As the hype for Monster Hunter World reaches a fever pitch, it’s time to take a look at what type of bow build is best suited for new players. There are three basic types of bows in this game: shortbows, longbows and crossbows. The first two have similar skill sets when fighting monsters that charge directly towards you; whereas with crossbow builds your shots can be more unpredictable as they spread out across an area instead of focusing on one target.
The “monster hunter rise bow build reddit” is a guide that will help you decide what the best bow build to use in Monster Hunter: World. The guide includes detailed information on how to make your own weapon and armor sets, as well as tips for hunting monsters.
You’re in luck if you’ve ever wanted to be a fantasy archer who takes down dragons with nothing more than a well-placed arrow. The Bow has long been a fixture of the Monster Hunter game, and since Rise, it’s only grown better. In Monster Hunter Rise, having the greatest bow build is vital. It may look unassuming in comparison to the showy, exploding Bowguns, but don’t be fooled by its humble appearance. You’ll be flipping through the air, hitting sick aerial shots, and inflicting massive debuffs in no time if you take this weapon on a hunt.
This week, we’re talking about the greatest Bows in Monster Hunter Rise, as well as the builds and methods that can help you outshine even Legolas. Come on, hunters, let’s get this party started!
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Monster Hunter: Rise of the Monsters | Best Bows
When it comes to selecting your Bow, there are a few considerations to make. You’ll need to know which Shot of Charges, Arc Shots, and suitable coatings you’ll be using in addition to the regular damage and affinity figures. It’s also useful to know how many Slots of Rage you have open for future Ramp-Ups, but it’s not as important.
Shot of Charges are particularly essential since they indicate which shot types you’ll be employing for the most of your hunt. It doesn’t matter how much harm you cause if you’re not at the right place! If you’re using Pierce, for example, shooting along the length of the monster’s body will cause more damage than striking it in the face.
Here are our top picks for the greatest Monster Hunter Rise bows:
| Weapon | Damage Unprocessed | Element/Status | Affinity | Shot of Charge | Arc Shot | Slots of Rage |
| S Rampage Bow | 210 | n/a | 0% | Rapid | Affinity | 6 |
| Flight at Night | 210 | n/a | 40% | Pierce | Affinity | 1 |
| Guidance of the Demon | 230 | n/a | 0% | Spread | Recovery | 1 |
We don’t have any element/status Bows listed here, as you can see. Regrettably, the Bow is no longer the tough element weapon it once was. It can still cause a lot of damage, but as we’ve noted before, in Rise, raw is the name of the game. If you choose to go that way, we’ve included a configurable element build later in this guide, but a raw build is just superior for sheer DPS.
Best Rapid Bow — S Rampage Bow
The Rampage Bow is perfect for any Rapid build. It’s admittedly not the strongest weapon in its base form, but the six available Slots of Rage allow you to boost your stats in a wide variety of ways. You can boost your damage, affinity, and defense, add elemental damage, add and upgrade compatible coatings, and more. You can even change your Shot of Charges, though it is a Rapid Bow by default.
This Bow’s (and other Rampage weapons’) customizability is what makes them so wonderful. The sheer amount of slots, similar to the Fatalis equipment from Iceborne, enables you to customize your build as much as you desire. This is a fantastic method to gain an element Bow with great stats across the board!
Coatings that are compatible:
Best Pierce Bow — Flight at Night
If you’re going for a Pierce build, you can’t go wrong with the fully-upgraded Nargacuga Bow. It’s by far the best Pierce option in the game, with some pretty hefty Damage Unprocessed and high-level Shot of Charges. It goes up to Pierce Level 4 without upgrades, but can reach Pierce Level 5 with Bow Charge Plus equipped.
3rd Attack Boost, Affinity Boost II, and Lasting Arc Shot are among the Ramp-Ups available. The duration of any bonuses supplied by your Arc Shot is increased by this last Rampage Skill (in this case, Affinity).
