Best Hammers In MHW

Summary

• Hammers in MHW excel in blunt damage and stunning, making them great for lock-down tactics.
• Best hammers offer high damage potential and keep enemies in place for repeated strikes.
• Unique hammers like Pandemonium’s Root and Kjarr Hammer Numb offer specialized effects for diverse gameplay.

Hammers are fantastic weapons to wield in Monster Hunter World. Designed for blunt damage, stunning, and even knocking out opponents, they’re great at punishing and sometimes stun-locking anything they strike.

The best hammers can reach absurd damage potential and help keep the enemy in one spot for you to whack them repeatedly. While the best hammer depends on each encounter, these are generally the best hammers for any battle throughout the game.

Updated on March 2, 2025, by William Quick: While many of us are looking forward to blazing through Monster Hunter Wilds on our own or with our fellow hunters, we’ve still got plenty to do in Monster Hunter Rise as well as going back even further to Monster Hunter World. This entry in the Monster Hunter series is something special and is why many new hunters decide to join the fight against the dangerous Elder Dragons and the other monstrous pets.

There are many options regarding how you hunt and fight, but the heavy lumbering Hammer is a very effective option. This article has been updated to include the stats for each weapon to provide this insight. A brief guide for each hammer is also included to help you know what steps or crafting materials are needed to obtain each weapon. With this knowledge, tracking down the best hammer in MHW should be much easier and indicate whether it’s worth the time.

13

Bristly Grudge

While exploring the different regions of Monster Hunter World, you may come across an Endemic Life species called the Bristly Crake. This is a large round bird that’s fairly rare and is very easily spooked if it detects you, so you’ll need to be stealthy. However, if capturing this creature isn’t enough to show your love for it, there’s the Bristly Grudge hammer.

This hammer resembles the elusive bird but is much more effective in battle, especially with its strong Poison Damage score, so you can quickly drain your target’s health while swinging at them. Just remember, you’ll need to catch a Bristly Crake to make it and get yourself a worthy commendation.

12

Daora’s Colossus

Anything with the word ‘Colossus’ in its name warrants at least one look, bringing you to Daora’s Colossus. This hammer already gets enough credit for being a weapon made out of several Elder Dragon parts, so be prepared to go on a few hunts for it, but you won’t be disappointed.

Not only does it look like a combination of a dragon’s head preparing to bellow and a pipe that a dragon might use to relax, but this hammer is strong. It hits with some decent Ice Damage and has a chance to land some critical hits right when you need them.

11

Pandemonium’s Root

You may need to look twice, but you’re not mistaken. The Pandemonium’s Root happens to look like an axe from afar. You could say that it lives up to its name by causing pandemonium from the moment you glimpse it. It looks like it could cut you just with its presence.

This is strange since it deals the blunt damage of a hammer with a good amount of Dragon Damage and a few slots for customization. Even though it hits hard, its true value lies in the reliable potential to activate Elderseal on some of your tougher foes. Be ready to throw down with Vaal Hazak a few times to get this hammer.

10

Kjarr Hammer Numb

Obtained by killing the Kulve Taroth in The Fury Of El Dorado event, this hammer can immobilize monsters through Paralysis. It also comes with the special skill Critical Status, which can increase the buildup and effects of Paralysis whenever a critical hit is made.

This is especially helpful with the 20 percent affinity bonus built-in and can have white sharpness, all but guaranteeing critical with each strike. It may not do the most damage, but it won’t matter when the monster is repeatedly locked down by Paralysis.

Made from Nergigante drops, this wicked-looking hammer packs quite the punch with a base attack power of 1,092. It does add dragon damage and comes with a High-level Elder Seal. This makes it a valuable weapon against Elder Dragons, as it can cause them to become staggered and remove their special aura for a time.

This does make the weapon a bit niche in its use, but it’s hard to complain about having a weapon effective against Elder Dragons on hand. Even against more standard creatures, it does decent damage and is worth having.

8

Empress Mace Ruin

Crafted from the Lunastra, the Empress Mace ‘Ruin’ is a strong weapon in many fights. It has a base attack power of 988 and has Blast damage for added impact. This alone makes it a useful weapon to smash creatures into submission.

The real advantage comes from Hasten Recovery level one, which allows you to recover health with each attack, two decoration slots, and automatic white sharpness. It’s a versatile weapon suited for many occasions with great damage and built-in recovery.

7

Buona Flora

The Buona Flora doesn’t do as much damage as other hammers, but it makes up for it by dealing poison damage with each strike. This is a great weapon when fighting agile targets with few openings, as it causes poison to whittle them down as they dart around.

The other perk about this hammer is that it’s easily crafted from a Pukei-Pukei, making it a weapon that can be obtained fairly early on. Others will certainly outclass it in hit-per-hit damage, but for long, drawn-out fights against crafty targets, it holds its own.

6

Taroth Hammer ‘Decay’

Carved from the Kulve Taroth, the Taroth Hammer ‘Decay’ does great damage with a base attack power of 1,040. It’s also suited for non-critical builds as it has zero affinity. It can also be augmented twice.

What makes this weapon worthwhile is that it deals with dragon damage and comes with an average level of Elderseal. The high-damage weapon with bonuses against Elder Dragons makes it a solid choice for any hammer build. Getting it during The Fury of El Dorado can be tricky if you’re unprepared.

5

Taroth Hammer ‘Sleep’

Some of us consider this the best hammer in the game, thanks to its ability to inflict Sleep with each strike. When built up, this causes the monster to drop to the ground, allowing you and their allies to lay traps, recover, and plan the next attack phase.

Of course, the reason it doesn’t rank higher is that it can cause fights to be long and drawn-out affairs with frequent pauses. It’s solid if you’re low-level or a solo fighter, but for those looking to end things quickly, there are better choices.

4

Devil’s Crush

Looking like something ripped away from the corpse of a Deviljho, this hammer is incredibly powerful. A single level of handicraft can reach white sharpness, though you are advised to use Protective Polish to preserve this.

It does suffer from a -30 percent affinity, but with the Dragon damage and High Elderseal, most of us won’t care. This is easily the best hammer to take into battle against Elder Dragons.

3

Ragefire Magda Floga

Forged from parts of the Zorah Magdaros, the Ragefire Magda Floga deals great base damage at 1,144 and healthy Blast damage. It does suffer from -20 percent affinity, but it comes with a +20 for Defense.

Initially, this hammer may not seem impressive, but with the decoration slot and base abilities, it can be adapted to any situation. This makes it suitable for many builds and can stand in for various combat scenarios until a better hammer can be found. It’s a staple for many of us that isn’t replaced until obtaining the ideal weapon for every scenario.

2

Baan Strike 3

Built from pieces of the Radobaan monster, the Baan Strike is a weapon that serves weaker and stronger characters equally. The raw DPS dealt by this hammer is nothing to scoff at, and it comes with the incredibly useful ability to put enemies to sleep.

This is essential for playing solo as you can quickly knock out a monster to give them breathing room to recover or escape. Many of us like to put the monster to sleep with this hammer, swap for a stronger hammer to deal damage while it wakes up, and then swap it back to knock it out again.

1

Diablos Shatterer 3

For sheer raw damage, the Diablos Shatterer 3 is the way to go. It’s built using parts from the Diablos dragon and has the singular purpose of bringing down opposing monsters as quickly as possible. Its base attack power is 1,196, with bonus ice damage on top.

It comes with +15 to Defense and a -25 percent affinity. But this weapon is designed to do the most damage per hit without relying on criticals. It’s a straightforward weapon designed for hammer-wielding hunters to put down any monster. It also pairs well with Baan Strike 2.