MHW Weapon Tier List: Best Solo & Multiplayer Weapons

With over 235+ hours, this is my ranking of the weapon types in Monster Hunter World with the Iceborne Expansion.

Monster Hunter World is an RPG that lets players hunt down different monsters. They are allowed to choose from a wide range of different weapons. However, not every weapon is well-suited for every player. This is mainly because all weapons are unique in their own way. All of them have their own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, deciding which weapon can help you quickly take down a powerful monster can get confusing.  For this reason, I will write down a weapon tier list.

Key Highlights
  • Monster Hunter World’s wide range of weapons extends to 14 distinct options–11 of the Blademaster type and 3 Gunner types.
  • Each weapon is ranked based on its output power in Solo and Multiplayer usage domains. 
  • Heavy Bowgun and Light Bowgun are the most potent weapons since they are fit for both Solo and Multiplayer use in MHW. 
  • Operation-specific weapons like Lance rank as the worst MHW weapons.
  • Choosing weapons that ace both Solo and Multiplayer gameplay will help you perform better. 

Comparison Table

Here’s a quick look at each category, along with their preferred mode and best weapon in MHW:

Weapon TypeModeTierBest Weapon
Great Sword SoloS Black Fatalis Blade
Heavy Bowgun SoloS Vor Buster
Heavy Bowgun MultiplayerS-
Light Bowgun MultiplayerS-
HammerSoloAFatalis Demolisher
Switch Axe SoloATrue Fatalis End
Bow SoloAKjarr Bow King
Light Bowgun SoloAFatalis Depth
Switch Axe MultiplayerA-
Bow MultiplayerA-
Sword and Shield MultiplayerA-
Charge BladeSoloBKjarr Strongarm
Dual Blades SoloBKulve Taroth Dual Blades
Long Sword SoloBFatalis Zaggespanon
Charge Blade MultiplayerB-
Hunting Horn MultiplayerB-
Insect Glaive SoloCTrue Fatalis Dyaus
Gunlance SoloCTrue Fatalis Gunlance
Sword and Shield SoloCTrue Fatalis Sword
Hammer MultiplayerC-
Insect Glaive MultiplayerC-
Lance MultiplayerC-
Dual Blades MultiplayerC-
Hunting Horn SoloDFatalis Menace Wailer
Lance SoloDTrue Fatalis Lance
Great Sword MultiplayerD-
Gunlance MultiplayerD-
Long Sword MultiplayerD-

MHW Weapon Tier List

My tier list below will focus on solo and multiplayer weapons. I am going to list the weapons in five different tiers. I will also list the advantages and disadvantages of each weapon to further help you out.

Here is the summary: 

Tier List Ranking Table 
Tiers Multiplayer Weapons Solo Weapons 
S-Tier Light Bowgun, Heavy Bowgun, Hunting Horn Great Sword, Long Sword
A-Tier Bow, Switch Axe, Charge Blade Switch Axe, Charge Blade, Hammer
B-Tier Insect Glaive, Great Sword, Long Sword Dual Blades, Insect Glaive, Heavy Bowgun, Sword and Shield
C-Tier Sword and Shield, Dual Blades, Lance, Hammer Gunlance, Bow, Light Bowgun
D-Tier Gunlance Lance, Hunting Horn

S-Tier 

These are the most powerful weapons in Monster Hunter World. There isn’t any weapon better than them. 

Great Sword (Solo) 

MHW Weapon Tier List
Great Sword
Advantages
  • High damage output. 
  • Great range.
  • Useful against powerful enemies. 
Disadvantages 
  • Slow speed.
Best Great Sword in Monster Hunter World  Black Fatalis Blade

Long Sword (Solo) 

MHW Weapon Tier List
Longsword
Advantages
  • Good damage with each hit.
  • Good defensive options. 
Disadvantages 
  • Attacks must be accurate for them to deal the most damage. 
Best Long Sword  in Monster Hunter World  Fatalis Zaggespanon

Heavy Bowgun (Multiplayer) 

Advantages
  • Amazing damage output.
  • Great range.
Disadvantages 
  • Ammo capacity issues. 

Light Bowgun (Multiplayer) 

Advantages
  • Excellent mobility.
  • Decent damage output.
  • Good range. 
Disadvantages 
  • Ammo capacity issues. 

Hunting Horn (Multiplayer) 

Advantages
  • Can heal teammates.
  • Can provide them with different buffs.
Disadvantages 
  • Poor animations. 

Also Check: Soul Calibur 6 Tier List 

A-Tier

A-tier weapons in my tier list are extremely powerful and can help you take down powerful monsters quickly.

Charge Blade (Solo) 

MHW Weapon Tier List
Charge Blade
Advantages
  • Offers two different forms.
  • Sword form comes with a shield.
  • Does a lot of damage in burst mode. 
Disadvantages 
  • Few defensive options.
  • Axe form is a bit difficult to learn and master. 
Best Charge Blade in Monster Hunter World  Kjarr Strongarm

Hammer (Solo) 

MHW Weapon Tier List
Hammer
Advantages
  • Good damage output.
  • Hard-hitting.
Disadvantages 
  • Less defensive options.
  • Does more damage with head attacks only. 
Best Hammer in Monster Hunter World  Fatalis Demolisher

Switch Axe (Solo) 

MHW Weapon Tier List
Switch Axe
Advantages
  • Good reach.
  • Provides the luxury to switch between two forms.
  • Both forms have their own benefits.
Disadvantages 
  • Slow animations.
  • Not easy to use.
Best Switch Axe in Monster Hunter World  True Fatalis End

Switch Axe (Multiplayer) 

Advantages
  • Offers two modes.
  • Good combos.
Disadvantages 
  • Poor animations. 

