Monster Hunter World really changed our opinion of the Gunlance. If you’re an avid reader of our content you’ll have noticed that it occupied a very low position in our Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate Tier List. There we struggled with the beast, finding it’s styles and arts very janky and gimmicky, feeling more like the strange cousin to the Lance than it’s own beast. The changes to World really changed it for us, pushing it up our estimations and indeed our tier list, and as such it’s a weapon we’d certainly recommend new players get involved with. It’s strong, easier to use than ever and it has fantastic weapon model diversity. If you’re picking up the exploding thrusting cannon for the first time then, consider the following three models to help you on your way.
Gunlance #3: Jagras Gunlance
Our first Gunlance recommendation comes from the absolute first monster that you’ll take down in World: Great Jagras. Outside of the rather interesting and oversized event variant, this is the easiest monster that you’ll find in World, rightly so given that it’s the introduction to a harsh and volatile space. No doubt you’ll become somewhat of an expert in taking down the big yellow chap, and in doing so your inventory will become full of Hides, Scales and Claws – if only you had something to do with them?
Enter the Jagras Gunlance, the most basic of crafted weapons. We’re recommending this one because well… It’s actually a very good starting weapon. The raw damage is a great starting point, and when you combine this with the good amount of green sharpness it’s able to hurt your target and keep on going. This particular Gunlance uses Normal type shells, and whilst they’re not the most damaging per shot you do get 5 of them, which we feel is ideal for beginners with the weapon. Overall it’s a strong, durable weapon that’s easy to upgrade and has plenty of novel and interesting options for doing so.
Early Features
- Great early raw damage.
- Easy to upgrade through the Jagras models early on.
- Fantastic upgrade options as you move down the tree.
- Good amount of starting sharpness.
- Normal shells allow for frequent shelling.
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Gunlance #2: Girros Gunlance
The second Gunlance on our list is a direct upgrade to the first. The Girros Gunlance is a weapon made with, as you might imagine, Girros parts. As you might imagine, coming from a monster that likes to inflict paralysis, this weapon features such as a status effect, and whilst this is a major selling point for the weapon, it’s not the only benefit that you’ll find. Well, besides being an excuse to battle one of our favourite monsters in World, that is.
Firstly, being a direct upgrade to the Jagras Gunlance noted prior, it’s very easy to craft, requiring the hunting of a few Great Girros to get started. Further to this, the raw damage really isn’t too bad, certainly for a status weapon that would traditionally fall far behind in this regard. The sharpness too whilst reduced, is certainly workable, especially once it is upgraded. Then there is the paralysis status itself, which more than ever benefits the Gunlance specifically – what better than a monster frozen in time to take your explosions to the face?
Worried about this losing it’s lustre through High Rank and into Iceborne? It upgrades into a mighty fire Gunlance based on Glavenus parts, and we just love hunting ol’ sharp tail.
Early Features
- Paralysis is great for the Gunlance, and a welcome multiplayer boon.
- Good raw damage and once upgraded, sharpness.
- Very good upgrade options later, especially in Iceborne.
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Gunlance #1: Princess Panoply
Across multiple Monster Hunter titles now, our favourite early Gunlance has been Princess Panoply, otherwise known as the Rathian Gunlance. As you might imagine, this coming from the big green herself, it’s a Poison based weapon that is ideally suited to the Lance archetype players out there, us included. We’re aware that taking down a Rathian can be a bit of a wall for some players, especially that tremendously powerful tail flip she likes to spam, but getting to craft something like this as a reward makes it all worth it.
First in the list of benefits is the raw damage: At 276 it’s not going to set the world alight, but it’s certainly good enough for the early portions of the game. Further to this the weapon comes with 10% affinity, giving your flat lance damage a nice boost from time to time which, along with a good amount of green sharpness, means you’ll be hitting plenty hard enough with your normal attacks. The main event however is the Poison damage, which at 240 starts at a good level, suiting a weapon that hits frequently such as the Gunlance. When you combine this all with Normal type level 2 shells, you have the perfect early game weapon to aim for.
Early Features
- Great early Poison Gunlance.
- Affinity, sharpness and reasonable raw damage keeps it relevant.
- Upgrades well through Low and High Rank.
- Eventually upgrades into the fantastic Queen’s Panoply in Master Rank.
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Categories: Monster Hunter World, Top 5