Mastering the Bow in Monster Hunter Wilds can be quite challenging. Its rapid-fire combos may be overwhelming for new players, especially since each shot consumes your Stamina. Figuring out the most effective attack sequences without draining your stamina can feel like a puzzle. Fortunately, there are various techniques that allow you to create natural combos, enhancing your performance in every hunting mission.
While the Bow may not be the most complicated weapon in Monster Hunter Wilds, it does come with its own unique set of features. One of the key mechanics is the Trick Arrow Gauge, which you fill by successfully landing hits. Once filled, you can use portions of the gauge to apply special Coatings that enhance your arrows or to load Tracer shots that cause your subsequent arrows to home in on target areas of monsters.
Dash Dance Combo
Quickly Shoot and Move
Returning from earlier installments, the Dash Dance combo is an efficient method for Bow users. This maneuver uses the Charging Sidestep, which allows you to quickly dodge a monster’s attack. Rather than using this defensively, consider leveraging it offensively, moving toward or away from your target after delivering a rapid barrage of attacks.
Timing your Charging Sidestep perfectly can fill a third of your Bow’s Trick Arrow Gauge. If this occurs during a Dash Dance combo, you can load a Tracer arrow mid-combo, ensuring your subsequent shots accurately hit your enemy by locking onto the Tracer.
Here are the controls to perform a basic Dash Dance combo on different systems:
- PC: (While Aiming with Right Mouse Button) Space → Left Click → F → F → Space
- PlayStation: (While Aiming with L2) X → R2 → Circle → Circle → X
- Xbox: (While Aiming with L2) A → R2 → B → B → A
This combo begins with a Charging Sidestep before transitioning into a rapid Charged Shot. You then quickly follow up with a Power Shot and Power Volley, inflicting significant damage on your target in Monster Hunter Wilds. Repeating the Dash Dance allows for exceptional mobility and burst damage while helping evade incoming attacks.
Dragon Tracer Combo
Maximize Your Damage
Once your Trick Arrow Gauge is sufficiently filled, you can load a Tracer arrow into your Bow. This feature allows all subsequent arrows to track the location of the Tracer arrow you shot, making it superb for dealing massive damage to a monster’s weak spots. Combining a Thousand Dragons or Dragon Piercer shot with an applied Tracer can yield exceptional damage, often staggering monsters or breaking specific parts.
Below are the controls for executing this combo across all platforms:
- PC: Left Mouse Button (Charged) → (While Aiming with Right Mouse Button) Left Mouse Button + E → Left Mouse Button → Left Mouse Button + R + F OR R + F
- PlayStation: R2 (Charged) → (While Aiming with L2) R2 + Square → R2 → R2 + Triangle + Circle OR Triangle + Circle
- Xbox: R2 (Charged) → (While Aiming with L2) R2 + B → R2 → R2 + Y + B OR Y + B
Both Thousand Dragons and Dragon Piercer techniques deal significant damage, but this is only effective at their ideal range. An orange glow around your reticle indicates that your attack is optimally ranged.
This combo kicks off with a Charged shot to fill your Trick Arrow Gauge and enable a Tracer load. When you finally let loose the Tracer aimed at a weak point, your next shots will specifically target that area. To conclude the combo, use either a Dragon Piercer or a Thousand Dragons shot to strike the Tracer just before it detonates for maximum damage.
Focus Wound Arc Hailstorm Combo
Inflict and Target Wounds
Creating Open Wounds on a monster in Monster Hunter Wilds is one of the most effective ways to cause damage. Wounds, when targeted correctly, can stagger enemies. This combo employs the Bow’s most formidable move for inflicting Wounds, followed by the Focus Strike targeting these injuries. The input methods for executing this powerful combo on various systems are as follows:
- PC: Left Mouse Button + Right Mouse Button + F → Left Mouse Button + Shift
- PlayStation: L2 + R2 + Circle → L2 + R1
- Xbox: L2 + R2 + B → L2 + R1
The combo begins with the Arc Shot of the Bow, which can generate multiple cascading arrows that rain down on your target in a designated area. Using the Arc Shot effectively creates abundant Open Wounds on monsters, providing valuable openings for attacks. After successfully inflicting Wounds, you can execute your Focus Mode attack to lock onto those injuries.
The Bow’s Focus Strike is called Hailstorm, where a special reticle appears to help you lock onto Wounds created on a monster. Holding down your Focus Strike attack allows you to target more Wounds with more arrows, which are released as soon as you release the input. Letting go of the Hailstorm causes all arrows charged to shoot, home in on the Wounds, and potentially break them depending on the damage dealt.
This combo is capable of devastating Wounds, knocking out monster parts and potentially even toppling the monster if charged sufficiently. While you can incorporate some Charged Shots or a Power Volley for additional damage, keep in mind that it may drain your Stamina quickly. The strongest combos for the Bow in Monster Hunter Wilds are those that emphasize speed and efficiency, allowing you to create openings and unleash powerful strikes.