Bow (Multiplayer) 

Advantages
  • Remarkable range.
  • Good mobility.
  • Good damage output. 
Disadvantages 
  • Consumes a lot of stamina. 

Charge Blade (Multiplayer) 

Advantages
  • Amazing combos.
  • Good damage output. 
Disadvantages 
  • Can hurt teammates with sweeping axe attacks. 

B-Tier

These weapons are not that powerful, but can still help you hold your ground firmly against powerful monsters.

Heavy Bowgun (Solo) 

MHW Weapon Tier List
Heavy Bowgun
Advantages
  • Allows the user to attack from a safe distance.
  • Amazing damage output. 
Disadvantages 
  • Low mobility.
  • Ammo capacity issues.
Best Heavy Bowgun in Monster Hunter World  Vor Buster

Similar Tier Lists: Smite Tier List 

Dual Blades (Solo)

MHW Weapon Tier List
Dual Blades
Advantages
  • Fastest weapon in the entire game.
  • Great combos.
Disadvantages 
  • Uses a lot of stamina. 
  • Poor range. 
Best Dual Blades in Monster Hunter World  Kulve Taroth Dual Blades

Insect Glaive (Solo) 

MHW Weapon Tier List
Insect Glaive
Advantages
  • Allows the user to perform ariel attacks.
  • Helps with mounting huge monsters easily.
Disadvantages 
  • Damage output is low.
  • Uses a lot of stamina. 
Best Insect Glaive in Monster Hunter World  True Fatalis Dyaus

Sword and Shield (Solo) 

MHW Weapon Tier List
Sword and Shield
Advantages
  • Offers decent offensive and defensive options.
  • Allows the use of different items.
Disadvantages 
  • Poor damage output. 
Best Sword and Shield in Monster Hunter World  True Fatalis Sword

Insect Glaive (Multiplayer) 

Advantages
  • Helps the party with mounting large monsters.
  • Allows aerial combat.
Disadvantages 
  • Low damage output.
  • Always need to worry about managing essences. 

Great Sword (Multiplayer) 

Advantages
  • Hard-hitting weapon.
  • Amazing damage output. 
Disadvantages 
  • Advantages are suitable mostly for solo play. 

Long Sword (Multiplayer) 

Advantages
  • Good damage output. 
Disadvantages 
  • Not many uses in multiplayer.

C-Tier

These are some of the weakest weapons available in Monster Hunter World. They can help you out in only a few situations. 

Sword and Shield (Multiplayer) 

Advantages
  • Good attack and defense options. 
  • Helps you support the entire party.
  • Offers different effects.
Disadvantages 
  • Poor damage output. 

Similar Tier Lists: For Honor Tier List 

Light Bowgun (Solo) 

MHW Weapon Tier List
Light Bowgun
Advantages
  • Excellent mobility.
  • Good attack speed. 
Disadvantages 
  • Damage output is not that great. 
  • Does good damage only if the shot hits the weak spot. 
Best Light Bowgun in Monster Hunter World  Fatalis Depth

Bow (Solo) 

MHW Weapon Tier List
Bow
Advantages
  • Amazing range.
  • Good damage output.
  • Excellent mobility. 
Disadvantages 
  • Uses a lot of stamina. 
Best Bow in Monster Hunter World  Kjarr Bow King

Gunlance (Solo) 

MHW Weapon Tier List
Gunlance
Advantages
  • Good damage output.
  • Shield provides good defensive options. 
  • Fires shells that explode on impact. 
Disadvantages 
  • Poor mobility. 
Best Gunlance in Monster Hunter World  True Fatalis Gunlance

Hammer (Multiplayer)

Advantages
  • Good damage output.
  • Does KO damage.
Disadvantages 
  • Harder to control in multiplayer.
  • Teammates can get caught inside its attacks more often. 

Lance (Multiplayer) 

Advantages
  • Good range.
  • Good defensive options.
Disadvantages 
  • Poor movement. 

Dual Blades (Multiplayer) 

Advantages
  • Fastest attack speed. 
  • Quick attacks. 
Disadvantages 
  • No major use in multiplayer. 

Also Check: Risk of Rain 2 Tier List 

D-Tier

D-Tier weapons are the worst weapons in Monster Hunter World. You should avoid choosing them at all costs. 

Hunting Horn (Solo) 

MHW Weapon Tier List
Hunting Horn
Advantages
  • Does KO damage.
Disadvantages 
  • Slow attack speed.
  • Poor damage output.
  • Poor defensive options.
Best Hunting Horn in Monster Hunter World  Fatalis Menace Wailer

Lance (Solo) 

MHW Weapon Tier List
Lance
Advantages
  • Good reach.
Disadvantages 
  • Poor movements. 
  • Slow animations. 
Best Lance in Monster Hunter World  True Fatalis Lance

Gunlance (Multiplayer) 

Advantages
  • Good damage output. 
Disadvantages 
  • Creates a lot of noise.
  • Teammates can get hurt by the explosion. 

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This was all regarding my tier list on MHW weapons . I hope that it will help you select the right weapons against monsters. Before you leave, check out the Marvel Strike Force tier list.

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Hamid Ali is a Guides Writer & Editor on eXputer who occasionally covers Game Codes. He is a huge Doom fanatic and loves to melt his stress away in titles such as God of War games and Elden Ring. With a Bachelor's degree in Journalism, Hamid’s been writing and updating about the majority of games for several years. Hamid's gaming experience can be verified on his Steam and PSN profiles.

Experience: 3+ Years || Education: Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering.

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