Which Weapon is Best For YOU - All 6 Explained + Tips - Monster Hunter Stories 2 Wings of Ruin!

[@calalyoko]

I’m glad that they really fleshed out the battle system. I loved stories 1, but the weapon types just add a whole new layer to combat

[@nightdrivenen7909]

Something that was missed: Shells collected stay even if you switch out. So you can max out shells - switch to HH - Buff - then let it rip. Or even switch to other weapons to build up Kinship for a buffed Wyvern Fire.

[@bonedaddy4u376]

I honestly cant believe that Stories got a sequel, but I couldn't be happier! I thought it would be a lost gem

[@finn7655]

Ik it for one year and this 8 days are just painful.... I CAN'T WAIT AHHH

[@devilalastor3320]

Same dude. This is like one of the games I was screaming for to happen. That and dragons dogma 2

[@AsakuraEX]

Monster Hunter Stories is incredibly popular in japan, it was only natural

[@devilalastor3320]

@@AsakuraEX yeah but not that it got to the west. Like how we never got monster hunter 4 or even the stories update with rajang etc.

[@claudio_wild]

Loving the Stories content. With this and Rise my switch has become a portable full entertainment machine. The only thing i lack is enough battery life

[@star-gazer1829]

Yep, the battery life isn’t the best sadly

[@LaughingBat]

Stories 2, Rise and GU make it a great mh machine. Stories 2, SMT 3 and 5, Pokémon (let’s go, SwSh, BDSP, and legends Arceus), Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth, Digimon Survive….. The switch is quickly becoming an amazing monster game machine. I’m starting to realize why it’s becoming my favorite system.

[@claudio_wild]

@@LaughingBat if there was no joycon drift and the battery life was maybe 2 hours longer it would be the perfect system (at least personally)

[@Valkirth]

@@claudio_wild i got a portable battery for mine when out and about,agree on the joycon drift though,hopefully the new switch fixes that issue.

[@claudio_wild]

@@Valkirth so actually i use special joycons that are shaped like pro controller which feel easier to hold/use but also don't seem to really have much drift

[@luckyday5721]

After playing the demo I was grinding and or laughing like a kid at the dumb jokes so I know I want to get it when it comes out. My Birthday is coming up and although am an adult I can get myself a birthday present.

[@fireflamegamer8321]

Same bro U would do the same

[@pufnbal1744]

that sounds great! Happy early birthday! Have fun!

[@moy9948]

As long as y po u can afford it and dont put yourself in a bad financial situation, go for it man. I got myself a switch as Christmas and birthday present last year.

[@luckyday5721]

@@moy9948 Oh I'm going to plan it out. Don't need the special version but may preorder.

[@wubking9727]

I'm using Great Sword, Hammer and Bow, what I love about this game is that it encourages using all the weapon types, not just sticking with one type for the whole game, feels like it gives alot of depth to the battle system with each monster and monster part having a different weakness to each type. Can't wait for this game!

[@orichalchem]

The best weapon is Quick Finish

[@helltaker6865]

Gunlance got in. I can't believe it, MY FAVOURITE MADE IT!!! Gunlance Gang GOOOO

[@Breagle]

WOOOOO!

[@treybrzezowski3259]

Lance: Poke a Monster with a Stick. Gunlance: Poke a Monster with a Shotgun/Rifle.

[@kculzsinet]

Ya gotta admit tho, it's one G O O D stick

[@treybrzezowski3259]

@@kculzsinet Yeah but it's not as satisfying as hitting a Wyrmstake, or repositioning with Blast Dash and slicing a Tail (Which I did to Apex Rath in the infernal Springs.)

[@TheEpicGnome]

Fix bayonets

[@treybrzezowski3259]

@@TheEpicGnome For Gunlance? You know the "Shotgun/Rifle" bit was me referencing Wide and Long shelling respectively right?

[@TheEpicGnome]

@@treybrzezowski3259 Yeah, for gunlance

[@Illinaut552]

I’m really sad that charge blade isn’t a weapon. That was the one weapon I wanted

[@ryanjohnson1124]

They might add some sort of 4th damage type in the future that are the morphing weapons with charge blade and switch axe.

