Monster Hunter Wilds Weakness Exploit Skills Explained

What are Weakness Exploit Skills in Monster Hunter Wilds? Here is all you need to know about the skills that confuse many Hunters.

Monster Hunter Wilds presents some skills to the Hunters, known as Weakness Exploit skills. The name does justice to the primary function that these skills serve. However, considering how the franchise is popular for being immersive and sometimes a bit confusing for beginners, let us elaborate on these skills in slight detail.

Each monster in MHW has at least one weakness. Even a monster like Nu Udra, who doesn’t have clear segments on its body, has weak parts and also Elemental and Status weaknesses that Hunters can exploit. The “Weakness Exploit Skills” enhance the affinity of attacks that aim at exploiting a monster’s weak points and wounds. Different Weapons, Armor, Talismans, and Decorations can be equipped to increase the exploit level.

Weakness Exploit Effects in Monster Hunter Wilds

LEVEL	EFFECT
Level 1	Attacks that hit weak points gain +5% affinity, with an extra 3% on wounds.
Level 2	Attacks that hit weak points gain +10% affinity, with an extra 5% on wounds.
Level 3	Attacks that hit weak points gain +15% affinity, with an extra 10% on wounds.
Level 4	Attacks that hit weak points gain +20% affinity, with an extra 15% on wounds.
Level 5	Attacks that hit weak points gain +30% affinity, with an extra 20% on wounds.

How To Exploit Wounds

As mentioned above, exploiting the monsters’ wounds will also help inflict increased damage. It’s a bonus if you have the Weakness Exploit Skill equipped via any gear piece. Not all players will know this, but if you keep attacking an area on a monster for a while, it will inflict a wound. The only way to observe it is by going into the Focus Mode. It will then show an open wound in orange color. For Tempered Monsters, the color is blue.

This mode can be activated when your weapon is unsheathed. It is marked by a round cursor, as shown in the image above. Console players can hold the LT/L2 for it, and PC players can either bind it to their fifth mouse button or press Alt for the same effect. If your weapon is sheathed, try using your Slinger, and it will get the job done without having to unsheathe your weapon.

Now, once you locate an open wound in Focus Mode, you will see a prompt on the top right that suggests you use a Focus Strike. It is RB/R1 on controllers. Once you do, the character will hit the monster to exploit its wound, and then stabbing the monster with Y/Triangle will detonate the wound, causing enhanced damage.

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We provide the latest news and create guides for Monster Hunter Wilds or MH Wilds. Meanwhile, you can check out the following Monster Hunter articles or catch us playing games on Twitch and YouTube:

• Ultimate Beginner Tips and Tricks for Monster Hunter Wilds
• Monster Hunter Wilds Review
• Monster Hunter Wilds: Best Beginner Builds For All Weapons
• All Monster Hunter Wilds Weapon Types
• Monster Hunter Wilds NPCs: All Characters Guide
• Monster Hunter Wilds Focus Mode Guide