There are three ranged weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds you can learn to use, including the Bow, a simple but powerful tool with unique combos to take down monsters. The Bow offers high mobility alongside strong arrows you can charge to fire at monsters in fast-paced mid-range combat. With additional tracing shots targeting monster weak spots, the Bow is a precise weapon with tons of versatile moves.

One of the biggest changes to weapons in Monster Hunter Wilds is the universal mechanic called Focus Mode. By pressing L2 on a controller, you can enter a state where your character has better aim with their attacks. During Focus Mode, you can also see Open Wounds on monsters as glowing red spots, which the Bow can easily target to deal more damage and possibly stagger a hostile monster.

All Bow Moves & How They Work

Charge Arrows To Build Up Tracer Shots

The basic attack of the Bow is performed using R2, assuming you are using a controller. Basic arrows fired from the Bow consume Stamina, unlike many other weapons in the game. This makes the Bow one of the only tools where you have to balance mobility and attacks using the same resource.

You can charge basic shots with the Bow to deal higher damage, but doing this costs more Stamina. Stronger attacks with the Bow often cost more Stamina to perform, but you can release an arrow earlier to reduce its cost. There are other attacks you can do that cost far less Stamina, including the Quick Shot, a move where you fire a spread of short-range arrows in front of your character.

The attacks that cost the most Stamina for the Bow are the Dragon Piercer and Thousand Dragons attacks, so make sure a monster is vulnerable or you are in a safe position before using either of these maneuvers.

The table below outlines many moves available to the Bow, including Focus Mode attacks in Monster Hunter Wilds and the right inputs for each technique:

Another attack often used with the Bow is the Focus Strike: Hailstorm technique, which you can activate by pressing L2 + R1. During Focus Mode, this attack creates a large, circular reticle that locks onto Open Wounds created on the monster you're fighting. When you release R1, this attack launches a volley of homing arrows that target weak points, firing more shots if you charge the attack beforehand.

How To Use The Trick Arrow Gauge & Tracers

Build Meter To Swap Out Coatings And Apply Homing Arrows

As you hit your target with multiple arrows using the Bow, you'll build up a special meter called the Trick Arrow Gauge seen in the bottom right corner of your screen. This Gauge is seen on every weapon upgrade in Monster Hunter Wilds for the Bow, representing a resource you can expend to perform new actions.

You can use one bar of the Trick Arrow Gauge to load Coatings and Tracers to your Bow, giving your next arrows new properties. When loading a Tracer by pressing R2 + Square, your next shot fires a sparking arrow that lodges itself into a target. While this Tracer is embedded into a monster, all your following shots will home into the tracer, allowing you to target specific weak points of your foe.

Tracer arrows explode after a short time within a monster, dealing stun damage. The most effective place to shoot a Tracer arrow is at a spot where a monster is vulnerable, such as its breakable tail or head areas.

By using the L1 + Triangle/X input, you select a Coating to apply to your next arrows. Using Triangle to confirm your Coating will apply new effects to the next shots you fire, up to a certain number of shots. Different Bows from different upgrade paths have limited numbers of possible coatings, but here are all the coatings in the game that a Bow may have:

• Power Coating - Increases arrow overall damage.
• Close-Range Coating - Reduces arrow range but increases their damage.
• Pierce Coating - Arrows deal high Piercing damage to monsters.
• Poison Coating - Arrows cause a build-up of the Poison status effect.
• Paralysis Coating - Arrows cause a build-up of the Paralysis status effect.
• Sleep Coating - Arros cause a build-up of the Sleep status effect.
• Blast Coasting - Arrows inflict Blast elemental damage.
• Exhaust Coating - Arrows inflict stun/exhaust on monsters.

Unlike previous Monster Hunter games, you do not need to craft specific Coatings in the same way that Bowguns must craft Ammo types. Now, the specific Bow you wield comes with one or more Coatings automatically ingrained into the weapon itself. Different weapon builds revolve around what Coatings are available, so try to investigate what each Bow offers.

Best Bow Combos

Dash Frequently And Follow-Up Tracer Arrows

An advanced technique to the Bow returns to Monster Hunter Wilds in the form of Dash Dancing, a powerful combo that utilizes your Charging Sidestep move. You can cancel the animation of nearly any Bow attack with the Sidestep, giving you ways to avoid attacks and set up new shots. For example, you can shoot a Tracer arrow, Sidestep, and then use Quick Shot to shoot a volley of homing arrows to the Tracer you planted in a fast combo.

Here are some example combos that will help you learn how to use the Bow effectively:

• Arc Shot → Charging Sidestep → Quick Shot → Power Shot → Power Volley
• Tracer → Charging Sidestep → Quick Shot → Power Shot → Focus Strike: Hailstorm → Dragon Piercer
• Apply Coating → Tracer → Charging Sidestep → Charged Shot → Charging Sidestep → Quick Shot → Thousand Dragons

Canceling the Arc Shot into your Sidestep will also lead to a great combo, as you can do a Charged Shot or Quick Shot afterward. You should try to end most combos with your Focus Strike: Hailstorm attack to deal the most damage possible to a monster. If you have low Stamina from using too many attacks, try to at least apply a Tracer and sit back with Charged Shots until your endurance recharges.

How To Play A Bow Build

Keep Stamina Healthy And Recognize Distance Limitations

To truly master the Bow, you have to be aware of Critical Distance, the effective range from your target where you deal the most damage. Every Coating type you apply to your Bow has a different Critical Distance where you deal the most damage possible with your shots. When your reticle glows orange, it means you are within range to get the most out of the shots you fire.

Do not forget that the Bow can still do melee attacks from when you jump or dismount your Seikret. Use these attacks to try and mount a monster in Monster Hunter Wilds to stagger it and create new injuries.

Some attacks, like Dragon Piercer or Thousand Dragons, have their own effective ranges where they work best. No matter what attacks you unleash, you need to control how much Stamina you expend on every Bow attack you do. It can be easy to exhaust your character by doing too many attacks at once, leaving you no Stamina to dodge incoming strikes from a monster.

Keep in mind that performing a Perfect Dodge will charge your next arrow and give you a charge of the Trick Arrow Gauge​​​​​​. This gives you the resources to inflict more damage on your next shot and have the means to load a Tracer or apply a Coating. Doing a dodge at the right time is the fastest way of filling the Trick Arrow Gauge, so try to study monster movements to make this easier.

Finding a balance between Tracers, Coatings, charging shots, and maintaining Stamina can seem overwhelming when you first pick up the Bow. However, those who find the right flow of combat with this weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds will find it easy to land combos and utilize their strongest moves to take down even the most threatening creatures.