[@Illinaut552]

@@ryanjohnson1124 i hope charge blade is my favorite weapon

[@Zarryon12]

Same as a rise charge blade noob ...(and a Josh when it comes to greatsword,) I loved chargeblade and enjoy playing it and wanted to see it in stories.

[@Valkirth]

@Child Of God 3 my brother mains IG in mhw and iceborne so he would agree,for me HH and charge blade are my top 2 with Sns in 3rd.

[@tiger-jf6oh]

Something that should be said about the sword and shield is that there is a counterattack ability that can be unlocked, around the same time you face pukei-pukei there is a side quest that if you show this guy a bone sword and shield you will unlock this ability.

[@larsbohmer6319]

My Three Weapons of Choice are: Slot 1: Sword and Shield Reason: When you should be targeted by multiple Monsters at a Time can you use for 15 Points of your Kinship Gauge an Counter Stance which lets you Deal Damage to all Enemies which Attack you in the next Turn Slot 2: Bow Reason: The correct use of Status Ailments can at the Beginning really safe your skin in tougher battles. Example: Sleep Slot: 3 Hammer Reason: Simple Bonk with great synergy to the Ailment applying Bow

[@tigerx36]

Okay. I use most of these in Rise already. Hunting Horn is great and is one of my mains and just felt like more of a fit than Hammer. Hard call between Sword & Shield or Great Sword. Bow is so good in Rise and may try Gunlance in either game. Downloaded the demo and can't wait to start.

[@Genthreelibre]

SnS is the closest I'll get to punching the monsters so I guess I'll go with that.

[@crimsonreaper177]

Quick thing, once you hit a high enough level or power level you can quick battle things and just end the fight in a flash. By pressing the back triggers

[@fedoraking3611]

If it weren’t for these guys playing through stories 1; I would never have played the second game. Love the demo!

[@joshmay2944]

Having recently picked up gunlance for the first time ever and finding it a total blast, I think I’ll continue that adventure over into Stories 2, and considering the weapon is also a new addition to the series it should be pretty exciting!

[@burningcobra68]

Get it blast. More like explosively fun

[@aceofhearts990]

The only problem is... NOTHING IS WEAK TO PIERCE

[@helltaker6865]

@@aceofhearts990 In the demo yes, but I'm sure the rest of the game will be more balanced

[@GunlessSnake]

@@aceofhearts990 Yian Kut-Ku is actually quite weak to Pierce; it's the best damage type for breaking its Head. It's also good against trash-tier Herbivores like Larinoth and Aptonoth.

[@aceofhearts990]

@@GunlessSnake Yeah but I'm not really hunting those much. I usually kill Pukei and Bulldrome.

[@sir_coma60]

Greatsword, hammer and bow charge mechanics don't carry over when you swap, so they need to stay in to utilize their combos. Gunlance shell however do store, so swapping mid combat will not reset your combo.

[@thunderstar7682]

Honestly I just use the weapon that I like the most from each category. (Sns, HH and Bow)

[@joshuadixon6026]

Dis me

[@burningcobra68]

Gl is good combo with hh cuase u buff kinship gain and also def witch make gl more of a tank and they help each other

[@ruiribeiro8010]

Same and same weapons lol

[@perisbizarrecorner7443]

Never been so hyped to see Bulldrome on screen #BringBulldromeBack

[@AkantorCZ]

I've finished the demo with Sns + HH combo. I've also found interesting charm that increases effect of skills for the higher cost which kind of worked for this playstyle.

[@Lord3McKay]

The gunlance has become my instant favorite. Defense and strength and big flashy booms? Yes sir!

[@star-gazer1829]

I finished the demo and now I’m just grinding levels for when the full game is released! The story so far is amazing, I can wait for the full game!!

[@pikminarmy7538]

Couple things to note: the status chaser for hammer and move canclers from gunlance will also most likly apply to sword and sheild and other weapons as the last game had some optional quest which rewarded you with new moves for the specified weapon . Another thing to note is gunlance gains two ammo in addition to the passive one on a crit regardless if its a head to head making whetstones have great synergy with this weapon.