Coatings that are compatible:
- Close-range
- Power
- Para
- Exhaust
Best Spread Bow — Guidance of the Demon
Finally, we have the Chameleos Bow as our recommended Spread Option. Guidance of the Demon is my personal Bow of choice thanks to its high Damage Unprocessed and healing Arc Shot. It also boasts decent Shot of Charges, going up to Spread Level 4 (which increases to Level 5 with Bow Charge Plus).
You have the option of equipping 3rd Attack Boost, Defense Boost III, or Chameleos Soul as Rampage Skills. When you land a hit while wearing Chameleos Soul, you have a tiny chance of improving one of your stats (Health, Stamina, Attack, or Defense).
With all of this in mind, it’s important noting that in Monster Hunter Rise, Spread is far from the meta. For the most part, one of the other two shot types — Pierce for long monsters or ones with large wingspans, and Rapid for anything else — will provide more DPS on endgame monsters. Still, as a self-professed Spread user, who am I to yuck your yum? Unless you’re particularly worried about your completion timings, its DPS doesn’t lag far enough to be visible; just bear in mind that your figures don’t reflect the Bow’s full capability.
Coatings that are compatible:
- Close-range
- Power
- Poison
- Para
Best Bow Switch Skills in Monster Hunter Rise
The Bow is a weapon that relies primarily on endurance to deliver strong and accurate shots, and its Switch Skills are meant to increase these traits. The first choice usually focuses on stamina consumption and regeneration, while the second option usually focuses on increasing attack strength. By swapping them out as your weapon skills develop, your build may evolve with you.
The stamina abilities are ideal for new Bow players who are still learning how to manage their stamina bar, whilst the damage skills are better suited to veteran hunters aiming to boost their DPS. To assist you fine-tune your configuration, we’ve listed all of your choices below:
Shot of Strength (Switch 1A)
Capcom courtesy of HGG / Ashley Taylor Clark
Description: A standard shot is followed by a forceful shot. Fires bullets with a greater charge level than normal. (Doesn’t go over the maximum.)
Controls: Press A after losing an arrow.
How to Unlock: This feature is enabled by default.
This ability allows you to fire a shot at the charge level above your previous arrow (even if it was from a special move like Sidestep Charging or Dodgebolt). You may fire two Shot of Strengths in a succession, so aim for the greatest charge level possible to deliver the most damage.
Players prefer the Shot of Strength over the Absolute Shot of Strength, which is a Switch Skill improvement. Because you can usually only stun creatures once or twice every hunt, the greater stun chance on APS isn’t worth the extra stamina cost. It’s preferable to just build Ballistae and utilize their Crag Shots to your advantage, even during Rampage missions (when you sometimes receive a subtask to stun creatures).
Absolute Shot of Strength (Switch 1B)
Capcom courtesy of HGG / Ashley Taylor Clark
Description: A standard shot is followed by a forceful shot. Fires bullets with a greater charge level than normal. (Doesn’t go over the maximum.) Standard Shot of Strengths will cost more stamina, but potentially stun the target.
Controls: Press A after losing an arrow.
Complete the 6 Hub Quest “Be One with the Bow” to unlock it.
Absolute Shot of Strength performs the same functions as regular Shot of Strength, but it requires more energy in return for a higher probability of stunning the monster. Aside from it, the shape and function are identical.
During most hunts, it’s generally best to stick with the Shot of Strength, as we previously said. If you’re having difficulties keeping up during Rampage Quests and want to enhance your stun chances when the Counter Signal is active, you might try wearing APS.
2A — Sidestep Charging Switch
Capcom courtesy of HGG / Ashley Taylor Clark
Description: An evasive talent with a wide range of applications. While dodging, you may increase your charge level and control the direction you dodge by tilting L3 forward, backwards, left, or right.
While pointing the camera, press L3 + B. During a combo, press B.
How to Unlock: This feature is enabled by default.
