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Everything you need to know about the Lance in Monster Hunter Wilds, including the best decorations to use, skills, armor, and more.
The Lance is among the most underrated weapons in the Monster Hunter series. Despite offering pretty good elemental damage capabilities, the Lance is overlooked by most players due to its lack of mobility and rather limited moveset. However, if used right, the Lance can be as powerful as any other melee weapon in the game, even surpassing a few in terms of DPS. In Monster Hunter Wilds, the Lance has received a few tweaks to its overall moveset, which certainly helps the weapon stand out among the rest. In fact, the new Focus Strike ability for the weapon, Victory Thrust, makes it a pretty good option for players who are looking for a good high-DPS option for their builds.
However, much like the Gunlance, the Lance is very build-dependent. Meaning, the weapon’s damage-dealing capabilities very much depend on your build and the skills you’ve invested in. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to craft the best Lance build in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Note: This build guide is updated for the latest title update for Monster Hunter Wilds (TU1), and features changes based on the new monsters (and gear) added to the game.
Monster Hunter Wilds Lance Overview
The Lance has the lowest single-hit damage out of all the other weapon types in the Monster Hunter series. This, unfortunately, is still true for the weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds. However, with its new Power Clash and Focus Strike abilities, the Lance now stands leagues ahead of its past iteration. Furthermore, due to the increased focus on Guards, Lance now hits much harder, and, despite the limited moveset, is capable of dishing out impressive damage. Additionally, the new wounds system perfectly complements the weapon. Much like the Gunlance, the Lance is perfectly suited to create wounds and with the Focus Mode, it’s now even easier to target a monster’s weak spots.
However, despite the improvements made to the weapon, the Lance still suffers from the same shortcomings as its previous iterations. The Lance still severely limits mobility. Furthermore, the weapon’s single-hit damage (outside of the Focus Strike) isn’t particularly good. In addition to that, the Lance is now highly geared towards a counterattack playstyle. Meaning, that if you’re not comfortable with your Guard timings, it might not be a great choice for you. Here’s a look at the pros and cons of the Lance in Monster Hunter Wilds:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Scales incredibly well with elemental damage. | Mobility is severely compromised. |
| Offers solid defensive options. | Lacks in terms of single-hit damage (raw). |
| Can easily counter monster attacks. | Very limited moveset. |
Best Lance Build in Monster Hunter Wilds
The Lance isn’t particularly efficient at raw damage numbers. However, where the weapon truly shines is in elemental damage. While you can essentially go with any element that you see fit, we chose to go with Blast for this build. The primary reason for choosing Blast is that it vastly increases the amount of burst damage you can deal. With how fast the Lance can dish out attacks, and the Focus Strike, inflicting Blast is quite easy with this weapon type. \
Furthermore, as of writing this article, Blast is effective against all monsters in the base game of Monster Hunter Wilds. Apart from Blast, we also included skills like Critical Status and Offensive Guard to provide a further boost to the weapon.
Here’s a breakdown of the best Lance build in Monster Hunter Wilds:
- Weapon: Skyscraper (Rarity 8, Artian Weapon)
- Weapon Decorations:
- Guardian/Handicraft Jewel [3]
- Critical Status/Ironwall Jewel [3]
- Blast Jewel III [3]
- Armor: Full Arkvulkan (Arkveld) β set
- Arkvulkan Helm β
- Decorations:
- Tenderizer Jewel [3]
- Jumping Jewel [2]
- Sheath Jewel [1]
- Decorations:
- Arkvulcan Mail β
- Decorations:
- Tenderizer Jewel [3]
- Destroyer Jewel [2]
- Decorations:
- Arkvulkan Vambraces β
- Decorations:
- Destroyer Jewel [2]
- Destroyer Jewel [2]
- Steadfast Jewel [1]
- Decorations:
- Arkvulkan Coil β
- Decorations:
- Steadfast Jewel [1]
- Steadfast Jewel [1]
- Decorations:
- Arkvulkan Greaves β
- Decorations:
- Flayer Jewel [3]
- Sheath Jewel [1]
- Decorations:
- Talisman: Chainblade Charm II
- Mantle: Rocksteady Mantle
Lance Build Skills
Here are the skills that you get access to with the best Lance build:
Equipment Skills
- Offensive Guard: Level 3
- Blast Attack: Level 3
- Critical Status: Level 3
- Handicraft: Level
- Guard: Level 1
- Weakness Exploit: Level 5
- Convert Element: Level 3
- Stun Resistance: Level 3
- Partbreaker: Level 3
- Quick Sheathe: Level 3
- Flayer: Level 3
- Recovery Speed: Level 1
- Evade Extender: Level 1
Set Bonus Skills
- 2-set bonus active: Hasten Recovery I
- 4-set bonus active: Hasten Recovery II
Group Skills
- 3-set bonus active: Diversion
Lance Build Stats
Following are the raw stats for the best Lance build:
Attack Status
- Attack: 427
- Affinity: 20%
- Element: 230 (Blast)
Defense Status
- Defense: 391
- Fire Res: 10
- Water Res: 0
- Thunder Res: -5
- Ice Res: 0
- Dragon Res: -15
Monster Hunter Wilds Best Lance Build Explained
The best Lance build focuses on these primary factors:
- Increased elemental damage.