[@NDalll]

One thing about what you said about now was wrong, the extra PowerShot is not random, it happens at the end of a turn when your charge runs out

[@Perpyshi]

I wonder if josh and cotton will be playing together once the full game release since there will be co-op

[@tatererer9747]

They will

[@Lintu-Lady]

Hoping so

[@gruggedup9083]

I think that josh will play the story on his save but once they do co-op I’m sure they’ll play together

[@Pokecraftking]

I am VERY biased with it being my all together favorite main game weapon, but I'm definitely gonna build around hammer. I know biw will synergise well with it, and i think sns will perfectly contrast the combos and offensive mechanics of the other 2. So most likely SnS, Hammer, and Bow as the main 3.

[@Zenryu7]

Great sword, HH, and Gunlance.

[@Breagle]

You have the exact idea that I have. I was pondering over which 3 weapons I would use, if I play this game, while watching the video and this was my conclusion near the end of the video. :P

[@kaym4112]

I'm gonna gunlance this one, I think. I played the first one with HH and it was a SLOG (mostly got by with spam heal song), and GL was my secondary weapon back in World/Iceborne.

[@deinonychus1948]

My main weapon is the Gunlance (I switch to Hammer and Greatsword when I need to) mainly because it's playstyle is quite unique, instead of one shelling type being stupidly overpowered (looking at you MHW Long Shelling!!) and some being comparatively weak (looking at you MH Rise Wide Shelling!!) shelling in general is fantastic, normal shelling for their specific attack type (Power, Technical, Speed) boosts your Kinship Gauge a lot when you win a Head-to-Head with them, with higher shelling levels costing more shells but in return they boost your Kinship Gauge a lot more! It's nice to see that Gunlance is getting SOME love this time around!!

[@Caedynna]

I think I'm doing the second choice for all three options! None of these weapons are my favorite (Insect Glaives on FIRE) but they're all fun :D

[@nickcampbell3812]

I finished the demo, but luckily even if you save after the demo, which locks that save on the end screen, you can load the autosave which puts you just before the end of the demo. Now I'm just grinding everyone to max level for the demo (11) and collecting stuff to upgrade everything I can. Can't wait for the full release.

[@Ju5t4l1z4rd]

I gone through the demo and loved it, my weapon set up is Pukie Pukie Sword&Sheild/Greatsword, Tetsucabra Gunlance, and Kut-Ku Hammer with the revival Charm as it's a saver as you can out heal poison and burns damage. To get the Tetsucabra Gunlance and Revival Charm, speak to the melynx in the village who will give you the equipment in exchange of bottle caps.

[@greevemallus3612]

More like which 3 are the best for you. The system seems to infer that you need to dabble in all 3 types, piercing, slashing, and blunt types, and you have two options for each of those types: Slashing can choose great sword or SNS, pierce is gunlance or bow, and blunt in HH or Hammer. Now there might be some crazy combos later in the game that really don't requiring you having full coverage of the types, but at least at this point you will probably want one from each category.

[@97dusk]

Being able to equip _three_ weapons was a definite surprise to me when I booted up the demo! I was expecting using Bow exclusively for the entirety of the game, as I did in the first game with SnS, but having to equip two additional weapons changed things a bit. Bow is still going to be my main weapon, but my two sub-weapons will be Hammer and SnS. Hammer for the potential synergy with Bow, and SnS because of its defensive capability and it being the weapon I used in Stories 1. One thing you neglected to mention about Bow, though, is that it has access to the Absolute Evasion skill, which will allow you to dodge any attack as long as it's not guaranteed to hit. It really came in handy against Anjanath, in particular.

[@SigmaGuardian66]

Hammer also has absolute evasion too.

[@joshuadixon6026]

So the upside to the buddy system is, you can do a double head to head with your buddies monstie if your own monster is using the wrong attack type. There's some more conditions but it is possibru.

[@Starlitsoul0359]

I’m personally getting the special preorder edition. Cause well… I started planning and saving from the SECOND i saw it was going to be coming out. The fact they added Gunlance (gunlance main in world and rise), gave us all a demo, AND made sure that demo showed how fleshed out and complicated the battle system is now? Oh that’s all just metaphor icing on top of the huge metaphor cake. They knew what they were doing with this game and went all out. That said, I’m gonna be going Sword and Shield, Horn, and Gunlance for my weapons. (Or more accurately already am) My reasoning is the horn will no doubt get a healing skill, on top of it’s already versatile buffs to add to my overall survivability, as well as make sure my companions don’t kick the bucket early. Then. Sword and Shield as well as Gunlance both have a defensive buff to them. Sword and Shield obviously has much more in the way of versatility, meanwhile Gunlance acts as the offensive boom behind it all! …. That said though, I won’t lie. The biggest buff they did to this game’s survivability is tearing up your battle pouch and giving you a battle bag of holding. Like seriously, now I have a reason to grind for lifepowders and potions! Not even mentioning how useful all those vital essences will be… …. Oh no they’re going to make the endgame horrifying….

