Choosing the right weapon in a multiplayer environment is, if anything, more important than your solo choice. Picking four of the same can be a bit awkward after all. Oh sure, we’ve all grabbed a Hammer each and KO’d the target into oblivion, but attempting the same with random teammates is a recipe for disaster. Balance is key in this regard, especially so if you’re looking to remove some limbs, complete sub quests and maximise loot. The prospective hunter then, must make an educated choice from the fourteen on offer. For us, multiplayer is all about jolly teamwork, so we want to pick some weapons that mesh well with others. That being the case, we’ve shepherded our thoughts into a format that we hope is vaguely readable, in order to help our fellow hunters to… Help their fellow hunters.
Remember, for every hunter you help there’s one less suicidal Gunlance chad in the world, and that’s good for all of us.
Weapon #5: Dual Blades
The Dual Blades have always been a favourite weapon of ours, especially in multiplayer hunts. It’s a long standing weapon in the series that, on first inspection at least, seems like an ideal solo weapon. Whilst we’d agree that it’s good in that regard, it really shines in the multiplayer environment. By splitting the monster’s focus between four players, the Dual Blades are free to do what they do best: Deal huge amounts of damage to very specific monster parts. This is where it truly shines, darting between monster features and zones, shredding weak spots and slicing away at breakable zones.
Multiplayer Features
- Amazing damage output on a distracted Monster.
- Very agile, can quickly adapt to a monster switching targets.
- That agility makes the DB user quite a safe hunter to have around.
- No need to rely on Dash Juices when the Monster switches targets regularly.
Multiplayer Tips
- Get used to deactivating your blades when the monster chases other members, to save on stamina.
- The Dual Blades are great at removing tails and such, and it’ll be easier to focus on these in a group.
- If you have Hammer or Horn user on your team, try to stay away from the monster’s head – you’ll likely flinch your teammates and cause more harm than good. Your job is to go after the squishy bits, leave the KO regions to them. If there are no KO merchants however, then go hog wild and demon dance that face to bits.
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Weapon #4: Insect Glaive
Of course the Insect Glaive is going to be great for Multiplayer game play. It’s practically built for it; your team can be toiling away, struggling to deal with the torrent of ground based attacks, yet you find yourself in the relative safety of the air, free to slash and slice to your hearts content. It’s never quite that simple of course, after all being in the air has it’s own risks, but having the ability to mount whilst doing significant damage is fantastic fun. Combine this with the Kinsect buffs and your hunter will be more than capable of keeping up with the other melee weapons too.
Strangely enough however, the weapon really doesn’t feel any different in Multiplayer play. If you’re flying solo you’ll be attempting to get mounts, keep your buffs up and slice off tails with your extended move set. Online and in a team you’ll essentially be doing the same, yet three other people benefit from your abilities. Either way the Glaive tactic is clear; Buff, Mount, Slice and Repeat.
Multiplayer Features
- Incredible DPS when buffed, especially on a distracted monster.
- Easier to get buffs on a distracted monster.
- Mounting is a tremendous help in a team.
- Airborne hunters don’t trip their teammates.
Multiplayer Tips
- Plenty of opportunities to grab buffs, so get them early and enjoy.
- Get as many mounts as possible, and try to get used to the ‘cooldown’ that monsters have before you can repeat.
- Once fully buffed, or at least with red and white, your combos are amazing for slicing off tails for extra loot.
- A good Glaive user is a pleasure to hunt alongside. Get your mounts, slice off limbs and you’ll be invited back.
Weapon #3: Heavy Bowgun
We’ll be completely honest with you here. Before World and outside of Valor mode in MHGU, we were never huge fans of the Heavy Bowgun. We always preferred the nimble and adaptable nature of the Light Bowgun, replete with rapid fire and mines. World didn’t do a great deal to convert us here either, but that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate just how powerful it can be in the Multiplayer environment.
As you might imagine it’s power comes from two things; the distance you can keep from a monster that is distracted, and the sheer amount of damage you can pump out should you be left alone for a short while. Having a great gunner in the team, Heavy or Light for that matter, isn’t really something that gets noticed all too often. Well, that is until the victory screen is witnessed much earlier than usual. It’s then, and in the subsequent usage of the weapon that people understand it’s power: Give it some space and the right ammunition, and watch the monster fall in record time.
Multiplayer Features
- Outputs incredible damage when a monster is not targeting your hunter.
- Lack of movement options matter less when you’re not the sole target.
- Various bullets can adapt to the situation as required.
Multiplayer Tips
- Naturally you’ll want to stay at long range and out of harms way.