- Improved Guard.
- Focus on wounds.
Here are more detailed explanations of these factors and how they come into play for the Lance build:
Increased Elemental Damage
The Lance excels at elemental damage, and, to bolster the weapon’s strength, we’re using the Critical Staus Jewel, alongside Blase Jewel 3. Not only are we getting increased Blast damage, but we are also making the critical hits deal additional elemental damage. This will in turn feed into the overall status inflicted on the monster. You can also add a few Critical/Expert Jewels to further increase the weapon’s Crit Chance. However, 20% is more than enough for a weapon that’s as fast-hitting as the Lance.
Improved Guard
Guarding the Lance’s primary mode of defense. Since your mobility is compromised, blocking attacks using the Shield is going to be your go-to method for avoiding damage. To improve Guards, we’re using both Offensive Guard and Guard skills in the Lance build. Furthermore, since Power Clash is extremely important for the Lance, Offensive Guard also bolsters that ability, allowing you to dish out more knockout damage. You can add additional Ironwall Jewels to further increase the efficiency of Guards.
Focus on Wounds
Wounds are the best way to deal damage to monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds. To capitalize on the Lance’s ability to create and destroy wounds, we’re using the Flayer and Tenderizer Jewels. Furthermore, we’re also using the Weakness Exploit skill to increase the damage (elemental) dealt to the wounds. This also increases the chances of a topple, especially upon a successful Power Clash or Focus Strike.
Additional Notes
While Artian Weapons are still the best option when it comes to skills and DPS, the Zoh Shia Lance is a pretty good alternative. You essentially get access to the Whiteflame Torrent skill, which, in conjunction with Scorcher, can dish out massive amounts of damage. Furthermore, it also comes with 5% Affinity, which you can work into your build with skills like Critical Boost and Agitator to further increase the amount of damage dealt. The Zoh Shia weapons are also a great option against Tempered Mizutsune, which is currently considered by many as the toughest monster in the game.
How To Use the Lance Build in Monster Hunter Wilds
Here are some tips to properly use the best Lance build in Monster Hunter Wilds:
- As is the case with any other melee weapon, you will always want to start a battle with a mounting attack. Mounting a monster not only lets you create wounds but also gives you a free topple. For a weapon like Lance, topple is a great opportunity to deal some bonus damage, right at the start of a fight. In addition to that, mounting also allows you to transition into a “wall bang”, which deals a ton of damage to the monster if performed correctly.
- With the Lance equipped, never try to dodge attacks, unless you need to reposition. To defend yourself, use the Shield and the Power Guard combo (for heavy attacks). With Offensive Guard equipped, pulling off a successful Power Clash will be quite easy while guarding a monster’s attack.
- Make sure to go through the Hunter’s Field Guide before setting out on hunts. Since the Lance is an elemental weapon, you’d want to use its elemental properties to full effect. As such, knowing the monster’s elemental weakness is paramount while using a Lance build. You can also keep a second Lance with a different elemental damage equipped in your Secondary Weapon slot.
- Practice the side-step and Perfect Guard at the Training Arena. We cannot stress this step enough. Perfect Guard is the bread and butter for the Lance. To be efficient with the weapon, you will need to master the Guard timings, and the Training Arena is the best place to do so.
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