[@MrAcrum]

I was already planning to give gunlance a whirl to begin with, but it just sounds so interesting mechnically that I'm can't wait for my demo to finish downloading now

[@Aykalia]

Just to correct you on the GL, I noticed it is not via HtH that you gain extra ammo, but via crits!

[@kitchengun1175]

my spaghetti western town of a wallet makes me sad that I can't afford this game after getting rise

[@Darkflo23]

I just love that the Gunlance is included.

[@femthingevelyn]

here I am trying to max out all the available weapons and armor before finishing the demo

[@Thousandaxe]

so they made the hunting horn, the weapon with high damage and KO potential with support elements, and just made it a support weapon.... great. There goes my main. the Bow and Gunlance look great though.

[@notsohumblebee5150]

Something I noticed about the bow. Unless I was just getting very lucky, I’m pretty sure that if you charge, and then follow it up with you spread/rapid/pierce shot, it guarantees a power shot follow up.

[@lucidragon5260]

I think the charge just automatically gives you a power shot at the end of the next turn no matter what you do.

[@ZackUpdike]

In the demo, I only used gunlance. Wait, you gain kinship by attacking with the other weapons?

[@insulttothehumanrace3807]

I do like the idea that after the events of the first game Riders and Hunters are working together more, which resulted in a sharing of knowledge & tech thus the new weapons and more advanced combat for Riders. I'm a sucker for worldbuilding details like that. ... Oh, right, the weapon types. Looks like they've balanced the combat a bit more in the Riders' favor, which is neat and fixes one of the combat issues in the first game. Looking forward to giving this a go.

[@burnoutcat2387]

Been starting the game pretty late so I'm always here with increasingly stronger SnS and bow but I still have the damn Kulu hammer. Didn't upgrade anything either and somehow destroying any kind of opposition.

[@ThePokeShapeshifter]

Sword and Shield, Hunting Horn and Gunlance for the trifecta. Different damage types, support, defense, complexity and simplicity all in a single set of 3.

[@Darkwarp1994]

Sticking to 1 weapon Yeah i can see one person that will do that anyway with great sword *looks at josh*

[@jordanlane8699]

Gunlance is my favourite weapon thus far. I think I'll be using Gunlance, Hunting Horn, Greatsword. Gunlance for no other reason than I love it. But Hunting Horn/GS so I can do attack buff/crit buff and then a three stage GS attack fully buffed, then repeat (for anything weak against slash damage). Really looking forward to this game and for the Pro/Noob series that'll accompany it. :)

[@Stories-ji7lz]

Red is not the first protagonist, for anyone who didn’t know.

[@enzuojohn3540]

Red seems to be the first rider Redan？

[@Dinoboots]

@@enzuojohn3540 doubt it honestly, Redan was a rider that stopped the black blight ages before the first game. Like 100 years if I remember correctly.

[@Stories-ji7lz]

@@enzuojohn3540 well stories 2 takes place four years after the events from the first game, in the first they said redan was alive thousands of years ago.

[@gjet35]

I've been using the GS/Hammer/GL myself. Big meaty hits all the time - although I really should switch the GL to the Bow so I can take advantage of the ailment-boosted attacks Hammer has.

[@DevilJhoMama]

Gunlance just sucks when you have an ally, much less chance of getting targeted directly.

[@AkaiAzul]

Not necessarily true. Game uses a threat level. If you have low HP and low defenses, the monster is much more likely to target you.

[@DevilJhoMama]

@@AkaiAzul which is still quite terrible overall, I don't think you want to be going for head to heads at low hp.

[@AkaiAzul]

@@DevilJhoMama Winning Head-to-Heads can't kill you. I can be at 1 HP, win a Head-to-Head against a 1k attack and still live. This mechanic is what makes Heroics and Vigilance builds work. Granted it does leave you vulnerable to double attacks and non Head-to-Head AOEs.

