How To Use Focus Mode In Monster Hunter Wilds

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Every Monster Hunter game has something unique to help it stand out against one another. Generations has Hunter Arts, World has an increased focus on monster tracking, Rise has its Wirebugs. Monster Hunter Wilds introduces a treasure trove of new features, but the one that will most keenly alter the way you act in combat is Focus Mode.

A palico facing a Comaqchi in monster hunter wilds.

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Focus Mode is a whole new method of aiming for your weapons, most prominently affecting melee weapons, but having a helpful few tricks for ranged weapons as well. It is also incorporated into the new Wounds system, with some unique attacks that can only be performed in Focus Mode. Let’s examine the system in a bit more detail below.

What Is Focus Mode?

a tutorial explaining how to activate focus mode in monster hunter wilds.

Prior to Wilds, the only weapons that had the freedom to aim were the Bowguns and Bow, with melee weapons relying on your positioning to determine the direction of their attacks. While that is mostly the same now, Focus Mode gives you the freedom to change direction on a whim, leading to fewer whiffed attacks and more precise strikes.

This also means you can adjust your attacks after they’ve begun but before they’ve hit, letting weapons like the Great Sword account for those pesky monsters moving. It offers a degree of forgiveness when you aren’t pinpoint accurate with your attacks, but also lets you stay close to the monster with your attacks without having to end your combo.

Wounds are also highlighted in red in Focus Mode, if you need some extra help in visualizing them.

Of course, Focus Mode also comes with unique attacks for every weapon as well. For the most part, these attacks deal very little damage and have very few uses beyond destroying wounds. However, it is when wounds present themselves that the true power of these attacks reveal themselves. They destroy wounds, yes, but also offer a bevy of unique effects depending on the weapon.

How To Use Focus Mode

By default, Focus Mode is mapped to LT/L2 and must be held to be used. This button can be freely re-mapped in the settings, as well as set to a toggle instead of needing to be held. This can be a massive help for some weapons, the ranged ones especially where you will be constantly aiming up shots.

This toggle can be adjusted for melee and ranged weapons separately.

The Focus Attack is also on the same button for every attack, though various follow-up attacks can vary per weapon. Focus Attacks can be used whenever you want, though you cannot use the full attack unless you hit either a wound or weakpoint, which is exposed during certain attacks. These attacks are incredibly powerful, but fully destroy the targeted wound. Wounds act as weakpoints, so destroying them effectively removes a weakpoint in exchange for a large burst of damage.

Every Weapon And Its Focus Attack

The real meat of the Focus Mode comes in the many different attacks it enables for each weapon. So without further ado, here is each and every one of them:

Weapon	Attack Name	Effect
Great Sword	Focus Slash: Perforate	Drag your weapon across the monster to deal damage and hit multiple parts. Can be ended early by pressing RB/R1.
Long Sword	Focus Strike: Unbound Thrust	Stab a monster’s wound and position yourself to destroy multiple at once. You will gain a Spirit Gauge Level for every wound destroyed.
Sword And Shield	Focus Strike: Vital Stab	A wound-destroying attack that can be followed up with a Falling Slash or Upswing Bash with Y/Triangle and B/Circle respectively.
Dual Blades	Focus Strike: Turning Tide	Hit a wound to perform a Midair Spinning Blade Dance that can destroy any other wounds it hits.
Hammer	Focus Blow: Earthquake	After hitting a wound, hold RT/R2 to charge your attack to unleash a powerful spin that damages everywhere it hits.
Hunting Horn	Focus Strike: Reverb	After hitting a wound, you can perform any five notes before the attack ends. Press them with the right timing to add a final attack at the end.
Lance	Focus Strike: Victory Thrust	Strike a monster’s wound to attack it with your shield. This attack can be ended early by pressing RB/R1.
Gunlance	Focus Strike: Drake Auger	Strike a monster’s wound to perform a drilling attack that finishes with a Wyrnstake Cannon. Can be executed early by pressing RB/R1.
Switch Axe	Focus Assault: Morph Combination	Hit a monster’s wound to perform a combo that ends with a Power Axe Finisher. Press RT/R2 during the attack to instead perform an Element Discharge Finisher.
Charge Blade	Focus Slash: Double Rend	Slash with your sword before switching to the Axe to slice the enemy. This will activate Power Axe Mode.
Insect Glaive	Focus Thrust: Leaping Strike	After striking an enemy, your Kinsect will pierce the monster and gather every extract as it passes through to fully power you up.
Light Bowgun	Focus Blast: Eagle Strike Shot	Press RB/R2 while aiming to fire off this attack, firing an explosive blast that destroys wounds. Charging for longer unleashes a more powerful attack with wider range.
Heavy Bowgun	Focus Blast: Wyvern Howl Shot	Press RB/R2 to fire a shot that destroys wounds. Hold this attack to use up the Ignition Gauge for an even stronger attack.
Bow	Hailstorm	Hold RB/R2 while aiming to lock-on to any Tracer and Fuse arrows lodged in a monster, as well as exposed weakpoints. This can be charged up to three levels, launching a volley of arrows for each traget.

Some of these Focus Attacks have smaller extra functionality than is mentioned. For example, you can aim the slicing attack during the Charge Blade’s Focus Attack by activating Focus Mode. You still have a degree of control during Focus Attacks, rather than losing all control for a simple cinematic attacks. Monster Hunter rarely ever takes control away from you entirely.