Weapons Guide#
Monster Hunter: World has 14 weapon types in total. This page compiles, from verified sources, the complete weapon list, the shared mechanics of the melee and ranged families, how the attack systems map onto weapons, and official positioning notes; anything not covered — damage values, move lists and the like — is listed honestly at the bottom of the page.
The Complete List of 14 Weapons (Verified)#
| # | Weapon | Family | Weapon-class trait |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Sword | Melee | Reduces physical damage |
| 2 | Sword and Shield | Melee | Reduces physical damage |
| 3 | Dual Blades | Melee | Reduces physical damage |
| 4 | Long Sword | Melee | Reduces physical damage |
| 5 | Hammer | Melee | Reduces physical damage |
| 6 | Hunting Horn | Melee | Reduces physical damage |
| 7 | Lance | Melee | Reduces physical damage |
| 8 | Gunlance | Melee | Reduces physical damage |
| 9 | Switch Axe | Melee | Reduces physical damage |
| 10 | Charge Blade | Melee | Reduces physical damage |
| 11 | Insect Glaive | Melee | Reduces physical damage |
| 12 | Bow | Ranged | Reduces elemental damage |
| 13 | Light Bowgun | Ranged | Reduces elemental damage |
| 14 | Heavy Bowgun | Ranged | Reduces elemental damage |
The English names in this table are the official spellings verified by this site; the English names of the remaining weapons were not part of this verification pass, defer to what the game displays, and this site does not label them.
Shared Mechanics of Melee Weapons (Verified)#
| Mechanic | Verified rule |
|---|---|
| Sharpness | Decreases steadily with repeated attacks |
| Bouncing | Once Sharpness drops, attacking hard parts (non-weak points) causes your weapon to bounce, leaving you stunned briefly |
| Whetstone | Restores Sharpness |
| Weapon-class trait | Equipping a melee weapon grants the “reduces physical damage” trait |
Melee combat revolves around Sharpness: attacks wear it down continuously, and once it drops, blows against hard parts bounce off and leave you open. The hunting loop of a melee player therefore naturally includes “watch Sharpness — find a window to sharpen with a Whetstone”, and choosing when to sharpen is itself part of melee combat.
Shared Mechanics of Ranged Weapons (Verified)#
| Mechanic | Verified rule |
|---|---|
| Ammo / coating switching | You can switch between ammo / coatings to change power and effects |
| Range | Power drops once you leave the effective range |
| Reload openings | Bowgun-type weapons expose you while reloading |
| Stamina cost | The Bow needs no reload, but every shot consumes stamina |
| Weapon-class trait | Equipping a ranged weapon grants the “reduces elemental damage” trait |
The core of ranged combat is turning distance into an advantage: your damage only holds up inside the effective range, and the bowgun reload is an explicit opening that positioning and terrain must cover; the Bow sidesteps reloads at the cost of stamina on every shot, making stamina management its permanent homework.
Attack Systems and Weapon Mapping (Verified)#
Weapon attacks split into the Severing / Blunt / Ammo systems, and different monsters and body parts respond differently:
| Attack system | Verified mapping | Verified traits |
|---|---|---|
| Severing | Sword slashes and lance thrusts belong to this system | Some monsters’ tails can be severed |
| Blunt | Hammers and the Hammer belong to this system | Can drain a monster’s stamina and exhaust it; aiming at the head makes stunning easier |
| Ammo | Bowgun ammunition and bow arrows belong to this system | Ranged attack methods belong to this system |
Elements and Abnormal Status (Verified)#
| Category | Content | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Damage elements | Fire, Thunder, Water, Ice, Dragon | Directly tied to damage |
| Abnormal status | Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, Blast | Higher status values trigger more easily |
Official Positioning Notes (Verified)#
Verified sources give official positioning descriptions for some weapons:
| Weapon | Verified positioning |
|---|---|
| Great Sword | Demands precise positioning and charged-attack timing |
| Insect Glaive | Offers aerial combat and mounting finishers |
| Charge Blade | Switches between sword-and-shield and axe form, banking phials for a detonation |
Official positioning for the other 11 weapons was not part of this verification pass, and this site does not speculate. Note that the Charge Blade’s form description comes from third-party compilations; in-game mechanic names follow what the game actually displays.
Weapon Upgrading and Customization (Verified)#
- The Smithy produces and upgrades equipment using monster materials or ore, and some weapons can be downgraded to return upgrade materials;
- Custom modifications: weapons of rarity 8 or below that are already upgraded to their cap can take extra augmentation options (attack, affinity, defense, extra slots and so on); the number and content of augmentations can be confirmed in the interface;
- Decorations are items that add equipment skills and come with slot sockets; slotting decorations in activates stronger equipment skills;
- Set skills activate once the required number of the same skill is gathered: at 2 pieces you get the standard effect, and at 3 pieces it turns into a special effect.
Weapon Data This Site Does Not Cover#
The following is not covered by official or verifiable sources, and this site does not speculate:
| Not covered | Notes |
|---|---|
| Damage and elemental values of each weapon | Not covered |
| Frame data and combo data | Not covered |
| Move lists and inputs | Not covered |
| Upgrade trees and final upgrade paths of each weapon | Not covered |
| Specific builds and skill combinations | Not covered |
| Difficulty and strength ratings of each weapon | Not covered |
This data will be compiled separately once verifiable sources are available. Until then, you can use the verified weapon families and shared mechanics above to judge which family better fits the way you like to fight.
Weapon Pages on This Site#
Related Pages#
- Beginner’s Guide: the mechanical framework for starting from zero
- Monster Bestiary: verified monster roster and ecology notes