The Rise Heavy Bowgun, thankfully, feels like a completely different proposition to previous titles. More so than almost any other weapon, the HBG feels like it’s had such a chequered history in the series. By no means are we calling it weak, after all pretty much every Monster Hunter weapon can be made to work in the right hands, but the HBG in particular feels like it has suffered more than its fair share of peaks and troughs. It started out life without any elemental capabilities early in the series, yet fast forwarding to MHGU saw it become by far the highest DPS weapon thanks to a certain style and siege mode combination. At World’s inception it felt underwhelming and unpopular, but saw a return to form late in it’s patch cycle thanks to players picking it up for it’s shielding abilities in the Behemoth fight. To Rise then, and the weapon feels like it’s back to it’s powerful best from the outset, thanks in no small part to the new Charged Shot mechanic and animation improvements, which means the new player has more reason than ever to give it a try. As you might imagine given the title of our article today, we’re aiming to give those new to the big and bold blaster a little guidance regarding early models that deserve their attention.
Carom Shot
We’ll tackle the awkward information first: The Heavy Bowgun is a difficult weapon to master, and as such players are likely to gravitate towards safety. Such things are difficult to find in a Monster Hunter title, but it tends to always take the same form: Other players. Yes, the done thing is often to retreat to the relative safety of the multiplayer environment, and it should be noted that we wholeheartedly encourage this behaviour! Getting the chance to learn your weapon whilst the target is focused on 3 other hunters is a perfectly viable way to get better, and using a weapon that operates from a distance tends to allow the new hunter a little more time to react.
All of that being the case, our first choice is one that is ideally positioned to help out a team of hunters. The Carom Shot features a great selection of shots, but the main one we’re looking at here is the Paralysis Ammo, of which this weapon has access to both level 1 and 2. As you might imagine, this shot is capable of inflicting paralysis, which freezes the monster in place for a short time, thus allowing a team of prospective hunters the time to deal a great deal of damage in relative safety. Better still, both of these can be fired and reloaded whilst moving, further increasing said safety. This is the real highlight of course, but it’s worth noting that the Carom Shot also features both Spread and Normal ammo that can both be fired and reloaded whilst moving, all of which adds up to this being an ideal starter weapon for hunters looking to learn!
Early Features
- Access to Paralysis Ammo 1 & 2.
- This particular model allows the hunter to both fire and reload whilst on the move whilst using the Paralysis Ammo.
- Spread and Normal 1 can also be used and reloaded whilst on the move.
- Respectable amount of raw damage.
- Available early on (4 Star) since it’s mainly made with Volvidon parts.
Crafting Requirements
- Marino Burst
- Volvidon Shell x 2
- Volvi Rickrack x 2
- Malachite Ore x 1
This ranks rather highly in ease of crafting if we’re honest. You’ll likely get plenty of the Volvidon Shells whilst hunting the beast, and if you’re struggling to get your hands on the Volvi Rickrack then try your best to break the beast’s back during the hunt, which will increase your chance significantly. The Malachite Ore is likely to be on plenty of 3 Star quests as a reward, so you’re unlikely to have any trouble here.
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Cirrus Blaster
So you’ve used the Carom Shot, made your way through a fair few hunts and now you’re hungry for something a little more powerful, something you can start to really punish your target with. It’s also likely that you’ve grown so accustomed to the weapon that you’re going solo fairly often now, but you’re still hunting for that model that deals some real damage. Well your search is over: Look no further than the Cirrus Blaster, otherwise known as the Mizutsune Heavy Bowgun. Yes you’ll have to traverse all the way to the 6 Star quests and take down one of the Fated Four, but it’s entirely worth doing so to get your hands on this bad boy.
It’s a nice HBG that comes with a good deal of raw damage and even 10% Affinity, but none of these really matter in the face of it’s real benefit: Pierce Ammo. Any time spent with either of the Bowgun models will likely enlighten you to the benefits of such ammunition, but it’s worth reiterating that this particular type of shot travels through the opponent, striking it multiple times and often dealing tremendous amounts of damage. The Cirrus Blaster comes with access to both Pierce Ammo 1 & 2, and even allows them to be both fired and reloaded whilst on the move. The combination of such a powerful ammo type and the safety of constant movement makes this a tremendously powerful Heavy Bowgun model.
Early Features
- Access to the powerful Pierce Ammo 1 & 2.
- Allows movement whilst both firing and reloading both types of Pierce Ammo.
- Reasonable raw damage.
- 10% Affinity as a bonus!
Crafting Requirements
- Kamura H. Bowgun III
- Mizutsune Scale x 4
- Mizutsune Claw x 2
- Mizutsune Fin x 2
- Dragonite Ore x 2
Whew, quite the shopping list here. The Mizutsune Scale isn’t too bad, though if you’re having trouble getting enough of them then make sure you’re getting as many shiny drops as possible through Wyvern Riding. As you might imagine the Claws require you to break its feet, though at least the chance of dropping is very high if you do so. The Fins are probably the most awkward, mainly because your best chance is to break the face of a Mizutsune, which can be quite difficult to do whilst you’re learning.
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Sinister Volley
We’re racking up quite the collection of Magnamalo recommendations now aren’t we? Well we’re returning to the well once more for the Heavy Bowgun, though unlike the blademaster weapons it’s not for the Blast damage. This does of course mean that you’ll have to take on the purple exploding love child of Nergigante, Zinogre and Teostra, but we actually grew rather fond of taking the beast on after a while, and it tends to be involved in quite a few quests as you progress which will allow you to accumulate loot.
To the weapon then, and upon initial inspection it looks quite bland. The initial raw damage isn’t exactly massive, it doesn’t come with any bonus Affinity or such and the Ammo list actually looks quite paltry at first. Digging a little deeper will eventually reveal that the Ammo it does have available are almost all level 3, including Normal, Spread and Shrapnel, all of which can be fired whilst moving. This is all very nice and it’s worth noting that they can all be fired whilst moving, but the real main event is one particular Ammo: Slicing. This powerful shot type will stick to the enemy for a short time before dealing three hits to the location, each of which act like a slicing weapon has hit the spot. Not only can this slice off body parts, but it can be charged up with the HBG to deal even more damage. Even better, with this particular model you can move whilst it’s being charged, and thus the real key to our recommendation is revealed; you can charge up Slicing Ammo whilst moving with this HBG, and that’s all you really need to know.
Early Features
- Powerful due to being able to move and fire Slicing Ammo.
- Such things make a Charged Shot version of Slicing Ammo very powerful.
- Exhaust Ammo can be useful, especially in Multiplayer.
- Very powerful upgrade available in High Rank.
Crafting Requirements
- Magnamalo Scale x 4
- Magnamalo Tail x 1
- Magnamalo Blade x 2
- Magna Ghostprism x 3
There you were thinking the Cirrus Blaster was awkward to craft. Firstly, the Scale should be a fairly regular drop, either through carving or as a reward, and the Tail itself is rather self explanatory – lop off the tail, carve it and cross your fingers. The Blades can be a little more awkward because they require you to break the arm blades, though it is worth noting that Magnamalo takes increased damage in this area. Our experience with the Ghostprism seems to be rather unusual because we ended up with loads of them, but if you’re struggling then aim for maximising shiny drops through Wyvern Riding for your best chance.
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Categories: Monster Hunter Rise, Top 5