A long-time Monster Hunter favourite, the hammer might look like a dumb hunk of metal, but in Monster Hunter Wilds it’s a deceptively tricky weapon that’s capable of dishing out both big hits and whirling flurries of blows.
Mixed with a handy roster of different ailments and elements, as well as a unique stun ability, the hammer is a lot less clunky and a lot more versatile than it first seems. Particularly with teammates as part of a multiplayer party, you can line up some unbelievable combos with the Hammer which never fail to bring a grin to your face.
However, to help you get the most out of this massive weapon, we’ve put together a quick list of our best strategies and builds which ease you into the early game, particularly if you’re a new player, before taking more of an interest in how Skills can give your character big buffs. As a post-credits meta begins to emerge, we’ll add more High Rank builds too.
Monster Hunter Wilds Hammer Guide
Hammer Combos
The Hammer is one of the most uncomplicated weapons out there, but the nuance of making the best use of your charge attack can be tricky.
As you get more used to using the Hammer, you’ll get better at holding R2 and running around a monster to avoid damage while preparing an attack of your own.
The flow of combat ends up looking like this:
- Close distance by holding R2 to Charge, then when your character flashes for a second time, release for a big swing
- Follow-up with a Big Bang Combo by pressing Circle five times
- You can then use the Basic Combo by pressing Triangle three times, if you get chance, you can hold the third press to charge for extra damage
- When a monster is knocked down or stunned, wind up the Mighty Charge by pressing R2 + Triangle + Circle at the same time and following up with another Triangle attack
- For repeated hits, press Triangle once, then Triangle and Circle at the same time to start a spinning attack, then while you’re spinning hold Triangle to perform a charged finisher at the end
Monster Hunter Wilds Hammer Builds
While thinking about your build only really becomes a necessity in the post-game grind, there are some early and mid-game builds which make a big difference to your character and show you just how strong some of the Skills can be.
Skills can be confusing, even for returning fans of the Monster Hunter series, so here are some to look out for as you play with the Hammer.
Early Game
In the early game of Monster Hunter Wilds, you need to find a strong hammer with good elemental damage or a useful effect. Paralysis from the Lala Barina is quite good, but very similar to the hammer’s innate ability to stun monsters. That’s why I like the Balahara variant too.
That’s useful to know, since you will also want to farm Balahara a little bit for their useful armour pieces, which give Quick Sheathe and Evade Extender to buff your dodge roll. The 2 pieces of the Alloy set, which you can get almost immediately, also give Quick Sheathe, which will make using items and sprinting easier as you get to grips with your weapon’s moveset at the beginning of the story.
- Weapon: Lala Barina Jail Hammer/Balahara Hammer
- Helm: Alloy
- Cuirass: Quematrice/Balahara
- Gauntlets: Quematrice/Balahara
- Waist: Quematrice/Balahara
- Greaves: Alloy
- Talisman: Defence Charm
Mid-game
As you reach the end of the main story which basically serves as the game’s extended tutorial, you’ll start to gain access to more exciting weapons, like the Guardian Rathalos tree, as well as gear with more advanced Skills.
Once such Skill is Latent Power, which comes as part of the Rey Dau set and buffs your critical damage and dodge roll for a set time after taking a certain amount of damage on a hunt. By wearing 4 pieces of the Rey Dau set you massively extend the timeframe that this buff remains active, giving you a big advantage in difficult fights.
- Weapon: Guardian Rathalos Albirath Bludgeon
- Helm: Rey Dau
- Cuirass: Rey Dau
- Gauntlets: Rey Dau
- Waist: Hirabami
- Greaves: Rey Dau
- Talisman: Defence/element of monster being hunted