw aggro for you.
A Tier
Great Sword
The Great Sword in Monster Hunter Rise is a big, slow weapon that requires a bit of positioning on the battlefield to be an effective DPS option. This weapon really shines when you focus on tanking hits rather than dealing out damage, especially in multiplayer. The Great Sword just misses out on being S Tier because it is simply less useful in single-player play, though it is still a solid option for players.
Insect Glaive
The opposite of the Great Sword, the Insect Glaive is a solid choice in single-player but struggles in multiplayer. This is because it is more difficult to keep buffs on an enemy during multiplayer. Though it isn’t impossible, it takes a lot more work. Players can still come up with some great builds for the weapon, keeping it from slipping further down this list.
Sword and Shield
This is one of the most balanced weapons in the game, allowing you to excel in almost any situation. You can parry and counter-attacks and take on monsters from multiple directions. The Sword and Shield builds can deal decent damage as well as allow the player to tank attacks in multiplayer.
B Tier
Hunting Horn
Because the Hunting Horn is focused heavily on buffing the party, it slips down to B Tier. It simply lacks some of the utility in solo play that would allow it to shine, but it can heal and buff members of your party, making it a great option for those in multiplayer.
Bowgun (Light and Heavy)
Both types of Bowgun have their strengths and weaknesses, though both are solid options in solo play. The reason they slip down to B Tier is that they focus on inflicting either exhaust or knockdown conditions, which is more difficult in multiplayer. Still, these weapons are great for players who put the time in to get good at aiming.
Switch Axe
The Switch Axe is capable of dealing massive damage, but it is also one of the most versatile weapons in Monster Hunter Rise. It can switch between sword and axe mode quickly, with plenty of options in both modes. It slips down the rankings mainly because it leaves the player vulnerable to damage, with few options for a defensive build.
Gunlance
The Gunlance makes it onto B Tier mainly because it has lots of solid options for multiplayer. Despite this, it is a bit underwhelming in single-player gameplay. It has decent damage output, but it takes a lot of practice to know when to use its more specialist abilities.
C Tier
Charge Blade
The Charge Blade is focused on dealing elemental damage, so it requires a lot of planning and becomes a situational option for most players. There are some silkbind options to make things run smoother, but overall performance for the Charge Blade just isn’t as good as some of the other weapons out there. You have to work much harder to do the same thing as the other weapons on this list.
Hammer
While the Hammer excels at dealing knockdown damage, multiplayer makes it much more difficult to deal this damage to monsters because they move around so much throughout the battle and the threshold for knocking monsters down is much higher. It is possible to deal massive damage in single-player, however, so this is still not a weapon that should be completely disregarded. Still, it probably won’t win many multiplayer battles.
Lance
Again, this weapon still has its good builds for single-player games, but the Lance is one of the most frustrating for multiplayer. It simply doesn’t have the damage output and relies too heavily on counters to be a viable option for multiplayer games. It takes a lot of practice to make the Lance work well and players still won’t find themselves pulling as much weight as some of their fellow players.