Sidestep Charging is a fantastic evasion talent that will always give your following arrow an extra charge level. It requires a little more energy than Dodgebolt, but it is less reliant on timing and perfect location. As a result, gamers are split on whether talent would be a superior addition to the Bow’s move set.
Personally, I believe it boils down to your comfort level with the firearm. If you’re not sure about your response timings, go with Sidestep Charging’s more classic evasion and accept the somewhat larger stamina loss.
Dodgebolt (Switch 2B)
Capcom courtesy of HGG / Ashley Taylor Clark
A spinning dodge that may also be used as an assault. Baiting the strike and making it a near-miss may significantly increase the charge level. You may also go forward, backwards, left, and right.
While pointing the camera, press L3 + B. During a combo, press B.
Unlock 3 Village Quests or 2 Hub Quests by completing 3 Village Quests or 2 Hub Quests.
Dodgebolt’s Sidestep Charging is replaced with a short-range evasion. While avoiding, you keep your current charge level, but if you time the maneuver perfectly, you may boost your charge level by one. If the monster is within range when you use the talent, the evasion is also paired with a spinning melee attack, allowing you to score a quick strike on them.
The greatest difference between Dodgebolt and Sidestep Charging is this melee attack. Dodgebolt has a more refined performance and a useful melee attack, but it isn’t as user-friendly as Dodgebolt. It all comes down to your familiarity with the Bow in the end. If you’re a little more experienced, try using Dodgebolt’s increased damage!
Shot in Focus (Switch 3A)
Capcom courtesy of HGG / Ashley Taylor Clark
Description: An evasive action based on Wirebug. Crouching after landing will result in a speedy recovery of stamina. (Recovery time for the Wirebug Gauge is quick.)
Controls: Press X while holding R. (Wirebug Gauge cost: 1). At the time of activation, the user may pick a direction (left, right, or back).
How to Unlock: This feature is enabled by default.
Shot in Focus is a leaping evasion that you may use to land in a crouching stance in any direction (if you don’t pick a direction, you’ll jump backward by default). You swiftly restore stamina when crouching, making this a handy move if your stamina bar is low and you need to evade an attack fast while recharging your gauge.
This ability is only effective while mastering the Bow for the first time. In most hunts, careful stamina management makes Shot in Focus redundant – even in the midst of a conflict, there are better methods to replenish stamina that don’t cost one of your Wirebugs.
Aiming From Above (Switch 3B)
Capcom courtesy of HGG / Ashley Taylor Clark
Description: Jumping straight up with a Wirebug to fire arrows is an action. Shots that are particularly harmful may be fired in mid-air. An arrow may also be directed straight underneath you for a close-range assault. (Wirebug Medium gauge recovery speed)
Controls: Press X while holding R. (Wirebug Gauge cost: 1). Continue loosing arrows in mid-air by pressing A. To perform an Aerial Diving Melee Attack, press X.
How to get it: Make or improve eight different bows.
Aiming From Above is a jump shot that propels you forward and allows you to fire three rounds while in the air. These bullets cause more damage, and if you aim at a monster right underneath you, you may even conduct a close-range stabbing strike. Because this is a Silkbind attack, your bullets deliver mount damage to the monster, filling the Wyvern Riding gauge and making it easier to pin and ride.
Because of the significant damage boost, most players choose Aiming From Above over Shot in Focus. The increased stamina loss is tolerable; if you’ve mastered the ability to attack regularly without running out of stamina, you’ll be alright.
Best Bow Builds in Monster Hunter Rise
Let’s go into our suggested builds now that we’ve covered the fundamentals. Today, we’ve put up four builds for you: one for early ranks, two for endgame DPS, and one for a traditional elemental playstyle.
