Gunlance in Monster Hunter Wilds: Best builds, skills, and combo guide

Gunlance in Monster Hunter Wilds is a forceful weapon that unites deadly melee attacks with crushing mid-range shellings. With its mobility hit, sheer damage, and flexibility, it positions itself as the most unique, rewarding, and varied weapon in the game. With the right gearing, this weapon can turn any hunt into a relentless barrage of shelling, perfect blocks, and explosive combos.

This guide addresses the top Gunlance builds, the best skills, and the most powerful combos for maximizing your damage in Monster Hunter Wilds.

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Recommended Gunlance builds in Monster Hunter Wilds

Argenesis build for Gunlance in Monster Hunter Wilds (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming/Capcom)

Best early-game builds

1) Flayer Decimator GL build

Weapon:

• Flayer Decimator GL

Armor:

• G. Arkveld Helm
• G. Arkveld Mail
• G. Arkveld Vambraces
• Xu Wu Coil
• G. Arkveld Greaves

Charm:

• Chainblade Charm I

This setup for Gunlance in Monster Hunter Wilds takes advantage of the Flayer Decimator's ability to create wounds quickly while maintaining strong overall damage output. With a focus on staying in the fight longer, this build ensures you can keep pressure on the monster without needing constant recovery.

2) Quematrice Culebrina build

Weapon:

• Quematrice Culebrina II

Armor:

• Ajarakan Helm
• Ajarakan Mail
• Doshaguma Braces
• Doshaguma Coil
• Ajarakan Greaves

Charm:

• Fitness Charm I

This build is perfect if you're looking to easily break monster parts. It maximizes Partbreaker, allowing you to exploit wounds for increased damage while ensuring the monster’s weak points take heavy hits.

3) Quematrice Culebrina build 2

Weapon:

• Quematrice Culebrina II

Armor:

• Doshaguma Helm
• Doshaguma Mail
• Balahara Vambraces
• Balahara Coil
• Balahara Greaves

This setup focuses on Perfect Blocks, making it easier to absorb damage while maintaining aggression. Thanks to Powerhouse, blocking effectively will also increase your offensive output, letting you balance defense and attack seamlessly.

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Best mid-game builds

1) Quematrice Culebrina III build

Weapon:

• Quematrice Culebrina III

Armor:

• Bulaqchi Specs a
• Nerscylla Mail a
• Kut-Ku Vambraces a
• Kut-Ku Coil b
• Chatacabra Greaves b

Charm:

• Chainblade Charm I

This high-rank build leans into Weakness Exploit and Agitator to push damage higher when monsters are enraged, which happens frequently in tougher hunts.

2) Artian Cannon I build

Weapon:

• Artian Cannon I

Armor:

• G. Ebony Helm b
• Conga Mail a
• G. Fulgur Mail b
• G. Ebony Braces b
• G. Ebony Coil b

Charm:

• Chain Charm I

A highly offensive build that centers around Burst and Artillery, allowing for consistent explosive damage with Shelling and Wyvernfire.

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Best late-game builds

1) G. Lawful Bors build

Weapon:

• G. Lawful Bors

Armor:

• G. Ebony Helm b
• Udra Miremail a
• Dahaad Shardbraces b
• G. Ebony Coil b
• Dahaad Shardgreaves b

This build capitalizes on Burst and Agitator to push DPS even further, with Artillery and Partbreaker ensuring that both raw and explosive damage are maximized.

2) Argenesis build (Thunder-focused)

Weapon:

• Argenesis (Artian weapon, Rarity: 8)

Armor:

• Guardian Arkveld b (4-piece set) + Arkvulcan Mail b (1 piece)
• Guardian Arkveld Helm b
• Arkvulcan Mail b
• Guardian Arkveld Vambraces b
• Guardian Arkveld Coil b
• Guardian Arkveld Greaves b

Decorations:

• Talisman: Recovery Charm II
• Mantle: Rocksteady Mantle

Stats

• Attack: 478
• Affinity: 5%
• Element: 480 (Thunder)
• Defense: 331
• Fire Resistance: 10
• Water Resistance: 0
• Thunder Resistance: -5
• Ice Resistance: 0
• Dragon Resistance: -19

This is one of the best setups for Gunlance in Monster Hunter Wilds alongside G. Lawful Bors build. Built for mixing elemental and explosive damage, it ensures maximum impact while keeping your survivability high.

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Best skills for Gunlance in Monster Hunter Wilds

Gunlance in Monster Hunter Wilds (Image via Capcom)

• Artillery: Boosts Shelling and Wyvernfire damage significantly.
• Agitator: Increased Attack and Affinity when the monster is enraged.
• Evade Extender: Lengthens dodges, reducing the need to sheathe for mobility.
• Resentment: Provides Attack bonuses when red HP is present after blocking.
• Partbreaker: Enhances part destruction, perfect for Gunlance's wound-focused playstyle.
• Shock Absorber: Prevents teammate disruption in multiplayer hunts.
• Offensive Guard: Pairs well with Perfect Block, boosting Attack when blocking at the right time.
• Handicraft: Helps maintain optimal sharpness, reducing frequent sharpening.
• Flayer: Improves wound creation, making Shelling and Wyrmstakes even stronger.
• Load Shells: Grants additional Shells and faster reloads.
• Divine Blessing: Reduces damage received, adding survivability.
• Burst: Adds bonus damage to consecutive attacks, perfect for Gunlance combos.
• Guard: Reduces knockback when blocking, making defense smoother.
• Decimator: Restores health when destroying wounds, minimizing downtime.
• Guard Up: Enables blocking of normally unblockable attacks, a must-have for tanking.

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Best combos for Gunlance in Monster Hunter Wilds

Combo name	PS5	Xbox	Description
Wyrmstake full blast	circle → Left Stick + triangle → triangle + circle → triangle / circle → R2 + triangle + circle	B → Left Stick + Y → Y + B → Y / B → RT + Y + B	Unleashes all Shells in a single strike, embedding two Wyrmstake shots before finishing with Wyvern fire.
Burst fire combo	triangle + circle → triangle → circle	Y + B → Y → B	A fast counter combo that skips Rising Slash, instead relying on Perfect guard into Overhead smash for a quick, powerful retaliation. Perfect for punishing aggressive monsters.

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This sums up our best builds, skills, and combo guide for Gunlance in Monster Hunter Wilds.

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