[@DevilJhoMama]

@@AkaiAzul aswell as being vulnerable to death if you lose or tie the head to head.

[@schockingtonio]

I would probably main gunlance with sns but I'm not quite sure which blunt weapon I'd go for

[@Runaetus]

Doot doot

[@luisemoralesfalcon4716]

Nergigante and Bazelgueze.

[@krika1119]

A kind of thing I came to a very early conclusion to is have a weapon of each special damage type, and choose a favorite among them. My current setup is greatsword, hammer, and bow. But I might swap out greatsword for sns

[@mt_baldwin]

So far it looks like I'll be taking S&S, HH and probably gunlance. Which is nice for a S&S main that also uses HH. Though it really will come down to which weapons work best in this game and not what I used in Rise. This and Shin Megami Tensei V are the two games I've been looking forward to the most this year (I only got Rise because of MHS2, I had no idea it would become my 3rd favorite game ever, convert me into a hardcore Mh fan and that I'd play it for over 500 hours).

[@randymarsh9247]

If you like Rise that much and haven't already, you should really give World/Iceborne a go. As much as i love Rise, World unfortunately is and probably will be for quiet some time on a completly different level in almost every aspect. And if you don't mind losing some QoL, visuals and funny gimmicks, take a look at Generations Ultimate. It probably isn't as appealing as Rise or World for a new Player to the series, but in my book it still is the most charming and fun in the whole series. i'd definitely recommend watching some videos about both these titles :)

[@brutstorm3309]

Ether Great Sword, Hammer and Bow. Ore Sword & Shield, Hunting Horn and Gunlance.

[@rasendori20]

Hopefully Capcom will put this game on the shelf now that it’s out so they can focus on the PC port of Rise.

[@Ryodraco]

It's not even out yet though. One can presume it will continue to get some focus after release too.

[@legendarytat8278]

No lmao

[@Andrewking-cu4yb]

I just picked one sever, blunt and arrow looking icon weapon

[@thefoxspartincomments9394]

I thought switch axe was going to in Stories 2 there so i picked gunlance and im loving it

[@thefoxspartincomments9394]

And im challenging my self were i only use the weapon i got equiped like the first game

[@thelostician]

1 thing to note. if you charge with the bow, the power shot is guaranteed

[@jamiekosch2562]

i like using sword and shelldid along with a bow and then a hore with fier so it can do a good hit to

[@Azg4l0R1]

Can you keep the ammo if you change to H. horn?

[@tempestslime8555]

i love how he says josh would never let me use greatsword 💔

[@SaiTaX_the_Chile_boi]

Boom stick looking good.

[@Navarp]

Greatsword, Hunting Horn, Gunlance.

[@fedoraking3611]

My 3 weapons are Great sword, Hammer, and Gun lance. Is this a good set?

[@burningcobra68]

Switch with hh u buff gl and gl give kinship so your in a loop

[@fedoraking3611]

But I don't like using support weapons.

[@randymarsh9247]

@@fedoraking3611 honestly just play whatever you enjoy the most. After some testing i figured the two optimal combos are: SnS/Hammer/Bow or Great Sword/Hunting Horn/Gunlance. I personally however will stick with GS/Hammer/Bow bc you know... i just like them. At a later Stage in the game it probably won't even matter that much (Like in Stories 1)

[@Wordgoblin]

"A giant hunk of steel meant to be wielded by hunters both strong of body and strong of will." Or children, apparently.

[@unseeninja83]

It’s about time we got a new weopon that has such little physical damage it looks pointless but it controls elements and can change between all of them like the Bowguns. I’m imagining some sorta weopon that deals like 1 damage but deals additional damage when monster is afflicted by a status ailment.

[@zephyr7748]

Blunt and Sharp I'm still thinking over I will have the bow as my main weapon

[@NashNeji06]

I love all of them, and I believe I'll choose definite ones based on the unlockable skills they'll have

[@kadie119]

I bought the gun lance with bottle caps I think I have a problem with min maxing demos

[@guardian_of_the_rune]

How did they not include lance in a game about riding dinosaurs?