Early Ranks (Build 1)
Capcom courtesy of HGG / Ashley Taylor Clark
It might be intimidating to get your construction squared out if you’re just getting started with the Bow. This kit may be built early on (between 2 and 3 Village Quests), providing you with the abilities you’ll need to master your weapon before progressing to larger and greater things.
| Weapon/Switch Techniques | Armor |
| Steel Bow | Helm Izuchi |
| Shot of Strength | Mail from Ludroth |
| Sidestep Charging | Bracelets Izuchi |
| Shot in Focus | Coil Lagombi |
| Pants with Chainmail |
We won’t bother about decorations or talismans since the purpose of this setup is to get you up and running. This build provides you a few of points in both Constitution and Stamina Surge on its own, which will help you manage your stamina until you’re more experienced.
Feel free to switch to full Izuchi armor after you’ve mastered your stamina utilization. This increases your critical probability and allows you to inflict more damage by giving you three points of Critical Eye (rather than just one). This is aided by the Steel Bow’s Affinity Arc Shot, which may be used to increase your critical chance even further.
Of all, if you need a little more healing, there’s no shame in switching to a Recovery Bow. The Wroggi Revolver II gives up some damage in exchange for a Recovery Arc Shot, but it has the extra benefit of being a Rapid Bow rather than Pierce. Consider changing out your chest piece for the Tetranadon Mail for a point in Normal/Rapid Up if you go this way.
We’re keeping things easy for Switch Abilities by using all of the skills accessible by default at this Hunter Rank. You’re welcome to improve as you go, but it’s all up to you!
Build 2 — DPS at the end of the game (Rapid)
Capcom courtesy of HGG / Ashley Taylor Clark
This is the first of our endgame DPS builds, and it is focused on Rapid shots. We’re aiming for the ultimate raw Bow meta here, so if you’re still working your way up to HR 100, check out our next build.
| Weapon | Armor | Prioritize your skills |
| S Rampage Bow | Feather of the Mighty Bow | 4th Amendment |
| Non-elemental Boost IV, Attack Boost IV | S Vaik Mail | 3rd critical boost |
| Shot of Strength | Braces Valstrax | 3rd Weakness Exploitation |
| Dodgebolt | S Vaik Coil | Up 2 (Normal/Rapid) |
| Aiming From Above | Greaves, Arzuros | 2nd Reload Speed |
When using the Rampage Bow, you’ll want to use your Ramp-Ups to increase your attack power and Damage Unprocessed as much as possible. Invest in Attack Boost IV and Non-elemental Boost, then add a few coatings of your choice (we recommend Power and Blast for maximum damage).
Consider getting Attack Surge as well if you want to increase your damage even further. This comes at the cost of a -30% affinity penalty, so retain your Affinity Arc Shot and use it often throughout hunts!
Bow Charge Plus, a few points of Weakness Exploit, and Normal/Rapid Up are all included in the armor set. The Vaik chest and Arzuros legs are just for the slots, so utilize them as quickly as possible on a few points of Constitution. Increase your Critical Boost and Weakness Exploit for more damage after that. For the sake of convenience, Normal/Rapid Up and Reload Speed are nice, but don’t worry about creating room for them unless you wind up with a very good talisman.
Finally, the current Bow meta uses Shot of Strength, Dodgebolt, and Aiming From Above. As we mentioned in the Switch Skills section above, the increased stun chance of Absolute Shot of Strength isn’t worth the stamina cost (especially in a build with no innate Constitution). The other two skills are just handy — Dodgebolt has a lower stamina cost and a built-in melee, and Aiming From Above is better than Shot in Focus in pretty much every way.
