Mastering Bow in Monster Hunter Wilds: Essential Moves and Combos

While close-range weapons excel in *Monster Hunter Wilds*, the bow stands out as a remarkable choice, albeit with a steep learning curve that new players must navigate. Understanding the intricacies of this weapon can transform your hunting experience.

Monster Hunter Wilds Bow Weapon Guide

Screenshot via The Escapist

Unlike other weapons in *Monster Hunter Wilds*, the bow demands attention to your stamina bar. Each attack consumes stamina, with light attacks using less, while charged attacks significantly deplete your stamina reserves.

To execute a basic attack, simply left-click on your mouse or press the R2/RT button on your controller. The bow also offers various combos such as Dragon Piercer and Thousand Dragons. Here's a comprehensive list of controls for using the bow:

For those new to the bow, spending time in the training ground is highly recommended. Here, you can practice combos and familiarize yourself with the controls before engaging in combat with a monster.

Related: Monster Hunter Wilds Weapon Tier List (Best Weapons to Use)

Attack Monster's Weak Spots

A significant advantage of the bow is its ability to target a monster's weak points with precision. Utilize Focus Fire: Hailstorm to shoot arrows that automatically lock onto these vulnerabilities. After focusing your sight, red spots will appear on the monster, indicating weak points. Simply hold down Shift or R1/RB to target these areas effectively.

Use Coatings

Screenshot via The Escapist

Coatings are another crucial element of the bow in *Monster Hunter Wilds*. These special concoctions enhance your arrows' effectiveness. Your character will automatically generate coatings by hitting enemies with regular arrows, which you can monitor via the blue bar in the bottom right corner of your screen.

To apply coatings, continue with regular attacks until the gauge is full, then press R, Triangle, or Y. Each bow can utilize two types of coatings from a diverse list, including:

• Power Coating – Increases the overall damage of your arrows.
• Pierce Coating – Enhances the Dragon Piercer ability to pierce through armor.
• Close-Range Coating – Boosts damage when fighting at close range.
• Paralysis Coating – Gradually inflicts Paralysis on the target.
• Exhaust Coating – Gradually causes Stun and Exhaustion.
• Sleep Coating – Gradually induces Sleep.
• Poison Coating – Gradually inflicts Poison.
• Blast Coating – Gradually inflicts Blast damage.

Use Tracer Arrow

The Tracer Arrow is another valuable tool at your disposal when using the bow. This arrow sticks to a monster for a limited duration, causing subsequent arrows to home in on the tracer. It's particularly useful for creating and exploiting weak spots. Be mindful, however, that using the Tracer Arrow consumes coating points, limiting its spam potential.

*Monster Hunter Wilds is available now on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.*