Monster Hunter: World can play quite differently depending on which weapon type you pick for your hunter, with some more conducive to new players and others requiring some serious skill to master.
Jan 15, 2019 The Speed Sharpening/Non-elemental Boost come from jewels Armor Set. For Chest Armor, you can pick a Safe choice with the Drachen Chest. In general, it does not take much time to get used to MHW Switch Axe once you know the basic grasp of other melee weapons. Compare to MHW Charge Blade, the Switch Axe’s learning curve is more. I wouldn't count on that. I don't have exact numbers for MHW, but in previous games, you KO the monster just 10% faster. From ten shield attacks, that's just one shield more. And it doesn't give you more KOs during the hunt. And even if I don't have the exact KO number from MHW.
Focused on high mobility and a rapid rate of fire, the light bowgun is a solid choice for the initiate monster hunter if you can master moving while shooting and don't mind reloading more frequently.
The LBG features a wide range of ammo types for maximum versatility, so if you like inflicting status effects to help out your teammates or make a solo battle more manageable, then the light bowgun is for you. The only real downside is that you need to frequently farm for ammo components, so it does add to the grind.
Ready to try out an MH World light bowgun build? Below we cover everything you need to know and outline the best build currently available!
Rocking a light bowgun build!
Monster Hunter World Light Bowgun Basics
Positioning and multi-tasking are key here, as each LBG has an optimal damage range, which you can see when the crosshair glows. To fire the bowgun, use L2 to aim and R2 to fire (on the PS4), or you can also fire from the hip without aiming. A melee attack with the bowgun is available in a pinch, but it isn't really meant to actually kill monsters.
You don't have to worry about combos with the light bowgun, and you can instead focus on crafting different types of ammo for each situation while staying at a distance during a fight. Unlike the heavy bowgun, you can still effectively dodge and roll out of the way in close combat, using sidestep multiple times in a row to slide away from an attack.
Mhw How Much Of A Boost Is Drachen Elemental Dmg Free
Don't forget that light bowguns have special ammo fired with a different button (circle on PS4). This special ammo builds up over time (rather than being crafted or bought), so make sure to fire it when the gauge is full or you are effectively losing out on additional ammo.
Be sure to also customize LBG weapons at the smithy to install add-ons like a Recoil Suppressor, Reload Speed Assist, or increases to damage at either close or long range, depending on your preferred play style.
Modifying an LMB (thanks to Fefxtralife for the screenshot)
Best Monster Hunter World LBG Builds
Slicing ammo was nerfed a bit in the latest patch, so it may be time to retool your light bowgun build to focus on normal shots. The Karma light bowgun at the end of the Odagaron tree is a fabulous way to go if you put together the right combination of equipment and skills.
There are several different ways to go on the mods, but the combo of Reload Assist x2 and one Close Range Up mod lets you quickly reload and deal tons of damage while close to an enemy -- just get ready to dodge quickly!
Weakness Exploit / Attack +
You want to capitalize on the weakness exploit skill to increase your damage as much as possible with your high rate of fire on the LBG. Dragonking Eyepatch and Kaiser Vambraces work well here, but there are plenty of other armor sets with weakness exploit if you went a different route.
Besides weakness exploit, the attack boost skill also pairs incredibly well with a light bowgun build. On this end, Dober Mail and Nergigante Coil both offer attack boost additions.
A killer Karma Light Bowgun build (thanks to Social Dissonance for the screenshot)
Mhw How Much Of A Boost Is Drachen Elemental Dmg Download
Don't forget that many of the Nergigante pieces feature attack boost as well, so feel free to swap out other equipment on that set (such as Kaiser Vambraces for Nergigante Vambraces) if you like attack boost over weakness exploit.
Next, it's time to think about the legs armor slot. While there are plenty of good options here, the Diablos Nero Greaves give a boost to normal shot, which works very well with the Karma LBG. Finally, Awakening Charm II gives you an edge with a bonus to the Free Elem/Ammo Up skill.
Other LBG Builds
The Karma, of course, isn't the only possible route to a great light bowgun build! No matter which weapon you pick, the armor types are typically going to be similar, as you want to utilize weakness exploit and attack boost. If you want to go a different route, though, the Xeno'jiiva set with expert and mighty jewels attached can boost your affinity.
Don't discount LBGs from the Nergigante tree (like Nergal Spitter or Cataclysm's Trigger) or those from the Workshop tree (like the Dai-onigashima). While it has lower affinity, the Cataclysm's Trigger in particular has higher base attack and can be a big damage dealer.
Putting together a Cataclysm's Trigger build (thanks to FightinCowboy for the sreenshot)
Even More MH World Guides
Although each of your individual attacks tends to deal less damage with an LBG, you will get hit far less often, making it an excellent option for any hunter. Light Bowguns also recently got an overall buff to damage in one of the latest patches, so give it a try and let us know how it goes!
