How To Master the Hammer in Monster Hunter

Everything you need to know about the Hammer in Monster Hunter games, and how you can easily master the incredibly powerful weapon.

The Hammer is easily one of the best weapons in Monster Hunter when it comes to raw damage. Although the Great Sword does have the highest “single-hit” damage in the game, the Hammer surpasses it when it comes to consistent DPS and damage via combos. And let’s be real, not everyone can master the timing for the Great Sword’s True Charged Slash (TCS).

Moreover, TCS is where most of Great Sword’s damage comes from. However, armed with a Hammer, you can deal consistent damage with almost every charged combo. Furthermore, outside of ranged weapons, Hammer is one of the easiest weapons to get a hang of, with minimal practice.

The Hammer doesn’t have any additional meter that you need to micro-manage and this is its biggest advantage. The only thing you need to keep an eye on is the weapon’s sharpness gauge. Then again, sharpness has very little effect on Hammer’s efficiency anyway.

As long as the weapon isn’t bouncing off from the monster, you can use the Hammer without sharpening. However, to best use the Hammer, you do need to need to be aware of its basic combos, and some hidden tricks. Here’s a comprehensive Hammer guide for Monster Hunter games (World, Rise, and Wilds), to help you easily master the weapon.

Note: This guide primarily covers Monster Hunter World. However, the combos and general tips and tricks mentioned here apply to all mainline Monster Hunter games, including Wilds.

Basic Hammer Combos in Monster Hunter

The Hammer is basically the same as the Great Sword, albeit one that does blunt damage. While the Hammer isn’t particularly effective at breaking severing monster parts (tail), it excels at breaking them. With Partbreaker and Slugger skills, you can turn the Hammer into a “Knockout Machine.” Although the Hammer falls short of the Great Sword’s raw damage output potential, it makes up for it with its relatively simple moveset.

Much like the Great Sword, the Hammer doesn’t have any additional gauges that you need to oversee, on top of its Sharpness. Furthermore, it also features what is easily the easiest combos among all other weapon types.

However, executing said combos can be tricky, especially considering the Hammer isn’t particularly agile. Unfortunately, the Hammer doesn’t have a counterattack, akin to the Great Sword’s Tackle. As such, the only way you can avoid damage is by dodging, which can take a bit of getting used to. Thankfully, if you use the Hammer properly, you’ll seldom need to dodge monster attacks. Most of the Hammer’s combos dish out massive knockout (KO) damage. And if you end up constantly knocking or staggering the monster, you’ll mostly stay safe from monster attacks.

Another ace up the Hammer’s sleeve is the ability to charge the weapon while moving around the hunting area. This ability alone makes the Hammer one of the best melee weapons for beginners, even more so than the Dual Blades or the Lance. That said, here’s a look at all the combos available for the Hammer in Monster Hunter games:

• Overhead Smash: Y
• Big Bang: B
• Charged Attack: Hold RT
• Spinning Bludgeon: Charge Level 2/3 (Hold RT) > LS+Y
• Charged Brutal Big Bang: Charge (Hold RT) > LS > Charge Level 3 (Hold RT) > Y

Additional Combos for Hammer in Monster Hunter

The Hammer, compared to other melee weapon types, is fairly limited in terms of combos. This is precisely what makes it incredibly beginner-friendly. However, if you want to delve purely into mastering the Hammer, there’s plenty of depth in this weapon type. Much like the Great Sword, the Hammer has its fair share of special combos.

While the Hammer cannot block incoming attacks, it can repel them with a well-timed Spinning Bludgeon. Furthermore, charging the Hammer also comes with its specific moveset, for each charge level. Pressing RT+Y (L-Stick forward) will initiate a Big Bang Level 1.

Furthermore, the Hammer also synergizes well with the Slinger. If you charge the Hammer to Level 3 and use the Slinger to latch onto the monster (LT+RT), it initiates a Spinning Bludgeon. This deals a ton of damage before you grab hold of the monster.

This combo allows you to then follow up with a tenderize or wall bang to deal even more damage and KO the monster. It should be noted that when attacking a monster with the Hammers’ Big Bang combo (B), the attack needs to hit the monster before you can combo it up to a Brutal Big Bang.

Basic Tips for Hammer Users in Monster Hunter

Now that you’ve had a brief look at all possible combos for the Hammer, here are some basic tips to keep in mind while using the weapon:

• Hammer, unlike other melee weapons, isn’t meant for severing monster parts, i.e., tails. As such, your primary target parts on a monster should always be the limbs or the head. There are also certain monsters like the Shogan Ceanataur or the Daimyo Hermitaur, who carry shells on their backs. For these monsters, you can use the Hammer to easily crack/break their shells, revealing their weaker parts.
• The Hammer isn’t a support weapon. In fact, if you plan to play Monster Hunter in co-op, Hammer isn’t a good choice. This is primarily due to a single reason – Friendly Fire. The Hammer’s upswing, much like Gunlance’s Wyvernfire, can easily stagger and topple other players. Not timing your swings right can usually cause you to unintentionally launch your co-op partner into the monster’s attacking range.
• While using the Hammer, do not try to spam the Level 3 Charged attacks, i.e., the Charged Brutal Big Bang. Moving around while charging the weapon saps stamina at an accelerated rate. As such, don’t endlessly charge the Hammer while fighting a monster. Instead, try to find your openings to fully charge it, and dish out a devastating combo.
• Do not focus too much on elemental affinities while crafting a Hammer. Apart from Blast, very few elemental affinities are actually effective while using a Hammer, due to its lower hit-rate. With the Hammer, your goal isn’t to stack damage with multiple hits. Instead, the weapon is geared towards the “hit-and-run” playstyle, akin to the Great Sword.
• Lastly, make sure to spend some time practicing the Hammer before you set out on hunts. While it is an easy weapon to grasp, fully mastering it will take some time and a lot of practice.

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