[@JayceAroo1313]

The weapon swapping makes me so happy 😭 it just makes the game a lot more fun and creates new combos

[@SuperLuigi1025]

As someone who played the first game. Unlike the main series it doesn't matter what weapon you use near the end game they all become the same at that point. Only difference here you now have 3 weapons for 3 different types now for 3 different type of monster types. This series throws the normal monster hunter stuff out the window and replaces it with an RPG system. If they keep the system from the first game once you beat it gives even more of a pointless need to pick one of over the other. Only armor was the thing you had to worry about while weapons weren't. So yeah unless they don't keep high rank gear system from the first game then there is no point to picking a weapon just for stats or what it does since they all be the same in the post game.

[@luistijerina1164]

I'm using SNS, HH and Gunlance. Sad I don't have my CB, but I'm ok with it.

[@thestrikebooster]

Hows that setup been working for you?

[@luistijerina1164]

@@thestrikebooster it's going ok, I'm using HH for buffs and sometimes damage depending on monster. And use other stuff for damage too.

[@jacobniemann4756]

Use Berserk (crit up) and Charge ahead (all elm atk up) buffs on hunting horn and you can do more dmg than hammer but what I do is swap to GS and do stupid dmg as you keep the buffs when switching weapons and GS is the hardest hitting weapon so GG lol. Edit: Gunlance feels awesome but if you are taking a monstie with an aoe kinship like Kulu-ya-ku for example literally never use wyverns fire (and that pains me to say)

[@r3gret2079]

Thanks for that intro. Now I'm even more sad there's no Insect Glaive.... Dammit.

[@ashlynnrose161]

I never would have thought about that I was planning on using bow only cause I love bows but after this video I might go bow, hammer, and sword and shield

[@crimsonreaper177]

I have been using the s&s and the bow mostly through the demo. If you know the pattern of monsters and how much damage your partner does you can deal quite a bit of damage with bow. (if maxed and rapid/puki puki bow lol)

[@Ouroboros619]

I wasn't planning on purchasing Stories 2, but the demo had me hooked.

[@MaddixCuhming]

Man kinda hoping for chargeblade they did do it dirty in rise

[@ViralN9]

I... really was not expecting to see a SW Rebels clip.

[@kevindepoppe7995]

Hi the bow will get an advantage vs flying creatures, since every melee weapon wil get -% to hit and the bow wil not.

[@TyrantRex22]

I rock the GS, Hammer and Gunlance

[@ryanjohnson1124]

Unfortunately all the gunlances are kinda ass in the demo, the best one you can't even upgrade.

[@jorjorbear6436]

In stories 1 I mained great sword and in stories 2 my favorite weapon is great sword

[@joegandara8583]

Bow, GS, and HH for ailment prevention or buffs.

[@Shidyk]

I already know which weapons I will be using. A Great Sword, a HH, and a Gunlance. Power and Support for the win! XD

[@E1660r]

Thumbs up just for the Sword in the Stone clip.

[@chaosdragon-fox1864]

Still a Greatsword main but I am also Doot-doot and arrow slinger.

[@charicole105]

I'm feeling GS, HH and Bow. Bow may swap out for GL since I have no blocking option

[@omegon2540]

Cant wait for the what your wepon says about you rise edition

[@thestrikebooster]

Man I just love countering with my sword and shield😍

[@Jurby]

I’m running Greatsword, Hammer, Gunlance

[@blazingaxels]

I've pretty much made my lineup for the demo gl, gs, and hammer. If there are better hunting horns later on I'll use it, but i personally prefer mhs1 hh mechanics

[@natskyzurcaled7888]

Im still here 😁😁😁 evrry monster hunter i play i always looking for you hahaha

[@lamihadamshareef5270]

Well now I know my load out in my game Great sword Hunting horn And gun lance

[@codydenman5819]

Great sword hammer and bow

[@john-gh5yo]

I'm really divided on my three. I wanna use G.sword, hammer and g.lance but they're all build up and don't offer any quick damage. But I also do wanna go for Sns hammer and bow. Sns for it's guard and quick damage, hammer for it's build up to powerful damage and bow to go with the hammer. Makes me sad h.horn don't do much for me being how I mained it...until rise

[@randymarsh9247]

Hunting Horn will probably be an insane buffer weapon in the full release. Imagine having a much bigger party mid- to end- game. Those extra damage buffs will probably be OP af.