Still need help with the rest of this addictive monster-hunting grind fest? Be sure to check out our Monster Hunter: World guides below:
Last updated on October 21st, 2018
Monster Hunter World (MHW) features 14 different weapon types, with the Bow being one of them. In this Guide we’ll take a look at exactly how to use this Weapon to its fullest, as well as show you some things you may not know about it. If you’re new to the game or you are a veteran of the franchise and just need a quick refresher, this Guide is for you.
Bow Guide
Bows in Monster Hunter: World are designed for the player who wants to hang back and pick off their target from a safe distance. The Bow is ranged weapon capable of unleashing a never ending barrage of arrows on the target. While simple to use, it’s mastery requires a detailed knowledge of the best combinations of arrows, coatings, and distance from the monster. Unlike some games, in Monster Hunter: World Bows do not use ammo and so Hunters will never run out arrows. Instead they use coatings, which apply special effects to the arrows, and have a limited number of uses.
- Difficulty: Low
- Role: DPS/Utility
- Mobility: Good
- Sharpness: None
Basic Combos
Bows do not use Combos the way many weapons in the game do, and instead they use to aim and is Fire, which can be held to charge up arrow tiers. The higher the tier the higher the damage, however, charging costs Stamina so keep an eye on your bar or you may run out and be unable to attack.
Bow users can also use to fire a special shot that varies from Bow to Bow, which may help you decide which Bow you prefer to use.
Pressing immediately after a regular uncharged shot with will perform a Power Shot. Power Shots gain 1 arrow tier vs the last shot that was fired.
As you can see Bows don’t have a particularly complicated moveset making them welcoming to new players. However, mastering them is a different matter entirely.
Special Attacks and Things of Interest
Pressing + will do a special attack called Dragon Piercer. This attack hits for increased damage but has a lengthy animation, you cannot move when you use it, and so you must be careful to find a good window to fire it.
Pressing any direction + will allow you to sidestep an incoming attack. This is great for when you don’t have time to roll, but requires some reaction time to pull off. If you manage a successful Evade with this move you can then either press for a quick Charged Shot OR do a lunging melee attack by pressing that can Mount monsters.
You can sidestep into a charged shot by pushing a direction + X.
As mentioned above Bows have arrow tiers that increase when you charge a shot, shoot in quick succession or by dodging after a shot and shooting again quickly. Being able to pull off shots that are of higher tiers easily will help increase your DPS.
Bows use Coatings to enhance their attacks, and Coatings each have different properties with different effects. Each Bow can only use specific Coatings and these vary from Bow to Bow as well. Hunters can apply Coatings to their arrows by hitting Up or Down on the D-Pad until they reach the Coating they want and then pressing to “load it”. Once “loaded” your arrows will gain the properties of that Coating type until you run out of it. Below you can see a list of Coatings and their properties (this is not a full list).
- Power: Increases damage. Most bows can use this coating.
- Power 2: Greatly increases damage. Few bows can use this, and fewer of them can be carried than normal power coatings.
- Elemental: Increases elemental damage. Most bows with elemental damage can use this coating.
- Elemental 2: Increases elemental damage. Few bows with elemental damage can use this, and fewer of them can be carried.
- Close Range: Increases damage the closer the hunter is to the monster and when using melee attacks.
- Poison: Arrows can inflict poison
- Paralysis: Arrows can inflict paralysis
- Sleep: Arrows can inflict sleep
- Blast: Arrows cause an explosion after enough of them have hit the target
- Exhaust: Arrows drain the monster’s stamina
Final Tips
Since Bows have a variety of unique properties such as special attacks and possible Coatings, Hunters wishing to use this weapon effectively will need to learn the specific Bow they are using. This isn’t the case with most weapons in Monster Hunter: World, and it’s one that sets the Bow apart.
Bows have an optimal range when firing, and firing from that range is key to maximum efficiency with this weapon. You will know you are within proper range when your cross hairs glow orange when aiming at the monster with. Coatings applied to you arrows will also affect this range, so be sure to learn what these ranges are so you can position yourself accordingly.
You can see what it looks like when Out of Range vs. optimal range.
Mhw How Much Of A Boost Is Drachen Elemental Dmg 2
A knowledge of the monster you are fighting goes a long way when using a Bow because you can swap Coatings to use whatever it is weak to, thus improving your DPS. Additionally certain monsters have weak spots and Bow users are in the fortunate situation that they can aim for specific parts of the monster somewhat more easily that other Hunters. Figuring out where and what to shoot with is key.
Lastly, Bows do NOT have Sharpness the way other weapons do and thus do not need to be sharpened regularly. This gives you the advantage of keeping up your barrage for as long as your Stamina holds out, so be sure to do just that.
Mhw How Much Of A Boost Is Drachen Elemental Dmg Download
Be sure to check out our other Weapon and Monster Guides for all your needs and if you have specific questions be sure to check out the Monster Hunter World Wiki. Good Luck Hunters! May the furs be with you!