Build 3 — DPS at the end of the game (Pierce)
Capcom courtesy of HGG / Ashley Taylor Clark
Our second endgame set is a touch less meta and focuses on Pierce shots. After HR 100, the builds start to look the same, thus we’d be giving you the same set as before, with a few minor changes. Instead, we’ll go with a less powerful endgame build (think post-campaign but before HR 100) that still puts out decent DPS.
| Weapon | Armor | Equipment |
| Flight at Night | Feather of the Mighty Bow | 4th Amendment |
| 3rd Attack Boost | S Vaik Mail | 3rd Weakness Exploitation |
| Shot of Strength | Vambraces, Juryatodus | 3 pierce up |
| Dodgebolt | S Anjanath Coil S Anjanath Coil Anjanath Coil S Anjanath Coil S S Anjanath Coil Anjanath Coil S Anjanath Coil S | 2nd Reload Speed |
| Aiming From Above | Greaves S Rhenoplos | Hunger Susceptibility 3 |
We’re recommending Flight at Night in the event you don’t have the materials to fully upgrade your Rampage Bow. If you’ve already gotten to that point, feel free to swap your weapon out with the S Rampage Bow as described above, but replacing the optional Attack Surge Ramp-Up with Firing: Pierce to complement the build.
This armor set provides you with a number of useful slots as well as several excellent talents. The head still gives you Bow Charge Plus, as well as a few Pierce Up points and some additional Tremor Resistance from the legs. If you’d prefer to replace the Attack Boost on the waist (particularly since we won’t be adding any decorations), the Chrome Metal Coil may be used to add some more slots.
Again, this build lacks any kind of Constitution or Weakness Exploit, so add those as soon as you can. For increased damage, you should also max up your Pierce Up. After this, you’ll most likely have a bunch of empty slots, so go ahead and add some Reload Speed and Hunger Resistance – they’re not required for the build, but they’ll improve your quality of life.
For this build, we’re staying with the meta Switch Skills. What’s the point of messing with something that’s working?
Element Bow (Build 4)
Capcom courtesy of HGG / Ashley Taylor Clark
The focus of our final construct is on doing elemental damage. The template may be used for almost any element – we’re using Fire as an example, but you can change up your Bow and other necessary decorations as needed.
| Weapon | Armor | Equipment |
| Araknatorch | Feather of the Mighty Bow | 5th Fire Attack |
| 2nd Fire Boost | S – Zinogre Mail | 4th Amendment |
| Shot of Strength | Armguards of Rakna | 3rd critical boost |
| Dodgebolt | S Anjanath Coil S Anjanath Coil Anjanath Coil S Anjanath Coil S S Anjanath Coil Anjanath Coil S Anjanath Coil S | 3rd Weakness Exploitation |
| Aiming From Above | Hakama (Golden) | The First Critical Element |
Like we said, you can swap out this Bow for any of the other element Bows. We’re recommending Araknatorch for a Fire build due to its high element damage and high-level Shot of Charges. Your mileage will vary when it comes to Ramp-Ups — each Bow has different Rampage Skills available, so go with your personal preferences.
The armor set gives important abilities including Bow Charge Plus, Stamina Surge, and Weakness Exploit, as well as a few points in Constitution, Critical Boost, and Latent Power. Because you just have a few decorative spaces to deal with, you’ll have to be picky. Focus on improving your Constitution and maxing out Critical Boost and Weakness Exploit once you’ve maxed out your elemental attack damage. If you have a Level 2 slot available, use it to add Critical Element for an additional bonus.
We’re also not straying from the Switch Skill meta for this one. There’s a reason it’s called the meta!
Be a part of the High Ground
That concludes our look at the best methods to utilize the Bow in Monster Hunter Rise – thanks for taking the time to read it! Please leave a comment about your favorite Bow build, and sign up for our email list to get future Monster Hunter build tutorials.
Good luck with your search!
Further Reading
The “monster hunter rise rampage bow” is a weapon that’s great for beginners. It has low stamina drain and high attack power, making it easy to kill monsters with.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best bow in Monster Hunter Rise?
A: For a starting bow, the best one in MH Rise is the Gathering Bow. It has high attack power and easy access to equipment upgrades that can turn it into an ideal weapon for beginners.
What is the best way to use bow MHR?
A: The best way to use bow MHR is by shooting it with your arrow keys.
What is the best weapon in Monster Hunter Rise?
A: The best weapon in Monster Hunter Rise is the Lance, especially for beginners.
Related Tags
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