How To Play The Insect Glaive In Monster Hunter Wilds

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Insect Glaive – Attack Moves

Monster Hunter Wilds brings new and veteran players alike to the massive landscaped called the Forbidden Lands. The shadow of a mysterious monster called the White Wraith can be felt all across the different ecosystems in this place, and you will have to challenge all kinds of monsters with all the possible weapons at your disposal.

A Hunter fighting Nu Udra in a firey region from Monster Hunter Wilds.

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One of the most popular weapons in the game is the Insect Glaive, a polearm that possesses swift moves and allows you to gain an unparalleled level of verticality not seen by any other weapon in the game. Here’s all you need to know about it.

The Insect Glaive

A hunter standing with an Insect Glaive equipped in Monster Hunter Wilds.

The Insect Glaive is a staff-like weapon that employs fast moves and a mechanism that allows your hunter to jump in the air. The variety of attacks you can unleash on your opponents helps you to remain adaptable to different environments and situations where the ground level might not be your best option to remain in, or in the cases where the monster takes flight in the middle of combat.

This weapon is accompanied by an insect that rests on your arm called the Kinsect, which aids you in battle by obtaining Nectar Extracts from the monster you are fighting, buffing you depending on the color of the nectar you absorb.

The Kinsect And Extracts

A kinsect resting on a Hunter's arm in Monster Hunter Wilds.

When it’s sent out, the Kinsect will attack the opposing monster, extracting nectar from it; it can extract different colors of nectars depending on the part of the body they hit, and these give you the following effects. By extracting and absorbing the Red, White, and Orange colors, you will get a larger buff to your damage, which will also enable you to use certain techniques.

Red Extract: Boosts your Attack and extends your normal combo.
White Extract: Boosts your Movement Speed.
Orange Extract: Grants Knockback Protection.
Green Extract: This one does not count for the triple-colored combo, it just heals you a little bit of HP when you absorb it.

Keep in mind that the Red Extract should always be the first to get, since not only buffs your Attack, but it also extends your normal attack combos.

While you raise your Kinsects with Gemma, you will notice each Kinsect has four different Stats, and this is what they do:

Powder Effect: This stat will power up the damage of your Kinsect Powder when it triggers. Each powder’s element will depend on the Kinsect.
Power: This is what determines how much damage your Kinsect will inflict on the monster with normal attacks.
Speed: This stat will decide how fast your Kinsect can fly when you send or recall it.
Stamina: The Stamina will influence how long your Kinsect can be flying and extracting before it has to go and rest back on your arm.

Insect Glaive – Attack Moves

A hunter posing with an unsheathed Insect Glaive in Monster Hunter Wilds.

The attack moves for the Insect Glaive and the Kinsect go as follows:

Attack Move	Control Input	Description
Rising Slash Combo	Y/Triangle	Basic combo of the glaive, using your left stick to change directions helps reposition your attacks.
Wide Sweep	B/Circle	A series of sweeping moves that begins with a short jumping attack. If used during Focus Mode, it will also recall the Kinsect.
Kinsect: Harvest Extract	RT+Y/Triangle	This sends the Kinsect in the direction you’re pointing to. A small diamond will show you the Extract you will obtain from wherever you’re pointing to.
Kinsect Charge	Charge: Hold RT+Y/Triangle Kinsect Boost: Let Y/Triangle go.	This will do a charged attack with your Kinsect, which will extract from each part of the monster it hits as it passes through after you let it go.
Kinsect Recall	RT+B/Circle while the Kinsect is out.	The Kinsect goes back to you, allowing you to absorb the extracts it has.
Kinsect: Mark Target	RT	You hit the monster with your Kinsect from a melee distance, leaving a cloud of elemental powder attached. The Kinsect will auto-attack that cloud.
Kinsect: Fire	RT+RB	You shoot your Kinsect at the monster, leaving a cloud of elemental powder attached to it. The Kinsect will auto-attack that cloud.
Vault	Vault: RT + A/Cross While in the air: Jumping Advancing Slash: Y/Triangle Jumping Slash: B/Circle Midair Evade: A/Cross	You vault up in the air. While you’re in the air, you can interact with one of the other three inputs to use a different move.
Focus Thrust: Leaping Strike	LT + LB	This focus attack will hit the opposing monster twice, and if you hit a Wound, you will do an immediate Triple Extract boost.
Charge	Charge: Hold B/Circle Descending Slash: Let B/Circle go. Rising Spiral Slash: LT + B (during Triple buff.)	With the Red Extract buff on, you hold B and then let go to do a Descending Slash or Descending Thrust, depending on whether you’re in the ground or up in the air. With the Triple Extract boost active, use LT and B/Circle to unleash a finisher move that spends the three Extracts immediately.