Choosing the weapon type in Monster Hunter Wilds is a decision that can always be reverted. Players can change their weapon at any time throughout their journey if they no longer find it fun or effective against certain types of monsters.
Ranged weapons might not get the love they deserve, but they do deliver a pretty fun experience, and they are proven to be worthy of trying, especially against hordes of smaller enemies. The Light Bowgun is one of the ranged weapon types in the game that comes with different fire mods as well as several ammo types.
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Suitable Playstyle For Light Bowgun
Of course, both Bowguns are suitable for players who don’t want to get up close with their enemies so often, but remember that it will eventually depend on the ammo type the player uses, as a close-ranged ammo type will indeed require the player to get into the melee range of a monster.
But aside from that, the Light Bowgun is pretty useful for players who want to benefit from the entirety of the battlefield, especially if there are high grounds that they can climb up and stay safe from the monster’s melee attacks for some time while dealing a good amount of damage to them.
Light Bowgun is also ideal for any full squad. Having a player in the team to deal constant damage from a safe range while other players keep the monster entertained at close range could be quite fruitful, especially when using ammo types with a lasting effect, like Poison.
Light Bowgun Fire Modes
Light Bowgun comes with two different fire modes. The normal fire mode comes with a bigger variety of ammo types, but each shot fires fewer projectiles, while also the magazine size for some ammo types is smaller in this mode, requiring more reloading.
The enhanced fire mod, on the other hand, comes with far less variety in the ammo types but delivers a bigger magazine and fires more projectiles per each shot. Also, it can fire automatically by holding down the fire button. That being said, this fire mode has a specific cooldown. Once the weapon is overheated, the player needs to switch to the normal mode, and the stamina bar for the enhanced mode will start to fill in gradually. Keep in mind that the stamina will not restore as long as the weapon is in enhanced mode, even if you don’t fire any projectiles.
The enhanced fire mode features an exclusive attacking move known as Burst Step. It can be performed by pressing the following buttons simultaneously, which results in a smooth forward movement while firing a burst of projectiles at the target.
- Hold down L2 and press L3 Up+R2+X / Hold down LT and press LS Up+RT+A / Hold down RMB and press W+LMB+Space
This is quite beneficial when using Spread Ammo to get into the effective range of the projectiles quickly.
Aside from the two fire modes above, there is also another very special fire mode that appears in the form of a moveset, but it comes with its unique, explosive ammo type. Regardless of what fire mode the weapon is set to, aim down sight by holding L2/LT/RMB, and then hold down R1/RB/Shift to charge the Light Bowgun. Leaving the charge button will shoot a powerful explosive projectile that knocks back the hunter.
Last but not least, there is one last moveset for Light Bowgun that sets an explosive trap on the ground. Pressing Triangle+Circle / Y+B / R+F simultaneously will place a trap next to the hunter’s feet. Whenever a monster goes over the trap or the player shoots at it, the trap will explode, dealing a significant amount of AOE damage to any nearby enemy. If the player steps over the trap, it will not explode.
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Shooting Effectively With Light Bowgun
Shooting with a bowgun effectively requires the player to enter the ADS mode, but that is not enough. Each ammo type is only effective within a certain range. When the player enters the effective range, an orange highlight appears around the crosshair, this indicates the best distance to shoot at the target, which also deals the highest amount of damage, based on which part of the monster you hit.
Shooting with hipfire will never have the power and damage output of the ADS fire. Also, going into ADS mode is required to perform some of the special movesets.
Light Bowgun Ammo Types
Light Bowgun comes with a variety of ammo types for each one of the fire modes. Here, you can check out the functionality of each ammo variant:
- Normal Ammo: Fires multiple shots with each pull of the trigger. (Infinite reserve ammo)
- Pierece Ammo: Armor-piercing ammo that can deal multiple hits depending on the monster. (Infinite reserve ammo)
- Spread Ammo: Almost equal to shotgun pellets. Deals powerful damage but is only effective within a short range. (Infinite reserve ammo)
- Poison Ammo: Inflicts Poison. Some monsters require multiple shots to eventually take the poison status effect. (Limited reserve ammo)
- Thunder Ammo: Deals electrical damage. Strong against monsters that are vulnerable to thunder. (Limited reserve ammo)
- Recover Ammo: Produces a healing cloud where the projectile lands. Restoring health to any hunter inside the cloud. (Limited reserve ammo)
- Demon Ammo: Produces a buff cloud that strengthens the attack of any hunter that touches the cloud. (Limited reserve ammo)
- Tranq Ammo: Used to capture monsters ensnared in traps. (Limited reserve ammo)
- Flaming Ammo: Deals fire damage. Strong against monsters that are vulnerable to fire. (Limited reserve ammo)
- Water Ammo: Deals water damage. Strong against monsters that are vulnerable to water. (Limited reserve ammo)
- Freeze Ammo: Deals ice damage. Strong against monsters that are vulnerable to ice. (Limited reserve ammo)
It’s worth noting that the players can purchase ammo from the vendors. Jack is the vendor working at the starting camp in Monster Hunter Wilds. While he doesn’t have all the ammo types, players can purchase Thunder, Water, Flaming, Freeze, and Poison ammo from him.
In order to be able to purchase items from Jack, you need to complete the Village of the Whispering Winds mission first. This is the very first main story quest after unlocking the camp, where the hunter and Alma go outside the camp to harvest some resources. After returning to the camp, Jack will be highlighted on the map, and he will be ready to trade items with the hunter.
- Released
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February 28, 2025
- OpenCritic Rating
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Mighty