This guide explores the best Gunlance build that you may use in Monster Hunter Wilds to absolutely shred any and every monster.
Gunlance is a weapon with very high damage and a truly unique playstyle in Monster Hunter Wilds. With this weapon, you take a hit to your mobility, but gain a unique mix of melee and mid-ranged gameplay. While it might seem slow and clunky to many, the right build can make it an absolute beast that can take down any monster.

If you are just picking this weapon, Gunlance might feel slow and clunky. There are quite a few reasons behind this sentiment, but none stop it from being an absolute beast in Wilds. With the right set of skills to optimize it, Gunlance can become an unstoppable force in the right hands. In this guide, we will look at the best Gunlance build that you may use in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Monster Hunter Wilds Gunlance Overview
As mentioned earlier, Gunlance might feel slow off the bat. This is primarily because the weapon does not have a dodge mechanic, but you rely on sidesteps and guards instead. These dictate a unique playstyle that requires you to take the aggro of the monster as much as possible, especially to enable thePower Clashmechanic.
One of the main concerns of using a Gunlance is that its damage is divided between melee slashes and shell and stake shots. Moreover, this weapon is not the best choice when it comes to fighting very aggressive monsters like Guardian Ebony Odogaron, for example.
Here are the main pros and cons of the Gunlance:
Our best Gunlance build for Monster Hunter Wilds focuses on diminishing the reloading aspect and getting the maximum damage output at any given point in time. It will also focus on the best balance between raw and elemental damage to ensure that both the shells and the melee attacks hit massive numbers.

Best Gunlance Build in Monster Hunter Wilds
Here are the full details of the best Dual Blades build in Monster Hunter Wilds:
Best Monster Hunter Wilds Gunlance Build: Statistics
By equipping all the above items, you should have the following stats:
Attack Status
Note: These are the stats for Artian Weapons that are not reinforced. They are at base level, and reinforcing them to their maximum level (5) is suggested, which will further boost some random statistics for this weapon. Ideally, an increase in Affinity is the most desired buff.
Defense Status
Note: These stats are for armor parts that are at base level. Upgrading them to their maximum level (7) will further increase your defense.
Best Monster Hunter Wilds Dual Blade Build: Active Skills
This best Dual Blades build in Monster Hunter Wilds will give you the following skills (and levels):
Equipment Skills
Set Bonus Skills: Guardian Arkveld’s Vitality
Group Skills: Guardian’s Protection
Monster Hunter Wilds Best Gunlance Build Explained
This best Gunlance build for Monster Hunter Wilds is primarily shaped to do the following:
Here is a detailed explanation of each point mentioned above:
1) Deal Raw And Elemental Damage
Gunlance deals damage in two ways — its melee damage, which also relies on elemental, and its shell damage. As such, this best Gunlance build for Monster Hunter Wilds ensures your damage on both ends is top-notch. Most of your combos using Gunlance involve using the shells along with melee, so this ensures you get the maximum damage output on both fronts.
2) Maximum Shelling Damage
The Artian Gunlance, Argenesis, has three shells by default. By using the Load Shells skill at its maximum level 2, you get one additional shell, bringing your total number to four. This significantly increases your overall damage output and is also what makes this the best Gunlance build in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Most of the combos with the Gunlance end with Wyrmstake Full Blast Combo, which fires all of your shells and the stake to end the combo. With an added shell, you get more damage by default. Similarly, the Multi Wyrmstake Full Blast combo has an added round of shelling and stake damage.

Effectively, you get two more shells of damage with the Multi Wyrmstake Full Blast Combo. Similarly, the Burst Fire Combo also has one extra shell this way, which deals more damage.
During a fight, you will need to reload your shells outside of combos. As such, the reload time is an important thing to factor in. With the same Load Shells skill, the overall time to reload also reduces greatly.

Less reload time means less time away from battle, which means more damage from your end. At the same time, you are also vulnerable for a very short duration with faster reloads.
4) Create Wounds And Deal Massive Damage
The Gunlance deals many instances of damage with one full combo. This includes instances of the melee damage, the shellings, and also the stake. With Flayer skill at level 4, you may more than often create multiple wounds on a monster at the same time.
Hit these wounds with the Focus Strike, and you will be able to deal massive damage because of the Weakness Exploit skill at level 5.
5) Use Heals Less Frequently But Gain Massive Recovery
A lot of factors go on to uphold your survivability in this best Gunlance build in Monster Hunter Wilds. First, you have the Divine Blessing skill that automatically reduces the damage you take. Next, the Decimator II skill from the armor set further restores health when you deal damage to wounds.
Finally, the Recovery Up skill at level 3 provides maximum health restoration from a single use of a healing item. As such, this best Gunlance build easily makes sure you survive, without relying a lot on consumable items.
How to Use This Best Gunlance Build in Monster Hunter Wilds
Gunlance is easy to pick up in Monster Hunter Wilds, even as a beginner. This is largely because of the reworked shelling mechanic, which no longer consumes sharpness in Wilds. That said, this is the gameplay loop that you should try to achieve with this best Gunlance build in Monster Hunter Wilds:
Additional Notes
As ofTitle Update 2, there are a few better GL alternatives in the game apart fromArtian. With TU1, Capcom introduced some stealth nerfs for theArkveld GL, which essentially made it the superior choice due to itsBlast Shells. However, with TU2, you now have a few other alternatives, such as theSeregiosandLagiacrusGunlances. Both these GLs are quite good options for endgame and offer pretty decent base DPS.
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