Monster Hunter Wilds Heavy Bowgun: Weapon Guide

Everything you need to know about the Heavy Bowgun in Monster Hunter Wilds, including its basic combos, Focus Strike, and more.

Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds (Image via Capcom)

The Heavy Bowgun has received some major upgrades in Monster Hunter Wilds. Although the weapon type’s regular combos remain identical to its past iterations, its base explosive damage has received substantial buffs, making it a viable choice, even for newcomers. Furthermore, in Monster Hunter Wilds, you no longer need to worry about replenishing the Bowgun’s ammunition reserves when switching between different zones. This further reduces the burden of having to stock up on coatings and shells before every Investigation. Although the Bowgun is still best used as a secondary weapon in co-op hunts, the Heavy variant is now quite effective, even for solo players.

The new Focus Blast combo for the Heavy Bowgun alone makes it worth picking up for players who are looking for a ranged option. Here’s everything you need to know about the Heavy Bowgun in Monster Hunter Wilds.

How To Use the Heavy Bowgun in Monster Hunter Wilds

Heavy Bowgun in Monster Hunter Wilds
Heavy Bowgun in Monster Hunter Wilds (Image via Capcom)

The Heavy Bowgun is basically the complete opposite of its lightweight counterpart (LBG). Instead of being focused on mobility, the HBG relies solely on sheer DPS. While it’s not as agile as the Bow or the Light Bowgun, the heavy Bowgun does deal a ton of damage with every single shot fired. The weapon uses Explosive Rounds and is effective at both medium and long range.

Furthermore, the Heavy Bowgun also has access to the Ignition Mode, which lets it perform additional combos. The Ignition Mode lets you use Special Ammo, i.e., Wyvernheart Ignition and Wyverncounter Ignition. In addition to that, in the Ignition Mode, you can also charge your shots before firing.

The Heavy Bowgun doesn’t have any rapid-fire capabilities like the LBG, but it can stack elemental damage using Explosive shells. In addition to that, Heavy Bowgun also allows you to Guard against certain attack. However, guarding using HBG isn’t as effective as weapons like Charge Blade, Lance, or Gunlance. It’s mostly meant as a way to counteract the weapon’s low mobility. Here are the basic combos for the Heavy Bowgun in Monster Hunter Wilds:

Combos
FireR2/RT
Aim/FocusHold-L2/Hold-LT
Wyvern HowlHold-L2 > R1/Hold-LT > RB
ReloadTriangle/Y
Energy Mode ToggleCircle (idle)/B (idle)
GuardTriangle+Circle/Y+B
Select AmmoHold-L1 > Triangle/Hold-LB > Y

Heavy Bowgun Offset and Focus Strikes in MH Wilds

Guarding using Heavy Bowgun
Guarding using Heavy Bowgun (Image via Capcom)

Unlike the Light Bowgun, the Heavy Bowgun does have an Offset Attack, the Wyverncounter Ignition. However, it’s part of the weapon’s regular combo in the Ignition Mode. It should be noted that the Wyverncounter Ignition can be charged similarly to a melee weapon’s Offset skill. In addition to that the Heavy Bowgun also has access to a Focus Blast – the Wyvern Howl. The Focus Blast deals a ton of damage to wounds, while also being quite capable of toppling monsters.

Do note that much like in the case of Light Bowgun, the Focus Blast for HBG is also a part of its regular combos. Here’s a look at the Focus Strike combos for the Heavy Bowgun:

CombosButton Combinations (PlayStation/Xbox)
Wyvern HowlHold-L2 > R1/Hold-LT > RB

The Heavy Bowgun, due to its easy-to-learn combos and incredibly high DPS, is a great weapon for newcomers. Although the lack of mobility can be a hassle for some players, with some practice you can easily overcome its shortcomings. Furthermore, if you don’t want to use HBG as your primary weapon, you can always keep it as a secondary choice. The Heavy Bowgun, much like the LBG, is still a really good choice for co-op playthroughs.


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