- Avoid explosive ammo unless it’s pre-planned. Its likely to flinch teammates.
- If you want to use explosive types, stick to body parts that your melee mates aren’t attacking.
- A great choice for tackling annoying, airborne targets. Just be careful if you’re targeted – the HBG isn’t exactly nimble.
Weapon #2: Hunting Horn
Our choice for second place is a rather obvious one, although we expect some might have expected it to place one position higher. It’s that most supportive of weapons: The Hunting Horn. Whilst we haven’t hoisted it to the top of our list, that doesn’t mean it isn’t be a fantastic Multiplayer weapon. Anyone familiar with it, or indeed the premise of the Hunting Horn, will know that it’s main attraction is the songs – ballads played by the weapon to provide buffs, heals and resistances to not only yourself, but the entire team.
As an actual weapon, for the user that is, it works somewhat like the Hammer. Your main aim is to attack the head of the monster, eventually exhausting the beast, whilst simultaneously providing those buffs. In the hands of a good player, the buffs will keep rolling along with the head shots, and the hunt becomes a smoother affair. It’s worth noting too that the range is greater than the hammer, and the self buff that every horn comes with can provide quite a substantial move speed bonus to your hunter. When you combine it with the myriad of additional supporting options on offer – Lifepowder, Flash Bombs etc – it’s a wonderful supporting weapon that’s remarkably powerful in it’s own right.
Multiplayer Features
- Powerful alternative to the Hammer.
- Songs are an obvious boon, but be sure to tailor them to your target and have plenty of Horns in your collection.
- Despite the slow and infrequent attacks, a status Horn bring even more supporting possibilities. Poison is one of our favourites here, to bring a constantly stream of damage.
- Wide Range and Mushroomancer will help you become a one stop support shop.
Multiplayer Tips
- Again, tailor your Horn choice to the hunt in question.
- Try to grab skills that keep you stable and alive, to keep the songs and heals coming. Wind, Tremor resist and the like will help you keep the team going.
- Focus the head for maximum Exhaust and KO potential, as ever.
- Try your best to stay in range of your team members for buffs. It helps to keep your own movement speed buff up at all times.
- Often the best songs you can bring will nullify the opponent for your team. A team of hunters that can ignore some of the opponents knock backs or stuns will do more damage than you simply bringing a slightly stronger Horn.
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Weapon #1: Sword and Shield
If we’re all honest with ourselves here, the Sword and Shield has always been a fantastic Multiplayer weapon. It’s able to adapt to almost any situation and any position thanks to it’s varied and compact move set, the damage is respectable and it’s the ideal choice for applying status. The latter is even encouraged thanks to the overloading of additional effects on this particular weapon. None of this however, is any different to other Monster Hunter games, and it’s even missing the coatings from GU, so why is it now our top Multiplayer weapon?
There are a multitude of reasons, but it mainly comes down to one thing: Your hunter now moves when consuming items. This is relevant for all weapons of course, but being able to use items with your weapon unsheathed – the party piece of the Sword n’ Board – completely unlocks this weapons potential. It becomes a one stop shop for absolutely anything you or indeed your team might require. Monster moves to an awkward position and severely damages your team mates? Chug a consumable whilst you reposition around the monster, before slicing away at a limb once again. It’s wonderfully malleable, adapting itself to any situation you might find yourself in. Combine this with some tremendous skills such as Wide Range and Mushroomancer, and you have the recipe to completely turn the tides of battle at the touch of a button, whilst remaining in an advantageous position yourself.
Multiplayer Features
- Fantastic elemental and status capabilities, due to the quick hits and application.
- Great damage potential despite its diminutive stature.
- Can block in a pinch. More useful than you think.
- Able to bring slicing and even some blunt damage to a hunt.
- Tremendous supporting potential due to item usage whilst unsheathed. Pair it with Wide Range, maybe Mushroomancer and you’re the ultimate supporting hunter.
Multiplayer Tips
- You owe it to yourself, and your struggling teammates, to give the Wide Range supporting archetype a try. It’s incredible, and you’d be surprised how many difficult hunts you can drag any team through.
- A full accompaniment of potions and mushrooms, with Mushroomancer, is capable of incredible support.
- The weapon is very good at slicing limbs away and even applying ailments like Paralysis. A good Sword n’ Board user can nullify the enemy whilst powering up the team.
- It’s the ultimate support weapon, thanks to the lack of sheathing.
- The presence of a good SnS user has been linked to better health and a happier lifestyle for hunters the world over.
- Just try it alright, it’s amazing.
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Categories: Monster Hunter World